The Korea Herald

‘Same Somali pirates hijacked two Samho ships’

Social affairsFeb 25, 2011

The five Somali pirates who hijacked Samho Jewelry in the Arabian Sea last month and wounded its captain leaving him in a critical condition have participated in the abduction of another Korean vessel, Samho Dream, last April, prosecutors said Friday. “Based on the telephone transaction records and others, we have concluded that they were also involved in the Samho Dream case. Some crew members ...
Court acknowledges ex-president’s lovechild

Social affairsFeb 25, 2011

A Seoul court has acknowledged that former President Kim Young-sam fathered a son born out of wedlock 52 years ago. The Seoul Family Court on Thursday ruled for 52-year-old Kim, who claimed to be a biological child of the 83-year-old former President. According to Judge Ma Eun-hyeok, the senior Kim refused to offer his DNA for a paternity test; did not appoint an attorney to deliver his opinion...
U.S. expected to replace ambassador to Seoul

Foreign affairsFeb 25, 2011

The U.S. is expected to replace its ambassador to Seoul, considering deputy assistant secretary of state Joseph Donovan as a strong candidate to take the position, reports have said. The reports come as President Barack Obama is conducting an extensive reshuffle of his White House staff in the third year of his presidency. According to the reports, Donovan will be taking over from incumbent Amb...
P.M.: Seoul has no intention to ‘absorb’ N.K.

PoliticsFeb 25, 2011

South Korea has no intention to achieve unification by absorbing the North and is keeping up efforts to resume inter-Korean dialogue, Seoul’s prime minister said Friday, as tensions linger after the breakdown of inter-Korean dialogue earlier this month. “The (South Korean) government does not regard North Korea as a target of absorption,” Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik said during the parliament’s...
Man dies after explosive tied to body explodes: police

Social affairsFeb 25, 2011

A 26-year-old South Korean man died on Thursday when an explosive he had apparently bought on the Internet and tied to his body exploded, police said. The man identified only by his surname, Oh, had complained of his personal woes for four hours at a local police stand earlier in the morning while claiming he was carrying an explosive, according to the police in this eastern port city of Pohang....
Global warming apparent in Korea

Social affairsFeb 25, 2011

Korea is apparently already under the influence of global warming as flowers are blooming earlier than ever, a state-run institute said Thursday. At the same time Fall leaves are coming later, indicating that the climate here is getting warmer and milder, said Lee Kyeong-mi, staff worker at the National Institute of Meteorological Research. Lee found that the flowering of Japanese apricot plant...
S. Korea dispatches anti-piracy warship off Somalia to Libya

PoliticsFeb 24, 2011

South Korea said Thursday it has ordered its anti-piracy naval unit stationed in Somali waters to sail toward Libya in case its plan to evacuate its nationals out of the troubled African country goes awry. The dispatch of the 4,500-ton destroyer Choi Young comes as anti-government protests intensify in Libya where leader Moammar Gadhafi is reportedly mobilizing armed units to strike those who op...
Seoul seeks to limit Mideast fallout

PoliticsFeb 24, 2011

Presidential office to check on oil supply, draw up plans to protect Koreans President Lee Myung-bak on Thursday instructed his government to closely monitor the continuing turmoil in the Middle East and take steps to minimize its economic impact during an emergency meeting with related ministers. Lee also called for utmost efforts to ensure the safety of South Koreans in Libya as violent upris...
S. Korea, U.S. united on N.K., FTA: envoy

Foreign affairsFeb 24, 2011

South Korea and the U.S. are “on the best of terms” regarding a shared belief to remain firm against North Korea’s nuclear activities and activate their free trade deal at the earliest possible date, Seoul’s ambassador to Washington said Thursday. “We have been together on maintaining international sanctions against North Korea, while also keeping open chances of dialogue,” Amb. Han Duck-soo sai...
Thailand’s Nation Group enters education by opening university

InternationalFeb 24, 2011

Nation Multimedia Group is set to move into the local education market in a joint venture with South-East Asia University. “Nation University” is a 250 million baht joint venture. The group has already signed a 175 million baht ($5.7 million) takeover deal with Siritaj Rojanapruk, owner and license holder of Lampang’s Yonok University. Under the deal, Nation University will own and operate the un...
1 killed, 4 missing in chopper crash

Social affairsFeb 24, 2011

One maritime police officer was killed and four others were missing off Jeju Island after a maritime police helicopter crashed into the sea Wednesday night. The police have mobilized a search plane, eight patrol vessels and two Navy vessels to collect the remains of the chopper and the bodies of the missing passengers. According to the Jeju Coast Guard, the helicopter, AW-139, lost contact with...
Minister pledges to reform college admission policy

Social affairsFeb 24, 2011

Lee stresses lower difficulty in written tests and development of new ways to find talented students The government will keep trying to make the college entrance exam easier, while encouraging schools to accept students with different talents, Education Minister Lee Ju-ho said Thursday. “It’s not appropriate that one or two points make a difference in college admission. Along with easier questi...
Lee starts 4th year with much on his hands

PoliticsFeb 24, 2011

Better communication, political coordination key to president’s success President Lee Myung-bak greets the third anniversary of his inauguration Friday with a stack of uncompleted policy tasks and lingering concerns of political estrangement. Tricky pending tasks include deciding where to locate a 3.5-trillion-won science-business belt and a new international airport in the southeastern region,...
114-year-old Korean applies for Guinness Book's oldest person title

Social affairsFeb 24, 2011

A 114-year-old woman in Guri, currently the oldest living person in South Korea, has asked the national recordkeeping agency to help her seek the world's oldest living person title in the Guinness Book of World Records, a local government said Thursday. According to the city of Guri, some 15 kilometers east of Seoul, Kim Eom-gok, born on Nov. 7 1897, has reported her identity to the Korea Recor...
Diplomats watching alleged spying case

Foreign affairsFeb 24, 2011

The alleged involvement of the South Korean spy agency in a fumbled industrial espionage job is the dominating debate in the diplomatic community here. At the center of the controversy is the bidding for a contract to supply trainer jets, tanks and missiles to Indonesia. South Korea’s T-50 supersonic planes are competing with Russia’s Y-130 trainer jets for the deal. Some high-ranking diplomats...