The Korea Herald

Rising debt weighing on economy

Oct 4, 2011

Measures urged to prevent liabilities from holding back growth Encouraging Koreans to have confidence in their economy’s ability to cope with global fiscal crises in his radio address Monday, President Lee Myung-bak listed a set of factors backing his argument, including the national debt being kept at a low level. The government debt accounts for about 33 percent of the country’s gross domestic...
Nation’s first N.K. studies dept. faces closure

Oct 4, 2011

Dongguk University is considering closing the department of North Korea studies, the oldest such department in the country, as part of restructuring, the student council of the university said Tuesday. According to the student body, they have been notified by the school management about the plan to merge or close several departments, including North Korea studies. The school management plans to...
Overnight interrogations by prosecutors surge over 3 years

Oct 4, 2011

Despite an official order in 2006 to limit overnight interrogations by prosecutors in order to protect human rights, their frequency surged nearly 2.5-fold over the past three years, a report showed Tuesday. A total of 554 people were held overnight for questioning by prosecutors in 2010, up 151 percent from 221 in 2007, according to a Justice Ministry report submitted to Lee Choon-suk, a lawmak...
Number of mentally ill criminals to hit 2,000 this year

Oct 3, 2011

The number of mentally ill criminals who have committed felonies such as murder and is expected to rise to 2,000 this year, said a government report released on Monday. According to the report by the National Police Agency, 1879 mentally ill people were convicted of a crime in 2010. The report noted that their tendency to become repeat offenders was higher than average. Submitted to the Nationa...
Asbestos cancer cases to peak in 2045

Oct 3, 2011

Korea predicts a surge in number of asbestos exposure victims: experts The number of people suffering from malignant mesothelioma caused by exposure to asbestos is expected to peak in 2045, the Ministry of Environment said in a report Sunday. Comparing the trends of asbestos use and patients in Korea, the Netherlands and Japan in the report, the ministry estimated that Korea has entered the sta...
Netizen fined for defaming entertainer online

Oct 3, 2011

A man was fined for posting false rumors on the Internet and defaming entertainer Lee Kyung-shil, local court officials said Monday. According to the Seoul Southern District Court, the man surnamed Lee, whose name was not disclosed to the media, was fined 2 million won ($1,693) for uploading false rumors about Lee Kyung-shil’s remarriage. “In light of the degree of falsity of the rumor, the nat...
Number of young Korean students abroad rebounds

Oct 3, 2011

The number of young Korean students being sent to study abroad is back on the rise, apparently buoyed by recently improved economic conditions, said a government report released on Monday. The report by the Education Ministry and the Korean Educational Development Institute showed that in the 2010 academic year, 18,741 elementary, middle and high school students were sent abroad. The number in ...
Disabled but tenacious designer wins skills contest

Oct 3, 2011

Life is always challenging and sometimes frustrating for wheelchair-user Woo Song-shik. But that could not stop him from pursuing his dream to design a better product. “New ideas never cease to spring up within me. I am eager all the time to learn more to make products of my own design,” the 37-year-old amateur designer said. A father of two sons, Woo works at a woodcraft shop in Pocheon, Gyeon...
SLS chief presents evidence of presidential aide graft

Oct 3, 2011

SLS Chairman Lee Kook-chul on Monday was summoned to the Seoul Central Prosecutors’ Office to explain his allegations that he offered 1 billion won ($847,000) as bribe to former Vice Culture Minister Shin Jae-min. Before heading into the office at 10 a.m., Lee showed reporters two large suitcases that he said contained credit card slips, car lease records, voucher receipts and others that would ...
SLS head reveals credit trail in graft claims

Oct 2, 2011

SLS Chairman Lee Kook-chul on Saturday disclosed a record of corporate credit card use amounting to 100 million won ($84,745), which he claims was racked up by former Vice Culture Minister Shin Jae-min. The revelation comes after Shin consistently denied receiving more than 1 billion won from the businessman in exchange for business opportunities and favors. According to Lee, Shin used the comp...
N. Korean leader’s grandson blocks SNS after reports

Oct 2, 2011

The teenager believed to be North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il’s grandson blocked public access to his social networking accounts over the weekend after being bombarded with South Korean media attention. Kim Han-sol, the 16-year-old currently enrolled at the United World College’s branch in Mostar, Bosnia, set his Facebook and Twitter accounts to block public access. Before the change in privacy...
Speaking to be added to Korean proficiency test by 2015: official

Oct 2, 2011

Speaking will be added to the state-administered Korean proficiency test to encompass all modes of communication, reflecting the growing popularity of the Korean language, education officials said Sunday. According to the Education Ministry and National Institute for International Education, the fifth section of the Test of Proficiency in Korean will undergo trial runs starting in 2015 in a bid ...
Seoul Global Center to offer consulting in Uzbek language

Oct 2, 2011

The Seoul Global Center will provide counseling service in the Uzbek language to help a growing number of Uzbeks settle in Seoul, officials said Sunday. The Uzbek language becomes the eighth foreign language the center provides after English, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Mongolian, Russian and Tagalog languages. The new service starts on Tuesday. The center offers multilingual consulting serv...
Warrant issued for detention of U.S. soldier over rape

Oct 2, 2011

A warrant has been issued to detain a U.S. soldier accused of raping a young Korean woman, officials said Saturday. The district court in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, ordered the arrest of the 21-year-old Army private of the Second Infantry Division in Dongducheon accused of raping an 18-year-old at her home near his unit around 4 a.m. on Sept. 24. The private, who was apparently drunk and arm...
Plan to hike bus, subway fares draws outcry

Oct 2, 2011

Seoul City government plans 22 percent rise for public transport next year Politicians have spoken out over the weekend against the Seoul administration’s plan to raise bus and metro fares by 200 won, or 22.2 percent, by next year. They claimed that restructuring and enhancing the efficiency of the city’s fiscal status should be prioritized over “wringing out” citizens’ pockets. According to t...