When Vittoria Oliveira de Souza Ventura came to South Korea from her native country of Brazil five years ago, she didn’t expect her name to cause trouble. “My full name is more than 25 characters long (in the English alphabet) and I was denied access to many services because name registration was not possible,” Ventura told The Korea Herald. When written in Hangeul -- the Korean alphabet -- her full name is 16 characters long, compared to most Korean names' three. “I&rsqu

Social Affairs Dec. 15, 2022

HANOI, Vietnam -- In an era of shifting supply chains, Vietnam is poised for a bigger global role and its partnership with China will provide momentum for that, said the chief of the Southeast Asian country’s top economic think tank. “China has pledged to strengthen its economic cooperation with Vietnam and the partnership regarding the supply chain is a big part of that,” Bui Quang Tuan, director general of Vietnam Institute of Economics, told The Korea Herald, at his office

Economy Dec. 14, 2022

HANOI, Vietnam -- Hyundai Motor has mostly remained No.2 in Vietnam in terms of market share, but it seeks to change that with its new plant in Ninh Binh province, located just South of Hanoi, a senior official at the local unit told The Korea Herald. “Bolstered by our increased annual production capacity due to the second factory that started operating in November, our annual sales in the Vietnamese market next year is projected to jump to at least 85,000 to 90,000 vehicles from the curr

Mobility Dec. 12, 2022

Despite public outrage, Seoul police said on Wednesday that they do not consider a drunk driving car accident that killed a 9-year-old in a school zone last week a hit-and-run. On Sunday, Police filed an arrest warrant for the suspect in his 30s, who ran over a student who was heading home from Seoul Eonbok Elementary School in Gangnam district on Friday afternoon. After hitting the child, the suspect just drove off, according to witness testimonies and CCTV footage. The suspect’s blood

Social Affairs Dec. 7, 2022

South Korea’s Korean language foundation plans to expand its global program which is currently available at 244 institutions across 84 countries, as it looks to the next decade. “This year, we celebrated our 10th anniversary,” King Sejong Institute Foundation President Lee Hai-young at an event honoring the foundation’s scholarship recipients held in Seoul on Monday. The foundation has been assisting students worldwide seeking to learn Korean language and culture with i

Social Affairs Dec. 6, 2022

The World Bank Group seeks to hire more Koreans, especially women, in climate, energy, agriculture and economy in this post-pandemic era, Diarietou Gaye, the organization’s vice president for human resources told The Korea Herald in a recent interview. Gaye noted that the WBG is looking for young Koreans who could bring their experience and contribute to helping other countries end extreme poverty, in an exclusive interview with The Korea Herald in Seoul on Nov. 18. Gaye visited Seoul to

Economy Dec. 5, 2022

This summer, South Korean police busted an online drug cartel circulating methamphetamine and MDMA via an encrypted messaging app. The mastermind, as it turned out, was no Pablo Escobar but an 18-year old looking to earn some extra spending cash. The case is part of a disturbing new trend -- digital-savvy youth falling into illicit substance use within a country once considered to be “drug-free.” Professor Chung Hee-sun of Sungkyunkwan University, who formerly headed the National F

National Dec. 5, 2022

HANOI, Vietnam -- When South Korea first forged diplomatic ties with Vietnam 30 years ago, not many expected the fledgling bond to become as strong as it is today. Now the Southeast Asian country is one of Korea’s closest partners, or a “diplomatic hotspot” as Korea’s Ambassador to Vietnam Oh Young-ju likes to put it. “When the Korean embassy was first established 30 years ago, there were only two government officials here – an ambassador and an attache. Now

Foreign Affairs Dec. 5, 2022

A Korean government-organized youth camp for teenagers across the world who are learning Korean language as second language completed its four-day run on Thursday. Organized by the Education Ministry here, the 2022 International Korean Education Youth Camp had 100 international students joining from 32 different countries its first in-person event since 2019. On Thursday, marking the finale of the event-packed schedule, an awarding ceremony took place at Hana Global Campus in Cheongna, Incheon

Social Affairs Dec. 2, 2022

South Korea’s top five crypto exchanges' decision to delist the token issued by Wemade’s blockchain platform has sent another shock wave through the digital currency market here that is still reeling from the earlier terraUSD-luna crash. The Digital Asset Exchange Alliance (DAXA) comprising Bithumb, Upbit, Coinone, Korbit and Gopax announced Thursday they would halt trading of Wemix tokens on their platforms from Dec. 8. DAXA cited that the gaming giant’s blockchain platform

Market Nov. 27, 2022

South Korea’s financial authorities on Thursday were mulling a delay on the adoption of the law to levy a capital gains tax on stock investment slated to start next year. In a morning meeting, the regulator Financial Services Commission met with market analysts from 10 local brokerages to address the effects of the new tax system on the market, according to industry sources. The move was widely received by onlookers as a sign that the authorities are actively considering the delay of the

Market Nov. 17, 2022

SINGAPORE -- Germany and Singapore bolstered their partnership for supply chain diversification, stressing pipeline expansion instead of decoupling with China. The move comes as the European Union member nation, among many other key economies, has been burdened with the task of cutting back their reliance on China. “Reducing risky, one-sided dependencies when it comes to certain raw materials or critical technologies will play an important role in the National Security Strategy that we a

Economy Nov. 16, 2022

FTX’s plan to buy South Korean crypto exchange Bithumb appears to have gone up in smoke, with billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried’s empire being rocked by a liquidity crisis, industry watchers said Thursday. Crypto exchange giant Binance’s announcement on Wednesday to back out of its plans to acquire FTX is likely to halt the ongoing deal between the Bahamian crypto exchange platform and Bithumb, according to experts. “Investors have been wary of the crypto market because of

Market Nov. 10, 2022

Chiefs of South Korea’s top banks are fast approaching the end of their current terms amid concerns of a looming debt crisis in the financial sector, sources said Wednesday. Starting with NH Financial Group Chairman Son Byung-hwan’s term ending next month, Shinhan Financial Group Chairman Cho Yong-byoung and Woori Financial Group Chairman Son Tae-seung are inching towards the end of their current terms in March next year. CEOs of some banking giants’ flagship commercial lende

Market Nov. 9, 2022

South Korea’s state pension fund, the country’s main retirement plan, is in need of a major reform centered on cutting off excessive government intervention, an insider said Monday. Jeong Woo-yong, a member of the National Pension Service’s Fiduciary Liability Committee, pointed out that the fund’s key decision-making bodies consist of “too many” government officials and lack economic experts. This hinders the fund’s growth, as it increases the fund&rsq

Business Nov. 8, 2022