Most Popular
-
1
AI textbook bubble could burst, expert warns
-
2
Food tycoon Paik Jong-won's Theborn Korea pushes toward IPO
-
3
Samsung tightens its belt amid crisis winds
-
4
Ex-presidential official’s leaked phone call rattles conservative bloc
-
5
North Korean trash balloons cross border day after Seoul military parade
-
6
Pay debate plagues foreign nanny pilot
-
7
Prosecution closes 'Dior bag' case amid opposition uproar
-
8
Man escapes DUI charges by downing bottle of soju while pulled over
-
9
K-pop star lip-syncing controversy flares up again
-
10
35% of S. Koreans view unification 'unnecessary'
-
[Herald Interview] Japan civil group vows to defend pacifist constitution
Public outcry persists in Japan against Tokyo’s recent legislation that expands the role of its military, and among them is a civic group led by a mom-turned-activist pushing to get a Nobel Peace Prize for those attempting to uphold the Japanese pacifist Constitution. Despite the latest setback, the campaign will remain undeterred in their promotion of peace as the single most important value of human kind, the 37-year-old activist said in an interview with The Korea Herald. Naomi Dakasu speaks
Foreign AffairsOct. 6, 2015
-
Korea looking to join TPP
South Korea on Tuesday expressed a renewed interest in joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the world’s single largest trading bloc which reached a landmark conclusion on Monday after more than seven years of negotiations.“Korea will strive to join the mega free trade agreement in any form,” Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Choi Kyung-hwan said Tuesday, adding that “the government will decide on the entry period after thoroughly analyzing the impacts of joining the TPP on the nationa
Oct. 6, 2015
-
‘College students have poor Korean’
A recent study by a local scholar suggested South Korean college students are not very proficient in their mother tongue, with the average student having only basic writing skills.Song Hyun-jung, an assistant professor of Korean language education at Jeju National University, assessed the writing skills and grammar knowledge of 632 male and female students. The participants were asked to answer 20 questions designed to see if they had the Korean language skills required for higher education.On a
Social AffairsOct. 6, 2015
-
30 public firms carry W373tr debt
State-controlled corporations remain laden with heavy debts despite their struggle to improve financial statements under the incumbent administration’s overhaul initiative, data from the Ministry of Finance showed Tuesday.Korea’s 30 major public corporations saw their collective debt come to 373.6 trillion won ($320.1 billion) as of June 30 this year, which is higher than the 371.7 trillion won on June 30, 2014 and 371 trillion won on June 30, 2013.Debt in the public sector has continued to surg
Oct. 6, 2015
-
Job seekers to get increased benefits, but few will qualify
South Korean job seekers will receive higher unemployment benefits for a longer period, but fewer will qualify for the benefits after the National Assembly passes a newly revised labor law. According to the Labor Ministry’s latest report on the bill, the government aims to raise a job seeker’s unemployment allowance to 60 percent of his or her previous income before losing the job, from the current 50 percent. Once qualified, the job seeker would be able to receive the allowance for 120 to 270 d
Social AffairsOct. 6, 2015
-
Art fair presents major names in contemporary art
The Korea International Art Fair, the biggest art fair in Korea, kicked off Tuesday, introducing a wide range of artworks presented by 182 local and international galleries at Coex. In its 14th year, the fair invites leading galleries in Korea and from overseas, including Kukje Gallery, Arario Gallery and Hakgojae Gallery in Korea, Pearl Lam Gallery in Hong Kong and Tomio Koyama Gallery in Japan. Featured artists include world-renowned artists such as Andy Warhol, Nam June Paik, Tracey Emin, Kim
PerformanceOct. 6, 2015
-
N.K. rocket launch unlikely this week
Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se (right) speaks with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken before a meeting at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul. (Yonhap)North Korea is unlikely to launch a rocket Saturday to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers’ Party, Seoul officials and experts said Tuesday, noting that there were no signs yet of Pyongyang’s preparations for any imminent launch.The prediction came as Seoul has been stepping up diplomacy to prevent the communist regim
North KoreaOct. 6, 2015
-
Gyllenhal, Swinton to star in Bong Joon-ho’s new film: report
“Snowpiercer” director Bong Joon-ho is signing up top Hollywood stars for his upcoming monster flick. American entertainment outlet TheWrap reported Tuesday that Jake Gyllenhal, Paul Dano, Kelly Macdonald and Bill Nighy, in addition to the recently cast Tilda Swinton, are set to join Bong’s new feature “Okja.” Clockwise from top left: Tilda Swinton, Jake Gyllenhal, Bill Nighy and Kelly Macdonald (OSEN)Earlier last week, Swinton revealed during the Busan International Film Festival that she woul
Oct. 6, 2015
-
[Kim Seong-kon] Struggling to identifying Korea’s cultural icons
The other day, Park Min-kwon, the vice minister of culture, sports and tourism, asked me if I could think of cultural icons that could represent Korea. I found his question timely and compelling because, unlike her neighbors that boast a panoply of charming cultural icons, Korea suffers from a dearth of memorable symbolic images. Japan has samurai, ninja, geisha, kabuki and sushi to its name, while China lays claim to the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, kung fu and Chinese cuisine. When it comes
ViewpointsOct. 6, 2015
-
Explosion injures Chinese diver in Sewol recovery work
A Chinese diver was injured following an underwater explosion while working for the Sewol ferry recovery operation off the southwest coast of the country, officials said Tuesday. According to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, the 43-year-old Chinese diver fainted when a sudden blast took place in the nose of the 6,825-ton ship on Monday evening while he was participating in a propeller-cutting operation. The diver was immediately pulled to the surface by a colleague and moved to the hospital
Social AffairsOct. 6, 2015
-
[Editorial] Vigilance against cyber terror
It appears that North Korea may have hacked Seoul Metro’s servers for months without the subway authority being aware of the serious breach in security. According to a National Intelligence Service report, two operating servers of Seoul Metro, which runs Subway Lines 1, 2, 3 and 4, were hacked for at least five months before the company became aware of the problem in July 2014. The hackers, presumed to be North Koreans, broke into 210 Seoul Metro computers and infected 58 with malicious code. A
EditorialOct. 6, 2015
-
[Editorial] U.S. attack on hospital
The U.S. air strike on a hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan, on Oct. 3 that left 22 civilians dead — 12 Medecins Sans Frontieres staff and 10 patients, including three children — should be fully investigated, preferably by an independent party. According to the MSF, also called Doctors Without Borders, the Afghan and coalition troops had the exact GPS coordinates of the hospital, which has been operating for four years. MSF general director Christopher Stokes said that the air strike continued even
EditorialOct. 6, 2015
-
[Lee Jae-min] Supreme Court is swamped
“Best out of three” runs deep in settling grievances in Korean culture. This tradition apparently explains the exploding dockets of the Korean Supreme Court. Almost regardless of merit, many litigants like to have a day in the Supreme Court after adverse decisions in the District Court and High Court. An appeal to the nation’s highest court has been acknowledged as the right of every individual. The inevitable outcome of this stance is the exploding caseloads at the Supreme Court. The numbers ar
ViewpointsOct. 6, 2015
-
[SUPER RICH] Hong Kong’s young billionaire dreams of democratizing art
“Democratizing art” is the aspiration of the 35-year-old Hong Kong business entrepreneur and art collector Adrian Cheng.The Superrich team met Cheng in August at the Gana Art Gallery at Pyeongchang-dong, Seoul, for his first standalone interview with a Korean daily.Adrian Cheng is the third-generation executive of Hong Kong’s New World Group, which owns real estate company New World Development, jewelry retailer Chow Tai Fook, as well as department stores, shopping malls, duty-free stores, hotel
IndustryOct. 6, 2015
-
LG chairman calls for swift action
LG Group chairman Koo Bon-moo has asked top executives of affiliates to make swift moves to survive the fast-changing business environment.“Uncertainties of the global economy are intensifying due to the looming slowdown in the Chinese economy, and global competition is heating up day by day,” the LG Group chairman said in a meeting with high-ranking officials Tuesday, adding, “We should face up to the reality and brace for the future thoroughly.” He asked the heads of the LG Group affiliates to
TechnologyOct. 6, 2015
-
[Photo News] First anniversary of SK Daejeon innovation center
FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF SK DAEJEON INNOVATION CENTER -- Science, ICT and Future Planning Minister Choi Yang-hee (fourth from right, front row), Daejeon Mayor Kwon Seon-taek (fourth from left, front row), SK Telecom CEO Jang Dong-hyun (second from left, front row) and other officials celebrate the one-year anniversary of the Daejeon Creative Economy Innovation Center established by the government and SK Group at the center in Daejeon on Tuesday. (Yonhap)
BusinessOct. 6, 2015
-
[Photo News] Smart display for kitchen
SMART DISPLAY FOR KITCHEN -- LG Electronics and furniture firm Hanssem will release a built-in TV product for the kitchen, dubbed the Smart Kitchen TV, this month in Korea. The smart Kitchen TV, which is installed inside a drawer and displays images on the door of the drawer, boasts a less-intrusive design that allows users to enjoy multimedia content. (LGE)
TechnologyOct. 6, 2015
-
[Photo News] Global voluteer work
GLOBAL VOLUNTEER WORK -- Executives and officials from Samsung Electronics’ Brazilian branch spend time with children at a children shelter in Sao Paulo. The tech giant is holding a global volunteer work campaign for three weeks from Oct. 1, with 170,000 Samsung execs and workers in 38 nations participating. (Samsung)
TechnologyOct. 6, 2015
-
Korean parliamentary speaker returns from Russia, Finland
The head of South Korea's National Assembly returned home Tuesday from a trip to Russia and Finland. Chung Ui-hwa met with Russia's parliamentary leaders, Sergey Yevgenyevich Naryshkin and Valentina Matviyenko, as well as Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and parliamentary speaker Maria Lohela to discuss N. Korean issues.Chung first attended a reception commemorating the 25th anniversary of South Korea-Russia diplomatic relations in Moscow on Wednesday. Later that same day, he gave a speech at t
PoliticsOct. 6, 2015