Most Popular
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AI textbook bubble could burst, expert warns
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Ex-presidential official’s leaked phone call rattles conservative bloc
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Food tycoon Paik Jong-won's Theborn Korea pushes toward IPO
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Samsung tightens its belt amid crisis winds
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North Korean trash balloons cross border day after Seoul military parade
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Pay debate plagues foreign nanny pilot
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K-pop star lip-syncing controversy flares up again
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Prosecution closes 'Dior bag' case amid opposition uproar
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Man escapes DUI charges by downing bottle of soju while pulled over
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35% of S. Koreans view unification 'unnecessary'
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[Weekender] Presidential interpreters: Insiders behind the curtain
Working beside society’s elite, they fly hundreds of thousands of miles every year on charter planes. They speak about pressing brainteasers with the top actors on the world stage. They have access to the heavily fortified Cheong Wa Dae and its inner workings, as well as those of other presidential offices around the globe. Despite their seemingly coveted call of duty, almost the only time they make the headlines is when they blunder. At times, they are bewildered by the convoluted, highfalutin
Foreign AffairsOct. 2, 2015
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‘Koreas’ former leaders had shared hotline’
Former Presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun shared a hotline with then North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, a former spy chief said in an interview with a local newspaper on Friday.In the article published in JoongAng Ilbo, former National Intelligence chief Kim Man-bok said, “While arranging for the second inter-Korean summit in October 2007, there was no need to activate the back channels.Kim, who was quoted as saying that the hotline was in operation 24 hours a day, later explained that while
NationalOct. 2, 2015
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Cabs to get incentives for Gangnam Friday night rides in Seoul
Cab drivers who accept passengers near Seoul’s busy Gangnam subway station on Friday nights will be given incentives worth 3,000 won per ride starting later this month, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government. The move was announced to tackle the chronic shortage of cabs at night with taxi drivers choosing and picking long-distance passengers especially during the peak hours of weekend nights near popular nightlife areas such as Gangnam in southern Seoul and Hongdae in the western capital
Social AffairsOct. 2, 2015
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Top interpreter reveals life in translation
When Choi Jung-wha first landed in France in 1978, she was shocked by its liberal culture. Young couples kissed in the subway and cohabited without shame, petrifying young Choi, who grew up in a country then heavily controlled by the military dictatorship with conservative values.The 22-year-old was a fresh graduate of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, embarking on a graduate program of interpretation and translation at ESIT Universite Sorbonne Nouvelle Paris 3.For the next 10 years, Choi ch
Social AffairsOct. 2, 2015
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Opposition leader Moon lambasts Park for political power trip
Main opposition party leader Rep. Moon Jae-in on Friday accused President Park Geun-hye of attempting to hold on to her influence by having her followers elected in next year’s general election in response to the ruling camp’s nomination rule row.“It is a dictatorial way of thinking for (President Park) who wants to maintain her power and secure her post-presidency position by getting her close confidants nominated for (a general election).” Moon said of Cheong Wa Dae’s open opposition to the ri
PoliticsOct. 2, 2015
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[Weekender] Women prevail in interpretation arena
In several sectors of Korean society, from education to the civil service, women prevail. The interpretation profession is another such field, if not one of the most notable ones.At local graduate schools specializing in interpretation and translation, female students have far outnumbered male ones for a long time, which has contributed to the female dominance in the field. For example, women account for some 80 percent of students at the Graduate School of Interpretation and Translation at Hank
Social AffairsOct. 2, 2015
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[Weekender] Will technology topple Tower of Babel?
Kim Sung-jun, a 30-year-old translator, relies more on the Internet than before to translate technical documents for military equipment. Tasked with books as thick as a dictionary, his trick to quick translation is to run the document through the Internet translation first before tackling the job himself.“Internet translation service saves time and efforts. Although the quality is not as good as that of translation by humans, it would have consumed twice as much time to translate the whole docum
Social AffairsOct. 2, 2015
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Former South Korean PM attends trial for over bribery
South Korea’s former Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo on Friday made his first public appearance in 140 days since his resignation amid bribery allegations in April, to attend a trial for graft charges at the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul. Lee had been accused of accepting illegal campaign funds worth 30 million won ($28,000) from the late businessman Sung Woan-jong for the 2013 by-elections, on April 4 that year, at his campaign office in Buyeo, South Chungcheong Province. He was in
Social AffairsOct. 2, 2015
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‘Military Olympics’ kicks off in Mungyeong
More than 7,000 military executives and soldiers from about 120 countries gathered Friday in Mungyeong, North Gyeongsang Province, as the world’s largest sports competition among servicemen kicked off with the aim of promoting friendship and peace. Organized by the International Military Sports Council and supervised by Seoul’s Defense Ministry, the Military World Games’ set out for a 10-day run under the theme, “Friendship together, peace forever.” South Korea`s guards of honor perform during
DefenseOct. 2, 2015
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Hyundai Heavy to focus on highly efficient solar cell production
As part of its hard-driven restructuring project, Hyundai Heavy Industries announced Friday that it will concentrate on the solar power business, increasing the production of high-efficiency solar cells starting next year. The company said that it will change all solar cell products to passivated emitter with rear locally diffused, or PERL, from the current two tracks of producing both PERL and general type cells. The PERL cells are known to generate 5 percent more power than the general type ce
IndustryOct. 2, 2015
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SK-led petrochemical plant in Singapore may face bankruptcy
An SK Innovation led-petrochemical complex in Singapore has gone into creditor receivership after struggling with debt problems, it was confirmed Friday.This is a step before bankruptcy. But should the project fail to achieve profitability, it could face a court order to shut down, industry insiders said.According to SK and news reports, restructuring specialist Borrelli Walsh has been appointed as a receiver and manager overlooking the possible bankruptcy of Jurong Aromatic Corp. in Singapore.
IndustryOct. 2, 2015
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[WEEKENDER] Interpretation beyond words to serve and protect
While translation of different languages is one of the most commonly known forms of interpretation, there are other unique types of interpretation that serve to protect the people or connect societies that otherwise remain poles apart. They range from sign language translators who act as the gateway to the outside world for the deaf, to soldiers missioned with a crucial role to deliver military information in the world’s last-remaining divided country. In Korea, there are about 1,200 sign langua
Social AffairsOct. 2, 2015
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[Editorial] Black Friday that wasn’t
The first-ever Korean adaptation of the “Black Friday” sales in the U.S. appears to be just another sales period.While the Black Friday event in the U.S., which takes place the day after Thanksgiving, is a once-a-year deal offering steep discounts of up to 80 percent on a wide range of items, the same event here which kicked off Thursday for a two-week run is not much more than the regular autumn sale under a different name. People who flocked to department stores in search of bargains Thursday
EditorialOct. 2, 2015
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[Editorial] Saenuri struggle
Saenuri Party chairman Kim Moo-sung, embroiled in a highly public and bitter exchange of words with the Blue House over secure mobile phone polling for party nominations in elections, appears to have offered an olive branch, at least for now. Boycotting all official functions on Thursday, including the Armed Forces Day ceremony attended by President Park Geun-hye and a meeting of the Saenuri Party Supreme Council, Kim met with reporters at the National Assembly and rebutted the Blue House critic
EditorialOct. 2, 2015
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[Ana Palacio] The fallacy of BRICS leadership
The recent downgrade of Brazil’s credit rating to junk status was followed by a raft of articles heralding the crumbling of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa). How predictable: Schadenfreude almost always follows bad news about the BRICS, whose members were once hailed as the world’s up-and-coming economic powerhouses and next major political force.There is something deeper going on here. The world’s seeming obsession with the BRICS’ perceived rise and fall reflects a des
ViewpointsOct. 2, 2015
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[Photo News] New Samsung Gear available at KT stores
NEW SAMSUNG GEAR AVAILABLE AT KT STORES-- KT, one of leading mobile carriers in Korea, started selling Samsung Electronics’ new smartwatch Samsung Gear S2 on Friday at its retail stores across the nation. (KT)
TechnologyOct. 2, 2015
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S. Korea ordered to compensate lepers for abuse
A Seoul court ruled Friday that the South Korean government should compensate five lepers for forced vasectomies and abortions performed decades ago, the latest in a series of legal victories for leprosy patients. The Seoul Central District Court ordered the government to pay 40 million won ($33,000) each to the plaintiffs. The court also ruled in favor of nearly 600 others in four separate cases filed by lepers since October 2011, ordering that they be compensated. Cho Young-seon, a lawyer w
Social AffairsOct. 2, 2015
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Koreas to conduct pest control on pine trees at NK mountain next week
South and North Korea plan to jointly treat pine trees damaged by bugs at a mountain on North Korea's east coast early next week, the Unification Ministry said Friday. The two Koreas plan to conduct pest control on pine trees at Mount Kumgang from Monday to Wednesday as some trees there have withered and turned yellow, the ministry said. For this project, Seoul will deliver relevant treatment including insecticide and sprayers worth 130 million won ($109,900) to the North. A group of South K
North KoreaOct. 2, 2015
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Int'l book fair to open in Seoul next week
South Korea's largest annual book fair, set to open in Seoul next week, will feature a diverse experience-based program for readers, its organizers said Friday. Some 200 publishers, including 48 from 16 countries, plan to participate in the Seoul International Book Fair 2015 set to kick off Wednesday for a five-day run at the Convention and Exhibition Center in Seoul, according to the Korean Publishers' Association and the SIBF committee. Under the theme of "Publication reads 70 years of libe
CultureOct. 2, 2015
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S. Korea to hold joint economic forums with Czech Republic, Bulgaria next week
South Korea will convene joint economic committees with the Czech Republic and Bulgaria respectively next week to discuss ways to bolster bilateral trade and investment, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Friday. In the committee meetings set for Monday in Prague and for Tuesday in Sofia, Lee Tae-ho, deputy minister for economic affairs, will discuss ways to boost economic cooperation with the European countries, the ministry said in a statement. The Czech side will be represented by Vladimi
Oct. 2, 2015