Korea takes first step toward free high school education

South Korea has taken a first step toward free high school education by exempting all third graders from their entire education expenses starting in the fall semester, the Ministry of Education said Monday.As most high schools nationwide resumed classes on the day after a lengthy summer vacation, about 439,700 three-year high schoolers will not pay for their education during their last semester, the ministry said, noting the per-student benefit amounts to 749,000 won ($620), including tuition fe

Social AffairsAug. 19, 2019

N. Korea lashes out at veteran S. Korean lawmaker for comments on projectile launch

North Korea's state news agency lashed out at a senior South Korean politician Monday for criticizing Pyongyang over its latest projectile launch.In a signed commentary, the North's Korean Central News Agency branded Rep. Park Jie-won as a "tramp and dirty man" in rare criticism of the veteran lawmaker known for his key role in arranging the first-ever inter-Korean summit in 2000.Park criticized the North in a Twitter message Saturday for firing projectiles a day earlier from a region

North KoreaAug. 19, 2019

Apple says it employs 500 workers in S. Korea

The South Korean unit of Apple Inc. employs 500 workers and has helped create more than 300,000 jobs here over the past 20 years, according to its website Monday. It marks the first time since the US tech giant's entry into South Korea in 1998 that the company has unveiled the workforce of its local subsidiary.The newly opened "job creation" section of the Korean-language website said Apple's local unit started with only two employees, but its payroll had increased to some 500 as of en

IndustryAug. 19, 2019

MOU with Think Tank

Herald CEO and Publisher Kwon Chung-won (left) shakes hands with Lim Kang-taeg, president of the Korea Institute for National Unification, after signing a memorandum of understanding for partnership at the Herald headquarters building in Seoul on Friday. (Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald)

Social AffairsAug. 19, 2019

Hong Kong protesters flood city streets in 'peaceful' march

HONG KONG (AFP) -- A sea of democracy activists flooded the streets of Hong Kong Sunday in a defiant show to the city's leaders that their movement still pulls wide public support, despite mounting violence and increasingly stark warnings from Beijing.Tens of thousands of protesters carrying umbrellas poured across the heart of Hong Kong island despite torrential rain, closing key roads and flouting a police order not to march from a park where they had gathered earlier for a rally.Ten weeks of

World NewsAug. 18, 2019

S. Korea undaunted by troubles in peace journey, minister says

South Korea's unification minister on Sunday pledged to make unswerving efforts for inter-Korean peace despite "difficulties" two days after Pyongyang said it will never talk with Seoul again.The minister, Kim Yeon-chul, stressed that Seoul's initiative for a "peace economy" is aimed at bringing gains to both South and North Korea amid mutual security assurances. He was delivering a congratulatory message for a peace concert organized by the Korean Council for Reconciliation

North KoreaAug. 18, 2019

S. Korea-ASEAN summit in Nov. to address free trade amid Japan's export curbs: Cheong Wa Dae

South Korea plans to focus on seeking ways to bolster the free trade order during a November special group summit with Southeast Asian nations, Cheong Wa Dae said Sunday, as Tokyo maintains its retaliatory export restrictions against Seoul.The office of President Moon Jae-in revealed the scheme in a press briefing on its preparations for the summit with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) 100 days ahead of its opening. The two-day session is to begin on Nov. 25 in the southern cit

Foreign AffairsAug. 18, 2019

Late North Korean leader wanted US troops to stay in Korea even after unification

The late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il supported the continued presence of US troops on the Korean Peninsula even after the eventual unification of the two Koreas, a veteran lawmaker said Sunday. Recalling the first-ever inter-Korean summit in 2000, Rep. Park Jie-won of the Alliance for Alternative Politics of Change and Hope said the late Kim, the father of current North Korean leader Jong-un, told then-South Korean President Kim Dae-jung that the US forces should remain on the peninsula to m

North KoreaAug. 18, 2019

‘You will get killed again in your next life,’ says murder suspect

A suspect in the murder of a man whose dismembered body parts were found in Han River claimed the victim “started it” during an arrest warrant hearing held Sunday afternoon, a day after he had turned himself in to police.The suspect, a 39-year-old motel employee, said the victim “punched (him), and talked down to (him) first” before the press gathered at the Uijeongbu District Court in Gyeonggi Province, where the warrant hearing was held.Coming out of the 20-minute heari

Social AffairsAug. 18, 2019

Nearly 1,000 complaints filed about discolored tap water in Pohang

Nearly 1,000 complaints have been filed in a week concerning suspicions of tap water contamination in Pohang, a port city in North Gyeongsang Province.Pohang City said Sunday that 925 complaints were lodged Aug. 10-16, reporting black or reddish tap water.The most number of complaints came from residents in Nam-gu, whose water is filtered at a plant in Yugang-ri, a neighborhood in the city’s southern district. According to the city government, North Gyeongsang Province’s public insti

Social AffairsAug. 18, 2019

[Graphic News] Korean card spending on Japanese goods halves in a month

　South Koreans’ credit card spending on Japanese products has halved over the past month amid an escalating trade row between the two countries, government data showed.　Many Korean consumers began boycotting Japanese products and tourism in early July, when Japan restricted exports of key materials to Korea. A Japanese Cabinet decision early this month to exclude Korea from Japan’s list of trusted trading partners has fueled anti-Japan sentiment.　In a report submitted to Rep. Lee Tae

BusinessAug. 18, 2019

[News Focus] Korea keen on investment in ocean cruise harbors

SEJONG -- South Korea has five international cruise terminals -- two in Jeju, one in Busan, one in Sokcho and one in Incheon.With the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries focusing on the development of cruise tourism, its plan to open a new Jeju Port, aimed at handling a greater number of inbound cruise tourists, has been approved by the Cabinet.The endorsed budget for the third ocean cruise terminal on Jeju Island -- with the capacity to manage 4.7 million tourists per year -- is set at 2.8 trillio

IndustryAug. 18, 2019

[David Ignatius] Beware ‘moral hazard’ in Hong Kong

Watching videos of Chinese protesters singing the US national anthem in the streets of Hong Kong, or hearing the tear-jerking chorus of “Les Miserables” during a sit-in at the Hong Kong airport, only someone with a heart of stone wouldn’t want to assist these brave people who are fighting for their freedom. But beware. The problem is that easy gestures of support could get these Chinese freedom fighters killed. It’s a problem that insurance companies call “moral haz

ViewpointsAug. 18, 2019

[Leonid Bershidsky] Trump isn’t crazy to want to buy Greenland

Former Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen called US President Donald Trump’s reported idea of buying Greenland, a self-governed Danish territory, an out-of-season April Fools’ Day joke. Trump’s idea may be outlandish -- and impossible -- but that doesn’t mean there’s no benefit in thinking about reviving the market in sovereign territories, which once made America great. Besides acquiring Louisiana from France, Florida from Spain, Alaska from Russia and much

ViewpointsAug. 18, 2019

Samsung Display CEO affirms QD-OLED efforts

While Samsung Display, an affiliate of Samsung Electronics, is moving to cut its production of liquid crystal display panels, the company is making significant efforts to produce quantum dot organic light-emitting diode panels, according to the industry on Sunday. Samsung Display CEO Lee Dong-hoon told The Korea Herald, “The company is making good efforts” to launch QD-OLED panels in the near future.There have not been any investment plans on QD-OLED production confirmed by the compa

TechnologyAug. 18, 2019

Universal Ballet celebrates 35th anniversary with signature reinventions of classical tales

The Universal Ballet Company will reintroduce its popular Korean classics, “Shim Chung” and “The Love of Chunhyang,” in October in celebration of the company’s 35th anniversary.“The Love of Chunhyang” runs Oct. 4-6, followed by “Shim Chung” Oct. 11-13, both at the Seoul Arts Center. “I am very happy to reintroduce ‘Shim Chung’ and ‘The Love of Chunhyang,’ which have played important roles in promoting Korea&rsquo

PerformanceAug. 18, 2019

Actress Ku Hye-sun, actor Ahn Jae-hyun may divorce

Actress Ku Hye-sun and actor Ahn Jae-hyun could become yet another high-profile Korean couple whose marriage ends in divorce.On Sunday, the actress shared a post that hinted at the end of her marriage with Ahn. In the post that included a private message with Ahn, Ku wrote that she had lost faith in her husband. HB Entertainment, which represents both Ku and Ahn, announced Sunday that the two have agreed to start divorce proceedings.However, Ku has refuted the statement, saying she has not come

TelevisionAug. 18, 2019

Biegun’s Seoul visit raises expectations for resumption of working-level nuclear talks

A visit to South Korea by the US special envoy for North Korea this week has sparked speculation that he may meet Pyongyang’s officials to resume stalled denuclearization talks at the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom. US Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun will travel to Seoul from Tuesday to Thursday just after joint South Korea-US military exercises wrap up Tuesday. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has expressed willingness to restart denuclearization talks

North KoreaAug. 18, 2019

Little progress in coming up with alternative service for conscientious objectors

Over a year has passed since the Constitutional Court addressed the need to come up with an alternative form of service for conscientious objectors, but little progress has been made at the National Assembly.According to the Military Manpower Administration on Sunday, as of late July 498 people had submitted applications to defer enlistment, citing religious beliefs. Previously, the authorities had uniformly charged conscientious objectors under the Military Service Act. But since the Constituti

DefenseAug. 18, 2019