Most Popular
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Yoon warns North Korea against nuclear attack attempt
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81-year-old model awarded ‘best dressed’ in Miss Universe Korea
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Seoul mayor suggests shift in immigration policy
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'Smart pill'? ADHD treatment prescriptions spike this year
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NewJeans fans corner Hybe amid PR backlash, looming National Assembly audit
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[KH Explains] Korea pursues ‘fire-free’ batteries amid EV fears
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Man calls 119, found dead 1 week later because officials went to wrong place
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Court rules Itaewon tragedy was 'foreseeable'
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[Herald Review] One of Netflix's most expensive Korean originals returns, but at what cost?
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Wellness Seoul 2024 to highlight healthier, balanced living
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Does Cheong Wa Dae fear the people?
On the afternoon of Nov. 14, Cheong Wa Dae and its surrounding areas were empty, quiet and serene, blockaded by police buses. The scene was in stark contrast to the violent clashes between protesters and riot police less than 2 kilometers away.The eerie comparison appeared to illustrate the growing distance between the president and the public in a country where the openness of Cheongwadae-ro 1 is a microcosm of the history of democratization. Some blamed the police for stoking violence by block
Social AffairsDec. 20, 2015
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Third anti-government rally turns playful
On Saturday afternoon, Gwanghwamun Square, which was shut down by police bus barricades to stop protesters a month ago, turned into a playground for antigovernment demonstrators blowing horns and shaking tambourines.Under a “noisy” and “uproarious” theme, an estimated crowd of 2,500 gathered in the square in central Seoul to signify their opposition to the sedition charge leveled against an umbrella union leader and the government’s push for controversial labor, trade and education polices. The
Social AffairsDec. 20, 2015
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[Photo News] KDB opens new branch in Qingdao
KDB’S QINGDAO BRANCH -- Korea Development Bank chairman Hong Ky-ttack (seventh from left) poses with Shandong Province Vice Gov. Xia Geng (sixth from left), South Korean Consul General in Qingdao Lee Soo-john, and bank officials of both countries at the launching ceremony of KDB’s Qingdao branch in Shandong province on Friday. (KDB)
Dec. 20, 2015
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[Photo News] Woori Bank signs cooperative agreement with Indonesia Investment Coordinating Board
INVESTMENT TIES WITH INDONESIA -- Woori Bank president Lee Kwang-goo (left) poses with Indonesia Investment Coordinating Board chairman Franky Sibarani after signing a mutual cooperative agreement for strategic partnership in downtown Seoul on Friday. (Woori Bank)
Dec. 20, 2015
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[Editorial] Mutual trust
Mutual trust and confidence are essential for maintaining a robust military alliance like that of South Korea and the United States. The controversy over the U.S. military’s use of some biological warfare lab samples is extremely regrettable in this regard. The key problem is that the U.S. side apparently lied about such a sensitive issue of bringing in biological samples into the country. It is truly disappointing that U.S. officials hid the fact that its military had been bringing in anthrax s
EditorialDec. 20, 2015
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[Editorial] Four years on
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited a mausoleum in Pyongyang on Thursday to pay respects to his father, who died four years ago. The abrupt death of Kim Jong-il on Dec. 17, 2011, put the young heir-apparent on the throne in the second dynastic succession of power in the country. Over his four years in power, the junior Kim has ruled the communist country in a way little different from his father and grandfather, North Korea’s founder Kim Il-sung, as he relied on the legacy of the Kim dynasty
EditorialDec. 20, 2015
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[Jeffrey Frankel] A fair, efficient, and feasible climate agreement
How should one evaluate the agreement reached in Paris this month at the United Nations climate change conference? No sooner was the deal announced on Dec. 12 than the debate erupted. Some avid environmentalists were disappointed that the agreement did not commit firmly to limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels by 2050. But such a commitment would not have been credible. What emerged in Paris was in fact better, because the negotiators were able to agree on pra
ViewpointsDec. 20, 2015
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[David Ignatius] A rationalist president in anxiety age
President Obama gave a speech Tuesday at the National Archives that stood in almost perfect counterpoint to the Republican presidential debate that took place that evening in Las Vegas: Against the rising GOP tide of anger toward immigrants, Obama anchored himself among the historical documents that define American tolerance. Obama’s speech was a homily to American values. He welcomed new citizens from 25 countries to the fellowship defined by our Constitution and Bill of Rights: “You don’t loo
ViewpointsDec. 20, 2015
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12 reasons for America’s fascination with Trump
Like a tornado or a typhoon, the political tsunami that is Donald Trump is a complex coalescence of current and historical forces whose unforeseen speed and power threatens to wreak havoc on the 2016 political landscape. Some of these forces formed the subtext for the latest Republican debate Tuesday night. They’re among at least 12 specific factors that have helped to create what could prove for Republicans to be a perfect storm -- or a historic disaster: -- The reshaping of the two main politi
ViewpointsDec. 20, 2015
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Arab Spring’s dreams became IS nightmare
Five years ago today, the self-immolation of Tunisian fruit seller Mohamed Bouazizi sparked the Arab Spring. At this distance, it’s possible to ask a difficult question: Has the Arab Spring been good for the Arabic-speaking world? Are most people better off than they were five years ago? It’s also possible to give a disturbing answer, one born of deep respect and admiration for those who bravely protested and in many cases gave their lives for dignity, justice and democracy. With the exception o
ViewpointsDec. 20, 2015
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Fed’s smooth liftoff isn’t mission accomplished
The Federal Reserve deserves praise for managing once again to carry out a tricky transition without causing disruptions in financial markets and creating too much risk for the real economy. Sustaining this success will require more than just the central bank’s continued responsive policy making. Much will depend on fiscal policy and structural reforms in the U.S., as well as the ability of financial markets to reconcile the divergence between Fed policy and the actions of other systemically imp
ViewpointsDec. 20, 2015
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Debt policies, U.S. rate hike pull down apartment market transactions
(123RF)Korean housing market transactions for speculation turned bearish in December, amid toughened household debt control policies, housing oversupply and uncertainties from the U.S. rate hike, municipal government data showed on Sunday. As of Dec. 18, the apartment market transactions stood at 5,470 deals, accounting for only 55 percent of the monthly transactions in November, according to Seoul Property Information Plaza, a housing market information provider operated by the municipality of
Dec. 20, 2015
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WTO members to end all farm export subsidies by 2023
All members of the World Trade Organization must halt farm export subsidies by 2023 as part of an ongoing effort to lower trade barriers and increase cross-border commerce, the government said Sunday. According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the members reached an agreement at the WTO's latest ministerial talks in Nairobi on key issues related to the agriculture sector that had been a sticking point in the long-drawn Doha Development Agenda talks. Under the agreement, all leadi
Dec. 20, 2015
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U.S. rate hike to slightly affect Asia's monetary easing
A recent U.S. interest rate hike is expected to have a limited impact on ongoing monetary easing measures being pursued by Asian countries, financial analysts said Sunday. Analysts from Barclays, HSBC and Bloomberg, as well as local market watchers, said that while last week's move by the Federal Open Market Committee to raise the target range of the federal fund rate from 0-0.25 percent to 0.25-0.50 percent has reverberated in places like the Middle East, Africa and Latin America, it has not c
Dec. 20, 2015
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Private think tank cuts Korea's 2016 growth forecast to 2.5%
South Korea's economic growth rate will likely slow to 2.5 percent in 2016 due to a continued export slump and weakening domestic consumption, a leading private think tank forecast Sunday. The prediction by the LG Economic Research Institute marks a 0.2 percentage point drop from its earlier estimate made in September. LGERI's revised growth projection is also lower than the government's 3.1 percent estimate for next year and the Bank of Korea's 3.2 percent forecast. The think tank, however,
Dec. 20, 2015
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Gov't pushing to reorganize special economic zones
South Korea's government will push to reorganize the country's numerous special economic zones that have failed to meet expectations, the finance ministry said Sunday. The ministry said plans by 14 regional administrations to build more than 200 free economic zones, industrial innovation centers, and research and development zones have not moved forward as planned. Of these, the country has some 90 special regions dedicated to attracting foreign investments, eight large free economic zones and
Dec. 20, 2015
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Hyundai's Creta SUV named 2016 Car of the Year in India
The Creta, a small SUV made by Hyundai Motor Co., has been named the Indian Car of the Year 2016 thanks to its strong popularity in the world's No. 4 car market, Hyundai said Sunday. The Creta, which was rolled out in July, outrivaled 12 other models, including Honda's Jazz, in seven categories such as sales records, price, performance, fuel efficiency and safety, said Hyundai, South Korea's top automaker. The Creta crossover SUV is the fourth Hyundai model that has earned the prestigious award
IndustryDec. 20, 2015
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FTAs with China, Vietnam, New Zealand go into effect
Free trade pacts between South Korea and three of its trading partners -- China, Vietnam and New Zealand -- went into effect Sunday, raising hopes they could boost trade and economic growth, the government said. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said all three free trade agreements that were signed and ratified earlier in the year went into force. Under the terms of the agreements, the countries will all lower tariffs on goods traded as of Sunday and once again on Jan. 1. China will
Dec. 20, 2015
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Ex-Joint Chiefs of Staff chief indicted for bribery
Former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Choi Yoon-hee has been indicted over suspicions of bribery, state investigators said Sunday, in the latest in a series of corruption cases exposed in the country's defense industry. Choi is believed to have ordered his subordinates to write a favorable performance evaluation of an untested AW159 Wildcat, which the Navy adopted in 2013, an official with the country's anti-corruption task force said. Investigators believe Choi had a special relationship with
Social AffairsDec. 20, 2015
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POSCO C&C to export new aluminum-coated steel sheet to U.S. firm
POSCO C&C Co., a South Korean maker of coated steel sheets, has signed a contract to supply annually more than 10,000 tons of a highly corrosion-resistant, aluminum-coated steel sheet to a U.S. auto parts producer, its parent company said Sunday. Under the deal, POSCO C&C will supply AP Emissions Technologies, the leading aftermarket exhaust and emissions supplier in America, with over 10,000 tons of its latest coated steel sheet, dubbed "Super Alcosta," over the next four years, according to P
IndustryDec. 20, 2015