Most Popular
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Torrential rainfall forces 1,500 to evacuate, causes widespread damage to homes, roads
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[KH Explains] Can smart chargers ease tensions over EV fires?
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1 in 5 households to have breadwinner over 80 in 30 years
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[Online Predators] Online reviews of sex tourism in Southeast Asia proliferate
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Assembly to review disputed appointment of national soccer team coach
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New Fifty Fifty off to strong start
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Arrival of fall calls for more outdoor festivals
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Evicted guest burns down inn; 3 killed
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[Herald Interview] US election may unleash growth for Korea: Laffer
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[Herald Review] 'Culinary Class Wars': fresh, creative survival show minus the drama
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U.S. urges S. Korea, Japan to act with ’restraint’
The United States wants South Korea and Japan to exercise restraint in handling their historical and territorial disagreements, a senior State Department official said Thursday.“I have to say that the recent spate of tensions between Japan and Korea have caused concerns,” the official told reporters on the condition of anonymity.“We are, again, urging restraint, calm, and statesmanship in terms of dealing with these issues.”Washington‘s key Asian allies _ Seoul and Tokyo _ have been at loggerhea
Aug. 31, 2012
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[Newsmaker] Ex-prime minister fans Japan’s nationalist fever
Shinzo Abe, Japan’s former prime minister, seems desperate to grasp his nation’s top political post again, judging by his decision to jump into the intensifying diplomatic spat between Korea and Japan in a thinly veiled tactical move. Fully aware of the extreme sensitivity of the issue, Abe pledged to reverse all of Japan’s past apologetic statements over its colonial atrocities, if his party wins the election and he is again elected prime minister.Abe’s newly reaffirmed stance on the issue come
Aug. 29, 2012
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Japan is accelerating their fight for Dokdo, but Korea is at a standstill
Even though Japan is actively calling upon the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to label Dokdo as a disputed area and tensions between Korea and Japan are rising because of the islets, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade stated that Korea’s budget for the island will remain the same in 2013. The ministry says the estimated 2013 budget for measures aimed at solidifying Korea’s control over Dokdo is 2.32 billion won ($2.04 million). This estimate is the same amount as the 2012 budget. Th
Aug. 28, 2012
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Nepal House offers glimpse of Himalayan Range
The Nepali Embassy and the Non-Resident Nepali Association Korea unveiled its culture center with a charity night on Thursday.The opening ceremony for the Nepal House was marked by dignitaries including Nepali Ambassador Kaman Singh Lama and Lee In-jung, head of the Korean Alpine Federation.Also showing support for the house was CNN’s 2010 Hero of the Year, Anuradha Koirala, who provided support and shelter for over 12,000 women and children who have been rescued from brothels in Nepal since 199
Aug. 26, 2012
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ASEAN-Korea Center offers language classes
The ASEAN-Korea Center and the Sogang University Institute for East Asian Studies will be offering language classes, from the region, starting September.The fourth semester of the Southeast Asian Language Program will be offering 12-week courses on Thai, Indonesian and Vietnamese. The evening classes will be held once a week at both the center and the university which begin Sept. 10.The program began in 2011 offering beginner classes on Vietnamese and Indonesian.Registration will be held from Au
Aug. 26, 2012
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Costa Rica celebrates ties with Korea
Costa Rican President Laura Chincilla celebrated the country’s 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties with Korea in Seoul on Monday.The relationship between Korea and the Central American country are based around the key elements of education, democracy and human rights, said Chinchilla during her reception.“Fifty years after the inauguration of relations, Korea has won its bet on the future and has established itself as an economic and technological power,” she said, according to an embassy press
Aug. 26, 2012
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Nepal seeks Korean investment in infrastructure
A Nepali delegation met with Korean officials on Tuesday to discuss infrastructure development and cooperation, according to the Nepali Embassy.The delegation was led by Minister of Physical Planning, Works and Transport Management, Hridayesh Tripathi during their five-day visit to Seoul.Tripathi met with Korea’s Land, Transport and Maritime Minister Kwon Do-youp and discussed bilateral interests. The two ministers also sought to enhance the exchange of information and promote development in rai
Aug. 26, 2012
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S. Korea, Japan trade barbs over Dokdo
Tokyo’s lower house adopts resolution; Seoul blasts Tokyo for challenging Korean sovereigntySouth Korea on Friday urged Japan to recant its “unjust” claim to Dokdo after Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda pledged an “indomitable resolve to protect” its sovereignty over the tiny islets in the East Sea. “We strongly protest Prime Minister Noda’s reiteration of an unjust claim over Dokdo that is clearly our territory historically, geographically and under international law. We urge an immediate withdraw
Aug. 24, 2012
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[Photo] Firm message to Japan
Members of civic groups hold a protest on Thursday in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, censuring the Japanese government for its sovereignty claim on Korea’s easternmost islets of Dokdo. (Yonhap News)
Aug. 23, 2012
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Green institute seeks quality-driven expansion
The Global Green Growth Institute is ready to take a new leap forward as an international organization by securing credibility, doubling its workforce and courting several more donor countries over the next two years, its new chairman told The Korea Herald.The Seoul-based think tank was established in 2010 by the Korean government to help countries share their experiences and technological expertise for environment-friendly development. Sixteen countries signed a convention for its status upgrad
Aug. 23, 2012
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[Newsmaker] Probing the unknown
Curiosity, NASA’s unmanned vehicle currently exploring Mars, could hardly be more aptly named. The rover’s $2.5 billion mission is testament to the fact that, even in tough economic times, man has an insatiable desire to explore the unknown. After successfully touching down on the Red Planet on Aug. 6, Curiosity made its first short test drive on Mars’ surface on Wednesday. Images transmitted back to Earth show vast plains of rusty, gravelly landscape, liberally punctuated by valleys and mountai
Aug. 23, 2012
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S. Korea names new envoy on Japan’s wartime sexual slavery
Korea has named a former ambassador to the Netherlands and an expert of international law to an envoy tasked with resolving a sensitive issue with Japan over aging Korean women forced into sexual slavery for Tokyo’s World War II soldiers, an official said Thursday.Ambassador Kim Young-won, 60, replaced Choi Suk-inn, who moved on to become the ambassador to Azerbaijan as part of the foreign ministry’s regular reshuffle, the ministry official said.“Given his extensive knowledge and experiences as
Aug. 23, 2012
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Seoul likely to return Japan P.M.’s letter
President Lee Myung-bak is likely to return the Japanese prime minister’s written protest against his recent visit to Dokdo that escalated tension between the two countries, Seoul officials said Wednesday.Officials said Cheong Wa Dae has yet to decide but is leaning toward refusing to accept last week’s letter from Yoshihiko Noda after discussing with experts in international law and foreign relations. “We’ve been consulting with outside specialists primarily on the possible legal impact (on the
Aug. 22, 2012
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17 ambassadors, consuls named
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade on Wednesday appointed 17 new ambassadors and consul generals to lead diplomatic missions to 20 nations and two international organizations. The new 17 ambassadors include former Deputy Minister for FTA Choi Seok-young and former First Vice Foreign Minister Park Suk-hwan. Choi will now serve as the ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the U.N. Secretariat and International Organizations in Geneva, while Park will lead the embassy to the U.K.In
Aug. 22, 2012
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Seoul stands firm on Japan’s Dokdo move
South Korea on Tuesday dismissed Japan’s formal proposal for an international litigation over the sovereignty of Dokdo islets as Tokyo is pondering options to retaliate against what it considers a diplomatic offense by President Lee Myung-bak.Ohtsuki Kotaro, a counselor at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, delivered to the Korean Foreign Ministry a diplomatic document detailing a proposal to file the Dokdo case with the International Court of Justice. Tokyo’s Cabinet endorsed the decision at a meet
Aug. 21, 2012
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Dokdo row sparks concerns of trade, cultural backlash
Concerns are rising here that the escalating tension between Seoul and Tokyo over Dokdo may take its toll on their economic, cultural and tourist exchanges.Signs of repercussions are emerging from Japan after President Lee Myung-bak’s controversial trip to the islets on Aug. 10 and his subsequent calls for an apology for Japan’s wartime atrocities from the country’s emperor. Tokyo has long claimed the South Korean islets in the East Sea. With public sentiment turning increasingly bitter, the pro
Aug. 20, 2012
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Costa Rican president visits Seoul
Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan met with Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla Miranda on Monday to discuss ways to expand economic cooperation and other technological and cultural exchanges between the two countries. Chinchilla arrived here on Sunday on invitation from President Lee Myung-bak. She is the first Costa Rican president to visit Seoul in 11 years. The two leaders are scheduled for summit talks on Tuesday. Chinchilla received an honorary citizenship from Seoul City after meeting with
Aug. 20, 2012
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Seoul to refute Japanese P.M.’s letter
Amid spiraling tension, South Korea is considering reasserting its ownership of Dokdo in response to the Japanese prime minister’s letter which expressed regret about President Lee Myung-bak’s recent trip to the islets, Seoul officials said Sunday.Officials here have been grappling with how to respond to the dispatch delivered via the Korean Embassy in Tokyo on Friday. Yoshihiko Noda also expressed regret about Lee’s calls for Emperor Akihito’s apology for Japan’s colonial atrocities. The unpre
Aug. 19, 2012
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Activist hero to some, ‘dangerous’ to others
Holed up the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, where he has been granted asylum, Julian Assange is as defiant as ever.Sweden wants to question him about accusations that he sexually assaulted two women. Assange denies the charges and argues they are a pretext for further extradition to the U.S., where he would be persecuted.But after appeals against extradition to Sweden failed, he broke bail to seek asylum.It is ironic, given the nature of his work, that he is avoiding extradition to a country rank
Aug. 19, 2012
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Singaporean Embassy celebrates national day
The Singaporean Embassy celebrated its National Day while reflecting on its growing diplomatic relations with Korea, in Seoul on Tuesday.The event marked the country’s 47th anniversary of independence from Malaysia and the 37th anniversary of diplomatic relations with Korea.“I am pleased to say that Singapore’s bilateral relations with the Republic of Korea are excellent, anchored by the many high-level visits from both sides,” said Singaporean Ambassador Peter Tan. In March, Prime Minister Lee
Aug. 19, 2012