Most Popular
-
1
Actor Jung Woo-sung admits to being father of model Moon Ga-bi’s child
-
2
Wealthy parents ditch Korean passports to get kids into international school
-
3
Man convicted after binge eating to avoid military service
-
4
First snow to fall in Seoul on Wednesday
-
5
Final push to forge UN treaty on plastic pollution set to begin in Busan
-
6
Korea to hold own memorial for forced labor victims, boycotting Japan’s
-
7
Nvidia CEO signals Samsung’s imminent shipment of AI chips
-
8
Job creation lowest on record among under-30s
-
9
NK troops disguised as 'indigenous' people in Far East for combat against Ukraine: report
-
10
Opposition leader awaits perjury trial ruling
-
Asia eyes new shipping routes as Arctic ice melts
As global warming melts the polar ice caps, interest is shifting away from environmental concerns and toward the region’s untapped economic potential. The melt will mean havoc for the Arctic region’s wildlife as native animals’ habitats are disrupted. But rising temperatures will also unlock natural resources. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that the Arctic has 90 billion barrels of oil and 1,670 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. But for Korea, the immediate interest may lie in the new sh
May 20, 2012
-
EU assures euro will prevail
A high-level member of the European Commission has reassured Korea’s prime minister that the “doomsday scenario” of a collapse of the euro will not come to pass. EU Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic said that Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik shared his optimism that the eurozone would weather the debt crisis.Sefcovic met Kim in Seoul on Wednesday to discuss trade and cooperation on the same day that shares for the single currency hit a four-month low and Spain and Italy saw their borrowing c
May 20, 2012
-
S. Korean ambassador performs in Chinese opera
South Korea's envoy to China made a surprise appearance in a performance of the traditional Beijing opera, diplomatic sources said Saturday. Ambassador Lee Kyu-hyung helped put on the Beijing opera piece"Wujia Po" in a performance held at the official residence ofSeoul's top diplomat in the Chinese capital. The event was hosted by the Beijing opera federation, aninformal group within China's f
May 19, 2012
-
Korea, Guatemala to promote ties
The foreign ministers of South Korea and Guatemala held talks Friday in Seoul to discuss how to promote trade and investment between the two nations, Seoul officials said.The talks between Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan and his Guatemalan counterpart Harold Caballeros focused on “the promotion of trade and investment, security cooperation in Central America and protection of Korean nationals living in Guatemala,” a ministry official said. Caballeros arrived in Seoul Thursday for a two-day visit
May 18, 2012
-
Japan criticizes women’s rights museum
The Japanese Embassy in Seoul has lodged a complaint on South Korea’s funding of the local War and Women’s Human Rights Museum, stating that content regarding the so-called “comfort women” in the exhibit did not comply with Japan’s stance. The museum celebrated its grand open early this month, established by the Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan in order to support compensation for the South Korean women who were forced to become sex slaves for the Japanes
May 18, 2012
-
Norway, Finland support Korea’s Arctic plan
Korea has secured support from Norway and Finland in its bid to become a permanent observer to the Arctic Council, a multinational forum on energy, shipping, exploration and other crucial issues in the North Pole region. Korea has been striving to boost its presence in the Arctic as global powers jockey to take advantage of its huge resources, strategic location and new key sea routes opening up with the rapidly melting ice sheets.“Norway and Finland have been very active in working with us. The
May 15, 2012
-
Korea seeks bigger role in Arctic
Energy-hungry emerging economy eyes resources reserves, shipping lanes, permanent status at Arctic CouncilKorea is stepping up its foray into the Arctic as melting ice caps are opening up a treasure trove of untapped resources, new sea routes and potential for scientific discovery. Despite its late entry and lack of major energy corporations, Korea can harness its edge in shipbuilding and engineering in one of the world’s last uncharted frontiers, experts say. Korea is hoping to boost its presen
May 15, 2012
-
Korea’s international aid focuses on independent development
VIENTIANE ― As a recently wealthy member of the international community, Korea is obliged to increase its aid for developing countries and its best option is sharing the lessons learned from its growth, which other nations can follow, said the head of the Laos branch of Korea’s aid agency. “Developing countries face various obstacles when trying to stand on their own feet,” Kwon Young-eui, chief of the Korea International Cooperation Agency office in Vientiane, told The Korea Herald. “Korea may
May 13, 2012
-
Korea builds social infrastructure in Laos
Aid agency KOICA focuses on health, education and agricultureThis is the fifth installment of a series of articles introducing programs and activities of the Korea International Cooperation Agency, a state-run organization for overseas assistance and humanitarian aid. ― Ed.VIENTIANE ― Korea’s aid program in Laos focuses on building social infrastructure to support the country’s drive to overcome poverty, establish a sound market economy and nurture development.The inland state on the Indochina P
May 13, 2012
-
Forum connects Indian businesses to Korea
More than 70 Korean and Indian CEOs and entrepreneurs came together last week to discuss unprecedented business opportunities in the rapidly developing South Asian nation. The Indian Chamber of Commerce in Korea and the Indian Embassy held a business forum in Seoul on May 7. Speaking at the event, Indian Ambassador Vishnu Prakash highlighted India’s investment plans for $1 trillion in infrastructure development by 2017. He invited Korean companies to partner with their Indian counterparts to bid
May 13, 2012
-
British journalist remembered in Seoul
The British Embassy has held a memorial ceremony for a journalist who opposed the Japanese colonial rule of Korea. U.K. Ambassador Scott Wightman attended Yanghwajin Foreigners’ Cemetery on May 8 to remember British journalist Ernest Bethell, who is buried there. Former Korean Prime Minister Lee Soo-sung chaired the ceremony and President Lee Myung-bak sent flowers to mark the event organized by the Bethell Commemoration Committee. Some 250 people participated in the ceremony, also including Par
May 13, 2012
-
Polish Constitution Day marked in Korea
The Polish Embassy hosted a National Day celebration on Wednesday with a delegation led by the country’s minister for agriculture and rural development. Minister Marek Sawicki joined the event in Seoul to commemorate the ratification of the first Polish constitution, which took place on May 3, 1791. The constitution was t he first in Europe and second in the world after the American Declaration of Independence. Polish Ambassador Krzysztof Majka said that the constitution had helped guide his cou
May 13, 2012
-
Envoys’ spouses become Seongbuk citizens
The wives of the Turkish and Singaporean ambassadors have become honorary citizens of the community in which they live. Gulden Saribas and Tan Siew Eng pledged to do their best to help strengthen ties between their countries and Korea upon being presented with honorary citizenship of Seoul’s Seongbuk-gu. They were selected along with another international resident of the area, Dr. Bhanu Shrestha. The Nepali citizen is a professor at Kwangwoon University. Saribas, who is married to Turkish Ambas
May 13, 2012
-
Scandinavian royalty set to grace Yeosu and Seoul
Royals from Denmark, Norway and Sweden are all gracing Korea this month, each with a packed diplomatic schedule, including meetings with Lee Myung-bak and trips to the DMZ. The Danish Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary were the first Scandinavian royals to arrive on May 10 and will stay until May 15. The Crown Prince Frederik attended the Global Green Growth Summit at Seoul’s Lotte Hotel on Friday, while Crown Princess Mary visited Samsung Medical Center to tour the Neonatal Intensiv
May 13, 2012
-
Lee heads to Beijing for annual summit with China, Japan
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak left for Beijing Saturday for annual summit talks with Chinese and Japanese leaders expected to center on North Korea and economic and other cooperation between the Northeast Asian powers.The tripartite summit, set for Sunday between Lee, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, comes amid concern North Korea could conduct its thir
May 12, 2012
-
Kim named envoy to EU, Belgium
The Seoul government on Wednesday appointed Kim Chang-beom, a former presidential protocol secretary, as new ambassador to the European Union and Belgium. Kim, 52, began his career at the Foreign Ministry in 1981 and has served in posts involving in security policy and diplomatic relations with North America, Japan and Indonesia. In 2007, he became the first director general of the Korean Peninsular Peace Regime Bureau under the Office of Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs, which is in
May 10, 2012
-
Korea, Norway to cooperate for Arctic exploration
Korea and Norway agreed Wednesday to boost cooperation for Arctic exploration programs as Seoul looks to tap the region’s growing scientific and business opportunities.Shin Maeng-ho, chief of legal affairs at the Foreign Ministry, and Karsten Klepsvik, the Nordic country’s ambassador to the Arctic Council, discussed Korea’s application to become a permanent observer to the eight-member Arctic Council, joint research projects and related policies, the ministry said. The bilateral meeting, the fir
May 9, 2012
-
S. Korean IAEA inspector killed in auto accident in Iran
A South Korean inspector of the International Atomic Energy Agency was killed in a rollover accident in central Iran on Tuesday morning, the Islamic Republic’s state media reported. The Islamic Republic News Agency reported that a car carrying him turned over near a heavy water reactor under construction. A Slovakian inspector was wounded in the accident. By Song Sang-ho (sshluck@heraldm.com)
May 8, 2012
-
Swedish king to make 1st official visit to S. Korea this month
Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf will make his first official visit to South Korea later this month at the invitation of President Lee Myung-bak, the Swedish embassy in Seoul said Tuesday. The king and his wife, Queen Silvia, are scheduled to arrive in Seoul on May 29 for a four-day visit that includes talks with Lee, said Bak Hyun-jung, the embassy's chief press officer, in a statement. It will be t
May 8, 2012
-
EU will come out of crisis stronger, envoy says
The EU ambassador has said the euro crisis will not cause Europe to retreat from its single currency, but said further economic and financial integration is needed to protect it. The Eurozone crisis has threatened not only the economic stability of the 17-countries within the single-currency union but of all Europe and beyond. As Eurozone countries struggle to overcome soaring debt levels and public deficits, face tough challenges to combat weak banking systems, economic recession and high unemp
May 6, 2012
