The Korea Herald

Indonesia’s tropical getaways await tourists

Indonesia has brushed up its tourism facilities and policies in recent years to attract more visitors to the Southeast Asian archipelago of 13,000 islets. The administration of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has streamlined immigration procedures that allow travelers to stay up to 30 days without a visa and knocked down clearance approval for foreign yachts, giving them easy entry through 18 ports. In addition, the cabotage principles were abolished to provide international cruises with wider ac

Nov. 29, 2015

Indonesia’s tropical getaways await tourists

Turkish film festival entrances audience

In an effort to deepen liberal understanding between Turkey and Korea, art and public agencies of both countries held a film festival last week in Seoul, featuring six representative Turkish movies. The Seoul Turkish Film Festival at Arirang Cine Center from Nov. 25-28 was a collaboration between the municipalities of Beyoglu in Istanbul and Seongbuk-gu in Seoul, the Turkish Cinema and Audiovisual Culture Foundation, the Turkish Prime Ministry and the Turkish embassy. Internationally recognized

Nov. 29, 2015

Turkish film festival entrances audience

‘Malaysia is gateway to integrated ASEAN market’

Malaysia, a burgeoning Southeast Asian economy progressing into global integration, is aiming to attract investment from Korean enterprises exploring overseas advantages. “The Korean companies in Malaysia have continuously reinvested, expanded and diversified their portfolio in information communications technology, automated processing and research and development, and shown confidence in our economy,” Azman Mahmud, head of the Malaysian Investment Development Authority, said in his opening spe

Nov. 29, 2015

‘Malaysia is gateway to integrated ASEAN market’

Silicon Valley, Singapore offer innovation for Korean firms

Working in a place like the U.S.’ Silicon Valley, a place synonymous with high-tech entrepreneurship and innovation, is a dream for many Korean workers, who say they feel like slaves in Korean offices. This workplace drudgery has become fodder for popular dramas such as “Misaeng,” which last year on tvN satirized the “incomplete lives” of the country’s salaried men and women.According to a November report by the Bank of Korea, the employment quality of a Korean worker -- measuring stability, sal

Nov. 29, 2015

Silicon Valley, Singapore offer innovation for Korean firms

Korea, Japanese, Chinese health ministers agree to jointly tackle MERS

Health ministers from South Korea, Japan and China agreed to jointly tackle future Middle East Respiratory Syndrome outbreaks and new diseases that pose common problems for the Northeast Asian countries, the government said Sunday.The Ministry of Health and Welfare said policymakers at the tripartite meeting held in Kyoto issued a joint statement calling for concerted efforts to deal with various threats to public health, universal health coverage, the rapidly aging population and non-communicab

Nov. 29, 2015

Korea, EEU move to expand trade, investment ties

South Korea and the Eurasian Economic Union are moving to expand trade and investment ties that can open new business opportunities and generate economic growth, the government said Friday.At the meeting between Trade and Industry Minister Yoon Sang-jick and his EEU counterpart, Andrei Slepnev, in Seoul, the two sides inked a memorandum of understanding calling for strengthening cooperation in trade and business investments, as well as more tie-ups in the industrial and energy sectors.In additio

Nov. 27, 2015

House of ex-lawmaker's aide raided over alleged political funds

Prosecutors said Thursday they have raided the house of an aide to a former ruling party lawmaker, who is suspected of receiving illegal political funds.The Daegu District Court said they will summon Sim Hag-bong, former lawmaker of the ruling Saenuri Party, after analyzing materials confiscated from three places, including the house of Sim's aide.Last month, Sim stepped down from his post after the National Assembly passed a motion to expel him on suspicion of sexually assaulting a woman in her

Nov. 26, 2015

Two German financial firms ordered to pay for market manipulation

A South Korean district court on Thursday ordered two German financial institutions to compensate for the losses it caused a local bank after it manipulated the South Korean stock market in 2010 in an incident known here as the "Nov. 11 Options Shock."The Seoul Central District Court sided with KB Kookmin Bank in a civil lawsuit filed against Deutsche Bank and Deutsche Securities, demanding that the German financial institutions pay 718.5 million won (US$624,600) to the South Korean bank.Deutsch

Nov. 26, 2015

U.N. rapporteur calls for accountability over N.K. human rights abuse

The U.N. special rapporteur on North Korea's human rights situation on Thursday called for accountability for the serious human rights abuses in the communist country.Marzuki Darusman made the appeal during his last official visit to South Korea, saying "nothing has changed" in the two years since the U.N. Commission of Inquiry released a landmark report accusing the North of grave crimes against humanity, including keeping political prison camps, abducting foreigners and forcing people to starv

Nov. 26, 2015

China replaces key party official in charge of ties with N. Korea

China's ruling Communist Party has replaced a key official in charge of political relations with North Korea and other countries, according to Chinese state media reports on Thursday.Wang Jiarui, head of the Chinese Communist Party's international department who held the post for 12 years, stepped down and career diplomat Song Tao was picked as Wang's successor, media reports said. The website of the department also showed that Song became its head. It was not immediately known why Wang was repl

Nov. 26, 2015

This is the seventh installment in a series of interviews with scholars and experts on China as a resurgent Asian power that is changing the regional order. This installment looks into the strengths and weaknesses of the Communist Party of China. -- Ed.The greatest vulnerability facing the Communist Party of China is that it has never been given a popular mandate to rule the nation, China expert Yang Gab-yong said, underscoring the importance of the trust of the Chinese people to keep its govern

Nov. 26, 2015

‘Lack of popular mandate Chinese party’s weakness’

Korea, Egypt agree to jointly fight terrorism

The foreign ministers of South Korea and Egypt agreed Tuesday to work together to combat the growing threat of terrorism in the world, the Foreign Ministry said.Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se and his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shoukry, held talks on a wide range of issues, including bilateral ties, regional issues and cooperation on the global stage, the ministry said in a press release.Citing the Nov. 13 Paris terrorist attacks, Shoukry said the international community must work together to fig

Nov. 24, 2015

S. Korea, Japan should address history issue for future: Vice FM

South Korea and Japan need to build mutual trust for "sincere strategic cooperation," a senior South Korean official said on a trip to the United States. Vice Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul stressed that resolving the history issue is about "reconciliation and trust" between the neighboring nations, according to his ministry Monday. He was speaking at a meeting with several American pundits well versed in North Korea affairs held in New York last week. Seoul and Tokyo are locked in decades-l

Nov. 23, 2015

Mongolian theater to perform opera

The Mongolian State Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet will stage operas by Rossini, Verdi, Mozart and Puccini for their first Seoul performance in a concert on Dec. 6 to mark the 25th anniversary of Mongolia’s diplomatic relations with Korea.The Mongolian Gala Concert, hosted by the Mongolian embassy, will feature Mongolia’s traditional music and dance and feature 60 instrumentalists and six singers, including Mongolian opera singer Amartuvshin Enkhbat, who was recently recognized as the BBC

Nov. 22, 2015

ASEAN trade, food fair showcases fresh products

Ahead of the ASEAN Community’s inauguration in December, which was announced officially during the 27th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, the ASEAN-Korea Center held a trade and food fair last week to help galvanize the bilateral flow of commerce and communication between Southeast Asia and Korea.Under the banner “ASEAN Fair 2015: Touch and Taste ASEAN,” the venue at Coex from Nov. 18-21 in Seoul gathered over 100 small and medium-sized vendors from the Association of Southeast Asian Natio

Nov. 22, 2015

ASEAN trade, food fair showcases fresh products

Exhibit highlights path to German unification

The German embassy spotlighted the crucial period after the Berlin Wall fell in November 1989 to Germany’s reunification a year later in an exhibition last week at Seoul City Hall.Jointly organized by the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Federal Foundation for the Reappraisal of the SED Dictatorship, the one-week exhibit commemorated the 25th anniversary of Germany’s restored sovereignty. “In celebrating our anniversary, we felt that our experience of separation had actually strengthen

Nov. 22, 2015

Exhibit highlights path to German unification

Bulgaria, Korea celebrate 25 years of ties

The Bulgarian embassy last week marked the silver jubilee of its diplomacy with Korea with a seminar to reflect on the last 25 years of cooperation in political relations, trade and investment, education and literature.The event at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul on Nov. 16 was jointly organized by the university’s East European and Balkan Institute. “The official visit of Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev to Korea in May opened a new chapter of partnership between our countries

Nov. 22, 2015

Italy promotes south marina tour program

Imagine a turquoise blue ocean that encircles a beach lined with centuries-old edifices, their facades glowing in sunlight and reddish rooftops sloped gently toward the sea. Fancy a plate full of fresh seafood, olive oil, cheese, tomatoes, pizza and legumes, on a balcony overlooking the view. Visualize artfully arranged amenities, museums and monuments that exude the depth of Italian culture condensed over centuries. These are the experiences taken in by those traveling to southern Italy on a “S

Nov. 22, 2015

Italy promotes south marina tour program

Park wraps up Asia summit tour

President Park Geun-hye held talks Sunday with more than a dozen leaders on regional and global challenges of North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, terrorism and territorial disputes, wrapping up her 10-day tour.Park asked for cooperation from the leaders of the East Asia Summit to help resolve the dispute over North Korea’s nuclear program, according to Cheong Wa Dae. 귀 기울이는 오바마 미국 대통령 (쿠알라룸푸르=연합뉴스) 백승렬 기자 = 박근혜 대통령이 21일 오후 말레이시아 쿠알라룸푸르 컨벤션센터에서 열린 동아시아정상회의(EAS) 갈라만찬에서 버락 오바마 미국 대

Nov. 22, 2015

Seoul identifying any S. Korean hostages in latest Mali attack

The Seoul government said Friday that it is examining whether any South Korean nationals are being held hostage in a hotel in the capital of Mali that was seized by unidentified gunmen.A group of attackers have occupied a luxury hotel in the Malian capital of Bamako, with about 170 taken hostage."We are checking the safety of every South Korean resident in Mali and identifying whether or not there are any nationals detained in the hotel," an official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Yon

Nov. 20, 2015