‘Liberal arts education translates into better jobs’

With South Korean youths struggling to get jobs amid the worsening employment rate, the nation’s higher education trend has been shifting toward practical courses like finance and engineering and away from liberal arts, which many job seekers have dismissed as irrelevant to their future careers. But Smith College president Kathleen McCartney believes otherwise. The head the leading liberal arts college in the U.S. stressed that what students learn through flexible curriculum provided by the libe

Dec. 7, 2015

Living in constant fear near U.S. military base

POCHEON, Gyeonggi Province ― At sunset on Oct. 28, a group of South Koreans gathered outside the gates of Rodriguez Live Fire Complex at Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, some 24 kilometers from the heavily guarded demilitarized zone. The numbers swelled into the hundreds, with the mostly middle-aged crowd from adjacent villages starting bonfires, singing songs and watching live dance performances. However, despite the seemingly festive atmosphere, hostility could be felt as villagers were there to ho

Dec. 7, 2015

President urges swift passage of economic bills

President Park Geun-hye on Monday called in the ruling Saenuri Party leadership to Cheong Wa Dae and urged them to speed up the legislation of pending bills on economy, labor reform and counterterrorism, calling them crucial to revitalizing the economy and protecting the people.“How will (you) face the people if you fail (to pass the pending bills) when you head into the general elections next year?” Park told Saenuri chairman Rep. Kim Moo-sung and floor leader Rep. Won Yoo-cheol.“It is a make-o

Dec. 7, 2015

Samsung pushes for drastic reforms

Samsung Group will undertake a major business restructuring next year aiming to restore sluggish profits at Samsung Electronics and other key affiliates. Even though the flagship Samsung Electronics has posted improved earnings in recent quarters, the figures are still lower than those during its heyday in 2013. Analysts expect its operating profits to fall again below the 6 trillion won ($5.14 billion) mark in the fourth quarter. As part of the planned restructuring set to be announced Thursday

Dec. 7, 2015

NPAD seeks to move closer to former name ‘Democratic Party’

The main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy on Monday launched the process to retitle itself before the next general election, ridding itself of one of the most intricate names it has ever had.The party hinted that the new name would be something that can be abbreviated into its former and popular name “Democratic Party.”“Today, we officially started the revision process of our party name, NPAD,” Rep. Jung Byung-hun, a member of the party’s Supreme Council, said Monday.“The new name

Dec. 7, 2015

Samsung heir likely to buy new shares in Samsung Engineering

Samsung Group said Monday that Samsung Electronics vice chairman and the group’s heir apparent Lee Jae-yong could purchase up to 300 billion won ($260 million) new shares of Samsung Engineering, the troubled plant-making unit. In a board meeting on the day, Samsung Engineering decided to issue new shares worth 1.2 trillion won, or a total of 156 million shares, to improve its financial health. The plant builder suffered an operating loss of 1.52 trillion won during the third quarter of the year

Dec. 7, 2015

H.C. Andersen’s works showcased at exhibition

The literary wonders of late Danish author Hans Christian Andersen (1805-75) are unveiled to the public free of charge at the Seoul Museum of History until Feb. 21. A collaboration with the Odense City Museum in Denmark, the exhibition titled “I Belong to the World” showcases the classic writer’s artifacts, including his bed, manuscripts and hand-cut paper crafts, as well as artworks by Danish Queen Margrethe II and late American artist Andy Warhol (1928-87), who were inspired by Andersen.Visito

Dec. 7, 2015

U.S., Korea celebrate robust defense alliance

The Korea America Friendship Society held an annual year-end party Thursday to reflect on the 65 years of military alliance that has safeguarded the prospering commercial and cultural links between the two countries. “The security and stability ensured by our alliance is the foundation for the strong partnership between the U.S. and Korea,” said the U.S. Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Mark Knapper in a speech at the reception at Millennium Seoul Hilton. Also in attendance were the Deputy Comman

Dec. 6, 2015

Romania, Korea mark silver jubilee with music

Marking the silver jubilee of official ties with Korea, the Romanian Embassy held a National Day reception last Wednesday in Seoul, featuring joint performances by Romanian and Korean artists. Romanian musicians Grigore Lese and Zamfira Muresan and Korean artist Lee Kyung-hwa performed traditional songs and dances to accompaniment from wind and percussion instruments. Romanian musicians Zamfira Muresan (left) and Grigore Lese. Joel Lee / The Korea Herald“I have performed in many countries, and i

Dec. 6, 2015

Latin America marks anniversary of regional body

The embassies of Bolivia, Ecuador, Nicaragua and Venezuela, in collaboration with the World Culture Open, celebrated the establishment of a regional organization with a promotional event dubbed “Hello! Alba-Latin America” in late November.The Bolivian Alliance for the Peoples of our America, or Alba, was founded by Cuba and Venezuela on Dec. 14, 2004, for the purpose of integrating Latin America and the Caribbean. Since then, Alba has acted as an institutional vanguard for human rights, public h

Dec. 6, 2015

U.K. firms in Korea mark strong year

The British Chamber of Commerce in Korea finished off a productive year with an annual Christmas luncheon in Seoul that attracted over 440 guests from 110 companies, including Santa Claus.“The party is a combination of British swankiness and waggishness,” Michael Breen, author, journalist and CEO of Insight Communications Consultants, told The Korea Herald, at the Four Seasons Hotel Seoul, where the event was held. Santa Claus entertains the participants at the British Chamber of Commerce in Kor

Dec. 6, 2015

Massive antigovernment rally ends peacefully

On Saturday afternoon, tens of thousands of protestors peacefully marched through central Seoul under police protection in the second massive rally held in three weeks against government policies, defying concerns over violent confrontation between demonstrators and the police.Thousands of protesters, many wearing masks, hold a rally Saturday at Seoul Plaza in downtown Seoul opposing the government’s reinstatement of state history textbooks and labor reform measures. Police estimated 14,000 peop

Dec. 6, 2015

Hyundai Motor executive to meet angry netizens

Hyundai Motor Group will host a face-to-face meeting between its executive responsible for domestic sales and local netizens who have are upset with its vehicles on Dec. 14 as part of its efforts to regain customer trust and improve brand image. Hyundai Motor vice chairman Kwon Moon-sik, who is responsible for the R&D function, hosts a Q&A session with invited students in November. Hyundai MotorThe rare move was revealed on Wednesday with an online banner inviting members of bobaedream.co.kr, on

Dec. 5, 2015

[Eye] Being a responsible man

Men in uniform were the objects of pure admiration for Kang Sin-myeong, South Korea’s police chief, who now commands more than 140,000 police forces across the country. Recalling his childhood when money, not his grades, was an issue for him to enter prestigious universities in the capital city of Seoul, Kang said he may have been destined to become an officer. He was offered to study at the Korean National Police University, an elite school established to nurture young police officers with four

Dec. 4, 2015

[Weekender] Closer to the people

In light of the deadly terror attack in Paris last month and the fear it sparked around the globe, many in South Korea also began reconsidering everyday safety.Granted, amid the constant threat from the reclusive North Korea, coping with looming fear has become somewhat usual for Koreans for decades. And various global indexes, including the Better Life Index 2015 by OECD, placed South Korea as one of the safest places to live, at No. 6. Behind the unorthodox sense of security enjoyed by the pub

Dec. 4, 2015