The Korea Herald

Hwang decries sexual harassment case involving diplomat, calls for tighter discipline

Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn on Thursday called for tightened discipline among officials in the wake of a sexual harassment case involving a South Korean diplomat in Chile.The diplomat has been accused of sexually harassing two teenage girls in the Latin American country. The case, which sparked public fury in both countries, came to light as a Chilean broadcaster recently aired its hidden camera coverage of him making improper physical contact with a teen."I call on each mi

Politics Dec. 22, 2016

Hwang decries sexual harassment case involving diplomat, calls for tighter discipline

Son of actor Song Kang-ho joins pro football club

The son of the popular actor Song Kang-ho joined a South Korean professional football club Thursday.Suwon Samsung Bluewings in the top-flight K League Classic said they drafted right fullback Song Jun-pyung out of Yonsei University.The 20-year-old previously played on Maetan High School based in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, some 45 kilometers south of Seoul.In this photo provided by Suwon Samsung Bluewings football club, Song Jun-pyung (top row, second from R), son of the popular actor Song Kang-h

Film Dec. 22, 2016

Son of actor Song Kang-ho joins pro football club

S. Korea to sell 7.3 tln won worth of state bonds in Jan.

South Korea plans to sell 7.3 trillion won ($6.1 billion) worth of state bonds next month, the finance ministry said Thursday. The government will issue 1.75 trillion won worth of bonds with a maturity of three years and 1.65 trillion won worth of five-year bonds.It also plans to sell 1.95 trillion won worth 10-year Treasurys and a combined 1.95 trillion won of bonds with a maturity of between 20 and 30 years.The ministry added that it sold 4.64 trillion won worth of Treasurys in December.Earlie

Dec. 22, 2016

N. Korea has economic polarization: think tank

A photo of a coffee bar in Pyongyang carried by Chosun Sinbo, a pro-North Korean newspaper published in Japan. (Yonhap)North Koreans in the capital city of Pyongyang are three times as rich as those in other areas, South Korea's state-run think tank said Thursday, in the latest sign of the deepening economic divide in the communist country.Pyongyang's per capita gross domestic product is estimated to be at between $2,658 and $2,715 as of 2008, compared with a range of $791 and $1,213 in the Sout

North Korea Dec. 22, 2016

N. Korea has economic polarization: think tank

Sewol ferry disaster to be made into feature film

A ferry incident off the southern coast of the Korean Peninsula that caused more than 300 deaths will be made into a feature film, industry sources said Sunday.The movie, tentatively titled "Sea Tiger," will be based on a novel written by Kim Tak-hwan about divers who were involved in the2014 rescue operations on the doomed ferry Sewol.Kim wrote the book based on the testimony of late diver Kim Kwan-hong, who committed suicide while suffering from the mental and physical after effects of the int

Social Affairs Dec. 3, 2016

Trump upends US foreign policy with Taiwan callUS

President-elect Donald Trump broke with decades of foreign policy to speak with the president of Taiwan, prompting Beijing Saturday to accuse Taipei of a ploy but saying the move would not affect US-China ties.It was not immediately clear whether Trump's telephone call with President Tsai Ing-wen marked a deliberate pivot away from Washington's official "One China" stance, but fuelled fears he is improvising on international affairs.China regards self-ruling Taiwan as part of its own territory a

World News Dec. 3, 2016

Court allows weekend protest 100 meters from presidential office

A local court on Friday ordered police to allow citizens to march up to 100 meters from the presidential office for the rally slated for the weekend amid public anger over the influence-peddling scandal centered on President Park Geun-hye and her confidante.The decision marks an easing of restrictions from a week earlier when the court allowed protesters to march to 200 meters from the presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae. The ruling only permits the rally from 1:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.Organizers c

Social Affairs Dec. 3, 2016

Opposition parties hand in Park's impeachment motion to parliament

Park Geun-hye on Saturday for her alleged violations of the Constitution, which will be put to a vote at the National Assembly plenary session next week.A total of 171 lawmakers supported the motion, which accounts for every member of the three opposition parties and independents, excluding the parliamentary speaker. The motion will officially be proposed during a regular parliamentary session on Thursday, with the vote to place on Friday.Park has been facing the biggest crisis of her political

Politics Dec. 3, 2016

US imposes additional sanctions on N. Korea, including Air Koryo

The United States imposed additional sanctions on North Korea on Friday, blacklisting seven individuals and 16 entities, including the country's flag carrier, Air Koryo, for their links to weapons proliferation or foreign currency earnings for the regime.The Treasury Department measures came two days after the UN Security Council adopted a new package of sanctions designed to choke off major sources of hard currency for the North, including putting a cap on coal exports, its single biggest sour

North Korea Dec. 3, 2016

Parliament passes 2017 budget bill

South Korea's parliament on Saturday approved a 400.5 trillion won (US$341.4 billion) budget bill for next year after the government and parties resolved their differences over a controversial free child care program a day earlier.The National Assembly passed the 2017 spending plan in a 221-30 vote, with 30 abstentions, about four hours after the Friday deadline set by the Constitution. The total approved by lawmakers is 200 billion smaller than proposed by the government. South Korean Prime Mi

Politics Dec. 3, 2016

KOSPI expected to move in tight range next week

South Korean shares are expected to move in a tight range in the coming week on rising uncertainties in eurozone and a looming interest rate hike in the US, analysts said Saturday.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) closed at 1,970.61 on Friday, down 0.19 percent from a week ago.The index rose in four out of five sessions, but it posted a weekly loss due to Friday's selloff ahead of the Italian referendum on a constitutional change slated for Sunday. The local market got a bo

Dec. 3, 2016

Olympic archery champion named top S. Korean female athlete of 2016

Chang Hye-jin, a double Olympic gold medalist in archery, was named the country's top female athlete of the year Tuesday.Chang took the highest honor at the 2016 Korea Woman Sports Awards in Seoul. The 29-year-old archer won gold medals in both the individual and team competitions at the Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics in August.South Korean archer Chang Hye-jin celebrates after winning the gold medal in the women`s individual archery competition at the 31st Summer Olympic Games at Sambodromo i

Sports Nov. 29, 2016

Olympic archery champion named top S. Korean female athlete of 2016

Defense chief renews calls for vigilance over N.K. threats

South Korea's defense chief on Tuesday called on South Korean and U.S. troops to enhance their joint readiness to better cope with threats posed by North Korea.Defense Minister Han Min-koo made the comments during his first visit to a South Korean brigade in Dongducheon and the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division in Uijeongbu, both near the border with North Korea. The two units form the Republic of Korea-U.S. Combined Division.U.S. Forces Korea Commander Gen. Vincent K. Brooks also joined the inspecti

Diplomatic Circuit Nov. 29, 2016

Defense chief renews calls for vigilance over N.K. threats

Bill seeks to ban employers from requiring job applicants' photos

Rep. Han Jeoung-ae of the main opposition Democratic Party (Yonhap)The South Korean parliament's labor committee on Monday approved a bill which bans employers from requiring job seekers to provide a headshot and information such as their weight and height.It also seeks to prohibit the "discriminatory" practice of requiring information about an applicant's birthplace, religion, marital status, assets and family details on application forms.Violators will be slapped with fines of up to 5 million

National Nov. 29, 2016

Bill seeks to ban employers from requiring job applicants' photos

Trade war with China only way to win Beijing's cooperation over N. Korea: U.S. expert

The incoming US administration of Donald Trump should impose powerful secondary sanctions on Chinese firms and wage a trade war with China in order to force Beijing to stop its support of North Korea, a US expert said Monday.Gordon Chang, an East Asia security expert, made the case in an article in Forbes magazine, accusing China of failing to sincerely carry out UN sanctions and stressing that waging a trade war on China "may be the only way to obtain Beijing's cooperation on North Korea." "N

Diplomatic Circuit Nov. 29, 2016

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