HAMBURG, Germany (AP) _ First they pointed a finger at Spanish cucumbers. Then they cast suspicion on sprouts from Germany. Now German officials appear dumbfounded as to the source of the deadliest E. coli outbreak in modern history, and one U.S. expert has called the investigation a ``disaster.''   Backtracking for the second time in a week, officials Monday said preliminary tests have found n

Technology June 7, 2011

    LOS ANGELES (Yonhap) -- A South Korean lawmaker and businessman, internationally known for his role in the football governing body FIFA, said Monday that he has set his sights on next year's presidential election.   "Personally, I have much to improve (about myself) but I will try hard to become the presidential candidate of the Grand National Party (GNP)," Rep. Chung Mong-joon said in a meeti

Politics June 7, 2011

   The presidential office called for caution Monday in parliament's handling of a proposal to scrap an elite investigation team in the prosecution, as the chief prosecutor warned that the proposal, if adopted, would seriously undermine the prosecution's power to battle corruption.   The move was seen as a de-facto opposition to the parliament's move to abolish the Central Investigation Department

Politics June 6, 2011

Months after registration, no sign of operations at Facebook Korea  By Cho Ji-hyun　Nearly eight months have passed since Facebook, the biggest name in social media, filed paperwork to establish a corporation in Korea. But Facebook Korea is still nowhere to be seen. 　 According to industry sources, Facebook Korea turned in its application to Korean authorities to set up a corporation in Korea in Oc

June 6, 2011

The number of foreign residents in S.Korea rose 1.5-fold in five years to top 590,000 in 2010, a nationwide census showed Monday.   The census, which is carried out by Statistics Korea every five years, also showed that there were 90 countries that had more than 30 nationals living in South Korea as of last year.   Of the total, 50.8 percent, or 299,000, were from China, including people of Korean

Social Affairs June 6, 2011

HAMBURG, Germany – The terrifying E. coli outbreak in Europe appears to have been caused by vegetable sprouts grown on an organic farm in Germany, an agriculture official said Sunday as the toll climbed to at least 22 dead and more than 2,200 sickened.Preliminary tests found that bean sprouts and other sprout varieties from the farm in the Uelzen area, between the northern cities of Hamburg and Ha

Technology June 6, 2011

   A disgraced South Korean television celebrity was slapped Friday with a court arrest to be jailed for eight months for repeatedly gambling abroad and refusing to return home in an attempt to elude investigation.   Shin Jung-hwan, 36, rattled the South Korean entertainment industry when media reports said last August that he had gambled away hundreds of millions of won at a hotel casino in the P

Social Affairs June 3, 2011

  South Korea's income from tourism increased steadily in March and April, data showed Thursday, indicating that the country might have been insulated from the impact from Japan's devastating earthquake in March.   Foreign tourists' spending in South Korea reached US$770.1 million in April, up 6.5 percent from a year earlier, according to the Bank of Korea. South Korea's income from tourism rose 2

Travel June 2, 2011

Prosecutors said Tuesday they secured evidence that a scandal-ridden savings bank has used slush funds to lobby ranking government officials and influential politicians to prevent financial regulators from ousting the bank due to illegal loans and other irregularities.   The bank raised the slush funds by offering illegal loans worth trillions of won to more than 100 special purpose companies esta

Social Affairs May 31, 2011

On June 2, The Korea Herald will launch its new debate page “Voice” with the question: “Should South Korea scrap nuclear energy?” Each week, “Voice” will feature two contributors going head-to-head on a burning issue in Korean society. This space is also for you, the reader, to react to the issue and have your say. We also want to hear your thoughts on other subjects that matter to you, whether th

Social Affairs May 30, 2011