The Korea Herald

Households with divorcees top 1m

The number of divorced householders exceeded the 1 million mark last year, with seven out of 100 living alone after the dissolution of marriage, a government data showed Monday. The state-run Statistics Korea said Monday that the number of divorced householders was 1.26 million as of November, a 40.2 percent increase from five years. The figure has more than doubled over the past 10 years and incr

July 11, 2011

Korea considers new immigration office

The government has taken the first steps of creating an exclusive agency to take oversee the nation’s policies on immigration and multiculturalism, officials said Sunday. The Ministry of Strategy and Finance gave public notice of a bid to analyze foreign immigration agencies and study measures to attract a talented workforce from abroad. The ministry plans to streamline immigration policy over the

July 10, 2011

Woongjin Coway enjoys boon from national health trend

Woongjin Coway Co., already the industry leader in water and air purifiers, is enjoying a second bloom. The Seoul-based company logged sales of 1.51 trillion won ($1.43 billion) and 228.8 billion won of operating profits last year, marking the 12th consecutive year of record-high sales.“In May, we reached record-high sales in just a month. We are entering our second heyday,” Woongjin Coway CEO H

Industry July 10, 2011

Woongjin Coway enjoys boon from national health trend

U.S. antitrust crackdown costs Korean firms $1.6b

Korean antitrust regulator advises firms to be prudentKorean companies in the United States have paid about 1.7 trillion won ($1.6 billion) in fines for price-fixing and four out of the top 10 highest-paying companies were from Korea, a ranking official of the state-run antitrust regulator said Wednesday.The Fair Trade Commission on Wednesday explained the business environment of the U.S. on collu

Industry July 7, 2011

BC Card fights back against ‘domineering’ Visa

BC Card Co., a local payment services provider, is stepping up its offensive against Visa, condemning the global credit card giant for pressing unfair business activities onto its Korean partners.On Monday, BC Card filed a report with the Fair Trade Commission over the U.S.-based company’s overseas fee system. “Visa is conducting illegal activities against the Monopoly Regulation and Fair Trade Ac

Industry July 7, 2011

Trade volume with FTA partners doubles

Korea’s trade volume with free trade pact signatories almost doubled last year but the trade balance showed mixed reactions by regions, a report showed Monday. According to the Korea Customs Service, the nation achieved $136.8 billion last year in the total trade volume with Chile, ASEAN, Singapore and the European Free Trade Association ― a 1.73-fold increase from $79 billion from the year before

July 4, 2011

Korea set to approve world’s first stem-cell drug

Medication passes safety, quality testsKorea will approve the world’s first stem-cell medication as early as this month, the Korea Food and Drug Administration said Friday. The state-run drug regulator said Friday that Hearticellgram-AMI, a stem-cell medication for treating heart attack victims, passed all the required safety and quality tests early this week. It will be the world’s first therapeu

Social Affairs June 24, 2011

Prosecutors snub GNP probe demand

Refuse to reinvestigate illegal deposit withdrawal, say found nothing to look intoThe prosecution seemed to refuse Friday to reinvestigate suspected illegal deposit withdrawals from a corruption-ridden savings bank despite demands from the ruling Grand National Party. “If we have dug up a mine and found nothing, we have to move to another mine. That’s the position of the prosecutor-general and the

Social Affairs June 24, 2011

GNP proposes 30% tuition cuts

The government and the Grand National Party announced Thursday a new college tuition plan, which aims to cut fees by 30 percent by 2014.A total of 6.8 trillion won ($6.3 billion) from the national budget and 1.5 trillion won from school scholarship programs will be set aside for tuition cuts in the coming years, said GNP floor leader Hwang Woo-yea. In order to reduce tuition fees by 15 percent nex

Social Affairs June 23, 2011

Seoul launches annual global student forum

The fourth Seoul International Student Forum will kick off on Friday, with 84 members from 32 different countries attending, the Seoul Global Center, a city-run support center for foreign residents, said Wednesday. The program, launched in 2008, is aimed at reflecting the ideas and proposals of international students studying in Seoul to better serve foreign residents and visitors here. After hold

Social Affairs June 22, 2011

Seoul to probe forced colonial laborers’ deaths

Some 30,000 Koreans believed to have been drafted for construction work in SakhalinThe Korean government will launch its first official investigation into the deaths of Koreans forced to labor under the Japanese colonial rule in Sakhalin, an island in Russia’s Far East, a Seoul fact-finding panel said Wednesday. The investigation will be carried out in July and August at a public graveyard in Yuzh

Social Affairs June 22, 2011

Japanese subtitle service offered for Korean movies

Seoul City has started showing Korean movies with foreign language subtitles, including Japanese for the first time, officials said Tuesday. In cooperation with CGV Theater, one of the country’s largest cinema chains, the city has offered the foreign language service at five theaters since 2009.This month the Japanese language subtitle service began first at a CGV branch in Myeong-dong, a popular

Social Affairs June 21, 2011

Seoul mayor keeps mum over political future

Oh and city council clash over school meals during first meeting in six monthsCity council members Tuesday fired questions at Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who appeared at the council’s plenary meeting after a six-month hiatus. The political path of Oh, who is considered a potential presidential candidate for the Grand National Party, in particular drew keen interest. “Your political future can affect y

Social Affairs June 21, 2011

[Herald Interview] Seoul shares bus network secrets with world cities

Seoul’s eco-friendly bus policy is good inspiration for green efforts by major cities throughout the world, a ranking official of the city government said.“Central governments talk a lot about climate change. But we in the cities are acting,” said Jeong Yon-chan, Seoul City’s assistant mayor of environmental protection headquarters, who attended the C40 Large Cities Climate Summit held in Sao Paul

Social Affairs June 20, 2011

[Herald Interview] Seoul shares bus network secrets with world cities

Oh to end Seoul council boycott

After six-month standoff, mayor vows to oppose DP through direct negotiationsJEJU ISLAND ― Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said Saturday he would attend the opposition-dominated city council this week, after refusing to attend for more than six months.“I think now is a time to seek reconciliation and dialogue under a new political atmosphere. I will attend the plenary meeting of the city council to persuad

Social Affairs June 19, 2011

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