The Korea Herald

Pyongyang's GPS disruption affects 110 planes, vessels

South Korea's ICT ministry said Friday the latest disruption of the Global Positioning System signal, conducted by Pyongyang, has affected 110 planes and ships. The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning said the disruption affected 58 airplanes and 52 vessels in South Korea, although no significant damage has been reported so far.On Thursday, the ministry issued the GPS disruption warning in Seoul, the adjacent city of Incheon, and the surrounding Gyeonggi and Gangwon provinces as North K

North Korea April 1, 2016

Annual salary for workers at loss-making shipyards tops W70m won

The average annual paycheck of workers at the country's top three shipbuilders hovered above 70 million won ($61,200) last year, although local shipyards suffered record losses, industry data showed Friday.Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. paid 78.2 million won on average to its 25,236 workers last year, with the comparable figures for Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. and Samsung Heavy Industries Co. being 75 million won and 71 million won, respectively, the data showed.But this year thei

April 1, 2016

Annual salary for workers at loss-making shipyards tops W70m won

Korean military vows to prevent spread of Zika virus

South Korea's defense ministry said Friday it has ordered its troops to step up efforts to prevent the outbreak of the Zika virus after the country confirmed its first case in March.The military's move came as a 43-year-old man tested positive for the mosquito-borne virus last month after he traveled to Brazil and confirmed he was bitten by a mosquito during his trip."The government ordered the ministry on Thursday to strengthen efforts to effectively deal with the virus as mosquitoes start to b

Social Affairs April 1, 2016

Samsung expands presence in chips, loses ground in handsets

Samsung Electronics Co. saw its global presence in the semiconductor sector advance on-year in 2015, its business report showed Friday, while the shares in the handset segment continued to lose ground.According to the latest data compiled by the South Korean giant, Samsung took up 45.3 percent of the global dynamic random access memory market in 2015, up 5.7 percentage points from 39.6 percent posted a year earlier."While the falling demand in mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablet PCs,

Industry April 1, 2016

Samsung expands presence in chips, loses ground in handsets

SME lobby chief proposes alternative inter-Korean complex on Chinese border

Following the recent shutdown of an inter-Korean joint industrial park in North Korea's Gaeseong, an association of South Korean small businesses has been reviewing ways to build an alternative complex near the Chinese border to take advantage of its geographical proximity, its chief said Friday.The Park Geun-hye government in early February shut down the Gaeseong Industrial Complex, just north of the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas, in response to Pyongyang's fourth nuclear test an

North Korea April 1, 2016

China's Xi calls for dialogue on Korean Peninsula 'predicament'

Chinese President Xi Jinping called for dialogue to resolve the "predicament" on the Korean Peninsula during a bilateral summit with South Korean President Park Geun-hye in Washington, China's official Xinhua News Agency reported Friday. "The Chinese side stands ready to make efforts in a constructive way to resume dialogue within the framework of the six-party talks," Xi was quoted as telling Park, according to the Xinhua report from Washington. Park and Xi held the summit on the sidelines of a

North Korea April 1, 2016

Mobile subscribers in Korea set to break 60-mln mark

The number of subscribers to mobile network services in South Korea is set to top a landmark 60 million by the end of 2016, industry sources said Friday, hovering far above the country's population.The outlook came as the number of those with mobile network accounts, including those for wearable devices, reached 59 million as of end-February, according to the latest data compiled by the Ministry of Science, ICT, and Future Planning.As South Korea's population currently stands around 51.5 million

Industry April 1, 2016

Samsung employees' average annual salary tops W100m for 3rd year

The average annual paycheck of Samsung Electronics Co.'s employees and executives hovered above 100 million won ($87,489) in 2015 for the third consecutive year, data showed Thursday.According to the latest data compiled by the South Korean tech giant, its 95,652 employees and executives raked in 101 million won on average last year, slightly lower than the 102 million won posted in 2014.Male employees, which make up 68 percent of the entire workforce, made 110 million won on average, while thei

April 1, 2016

Samsung employees' average annual salary tops W100m for 3rd year

Obama calls for vigilant enforcement of sanctions on N.K.

Obama made the remark after a trilateral summit with South Korean President Park Geun-hye and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, stressing that security of the three countries is "linked."North Korea was the top issue as Pyongyang has been ratcheting up tensions with threats of attacks, claims of breakthroughs in its nuclear and missile programs and a series of missile launches in defiance of international pressure."We are united in

North Korea April 1, 2016

Park warns of tougher sanctions against N.K. over possible provocation

President Park Geun-hye warned North Korea against staging another provocation as she met Thursday with U.S. President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.North Korea is under growing international pressure to drop its nuclear ambitions after it carried out its fourth nuclear test on Jan. 6 and a long-range rocket launch on Feb. 7.The U.N. Security Council has imposed the toughest-ever sanctions resolution on North Korea that calls for, among other things, the mandatory inspectio

North Korea April 1, 2016

Tax refund for foreigners receiving plastic surgery

Foreign patients who undergo plastic surgery in Korea will receive VAT refunds starting April 1, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said Thursday.The measure is being implemented for one year. (123RF)The procedures applicable for tax reimbursements include double eye-lid surgery, rhinoplasty, breasts augmentation or reduction surgery excluding reconstruction after mastectomy, liposuction, face lift, facial bone contouring, teeth bleaching, laminating and gingivoplasty and orthognathic surgery.

April 1, 2016

Tax refund for foreigners receiving plastic surgery

Men dumping gold in sea busted by customs

Korean smugglers were busted using an unconventional method to bring in items – including gold bars -- from China via sea.According to the customs authorities, Thursday, these men had dumped their cargo into the ocean waters in an area unwatched by the Korean authorities while en route to Incheon harbor. The goods were wrapped in inflatable packaging to prevent them from sinking. A team of retrievers then fished out the floating cargoes. The smugglers carried the goods from Yantai, China (circl

Social Affairs March 31, 2016

Men dumping gold in sea busted by customs

Molester father jailed for 8 years

A Korean man who molested his underage daughter on multiple occasions was sentenced to eight years in prison by a high court Wednesday. The 45-year-old man surnamed Kim, had custody of his daughter after his divorce in 2010. When she was 10 years old, Kim took his daughter to the bathroom to wash together where he made her touch his private parts and perform sexual acts, according to court reports. His abuse continued for five years until August 2015. (123RF)Daejeon High Court said, “A father wh

Social Affairs March 31, 2016

‘Judgment days’ and ‘sacrificing lives’: The colorful language of Korean politics

Korean politics has often attracted wonder and ridicule for its politicians’ dramatic speech and metaphors. With the official campaigning for parliamentary elections kicking off Thursday, a slew of candidates declared their passion to the public, adding to the growing volume of remarkable statements in Korean politics."I step forward with a desperate heart, resolute to save this country,” wrote Kim Moo-sung, the ruling Saenuri party’s representative, who visited the Seoul’s public cemetery for t

Social Affairs March 31, 2016

‘Judgment days’ and ‘sacrificing lives’: The colorful language of Korean politics

여친 성폭행, 살해하는 뮤비 논란

다른 남자와 성관계를 가진 여자친구를 성추행하고 살해하는 내용의 한 뮤직 비디오가 멕시코에서 논란을 일으키고 있다. 30일 멕시코 현지언론 보도에 따르면 당국 내무부는 방송사, 웹사이트 운영자, SNS 이용자들에게 팝 가수 헤라르도 오르티스 (Gerardo Ortiz)의 ‘너는 내 것 (Fuiste Mia)’라는 뮤직 비디오를 유포하지 말 것을 권고했다. (유튜브 캡쳐)약 두 달 전 유튜브에 게재된 이 영상에서 오르티스는 다른 남성과 침대에 함께 있는 여자 친구를 발견하고 상대 남성을 총으로 쏘아 죽인다. 이후 화장실로 숨은 여자친구를 겁박하고 성추행한 후 반라 상태의 여자친구를 차 트렁크에 넣고 이동한다. 오르티스가 외딴곳에 차를 세우고 피우던 담배로 차에 불을 붙인 채 유유히 걸어가는 장면으로 영상은 끝난다. (유튜브 캡쳐)이를 시청한 유튜브 이용자들은 “이런 영상에 연령제한이 붙지 않았다는 걸 믿기 힘들다”며 “유튜브는 이 영상을 내려야 한다”고 주장했다. 오르티스를 “괴물”,

한국어판 March 31, 2016

Articles by 임정요