Kim Hae-sung, president of Global Sarang, a support group for foreign migrant workers, has founded an elementary school for children from multicultural families. The school in Oryu-dong, Guro-gu, Seoul held its initial entrance ceremony Wednesday, with about 60 students, children and teachers attending.It has a six-story 2,400-square-meter building with 17 rooms which consist of general classrooms

People March 3, 2011

N.K. defector says protecting ‘Dear Leader’ meant imprisonment in a gilded jailSAGOKRI, South Korea ― Lee Young-guk is a struggling duck breeder in muddy work clothes, shepherding 10,000 feathered wards at his rural family-owned spread near the North Korean border.For the taciturn 50-year-old, his omnipresent baseball cap worn low over watchful eyes, common farm life is a distant second act to the

People March 3, 2011

Yoo Byung-chang took office as the new chief executive officer and publisher of Herald Media in a ceremony at the company’s headquarters in Seoul on Wednesday.Yoo, 61, former president of POSCO ICT, succeeded Park Haeng-hwan, who retired after three years in the post.The new CEO vowed to strengthen growth businesses of the future, including digital media and broadcasting. Herald Media CEO and Publ

Social Affairs March 2, 2011

The International Military Sports Council (CISM) evaluation team arrived in Mungyeong on Wednesday for their inspection of the Korean city’s bid to host the CISM Military World Games 2015.Chief inspector Mesut Cerit of Turkey, who is CISM president for Europe, first arrived at Incheon International Airport on Feb. 28, and was greeted by Mungyeong Mayor Shin Hyun-kook, defense ministry officials an

Special Reports March 2, 2011

Herald Media has appointed Yoo Byung-chang, former president of POSCO ICT, as its chief executive officer and publisher. Yoo, 61, succeeds Park Haeng-hwan, who is retiring after three years in the post. Yoo will take office on March 2 as CEO and publisher of Herald Media, which publishes The Korea Herald, The Herald Business, The Junior Herald and The Campus Herald.  Yoo Byung-changThe new CEO has

People March 1, 2011

The U.S. Navy has seen another Korean-American take the helms of a U.S. guided-missile destroyer.Steven Lee became the 14th commanding officer of USS Gonzalez in Norfolk, Virginia, on Feb. 25, according to the official website of USS Gonzalez. He is the third Korean-American captain of a U.S. destroyer, following Choi Hee-dong, commander of the USS Chafee and Jeffrey Kim of the destroyer USS John

People March 1, 2011

Kim In-hei, 49, vocal music professor of Seoul National University, was sacked on Monday for habitually inflicting violence on her students and other alleged misconduct.The school’s disciplinary committee decided on Monday to fire her after a marathon discussion. It was the first time that the nation’s top university has dismissed a professor over abuse of students.The professor was hit by inside

People March 1, 2011

Shin Young-moo, a 67-year-old veteran lawyer, was elected the new president of the Korean Bar Association during its general assembly in Seoul on Monday.Shin ran for the post as the candidate recommended by Seoul Bar Association and won 167 votes, beating runner-up Shin Yong-do, who had stood for Busan-based lawyers but only received 49 votes. Shin began his judicial career as a judge at Daejeon D

Social Affairs Feb. 28, 2011

A foundation set up by Um Hong-gil, who has climbed 16 peaks of 8,000 meters or higher in the Himalayas, has built its second school for children in Nepal.The Um Hong Gil Human Foundation said Friday that it had completed the construction of the school in Trishuli, 95 km northwest of capital Kathmandu.The residents in the poverty-stricken region are isolated from civilization and scrape a living b

People Feb. 27, 2011

A Japanese lawyer has been honored with a human rights award by South Korean National Assembly lawmakers in recognition of his legal struggle for ethnic Koreans on Sakhalin Island.Kenichi Takagi, 67, received the fifth National Assembly human rights prize from the Human Rights Forum of South Korean lawmakers at a round table meeting on Sakhalin issues with Japanese lawmakers in Tokyo, Japan, on Fr

People Feb. 27, 2011

Hwang Young-ok, a 72-year-old woman, has donated real estate worth 6 billion won ($5.32 million) to Seoul Women’s University, the university said Thursday.The university launched a scholarship committee in her name. Hwang Young-okHwang has been unmarried all her life while running a kindergarten for about four decades. The devout Christian has given students scholarships through churches. In her 2

People Feb. 27, 2011

Janggu master Kim says modernization does not mean WesternizationAlthough, Kim Duk-soo, a master percussionist, is mostly known as a virtuoso of the “janggu,” an hourglass-shaped Korean drum, he said expertise in a single instrument is not enough to be considered a master in the field of Korean traditional music. Unlike the western way of categorizing expertise by instrument ― such as violin maste

People Feb. 24, 2011

Pop singer Kim Jang-hoon and self-styled Korea promotion expert Seo Kyoung-duk posted a full-page Korean tourism advertisement in the New York Times on Tuesday. The advert appeared on Page 5 in Section A, and was bannered “Visit Korea” over the Korean map where seven islands ― Ganghwado, Heuksando, Ieodo, Jejudo, Geojedo, Ulleungdo and Dokdo ― were marked in bold letters.The ad noted that South Ko

People Feb. 24, 2011