The Korea Herald

Morocco marks 18th anniversary of king’s accession to throne

The Moroccan Embassy marked the 18th anniversary of the accession to the throne of King Mohammed VI last week.The event also celebrated thriving ties between Morocco and Korea, now 55 years in the making diplomatically and expanding into all-inclusive realms.“The Throne Day is a symbol of love, loyalty, sacrifice, faithfulness and strong ties between the king and his people, based on a firm pledge of allegiance and obligations,” said Moroccan Ambassador to Korea Chafik Rachadi in a speech at a r

Foreign Affairs Aug. 7, 2017

Morocco marks 18th anniversary of king’s accession to throne

[Herald Interview] ‘Philippines stands shoulder to shoulder on security with Korea’

As Seoul shores up its diplomacy with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the Philippines is fully committed to the Korean peninsula’s denuclearization efforts as the chair of ASEAN this year, said the country’s top envoy here, also highlighting flourishing defense and law enforcement cooperation between the two countries.During the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Manila on Saturday, the top diplomats of the 10-member bloc expressed their “grave concerns” over the escalating tension

Foreign Affairs Aug. 7, 2017

[Herald Interview] ‘Philippines stands shoulder to shoulder on security with Korea’

[Seoul Saunter] Hagwon, road to freedom, or serfdom?

High schooler Jini Kim’s mother couldn’t escape a heavy-hearted and guilt-ridden feeling for her daughter.A third-year student, Jini studies from dawn to dusk, day in and day out, to secure competitive scores in school and in the nationwide university entrance examination held in November. “I feel so sorry for her,” the mother told The Korea Herald in Daechi-dong in southern Seoul, a mecca of private educational academies, known as hagwon here. “Forget about play!” she lamented. “Jini has barely

Culture Aug. 7, 2017

[Seoul Saunter] Hagwon, road to freedom, or serfdom?

[K-Talk] Se7en to begin tour of Japan in September

South Korean singer Seven, better known by his stage name “Se7en,” will begin a tour of Japan after a 7-month hiatus. Se7en will perform in Osaka on Sept. 15 and Tokyo on Sept. 17 and 18. The singer, whose real name is Choi Dong-wook, held concerts in Nagoya on Jan. 27, Osaka on Jan. 28 and Tokyo on Jan. 31. He met some 10,000 fans at the tour’s after-party on Feb. 2. His tour celebrated the release of his new album “Dangerman” in last December, which reached the 10th spot on the Japan Oricon da

Aug. 6, 2017

[K-Talk] Se7en to begin tour of Japan in September

US officially tells UN it wants out of Paris climate deal

WASHINGTON (AP) _ The Trump administration on Friday officially told the United Nations that the U.S. intends to pull out of the 2015 Paris climate pact. 　 But the State Department‘s announcement doesn’t formally start the process of the U.S. getting out of the voluntary agreement. That‘s still to come. 　 Still, the department described its communication as a ``strong message’‘ to the world, following President Donald Trump’s decision in June to leave the accord. 　 ``The State Department is tell

World News Aug. 5, 2017

UN Diplomat: $1 billion in N. Korea exports would be banned

UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- A proposed new UN sanctions resolution would significantly increase economic pressure on North Korea to return to negotiations on its nuclear and missile programs by banning mineral and seafood exports worth over $1 billion -- a third of its total exports last year, a Security Council diplomat said Friday.　 The draft resolution, obtained by The Associated Press, would also ban countries from giving any additional permits to North Korean laborers _ another source of money f

Diplomatic Circuit Aug. 5, 2017

UN Diplomat: $1 billion in N. Korea exports would be banned

US jobless rate: How much better can it get?

WASHINGTON (AP) _ A drop in the unemployment rate to a 16-year low raises a tantalizing question about the job market: How much better can it get?　 Earlier this year, economists worried that the low unemployment rate meant businesses would struggle to find workers and that would drag down the pace of hiring. Those fears were heightened by a tiny job gain in March and modest hiring in May.　 Yet Friday‘s jobs report suggests such concerns are premature. Employers added 209,000 jobs, after a solid

World Business Aug. 5, 2017

Korea’s jobless rate likely at 3.8% in July

South Korea’s jobless rate is likely to remain unchanged at 3.8 percent in July, a leading provider of economic analysis said Saturday, citing government stimulus measures.“The labor market is on the mend at the hand of strengthening domestic demand as generous government stimulus measures begin to reduce the chronically high youth unemployment and improve welfare payments,” Moody’s Analytics said in an economic preview.It said consumer and business sentiments have alread

Economy Aug. 5, 2017

Korea’s jobless rate likely at 3.8% in July

UN set to vote on new N. Korea sanctions

The UN Security Council will soon vote on a resolution imposing tougher sanctions on North Korea for its recent intercontinental ballistic missile tests, diplomats said Saturday.The US-drafted resolution aims to cut North Korea‘s export revenue by one-third to $1 billion a year, according to news reports. “We tabled a UN Security Council Resolution and hope for adoption as soon as possible,” a US official told Yonhap on the condition of anonymity.After lengthy negotiations, the US reached a dea

Diplomatic Circuit Aug. 5, 2017

UN set to vote on new N. Korea sanctions

A journalist’s murder underscores growing danger in Mexico

MEXICO CITY (AP) _ The absence of editor Javier Valdez Cardenas is deeply felt at the weekly newspaper he co-founded, but his presence is everywhere.　 A large photo of Valdez displaying his middle finger, with the word ``Justice,‘’ hangs on the facade of the Riodoce newspaper building in the Sinaloa state capital of Culiacan. Two reporters in their 30s, Aaron Ibarra and Miriam Ramirez, wear T-shirts that display his smiling, bespectacled face or his trademark Panama hat. The masthead of the pape

World News Aug. 4, 2017

US trade deficit narrowed to $43.6 billion in June

WASHINGTON (AP) _ The U.S. trade deficit narrowed in June as exports hit the highest level in 2 { years.　 The Commerce Department says the trade gap slid 5.9 percent in June to $43.6 billion. Exports of goods and services rose 1.2 percent to $194.4 billion, the highest amount since December 2014. Services exports reached a record $65.4 billion. Overall imports slipped 0.2 percent to $238 billion.　 So far this year, the trade deficit is up 10.7 percent to $276.6 billion.　 A shrinking trade gap ad

World Business Aug. 4, 2017

US gains 209K jobs, unemployment rate falls to 4.3 pct

WASHINGTON (AP) _ U.S. employers added 209,000 jobs in July, a second straight month of robust gains that underscore the economy‘s vitality as it enters a ninth year of expansion. The Labor Department said Friday that the unemployment rate slipped to 4.3 percent, matching a 16-year low first reached in May. 　 Growth in Americans’ paychecks, however, remains stubbornly slow. Average hourly pay rose by 2.5 percent from a year earlier, the same tepid annual pace as in June. That‘s below the 3.5 per

World Business Aug. 4, 2017

OSCE urges Poland show ‘restraint’ against reporter

WARSAW, Poland (AP) _ The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe says it is concerned about legal steps the Polish government is taking against a reporter who alleges the defense minister has longstanding ties with Russian military agents and members of the Russian mafia.Tomasz Piatek, an investigative reporter for the daily Gazeta Wyborcza, published his allegations about Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz in a new book, ``Macierewicz and his Secrets.‘’The ministry filed a complai

World News Aug. 4, 2017

With live-fire drill, China warns India not to test Beijing

BEIJING (AP) _ Beijing is intensifying its warnings to Indian troops to get out of a contested region high in the Himalayas where China, India and Bhutan meet, saying China‘s ``restraint has its limits’‘ and publicizing live-fire drills in Tibet. Indian troops entered the area in the Doklam Plateau in June after New Delhi’s ally, Bhutan, complained a Chinese military construction party was building a road inside Bhutan‘s territory. 　 Beijing says Doklam is located in Tibet and that the border d

World News Aug. 4, 2017

Civic group to erect statue to commemorate victims of forced labor

A South Korean civic group said Friday it will erect a statue in a park in the city of Incheon, west of Seoul, next week to commemorate Korean victims of forced labor under Japan‘s colonial rule. The group is scheduled to unveil the bronze statue at the park across from what used to be an arsenal belonging to the Japanese Imperial Army on Friday next week. It will sit next to a statue of a girl representing the victims of Japan’s wartime sexual slavery.　Created by sculptor Cho Won-suk, the “Hunc

Social Affairs Aug. 4, 2017

Civic group to erect statue to commemorate victims of forced labor

Articles by Joel Lee