The Korea Herald

Foreign start-ups struggle for funding

As South Korea strives to become the next Asian tech hub in its “creative economy” drive, public and private investments into the start-up economy are at their height. The government has earmarked 180 trillion won ($166 billion) this year to foster a start-up ecosystem, new industries and markets with growth potential, while private venture capital funding passed 1.6 trillion won last year, according to data from the Korea Venture Capital Association. But foreign entrepreneurs are struggling wit

Technology July 2, 2015

Classical meets childhood lullabies on pianist’s new album

[Herald Interview] Inspired by his childhood memories, pianist Park Jong-hwa plays nostalgic and unforgettable traditional children’s lullabies on his new album and tour project “Nunaya.”Unveiled last month, the 11-track digital album features classical variations of some of the most widely-recognized folk melodies in Korea, such as “Mother, Sister (Ummaya Nunaya),” “Jackrabbit” and “Hometown Spring.” 　“You will be hard-pressed to find a Korean who does not recognize these titles,” said Park dur

Performance June 29, 2015

Classical meets childhood lullabies on pianist’s new album

[Herald Interview] Korean-American Broadway actor reprises role of Jesus Christ

Broadway actor Michael K. Lee has returned to Korea to reprise the role of Jesus Christ -- arguably one of the most daunting and burdensome roles to portray on stage -- in the ongoing Korean rendition of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s globally regaled musical “Jesus Christ Superstar.” Although the Korean-American performer has played the role before, both in the United States and in Korea , he felt once again the burden of having to bring to life one of the world’s most iconic figures, which prompted him

Performance June 25, 2015

[Herald Interview] Korean-American Broadway actor reprises role of Jesus Christ

Korean monochrome art shines in Basel

BASEL, Switzerland – At Art Basel, the world’s biggest high-end art fair, top artworks were sold in the first hours of its VIP preview. This year, 284 leading galleries from 33 countries brought some of their best artworks for the six-day event last week, including the two-day exclusive VIP showing before the official kickoff on Thursday. Some of the most expensive, top-quality works are sold quickly to major collectors from all parts of the world.“It seems all the galleries brought very high-qu

Performance June 21, 2015

Kumho Asiana Group to buy back bus operator for W415 bln

Kumho Asiana Group, the parent company of South Korea's No. 2 air carrier, said Tuesday it will buy Kumho Buslines Co., its former intercity bus transportation arm, for 415 billion won (US$375.1 million), as it takes a step closer to restoring itself to the conglomerate it was before its liquidity crisis. Kumho Terminal, a subsidiary of Kumho Asiana Group, will take over a 100 percent stake in Kumho Buslines from a private equity firm led by IBK Securities Co. and KStone Co., which currently o

May 26, 2015

2 dead, several hurt in shooting at US Wal-Mart

Two people died and several more were injured in a shooting early Tuesday at a Wal-Mart Supercenter store, police said. Deputy Police Chief Mike Ferguson would not say if the gunman was arrested, at large or among the dead, but said he believed there was no further risk to the public following the shooting. Ferguson did not provide names of the dead or say how many have been injured. Officers responded to reports of gunshots a few minutes after 1 a.m., he said, adding that officers disc

World News May 26, 2015

Cable company Charter buying Time Warner Cable for $55.3B

Charter Communications will spend $55.33 billion to acquire Time Warner Cable in a cash-and-stock deal that would instantly create one of the largest TV and Internet providers in the U.S. The deal comes a month after Comcast walked away from a bid for Time Warner Cable after intense pressure from regulators. There has been a wave in consolidation in the cable industry. Providers are beginning to lose TV subscribers, costs for TV, sports and movies are rising and they are facing more pres

World News May 26, 2015

Police investigating basketball coach over match-fixing allegations

Police said Tuesday they're investigating an active professional basketball coach over match-fixing allegations. Seoul police said the coach, Chun Chang-jin of the Anyang KGC in the Korean Basketball League (KBL), allegedly bet against his own team and inserted bench players in the second half of games to ensure the team would lose. Police said they suspect Chun, 52, of placing illegal bets on five games between February and March while he was coaching another KBL team, the Busan KT Sonicboo

More Sports May 26, 2015

Park calls for cooperation with China-led AIIB

President Park Geun-hye urged the head of the Asian Development Bank to cooperate with South Korea and the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), Park's office said Tuesday. Park said mutual cooperation is necessary to prepare for what is promised to be a surge in investment for infrastructure projects in Northeast Asia. She made the comment in a meeting with ADB President Takehiko Nakao who was in town for an international conference on financial cooperation in Asia. It is

Politics May 26, 2015

Amtrak train in deadly wreck was speeding, but why?

Investigators don't yet know why an Amtrak passenger train was moving at more than twice the allowed speed when it ran off the rails on a sharp curve and killed at least seven people, and the train's engineer has so far refused to speak to police. It was the deadliest U.S. train accident in nearly six years. While questions grew about why a track technology that would have prevented the train from going over the speed limit had not yet been installed as planned, the lawyer for the engineer said

World News May 14, 2015

Taliban attack in Kabul killed 14, including 9 foreigners

An overnight Taliban attack on a Kabul guesthouse left 14 people dead, including nine foreigners, in the most audacious assault by the insurgents in the Afghan capital since the start of their spring offensive, a government official said Thursday. The full breakdown of the nationalities among the nine foreigners was not immediately known but an American, a British citizen, an Italian and four Indian nationals have been confirmed dead. Gunmen stormed the restaurant of the Park Palace Hotel in t

World News May 14, 2015

N. Korea launches 2nd day of firing drills

North Korea launched a firing drill near the tensely patrolled western maritime border with the South for a second consecutive day on Thursday, the South Korean military said. The artillery drill began at around 7:10 p.m. near the Northern Limit Line (NLL), but none of the artillery rounds landed on the south side of the sea border, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. "We are closely monitoring the North Korean military's drills, keeping a tight guard against any provocations," the JCS s

North Korea May 14, 2015

Nepal's prime minister: 'We were not prepared' for 2nd quake

Nepal has been overwhelmed by its second massive earthquake in less than three weeks, its prime minister said Thursday as he visited this normally placid foothills town, now a center for frightened villagers desperate for government help. Thousands of people now crowd the streets of Charikot, the administrative center of the isolated district hit hardest by Tuesday's magnitude-7.3 quake, which killed at least 96 people and injured more than 2,300. The magnitude-7.8 earthquake that hit April 25 k

World News May 14, 2015

News of N. Korea's purge seems to be blocked on China's Baidu

The news of the purge and reported execution of North Korea's defense minister, Hyon Yong-chol, was not searchable on China's dominant search engine Baidu Thursday, suggesting that China's Internet authorities might have blocked it. Searches by Yonhap News Agency for "Hyon Yong-chol" or "North Korea's Hyon Yong-chol" on the Baidu portal site produced no results as of 3:40 p.m. on Thursday. However, a search of "defense minister" produced some results for news about Hyon. South Korea's i

North Korea May 14, 2015

Nepal hospitals overflowing, rural towns cut off: aid groups

Aid groups and governments worldwide intensified efforts Sunday to help earthquake-hit Nepal, but blocked roads, downed power lines and overcrowded hospitals posed formidable challenges in an already poor country. As the death toll in the Himalayan nation surpassed 2,300, the US together with European and Asian nations sent emergency crews to reinforce those scrambling to find survivors in the devastated capital Kathmandu and in cut-off rural areas. "Tragically, more bodies are being pulled

World News April 26, 2015

Nepal hospitals overflowing, rural towns cut off: aid groups

Articles by Julie Jackson