South Korean health authorities warned Tuesday there is still the possibility that Middle East Respiratory Syndrome can be brought into the country from overseas.The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced 10 infectious diseases that people should carefully monitor and watch out for in the first half of this year.The KCDC said a number of people are still being infected with MERS in Saudi Arabia, which has been the country worst hit by the virus. There have been some 650,000 k

Social Affairs Feb. 28, 2017

The Czech government has no information on threats to the safety of Kim Pyong-il, both North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's uncle and the reclusive nation's ambassador in Prague, a US news report said Tuesday.It has not taken any additional measures to toughen the security of the North Korean Embassy in Prague where Kim Pyong-il works, according to Radio Free Asia. This combined photo shows North Korea's founder Kim Il-sung (L) and his son and the North's top envoy to the Czech Republic Kim Pyong-i

International Feb. 28, 2017

어두운 밤 맹수를 대표하는 최상위 포식자인 사자 무리가 이동 중 한 마리의 하마를 발견했다. (사진=유튜브 영상 캡쳐) 사자는 아무 두려움 없이 하마를 향해 다가갔다. 하마는 무리 지어 자신에게 달려드는 사자를 피해 줄행랑 쳤다. 구석에 몰리게 된 하마는 사자를 한 마리씩 공격하여 몇몇 사자에게 심각한 피해를 준 후 강물로 도망갔다. 출혈로 움직이지 못하는 사자들은 아쉬운 듯 하마의 꽁무니만 쳐다봤다. 결국 다음 날 밀림의 왕 사자는 처참한 모습으로 아침을 맞이하게 된다. 코리아헤럴드 지예은 인턴기자 (yeeunjie@heraldcorp.com) 

한국어판 Feb. 28, 2017

South Korea's parliamentary chief on Tuesday called on the nation to accept whatever decision the Constitutional Court will make on the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye. In a statement to mark the March 1 Independence Movement Day, National Assembly Speaker Chung Sye-kyun urged calm and unity, as the nation is sharply divided ahead of the crucial ruling expected in early March. National Assembly Speaker Chung Sye-kyun (Yonhap)"Whatever results may come, we should accept it fully and be reb

Politics Feb. 28, 2017

A girl statue symbolizing Japan's wartime sex slaves will be designated public property as early as April, a district office in Seoul said Tuesday, amid a deepening diplomatic row over the monument.The statue was erected in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul in 2011 to honor the "comfort women" who were forced into sexual slavery for Japanese troops during World War II. Historians estimate there were up to 200,000 victims, mostly from Korea. This photo shows the girl statue outside the Japan

Social Affairs Feb. 28, 2017

Nearly 3 million animals were used in experiments by universities and public and private research centers in South Korea last year, government data showed Tuesday.(Yonhap)A total of 2.88 million mammals, amphibians and fish were experimented on by 333 institutions in 2016, according to the data compiled by the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency.Testing on mammals fell 22.5 percent on-year, while the number of amphibians and fish experiments rose 13.7 percent last year from a year earlier.In the

Social Affairs Feb. 28, 2017

Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn on Tuesday weighed in to stem the constant spread of "fake news" that has sparked social and political confusion, calling for a 'preemptive, strong' response to it.From a prominent presidential hopeful to an independent counsel probing a presidential corruption scandal, a series of high-profile figures recently fell prey to bogus -- oftentimes ill-intentioned -- news reports, underscoring the need for effective measures to block them. Acting Pres

Politics Feb. 28, 2017

More than half of people seeking to run their own business in South Korea are considering opening a cafe or a bakery, a survey showed Tuesday.In a survey of 4,625 people who have filed an online application to attend the upcoming International Franchise Seoul expo, 65 percent said they will either open a cafe or a bakery when starting their own business, the event organizers said. This file photo, taken on Jan. 6, 2017, shows dozens of would-be business owners attending a franchise-job fair in S

Industry Feb. 28, 2017

The government will come up with a monitoring system linked to Internet of Things devices by May to detect various cyberattacks from both home and abroad, the science ministry said Tuesday.A set of measures was discussed during a meeting attended by officials from the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning and the Korea Internet and Security Agency, the ministry said. (Yonhap)The measure comes amid worries that a series of so-called distributed denial of service attacks on infrastructure s

Social Affairs Feb. 28, 2017

South Korea spent more than 22 trillion won ($19.4 billion) in government budget last month as part of its efforts to frontload its budget spending to prop up the economy, the finance ministry said Tuesday.Fiscal spending by the government and public institutions reached a combined 22.4 trillion won in January, up 2 trillion won from its planned outlay of 20.4 trillion, according to the Ministry of Strategy and Finance. (Yonhap)The South Korean government has called for a stronger fiscal role in

Feb. 28, 2017

South Korean girl group Gugudan has released the music video for "A Girl Like Me," the lead single off its second EP album. (Jellyfish Entertainment)The clip, released on Monday, features Gugudan members engaging in various forms of narcissism, gazing at themselves in the mirror and being mesmerized.The production was inspired by the famous 16th century painting "Narcissus" by Caravaggio, which appears in the video. The title of the new album is "Act 2 Narcissus."The album was released via strea

Performance Feb. 28, 2017

The number of South Korean business groups' affiliates subject to restrictions on mutual investments and loan guarantees gained ground this month from a month earlier, the antitrust watchdog said Tuesday.The Fair Trade Commission said the number of firms on its monthly watch list stood at 1,131 as of end-February, up six from the previous month. (Yonhap)The affiliates are owned by the country's 27 largest business groups, including Samsung Group and Hyundai Motor Group.Four business groups, incl

Industry Feb. 28, 2017

South Korea's four opposition parties Tuesday decided to request National Assembly Speaker Chung Sye-kyun exercise his authority to directly call a vote on a bill to arrange an extended special investigation into a scandal involving President Park Geun-hye.Rep. Choung Byoung-gug of the Bareun Party (L), Rep. Park Jie-won of the People's Party (C-L), Rep. Choo Mi-ae of the Democratic Party (C-R) and Rep. Sim Sang-jung of the Justice Party pose for a photo at the National Assembly in Seoul on Feb.

Politics Feb. 28, 2017

South Korea's ruling Liberty Korea Party on Tuesday rejected the opposition bloc's push to impeach the acting president, calling it a politically motivated move."It is a typical political ploy and not even worthy to be reviewed," said Rep. Chung Woo-taik, the party's floor leader. Rep. Chung Woo-taik, the floor leader of the Liberty Korea Party (Yonhap)On Monday, the main opposition Democratic Party and other liberal parties agreed to seek the impeachment of Acting President and Prime Minister H

Politics Feb. 28, 2017

South Korean actor Lee Dong-gun and actress Cho Youn-hee, who played a fictional couple in a recent TV series, are dating in real life, according to Lee's management agency Tuesday."The two have formed a good relationship while filming and have developed into a couple recently," Lee's agency FNC Entertainment said. (Herald DB)According to KINGKONG Entertainment, which represents Cho, the two are "about a week into their relationship."The 37-year-old Lee and the 35-year old Cho appeared as a coup

Television Feb. 28, 2017