The Korea Herald

Park Ji-min named winner of ‘K-pop Star’

Youngest winner at 15 to choose agency among top three K-pop companiesFifteen-year-old Park Ji-min became the winner of SBS’ “K-pop Star,” beating out her rival Lee Ha-yi by one point in the neck-and-neck competition on Sunday evening. With Sunday’s win, Park also became the youngest and first female winner of a local TV singing audition program. “I’m happy because I feel like I’m being rewarded for all the hard work up until now. I would like to thank my parents and the three judges,” said Park

Television April 30, 2012

Park Ji-min named winner of ‘K-pop Star’

Seoul police chief to head Coast Guard

Seoul police chief Lee Kang-deok was named commissioner general of the Korea Coast Guard on Saturday. Lee has headed the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency since November last year. A close aide to President Lee Myung-bak, he was regarded the number one candidate for National Police Agency commissioner. But he was dropped in the wake of a scandal involving the government’s illicit surveillance of civilians.He formerly served as the presidential secretary of public safety and head of public order t

Social Affairs April 29, 2012

Scientists develop ‘DNA scissor’ that avoids mutations

Korean scientists succeeded in cutting a damaged strand of DNA with engineered nuclease technology, or a “molecular scissors,” without generating mutation. The progress in gene editing is expected to help increase the effectiveness of gene therapy which in most cases fails to achieve intended results, said Kim Jin-soo, a chemistry professor at Seoul National University, who led the research. His team was able to prevent mutation with a new DNA-cutting enzyme that cuts only one DNA strand entwine

Technology April 29, 2012

Scientists develop ‘DNA scissor’ that avoids mutations

Seoul City aims to cut energy use

Local authority plans to install solar panels on all city’s buildingsSeoul Metropolitan Government announced Thursday it would reduce energy consumption by the equivalent of one nuclear power plant unit as part of its anti-atomic power drive. It will also reduce dependence on nuclear and fossil fuel energy in favor of alternative energy sources, Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon said at a news conference. “Seoul plans to improve self-sufficiency in energy from 2.8 percent now to 8 percent in 2014 and 20

Social Affairs April 26, 2012

Ex-space researcher devoted to reviving entrepreneurship

Korea’s growth is threatened by a dearth of interest in science and technology and the weakening of entrepreneurship. Ko San, a former astronaut trainee and now venture consultant, has a solution ― linking innovation to business swiftly, massively and without fear of failure.“We have to establish a virtuous circle that creates successful start-ups like those venture practices in Silicon Valley,” Ko, 36, chief of TIDE Institute, a non-profit institute supporting start-ups. said in an interview wi

Social Affairs April 26, 2012

Ex-space researcher devoted to reviving entrepreneurship

Seoul City meetings open to public

Seoul Metropolitan Government will open its key meetings to the public via the Internet to promote citizen’s participation in policy making, officials said Monday.Almost 100 kinds of meetings of city government and affiliated committees and organizations will be shown on Internet broadcasting channels or video files.The move is part of Mayor Park Won-soon’s pledge to enhance communication with citizens and transparency in city affairs, Hwang Bo-yeon, director of planning division, said.“We expec

Social Affairs April 25, 2012

Diesel vehicles required to install exhaust filter

Used diesel car owners in Seoul must install a diesel particulate filter beginning in the latter half of the year under a new regulation to improve air quality, city officials said Monday.Those caught without the device will be fined 200,000 won ($175).Diesel vehicles such as vans, buses and trucks that weigh more than 3.5 tons and have been used more than seven years are subject to the new rule.The vehicles will be monitored through closed circuit television cameras on the streets of the capita

Social Affairs April 23, 2012

Police widen probe into music school admissions fraud

Police are widening an investigation into alleged corruption at a public university after a professor was found to have offered illegal private tutoring to students in exchange for admission. Police requested Sunday an arrest warrant for the 44-year-old contrabass professor of Korea National University of Art. He was charged with offering illegal private tutoring to high school students preparing for the school’s admission test, and giving them undeserved high scores. According to the Seoul Metr

Social Affairs April 23, 2012

Police file compensation suit against prank caller

The Anyang police will file a civil suit against a prank caller who made a false report that he was kidnapped.If filed, it will be the first suit against a prank caller by the police.Police will seek compensation for expenditures made to find the man, who made the false report that he was locked in a car trunk, officials said Thursday.The 21-year-old caller, identified by his surname Kim, called the police in the city in Gyeonggi Province on Wednesday.About 50 police officers were mobilized for

Social Affairs April 20, 2012

Second KBS union to strike next month

Yet another labor union for the nation’s largest state-run broadcasting network announced Thursday it will stage a strike early next month.In a week long vote from April 12-18, about 65 percent of KBS Union 1 chose to go on strike.Out of 2,903 members, 2,456 members cast ballots, with 64.6 percent, or 1,878 members, voting yes, and 572 no. Last month, another labor union with the network began a sit-in, demanding that CEO Kim In-kyu resign. KBS Union 1 is demanding the reform of the CEO appointm

Social Affairs April 20, 2012

79 killed by domestic violence last year

The number of people killed in domestic violence rose from 69 in 2010 to 79 last year, a women’s rights group found on Thursday. The number of females killed in domestic violence was much higher than males, as 65 wives were murdered by their husbands last year, with the remainder being husbands killed by their wives, according to statistics by Korea Women’s Hotline. The numbers jumped from 57 homicides by husbands and 12 by wives in 2010.The group estimates there were more domestic homicides as

Social Affairs April 19, 2012

Expats in Seoul invited to visit Korean families

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will increase the number of foreign residents invited to local Korean homes because of the rising popularity of its home visit program among foreigners and citizens, officials said Thursday. The city government plans to select 120 foreigners to visit local Korean families on May 13 to experience culture and customs, and enhance their understanding of Korean people by having dinner together and playing traditional games, they said. Last year, about 100 foreign re

Social Affairs April 19, 2012

American named principal of Chadwick school in Songdo

Chadwick International School has appointed David Maher, academic dean of a U.S. secondary school, as the inaugural principal of its high school.Maher is academic dean of the Fountain Valley School of Colorado and also an academic director at World Leadership School, which facilitates global immersion education programs for U.S. students in developing countries.He will oversee the high school program of Chadwick International Upper School slated to begin this fall semester. “It is a tremendous h

People April 19, 2012

American named principal of Chadwick school in Songdo

Seoul education chief vows to stay on

Seoul education chief Kwak No-hyun vowed to stay in his position, resisting pressure to step down after receiving a one-year jail term from an appeals court Tuesday for bribing his rival candidate in the education superintendent election last year. “I will continue my duty as superintendent,” said Kwak at a news conference at the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, Wednesday. He also pledged to fight off the accusations regarding the 2010 election process. “There was no illegal deal between

Social Affairs April 18, 2012

14-year-old bullying victim found dead

Middle school student jumps to death after being bullied to join gangA middle school student was found dead after being bullied in Yeongju, North Gyeongsang Province on Monday. The death, an apparent suicide, comes just two months after the government unveiled a package of preventive measures when a string of school violence suicides shocked the nation. It also undermined President Lee Myung-bak’s visit to Yeoju Middle School in Gyeonggi Province on the same day to praise the school as an examp

Social Affairs April 17, 2012

Articles by Lee Woo-young