The Korea Herald

Chinese captain gets 30 years for murder

Social affairsApr 19, 2012

The captain of an illegal Chinese fishing boat was sentenced to 30 years in prison and fined 20 million won (about $18,000) on Thursday for murdering a Korean Coast Guard. Incheon District Court handed down the sentence on Cheng Dawei, 43, after he was indicted on charges of murdering the officer during a raid on his boat last year. The captain killed Korean Coast Guard sergeant Lee Cheong-ho a...
Saenuri tosses Moon to ethics panel

PoliticsApr 19, 2012

Some members suggest IOC member give up his parliamentary seat The ruling Saenuri Party will hold an ethics committee meeting next Monday to discuss the alleged plagiarism by its lawmaker-elect Moon Dae-sung, party officials said Thursday. The committee will likely deliberate on whether to expel Moon, who reportedly backed out of renouncing his party membership at the last minute on Wednesday. ...
Ex-FTA chief to promote growth with law

PoliticsApr 19, 2012

This is the first of a series introducing significant lawmakers-elect of the upcoming 19th National Assembly. ― Ed. Among the 300 candidates who won parliamentary seats in last week’s general elections, 148 are newcomers to the National Assembly. Many of these, though, are political heavyweights with plenty of administrative experience. Kim Jong-hoon of the ruling Saenuri Party, former chief n...
N.K. threatens ‘retaliation war’ against S. Korea

North KoreaApr 19, 2012

North Korea on Thursday threatened to wage a “retaliation war” against South Korea if Seoul does not apologize for allegedly “defaming” the North’s recent celebrations of the birth of founder Kim Il-sung. Pyongyang said Seoul’s Lee Myung-bak administration insulted the “supreme dignity” of its regime by criticizing its rocket launch when it celebrated the centenary of its late founder Kim’s birt...
Kim setting out on Dec. presidential run?

PoliticsApr 19, 2012

Kim Doo-kwan, governor of South Gyeongsang Province, has drawn keen attention in media and political circles with moves that many see aimed at positioning himself as a presidential candidate. Local newspapers reported Thursday that Kim was planning a series of book-launching ceremonies in Seoul and other cities, giving specific dates. The reports said the events will likely mark the start of the...
Men in northeast smoke, drink more: report

Social affairsApr 19, 2012

Men in the northeast of the country tend to smoke more than those living in the southwest, government research suggested Thursday. A similar pattern was detected with drinking, and generally the health of men living in the northeast was worse than that of those in the southwestern region. According to an annual Ministry of Health and Welfare report on health by region, released Thursday, the ma...
Number of first-time marriages rises in 2011

Social affairsApr 19, 2012

The number of marriages involving couples tying the knot for the first time rose to a nine-year high last year mainly due to favorable demographic factors, a government report showed Thursday. According to the report by Statistics Korea, the number of men and women getting married for the first time reached 258,600, or 78.6 percent of all marriages tallied last year. This is the highest percenta...
79 killed by domestic violence last year

Social affairsApr 19, 2012

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 h...
Public criticism of leader violates law: top court

Social affairsApr 19, 2012

The Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that public denunciation of the president by school teachers could be a violation of the National Public Services Law. The ruling which upheld a lower court’s decision is expected to fetter teachers’ political activities. Earlier, the lower court had ruled that a Daejeon school teacher and two colleagues’ public criticism of President Lee Myung-bak and declar...
Expats in Seoul invited to visit Korean families

Social affairsApr 19, 2012

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 peop...
Parliamentary panel to vote on defense reform

PoliticsApr 19, 2012

Ministry makes last-ditch appeal for streamlined command structure, jointness A parliamentary defense committee is poised to vote on Friday on five bills aimed at improving the military’s command structure and cooperation among its three armed branches after nearly a year of political bickering. Committee chairman Rep. Won Yoo-chul of the ruling Saenuri Party has notified its members from the m...
Talent firm chief accused of abuses

Social affairsApr 19, 2012

Police are interrogating an entertainment firm chief suspected of arranging gang rapes of its aspiring singers or habitually harassing them himself. The investigation is expected to unveil the dirty laundry of showbiz, such as extorting sexual and other favors from young and vulnerable aspiring singers or actors/actresses. According to the police at Gangnam in southern Seoul, the prosecution on...
Video circulates of girl being raped in S.Africa

Social affairsApr 19, 2012

When a 17-year-old girl said to have the mental capacity of a 5-year-old was reported missing four weeks ago in the sprawling South African township of Soweto, police distributed her photo and asked neighborhood residents for help. Then a video emerged of seven men and boys raping the girl. Within a day of media alerting them to the video, police said, they found the girl Wednesday in a house ac...
S. Korea deploys longer-range missiles against North

North KoreaApr 19, 2012

South Korea has deployed new cruise missiles capable of destroying targets such as missile and nuclear bases anywhere in North Korea, the defense ministry said Thursday. The ministry released a video clip of the test-launch of the missiles, saying they could hit "any place" in the North. "With such capabilities, our military will sternly and thoroughly punish reckless provocations by North Kore...
U.S.: No progress in North Korea missile program

North KoreaApr 19, 2012

North Korea‘s recent failed rocket launch shows that the communist country has made little progress in its spaceflight program, the head of the U.S. missile defense program said Wednesday. The assessment by Lt. Gen. Patrick J. O’Reilly raises questions about the immediate threat to the United States from a North Korean long-range missile and the billions that the U.S. spends to counter it. O‘Re...