The Korea Herald

Austrian authorities reveal find of buried treasure

Social affairsApr 25, 2011

VIENNA (AP) ― A man turning dirt in his back yard stumbled across buried treasure ― hundreds of pieces of centuries-old jewelry and other precious objects that Austrian authorities described Friday as a fairy-tale find. Austria’s department in charge of national antiquities said the trove consists of more than 200 rings, brooches, ornate belt buckles, gold-plated silver plates and other pieces o...
Seoul to complete anti-quake subway reinforcement project by 2014

Social affairsApr 25, 2011

The Seoul city government said Monday that it will complete an ongoing project to make the city's subway tunnels quake-resistant by 2014, two years earlier than originally scheduled, amid heightened safety concerns following Japan's devastating earthquake. Since 2004, the city has been assessing earthquake resistance capabilities on eight of the nine subway lines. The recently built line No. 9 w...
Carter begins tour of China, Koreas to reduce regional tensions

North KoreaApr 25, 2011

WASHINGTON, (Yonhap)- Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter Sunday embarked on a tour of China and the two Koreas in a "new initiative" to help reduce tensions in the Korean Peninsula amid stalled international dialogue for North Korea's nuclear dismantlement. "At a time when official dialogue with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea appears to be at a standstill, we aim to see how we may be ...
S. Korea deploys extra rocket artillery to Yellow Sea islands

DefenseApr 25, 2011

South Korea's military has deployed more rocket artillery to two islands near the Yellow Sea border to guard against a possible attack by North Korea, a government source said Monday, amid high tensions following the North's deadly shelling of one of the islands. An unspecified number of the homegrown 130-millimeter "Kuryong" multiple rocket launchers were recently installed on Baengnyeong and Y...
Return of Lee’s top aide glimpse of next Cabinet reshuffle

PoliticsApr 24, 2011

The planned return of Yu Woo-ik, President Lee Myung-bak’s first chief of staff who has served as Korea’s top envoy to China for the past 16 months, is expected to coincide with a Cabinet reshuffle early next month, offering a glimpse of what Lee’s vision for the remainder of his term. As one of Lee’s closest confidants, Yu is likely to get a new top post at home along with a handful of others w...
Candidates crisscross on Easter Sunday

PoliticsApr 24, 2011

The ruling and opposition camps went all out over the weekend, considered the last possible chance to gain more support before the by-election this Wednesday. Parties especially kept watch for foul play from opponents in the forms of illegal campaigning or slander. Candidates in the Bundang-B constituency, in which the most intense contest is expected between two big names, largely sought the f...
Luxembourg minister presses for EU-FTA passage

Foreign affairsApr 24, 2011

Luxembourg’s foreign minister visited Korea last week with a message for Assembly members over the failed passage of Korea’s trade pact with the European Union. “This is very serious, it is not pressure, but, if we cannot manage the entry into force on the July 1, then we have to change the date (into force) in the council and therefore, my suggestion is to do everything that can be done by the ...
Parties argue over how to help EU-FTA transition

PoliticsApr 24, 2011

The government and the ruling Grand National Party are at odds over how to minimize the damage that the pending free trade deal with the European Union would inflict on the domestic livestock farm business. The GNP said Saturday that the party and the government failed to close the gap on tax exemptions for the stockbreeders who shift to another trade. The government explained that it was set t...
Rivals feud over illegal campaign charges

PoliticsApr 24, 2011

Candidates go head-to-head on TV over illicit publicity in Gangwon Amid recent suspicions of illicit campaigning, the Gangwon governor candidates of the ruling and opposition parties clashed in a heated televised debate on the issue late on Saturday night. “Though I have tried my best to keep this by-election clean and fair, I am sorry that some of the overenthusiastic volunteers of our camps h...
Seoul pledges $500,000 for anti-piracy fund

PoliticsApr 24, 2011

The Seoul government has pledged to contribute $500,000 to an international anti-piracy trust fund, further expanding its financial role in the fight against pirates off the Somali coast, the Foreign Ministry said Sunday. South Korea’s envoy, Moon Ha-yong, announced the decision while attending a session of the U.N. Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia ― held in Dubai in the United A...
Man sues over FMD burial site management

Social affairsApr 24, 2011

A real estate owner near a burial site for cattle culled to prevent the further spread of foot-and-mouth-disease filed suit against the government Saturday over environmental damage he said the slaughter and burial have caused. The suit makes him the first person to file for compensation over the FMD measures but observers expect more to follow as the weather grows warmer and decomposition speed...
University helps U.S. soldiers adjust to Korean life

PoliticsApr 24, 2011

PYEONGTAEK ― Pyeongtaek University is emerging as a major educational institution to help U.S. soldiers smoothly adjust to their new lives in Korea through a unique orientation program. Since 2006, the university in the western port city has run the Head Start Program for U.S. troops stationed at nearby Camp Humphreys, the 7th Air Force in Osan and other installations. Under the program, they le...
Derailing puts subway safety in focus

Social affairsApr 24, 2011

Union blames accidents on massive layoff of KORAIL maintenance workers KORAIL’s union has slammed staff cuts, blaming them for Saturday’s derailment of a metro train. While the operator discribes the accident as a minor error, its union attributes it to KORAIL’s downsizing of maintenance employees. Unionists said that the accident could have caused serious injuries, as well as damage. Accordin...
Dutch bicycle seminar on industry’s future

Foreign affairsApr 24, 2011

The Dutch bicycle industry plays an important role in promoting bicycle use by combining it with a tradition of spatial planning and traffic-safety policy. In Korea, the bicycle industry has taken off as a new way of exercise as well as a pastime. To examine the relationship Holland and Korea have in this sector, the Dutch Embassy and the Korea Transportation Institute are holding a joint semin...
Europe Study and Research fair this week

Foreign affairsApr 24, 2011

Studying in Europe is a dream for many students, but the legwork involved in researching a host country and university can be daunting. To help with the search, 15 European countries are promoting the annual Study and Research higher education fair. With links between the European Union and Korea growing by the day, the needs of professionals with European connections and expertise are increasi...