The Korea Herald

Lee calls for rebirth of military

Mar 4, 2011

GYERYONGDAE -- Attending an unprecedented joint commissioning ceremony of South Korea's major military academies Friday, President Lee Myung-bak urged his military to be reborn as an "advanced, strong armed forces" through sweeping reform and stressed the importance of teamwork among soldiers "wearing different colors of uniforms." "The military should make a revolutionary change in its system, ...
Obama hopes Egypt will follow S. Korea's suit for democratization

Mar 4, 2011

U.S. President Barack Obama has suggested that Egypt could become a democracy modeled after South Korea, Indonesia and Chile. Speaking at a meeting with American Jewish leaders at the White House Tuesday, Obama "elaborated on his optimistic vision for Egypt and for democratic change in the Middle East" and expressed optimism that "Egypt could transform itself into a democracy on the model of Ind...
Lee stresses respect for others in congregation with Protestants

Mar 3, 2011

President Lee Myung-bak said Thursday that he wished the South Korean church could help bring the country together, without mentioning its latest fury over a bill on Islamic bonds. “I hope the Korean church can untie the knots of social conflict and serve as a bridge for national integration,” Lee said during the national prayer breakfast in southern Seoul. “I believe an attitude of understandi...
Parties gear up for April by-elections

Mar 3, 2011

Polls to elect three lawmakers, 23 other officials Rival parties are speeding up preparations for the April 27 by-elections as their lists of potential candidates take shape. The ruling Grand National Party and the main opposition Democratic Party are striving to field more competitive personalities for the elections, which are expected to serve as a political weathervane ahead of parliamentary...
Seoul accelerates stealth fighter program

Mar 3, 2011

Boeing’s F-15SE, Lockheed Martin’s F-35 likely candidates for FX-III project South Korea is accelerating moves to purchase a high-end fleet of stealth fighter jets to counter North Korea’s asymmetrical threats and keep pace with neighboring countries seeking to secure their own radar-evading combat aircraft. Under the FX-III acquisition project worth around 10 trillion won ($8.86 billion), the ...
Lee to visit UAE for nuclear plant event

Mar 2, 2011

President Lee Myung-bak will pay an official visit to the United Arab Emirates next Saturday at the invitation of UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Lee’s office said Wednesday. During his three-day visit, Lee is scheduled to visit the South Korean troops deployed in the UAE, hold summit talks with Sheikh Khalifa and attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the atomic power plant a ...
Early warning aircraft to boost reconnaissance

Mar 2, 2011

SEATTLE ― The capability to glean crucial intelligence on potential enemies and quickly detect any signs of possible aggression from them is indisputably the most critical requirement to ensure national security. To meet this, the U.S. aerospace giant Boeing has been working on developing a set of state-of-the-art intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft, both manned and unmanned. ...
[News Focus] Calls mounting for return of U.S. tactical nukes

Mar 1, 2011

Washington says has no plans to bring atomic weapons back to South Korea Controversy is brewing once again in Seoul over the need to redeploy U.S. tactical nuclear weapons to South Korea amid renewed threats from the North in a prolonged inter-Korean stalemate. The White House said Monday that the U.S. has no plans to bring tactical nuclear weapons back to South Korea, shortly after a U.S. offi...
Lee suggests formal meet with opposition leader

Mar 1, 2011

President Lee Myung-bak on Tuesday directly proposed a meeting with the leader of the Democratic Party, according to his office Cheong Wa Dae, but the main opposition party gave a terse response. Lee delivered the message during a brief conversation with Sohn Hak-kyu, head of the DP, on the sidelines of a national ceremony in Seoul to mark the March 1 Independence Movement 92 years ago, it added...
GNP leader suggests new body to retrieve cultural assets

Mar 1, 2011

The ruling party’s leader has proposed setting up a private foundation to retrieve Korea’s hundreds of thousands of cultural items on a nongovernmental level. Korea is believed to have more than 117,000 ancient books, documents and other cultural assets scattered across about 20 different countries around the world as a result of national tragedies such as the 1950-53 Korean War and Japan’s 1910...
Lee says S. Korea wants 'open-minded' talks with N. Korea

Mar 1, 2011

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak reaffirmed Tuesday that Seoul was willing to hold "open-minded" dialogue with Pyongyang regardless of its timing, offering another olive branch to the communist neighbor that has been ratcheting up military threats. "Now is an opportune time to open a new kind of future on the Korean Peninsula," Lee said in an address to commemorate the 92nd anniversary of th...
Protestants scupper Islamic bond bill

Feb 28, 2011

Legislation to exempt taxes on Islamic bonds and tap into the Islamic finance market missed the boat again amid fierce opposition from Protestant leaders, one of whom threatened to topple President Lee Myung-bak. The governing Grand National Party delayed deliberations on the Islamic bond bill last week, fearing conflict with religious groups ahead of the April by-elections. Rev. Cho Yong-gi, s...
‘Lee to stay away from constitutional revision’

Feb 28, 2011

President’s key supporter calls for parliamentary move on amendment to basic law President Lee Myung-bak feels an urgent need to revise the country’s decades-old Constitution but believes the issue is up to the parliament and not his office, his spokesperson has said. The issue of redrawing the Constitution, created in 1987, has sparked political disputes here, especially as the move could chan...
Parties brace for April by-elections

Feb 27, 2011

Vote seen as a yardstick for parliamentary, presidential polls in 2012 Rival parties are striving to field powerful candidates to win the crucial April 27 by-elections, regarded as a prelude to the parliamentary and presidential elections slated for next year. The vote is expected to serve as a political weather vane ahead of the two major elections as it is a nationwide poll to fill at least 2...
Lawmaker moves legal place of origin to Dokdo

Feb 27, 2011

An opposition lawmaker has recently changed her family’s permanent address of origin to Dokdo in protest against Japan’s sovereignty claim over the rocky islets in the East Sea. Rep. Park Sun-young, the spokeswoman for the Liberty Forward Party, said Sunday that her family transferred their domicile from Gyeonggi Province to Dokdo on Feb. 22. It was the first time for a lawmaker to have their f...