Most Popular
-
1
Hyundai Motor eyes 80,000 jobs, W68tr investment at home by 2026
-
2
Seoul bus drivers go on general strike, cause morning rush hour delays
-
3
Official campaigning kicks off for April 10 elections
-
4
Korea enters full election mode
-
5
Dialogue hopes fade as doctors pick hard-liner as new head
-
6
Coupang pledges W3tr to expand Rocket Delivery nationwide by 2027
-
7
[Election Battlefield] Political novice to face off star politician in ‘swing district’
-
8
[Kim Seong-kon] The April 2024 election will decide our future
-
9
Immigrant woman stabbed to death by Korean husband
-
10
Seoul’s bus union prepares for strike
-
Koreans choose overseas vacations despite economic slowdown
The number of South Korean tourists going abroad for summer vacation increased sharply despite a deepening economic slowdown, industry data showed Tuesday.The country‘s leading travel agency, Hana Tour Service Inc., said it has arranged overseas trips for a total of 68,700 people between July 25 and Aug. 3 this year, up 23.6 percent from 55,600 tallied in 2010.North America and Southeast Asia were popular destinations over the 10-day period, with the number of tourists traveling there jumping 88
Aug. 14, 2012
-
Former Saenuri party official arrested over nomination scandal
Prosecutors on Monday detained with a court-issued warrant a former official of the ruling Saenuri Party believed to have served as a go-between in a money-for-nomination scandal for further investigation.The Busan District Court approved the prosecutors' request to issue an arrest warrant for Cho Ki-moon, a former official at the party's Busan branch.Cho is suspected of relaying 300 million won (
Aug. 13, 2012
-
Seoul mayor blames 4-river project for algae outbreak
Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon on Monday jumped into the debate over the cause of a recent algae outbreak in major rivers, blaming President Lee Myung-bak’s four rivers pet project as the main culprit. Blue-green algae blooms have covered the upper stream of Han River, the source of drinking water for 25 million people in greater Seoul, prompting city officials to issue an algae crisis advisory. “Han River is now more like a lake, with weirs blocking water flows,” the mayor said in a radio interview.
Aug. 13, 2012
-
Fire breaks out near Gyeongbok Palace, kills 4
A fire at the construction site of the National Museum of Contemporary Art’s new building near Seoul’s Gyeongbok Palace killed four workers on Monday. More than 20 others were taken to hospital for smoke inhalation.Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Choe Kwang-shik said that the fire is suspected to have started during the spraying of urethane coating on the third underground level. Choe said that the accident is unlikely to delay scheduled completion in 2013. The ministry also formed an em
Aug. 13, 2012
-
Korea Herald celebrates 59th anniversary
No. 1 newspaper solidifies position, embraces changesThe Korea Herald has served as a leading English newspaper in South Korea over the past six decades. The 59th anniversary this year, which falls on Wednesday, carries a special meaning, as the paper is readying itself for a fresh move forward including a set of reforms in design and content ahead of the 60th milestone next year. It was Aug. 15, 1953 that the inaugural edition of The Korea Herald, then called The Korean Republic, was published
Aug. 13, 2012
-
Koreans start 230-km swim to disputed islands
Kim Jang-hoon(right)(Yonhap News)A team of Koreans Monday began a 230 kilometre (144 mile) relay swim from an eastern port to the Dokdo islands, in Seoul‘s latest assertion of its sovereignty over the outcrops claimed by Japan.The team led by singer Kim Jang-hoon plans to complete the swim on Liberation Day Wednesday, which marks the ending in 1945 of Japan’s 35-year colonial rule over Korea.The t
Aug. 13, 2012
-
Fire near Gyeongbok Palace kills 4
A fire at the construction site of the National Museum of Contemporary Art’s new building near Seoul’s Gyeongbok Palace killed four workers on Monday. More than 20 others were taken to hospital for smoke inhalation.Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Choe Kwang-shik said that the fire is suspected to have started during the spraying of urethane coating on the third underground level. Choe said that the accident is unlikely to delay scheduled completion in 2013. The ministry also formed an em
Aug. 13, 2012
-
1 in four ignore disaster evacuations: study
About one-quarter of U.S. adults say they ignore disaster evacuation orders and wait until the last minute to leave their home or seek shelter, a survey says.The survey by Allstate, conducted by FTI Consulting, also indicated 21 percent of U.S. adults have had their homes damaged by natural disasters, while 46 percent said they have not thought about or even discussed an evacuation plan or meeting place away from the home for their family.“There is a clear opportunity for people across the count
Aug. 13, 2012
-
S. Korean killed in Swiss Alps climbing accident
A South Korean man died in a fatal climbing accident in the Swiss Alps, Seoul's foreign ministry said Sunday.The 44-year-old, identified only by his surname Jeong, fell to his death at 10:45 p.m. on Friday (local time) while descending from the Eiger, the ministry said in a statement.Two other South Koreans, who had reached the summit with Jeong earlier in the day, were unscathed. The three were m
Aug. 12, 2012
-
Son of former Doosan chairman implicated in W50m loan fraud
Park Jung-won, a member of the Doosan Group’s founding family who was found guilty of stock price-rigging in 2010, has been accused of fraud.According to the police, an Internet shopping mall operator filed a complaint against Park over an unpaid dept of 50 million won ($44,000). The police said that Park has been ordered to appear for questioning twice but has refused comply saying that he was negotiating with the complainantIn the filing, the online mall operator said that Park borrowed 50 mil
Aug. 12, 2012
-
For Sakhalin Koreans, time is running out
In Namyangju, a suburb just northeast of Seoul, a community has formed of mostly elderly people whose lives reflect Korea’s turbulent history over the past century.Sakhalin Koreans, as they are known, have found a permanent home after an ordeal that has stretched over decades and outlasted both World War II and the Cold War. They were taken by Japan, Korea’s colonial ruler at the time, during the war years to the icy island east of the Russian mainland as laborers, and abandoned there as statele
Aug. 12, 2012
-
Police to summon former UPP leader next week
Police said Thursday that they will summon a former leader of a minor opposition party next week for questioning over her alleged involvement in survey tampering ahead of April‘s general elections.Aides of Lee Jung-hee, former co-chairperson of the left-wing Unified Progressive Party (UPP), were arrested on charges of rigging the public survey to help her win the single opposition candidacy for a parliamentary seat in Seoul’s Gwanak district during the general elections.Lee has denied her role i
Aug. 10, 2012
-
Buddhist monks fined for illegal gambling
Two high-ranking monks of South Korea‘s largest Buddhist sect, the Jogye Order, have each received2 million won (US$ 1,775) in fines for illegal gambling, court officials said Friday.The two were charged with playing poker with hundreds of millions of won in play at a hotel room in southern South Korea in April.The gambling scandal was considered one of the incidents in a long-running feud between supporters of the Jogye Order’s administration at the time and its opponents, as a video footage sh
Aug. 10, 2012
-
Heat wave advisories lifted across nation
South Korea’s weather agency on Friday lifted all heat wave advisories that were issued throughout much of the country, marking an end to the sweltering weather that lasted for up to 21 days.The advisories, some of which were first issued on July 20, have been lifted as of Friday 4 a.m., as temperatures are expected to drop with a forecast of rain showers in most parts, the Korea Meteorological Administration said.Southern regions below the Chungcheong provinces in particular will experience hea
Aug. 10, 2012
-
Hwang appointed head of Sookmyung Univ.
Professor Hwang Sun-hye, 58, has been appointed as the new president of Sookmyung Women’s University in Seoul, the university announced on Thursday.Hwang won her four-year term on a vote over the current president Han Young-sil last month. And she will take over the office from the outgoing president Han on Aug 31, the university said.Hwang graduated from Department of English Language and Literature at Sookmyung Women’s University and earned her doctorate at University of Pennsylvania in the Un
Aug. 10, 2012
-
Seoul says algae in Han River poses no health threat
As public concerns grew over the safety of tap water after the algae advisory in the capital’s Han River was issued, the Seoul city government said Friday that their latest test showed the water posed no threat to health.The city released the results of its test conducted Wednesday at five water intake facilities along the river including Gangbuk, Amsa and Pungnap, which found no signs of toxic material.The city had tested for microcystin, nodularin and anatoxin a.Another test in the Paldang Dam
Aug. 10, 2012
-
Chronology of dispute over Dokdo sovereignty
South Korea has until recently remained cautious about openly responding to Japan’s claim over Dokdo islets under the principle that it would only help put Tokyo’s provocation at the center of controversy ― something they deemed undesirable as the country has long taken control over Dokdo as its territorial sovereignty.The stance, however, showed signs of changing in the Lee Myung-bak administration with a series of strong actions against the Tokyo’s repeated provocations.● July, 29, 2008: Han S
Aug. 10, 2012
-
Foreign resident numbers hit 1.4m
Number of multicultural children triples in 5 yearsThe number of foreign residents of Korea broke the 1.4 million mark this year, rising to account for 2.8 percent of the population, data showed Thursday.According to the Ministry of Public Administration and Security, the number of foreign residents came in just under 1.41 million on Jan. 1 this year. The figure is an increase of 11.4 percent from last year. The Ministry of Public Administration data also showed that the number of underage child
Aug. 9, 2012
-
Seoul issues first algae advisory in 4 years
The Seoul City government on Thursday issued its first algae advisory in four years after two consecutive tests on the Han River showed excessive concentration of the blue-green microorganisms. The affected area is a tributary running from the Gangdong Bridge to the Jamsil Bridge, in the eastern part of the capital’s river. This is the sixth algal alert issued in the city since 2000. The announcement confirmed that the algal blooms have now been spreading through the upper and lower parts of the
Aug. 9, 2012
-
Police warn of new type of online video chat scam
Police on Thursday cautioned against a new type of Internet blackmail on South Korean men interacting with women in video chat rooms.Police said they have recently received a number of reports from men claiming to have been blackmailed and extorted after engaging in sexually explicit acts with young women during anonymous video chats.Police suspect the scam involves a criminal ring based in China
Aug. 9, 2012