Most Popular
-
1
Korea’s homegrown nanosatellite successfully launches into space
-
2
[Herald Interview] 'Amid aging population, Korea to invite more young professionals from overseas'
-
3
Ador CEO denies allegations, accuses Hybe of mistreating NewJeans
-
4
Nicaragua shuts down Seoul embassy
-
5
Hybe's multilabel system tested amid conflict with Ador
-
6
Rocket engine expert, ex-NASA exec to lead Korea's new space agency
-
7
SNU profs to suspend treatment for one day
-
8
SK hynix pledges W20tr to ramp up DRAM production at home
-
9
Over-50s, men, single-person households take up majority of those filing for bankruptcy
-
10
Pianist Cho Seong-Jin named Berlin Philharmonic's artist-in-residence
-
[Editorial] Lining lawyers’ pockets
Lawmakers of the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee have drawn ire from listed companies by requiring them to hire at least one “compliance support officer” starting April next year.The new regulation was put into the amended Commercial Code despite opposition from the corporate community. The revision bill passed the panel on March 11 and won approval on the floor the next da
March 30, 2011
-
[Editorial] Manual for judges
Rumors have it that it was the product of a recent series of unsavory episodes in courts involving male and female judges, but a “service manual” prepared by a senior judge in Seoul and now circulating in district courts sheds light to a new culture emerging in the judicial community.“Leave the door ajar when you meet a female colleague in your office. Keep a distance of at least one meter when yo
March 29, 2011
-
[Editorial] Politics of leaflet
The Defense Ministry has put off flying leaflets into the North Korean territory in consideration of political and legal factors. Yet, the campaign to send leaflets and consumer supplies by flying balloons into the North that has been engineered by some conservative groups not only sharpens tensions with Pyongyang but causes serious internal troubles in the South.Last year, the military’s psycholo
March 29, 2011
-
[Editorial] Return to the North
Twenty-seven of the 31 North Koreans who had drifted into South Korean waters in the West Sea in a boat early last month have returned to the North. Four chose to live in the South, according to the authorities. Last week, six North Korean refugees who had stayed in China sailed to South Korea in a hired boat along with three Korean-Chinese people.We do not know what will happen to the 27 people w
March 28, 2011
-
[Editorial] R&D administration
Three years after President Lee Myung-bak abolished the Ministry of Science and Technology to slim down the government, an administrative commission was launched Monday to perform much the same task as the old ministry. Kim Doh-yeon who briefly served as the first minister of education, science and technology under President Lee was named chairman of the new commission.When the transition committe
March 28, 2011
-
[Editorial] Nuclear safety panel
The government and the ruling Grand National Party have agreed to upgrade the Nuclear Safety Commission, now under the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, to an independent, ministerial-level agency by July this year. The decision, announced on Friday, is a welcome move as it would help address concerns about the safety of nuclear plants in Korea caused by the radiation leak at Japan’s
March 27, 2011
-
[Editorial] Bank globalization
In early March, outgoing Financial Supervisory Service Gov. Kim Jong-chang issued a strong warning against excessive competition among domestic commercial banks. One example cited by the top regulator, who quit on Friday as his three-year term expired, was the recent scramble among banks to attract big corporate customers. It was triggered by Kookmin Bank, which sought to boost corporate lending b
March 27, 2011
-
[Editorial] Electoral divide
No party in Korea truly represents the entire nation, as evidenced by the outcome of the 2008 parliamentary elections. The electoral divide along the boundary between Yeongnam and Honam was as clear-cut as it could be.In the elections, the ruling Grand National Party carried none of the 31 electoral districts in the southwest region of Honam. On the other hand, the main opposition Democratic Party
March 25, 2011
-
[Editorial] Cheonan memorial
On March 26 one year ago, 46 South Korean naval crew members were killed when their warship sank in the sea off North Korea’s west coast. Fifty-eight survivors, when rescued, did not know what had ripped their Cheonan warship in two. It took a multinational investigation team two months to confirm that the corvette had fallen victim to a North Korean torpedo attack.There should be many questions t
March 25, 2011
-
[Editorial] Misreading Libyan crisis
North Korea has found a new justification for its nuclear weapons program ― the attack on Libya by the United States and its allies. Denouncing the Western countries’ bombings against Libya, a spokesman of the North’s Foreign Ministry asserted on Tuesday that what is unfolding in the North African nation has confirmed once again that “a nation can ensure peace as long as it has the power to do so.
March 24, 2011
-
[Editorial] Employment insurance
The government has decided to raise the rate of contribution to the mandatory employment insurance scheme from the current 0.9 percent of the total payroll to 1.1 percent starting April. What this change means is that a worker and his employer both have to pay 1,000 won more in monthly premium per 1 million won of his salary.The 0.2 percentage point increase in the contribution rate may not sound
March 24, 2011
-
[Editorial] Moving backwards
Questions are raised about the nation’s electoral watchdog’s move to lift a ban on corporate contributions to political parties. The National Election Commission has decided to submit a revision bill to the political funding law, which would allow corporations and other legal entities to donate to political parties.In a formality taken ahead of launching the legislation process, the commission inc
March 23, 2011
-
[Editorial] Screw tightened
LIG Engineering & Construction has filed for court protection from creditors. The request for court receivership was all the more shocking to the housing industry, given that the homebuilder is affiliated with a chaebol.Of course, one main cause of financial trouble for the 47th largest homebuilder in terms of construction capacity was an increase in unsold apartments. Should the court grant prote
March 23, 2011
-
[Editorial] Chung Un-chan episode
Chung Un-chan, 62, is an honorable and noble man in the Shakespearean sense, having served as president of Seoul National University for four years and as prime minister under President Lee Myung-bak for a year. An economist with doctorate from Princeton University, Chung now heads a commission dedicated to promoting shared growth between large and small businesses. After a rather short experience
March 22, 2011
-
[Editorial] Targeting Gadhafi
After three days of on-and-off airstrikes on Libyan targets, the United States and European nations uniting in military actions against Moammar Gadhafi’s repressive rule are apparently confused about their immediate goal. A cruise missile attack on Gadhafi’s residential compound late Sunday exposed a lack of strategic coordination. The missile that flattened an administrative building in Gadhafi’s
March 22, 2011
-
[Editorial] Safe roads
The National Police Agency has designated low-speed driving areas at 61 locations to protect pedestrians. In these “safe life road” zones in urban districts, the maximum speed of vehicles will be limited to 30 kilometers per hour. To enforce the low-speed limit, speed bumps will be installed and the surface of the road will be raised at crosswalks.As the police have confirmed traffic accidents red
March 21, 2011
-
[Editorial] Attack on Gadhafi
“Reiterating the responsibility of the Libyan authorities to protect the Libyan population and reaffirming that parties to armed conflicts bear the primary responsibility to take all feasible steps to ensure the protection of civilians …” said U.N. Security Council Resolution 1973 adopted last week.In compliance with this responsibility, the international community is using military force to help
March 21, 2011
-
[Editorial] Volcanic eruption?
Pyongyang has repeatedly proposed to hold inter-Korea talks only to be rebuffed by Seoul. The latest proposal is to discuss a potential volcanic eruption on Mount Baekdu, a dormant volcano on North Korea’s border with China.On Thursday, Pyongyang called for talks with Seoul on the possibility of volcanic activity resuming at Mount Baekdu ― discharging hot magma and spewing ash and gases. It propos
March 20, 2011
-
[Editorial] Japan and prices
Japan’s devastating disasters are pummeling the Korean currency. The weak Korean won will raise the prices of imported commodities, which will work their way down to consumer prices. Moreover, political instability in the Middle East is pushing up oil prices.All these developments will accelerate increases in consumer prices. The threat to price stability is being renewed at a time when housewives
March 20, 2011
-
[Editorial] China’s nuclear push
Alarmed by the nuclear disaster in Japan, China has ordered a comprehensive safety assessment of all nuclear plants under construction and suspended approval of new plants pending formulation of new safety regulations.In a statement released on Wednesday, the State Council urged using “the most advanced standards” for the safety checks and told officials to immediately cease construction of the pl
March 18, 2011