The Korea Herald

Music helps kids fight poverty and prejudice

CultureMay 13, 2011

Korea sees hope in Venezuelan education model ‘El Sistema’ Eighteen-year-old Lee Jeong-wook doesn’t know where he was born. From the first moment he can recall from his childhood, he has lived in Busan Boystown, a children’s shelter where 700 orphaned children from toddlers to high school students live together. But unlike many other Korean teenagers undecided about their career path after high...
Korea to join extradition treaty with Europe

Social affairsMay 13, 2011

The Ministry of Justice will join the European convention on extradition in October to expand international cooperation in arresting and extraditing criminals who flee to European countries. The ministry said that it will sign the Council of Europe’s Convention on Extradition no later than July. Korea’s entry into the convention is expected within 90 days of signing. By joining the convention,...
Sexually abused ex-soldier ruled as patriot: official

DefenseMay 13, 2011

A former soldier who was sexually assaulted by his superior before being discharged has been acknowledged as a patriot of national merit due to lifetime compensation from the state. The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs said on Friday that the 23-year-old, surnamed Lee, discharged after being sexually abused by the chief of staff in his unit surnamed Oh, suffers post-traumatic stress dis...
‘Early puberty’ on rise due to diet, environment

Social affairsMay 13, 2011

The number of children diagnosed with early puberty has increased by more than 400 percent in four years. Changes in diet and exposure to environmental hormones were blamed for the sudden increase in the disorder. According to the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, the number of children diagnosed with precocious puberty was 28,000 in 2010, about 4.4 times 6,400 in 2006. The number...
Former finance minister elected DP floor leader

PoliticsMay 13, 2011

The main opposition Democratic Party elected Friday a former finance minister as the new floor leader to take charge of in-party and inter-party communication. Second-term lawmaker and economic expert, Rep. Kim Jin-pyo beat his rivals, Rep. Kang Bong-kyun and Rep. Lew Seon-ho, to be named the party’s floor leader. He is to succeed Rep. Park Jie-won and lead the party for the next year. Rep. Ki...
Lee, Sarkozy discuss G20, trade ties

PoliticsMay 13, 2011

Korea, France renew commitment to G20 goals to reduce imbalances, energy price volatility PARIS ― President Lee Myung-bak and his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy discussed during summit talks here Friday ways to further expand bilateral trade and investment as Korea’s free trade pact with the European Union goes into effect July 1. Differences with Paris over the issue of returning Korea’s c...
Samsung Heavy filed for 1,099 patents in 2010

IndustryMay 13, 2011

Samsung Heavy Industries Co. applied for 1,099 patents last year, industry sources said Friday. The company is the first in the industry to have applied for more than 1,000 patents in one year. During the same period, the world’s largest shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. applied for 844 patents, while Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Co. made 665 patent applications. According...
Korean Air wins award for in-flight meals

IndustryMay 13, 2011

Korean Air announced Friday that it received the top prize for in-flight meals in the 2011 World Traveller Awards. Organized by China’s largest travel magazine World Traveller, the annual event awards carriers that operate routes to China in 10 categories including in-flight meals. Korean Air said that it was selected for the award for its efforts in raising the quality and diversity of in-flig...
BOK needs power to supervise banks: chief

May 13, 2011

The Bank of Korea should be given rights to supervise financial institutions independent of other financial authorities, BOK Governor Kim Choong-soo said Friday. Speaking after the monthly rate review meeting, Kim said that the central bank should be able to conduct independent supervision under “special circumstances.” “(The BOK) means to conduct (independent investigations) when a particular ...
Pension authority to set up $830 million Asian fund

May 13, 2011

The National Pension Service on Friday said that it will select eight local asset managers to set up 900 billion won ($830 million) fund investing only in Asia. The NPS, the world’s fourth largest pension fund, said that it will start taking bids on May 26 to run the Pan-Asia Fund which will invest in stocks, bonds and commodities of China, India and other Asian countries. “We’re expanding our ...
Plan to relocate LH Corp. to Jinju faces backlash

May 13, 2011

Opposition slams decision as politically motivated; Jeonju to get pension service instead Jinju in South Gyeongsang Province has been selected as the sole location of the state-run Land and Housing Corp., the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs announced Friday. The government had considered distributing the LH Corp. between Jinju and Jeonju in North Jeolla Province. The decision ...
Libya rebels seek U.S. funds

World NewsMay 13, 2011
Assad ‘orders no shooting on rallies’

World NewsMay 13, 2011
Obama requests FBI chief to stay

World NewsMay 13, 2011
Global resource consumption to triple by 2050: U.N.

IndustryMay 13, 2011

UNITED NATIONS (AFP) ― Global consumption of natural resources could almost triple to 140 billion tons a year by 2050 unless nations take drastic steps, the United Nations warned Thursday. A U.N. environment panel said the world cannot sustain the tearaway rate of use of minerals, ores and fossil and plant fuels. It called on governments to “decouple” economic growth from natural resource consum...