The Korea Herald

Korean Wave touches Peru, Argentina in different steps

Foreign affairsFeb 20, 2012

The Korean Wave, or hallyu, has hit Latin America, where an increasing number of people are becoming more interested in Korean dramas, K-pop and Korean classical musicians, the Korean ambassadors to Peru and Argentina said. “In Peru, the Korean Wave is literally explosive. While the state-run TV’s viewer ratings hit an average 2 percent, channels that air hallyu content such as K-dramas, sitcoms...
Park sharpens tongue in FTA dispute

PoliticsFeb 20, 2012

Park Geun-hye, the ruling Saenuri Party’s interim chief, on Monday sharpened criticisms of the main liberal party, seizing on their “flip-flop” on a controversial trade deal with the United States. “I don’t think the current opposition party is eligible to pass any judgment (on the current administration),” the prominent politician said during a nationally-televised forum. “On the contrary, the...
Schools to decide own student conduct rules

Social affairsFeb 20, 2012

Schools will be able to set their own student conduct rules without interference by their superintendents, education ministry officials said Monday. The Education Ministry is expected to issue an advance legislative notice Tuesday on the revision to the primary and secondary education law that will allow schools to set their own conduct guidelines on dress code, hairstyles, carrying cellphones a...
Australia eases visa rules for Korean students

Foreign affairsFeb 20, 2012

The Australian government has eased visa rules for South Korean students who take language courses and vocational training there, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said Monday. Australia’s Department of Immigration and Citizenship said the visas for language studies and vocational training will be eased from level 2 to level 1 for South Koreans as of March 24, the ministry said. Current...
‘Repatriation to N.K. technically a Chinese matter’

North KoreaFeb 20, 2012

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry is urgently calling on China to stop repatriating North Korean defectors but it is technically up to China to decide the issue, a South Korean envoy to Beijing said. A senior official at the ministry on Sunday told reporters that Seoul will renew calls on China to abide by two international treaties ― the United Nations 1951 Refugee Convention and the Convention ag...
Prosecutors eye indictment for Park

Social affairsFeb 20, 2012

Speaker said to have denied giving instructions or receiving report on vote-buying scheme National Assembly Speaker Park Hee-tae could be indicted without detention over allegations of vote-buying in the ruling party’s leadership election in 2008. In the early hours of Monday, investigators from the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office finished questioning Park at this official residence ...
2 teenagers get jail term for bullying suicide case

Social affairsFeb 20, 2012

Two middle school students were sentenced to prison terms Monday for habitually bullying a classmate until he jumped to his death last year after blaming them in a suicide note. The Daegu District Court sentenced the two, both 15-years-old, to imprisonment of three and a half years and three years, respectively, adding their prison terms could be reduced by one year depending on their behavior w...
'Military can make you less agreeable'

ScienceFeb 20, 2012

A research by a Washington University team found that serving in the military negatively affect a person’s agreeableness for a long time, the Science Daily reported Friday. It is well known that battlefield trauma can leave war veterans with deep lasting psychological scars, but the new finding sheds light on the fact that an individual’s personality can change even for soldiers who never see co...
Park Geun-hye bashes opposition's flip-flopping before elections

PoliticsFeb 20, 2012

Ruling party leader Park Geun-hye launched a strongly-worded salvo against the main opposition party Monday, accusing the rival camp of making a brazen about-face on the free trade agreement with the United States and other major policies. Her remark was aimed at the opposition Democratic United Party's campaign promise to scrap the trade deal after winning the April polls and the December presi...
Over 25% of domestic business workers live in Seoul

Social affairsFeb 20, 2012

More than one in four South Korean private business employees resides in Seoul, with nearly 22 percent of domestic business establishments located in the capital, data showed Monday. According to the data from the Seoul Metropolitan Government, a total of 4.49 million people worked for Seoul‘s business establishments that employ at least one worker last year, up by 7.49 percent from a year earli...
[News Focus] Parties rely more on star figures than policies

PoliticsFeb 20, 2012

With the April general elections drawing near, one of the top tasks for political parties is to select the appropriate candidates and recruit influential public figures. The main opposition Democratic United Party is to welcome Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon into its fold this week and the ruling Saenuri Party will round off its election candidate nomination by early next month. Attention is also pa...
Smoking at bus stations to cost 100,000 won

Social affairsFeb 20, 2012

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Monday it will impose a 100,000 won ($90) fine on those caught smoking at bus stops in the capital from March. Smoking at 339 major bus stops, including at Seoul Station and Gangnam will be completely banned. The city government designated public bus stops as non-smoking areas in December as part of efforts to protect citizens from second-hand smoke, but h...
South Korean scientists find new anti-cancer agent

ScienceFeb 20, 2012

South Korean scientists have discovered a new anti-cancer agent that may offer a new and safe way to treat cancer without the side effects of anti-cancer drugs, as the substance already exists in human bodies, the science ministry said Monday. A team led by Prof. Kim Sung-hoon of Seoul National University has confirmed anti-cancer activities of Glycyl-tRNA synthetase (GRS), an enzyme that was pr...
Lee calls on S. Koreans to seize job, business opportunities in Middle East

PoliticsFeb 20, 2012

President Lee Myung-bak reiterated Monday that the Middle East offers a number of lucrative business and job opportunities despite the global economic downturn, and South Korea should seize them to spur its slowing economy. After a trip to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates earlier this month, Lee has repeatedly said he saw good business opportunities in the region with large amoun...
First test-tube hamburger ready this fall: researchers

ScienceFeb 20, 2012

The world's first "test-tube" meat, a hamburger made from a cow's stem cells, will be produced this fall, Dutch scientist Mark Post told a major science conference on Sunday. Post's aim is to invent an efficient way to produce skeletal muscle tissue in a laboratory that exactly mimics meat, and eventually replace the entire meat-animal industry. The ingredients for his first burger are "still i...