Most Popular
-
1
N. Korea says it test-fired tactical ballistic missile with new guidance technology
-
2
[Weekender] Geeks have never been so chic in Korea
-
3
NewJeans members submit petitions over court injunction in Hybe-Ador conflict
-
4
S. Korea's exports of instant noodles surpass $100m for 1st time in April: data
-
5
[News Focus] Mystery deepens after hundreds of cat deaths in S. Korea
-
6
[Herald Interview] Byun Yo-han's 'unlikable' character is result of calculated acting
-
7
US Air Force blames power loss, weather for F-16 crash in S. Korea in May 2023
-
8
Samsung expected to introduce new Exynos processor in next Galaxy series
-
9
Ex-president Moon recalls in memoir NK leader voiced will not to use nukes
-
10
US military commander in S. Korea during Gwangju uprising dies
-
[News Focus] Facts and fable behind textbook conundrum
The nationwide dispute over the Education Ministry’s recent decision to reinstate state history textbooks for secondary education hinges on the government and the ruling party’s claim that current textbooks are biased in favor of the leftists. But scholars and the opposition lawmakers have pointed out that most of the points used as evidence of “left-leaning bias” are false, heralding further head-butting over the issue. Members of a conservative civic group protest against NPAD chairman Rep. M
Oct. 13, 2015
-
British Council unveils program for English language assessment conference
British Council Korea has announced the program of the third annual New Directions Conference, which will take place at JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square Seoul on Oct. 15 and 16. New Directions is an annual conference organized by the British Council in East Asia, providing perspectives and insight on trends and approaches in English assessment and education in the region. Previous conferences were held in Beijing and Tokyo. This year's event has been designed to provide an innovative and comprehens
Oct. 13, 2015
-
Koreans to sue Volkswagen in U.S. over emissions scam
A group of South Korean Volkswagen owners is planning to sue the German carmaker in the United States for deceiving them about the emissions test, their legal representative said Tuesday. About 50 people who own Passat models, made at a U.S.-based production facility in Tennessee, will file a class action lawsuit in the coming weeks in the U.S. where punitive damages are acknowledged. Meant to punish the offending party for its reckless or unconscionable actions or conduct, punitive damages ar
Oct. 13, 2015
-
Koreans value Internet privacy over right to know: poll
South Koreans tend to value Internet privacy over the right to know, a poll showed Tuesday, with a majority of Internet users believing their personal information is not sufficiently protected online. According to the survey conducted by the National Information Society Agency, around 65 percent of the respondents said they put priority on their privacy over the right to express and know. Another 22.2 percent said the right to express or know still should be more respected than individuals' pr
Oct. 13, 2015
-
Last Korean MERS patient tests positive again
The last patient here diagnosed with the Middle East respiratory syndrome was readmitted to the hospital and tested positive for the virus again after showing symptoms such as high fever, the Health and Welfare Ministry said Monday. Yang Byung-guk, the director of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at an emergency press briefing Monday. (Yonhap)The 35-year-old patient, who contracted the virus while suffering from lymphoma, had left the hospital earlier this month after testin
Oct. 12, 2015
-
‘World Bank, Korea equal partners committed to global prosperity’
Building on the last 60 years of partnership, the World Bank and Korea are now equal partners in international development, sharing knowledge to help the world become a more equitable and prosperous place, the World Bank Group’s special representative to Korea Office told The Korea Herald last week.“Korea joined the World Bank’s International Bank for Reconstruction and Development in 1955, and became the first foreign aid recipient country to become a donor when it entered the OECD’s Developmen
Oct. 12, 2015
-
Prosecution to launch fresh probe into pyramid scandal
The prosecution said Monday that it will launch a fresh investigation into South Korea’s largest-ever fraud case as a close aide of Cho Hee-pal, a notorious swindler, was arrested in China three days ago. Kang Tae-yong, Cho’s No. 2 man in the pyramid scheme, was caught by the Chinese police at his apartment in Jiangsu Province on Saturday, seven years after he fled to China to avoid the police probe. “We expect Kang, who is a key suspect, to give us decisive clues in investigating the fraud cas
Oct. 12, 2015
-
LGBTI activists blocked from Assembly audit in South Korea
South Korean lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex activists claimed they were denied entry to the National Assembly audit of the Gender Ministry, which was held Monday, although they had been previously scheduled to attend the session as witnesses. The two activists included Ryu Min-hee, an attorney at the Korean Lawyers for Public Interest and Human Rights, and Jeong Min-seok, the director of the DDing Dong LGBTQ Youth Crisis Support Center, who said they were abruptly told Oct. 5 b
Oct. 12, 2015
-
Refugee law fails to protect asylum seekers
With risks and challenges faced by refugees across the world having become one of the greatest global issues today, the status and conditions of asylum seekers in South Korea have also been highlighted. The Korea Herald is publishing a series of articles shedding light on refugees in Korea, their hardships, the systematic fallout, the country’s own history and ways to go forward. The following is the second installment. - Ed. When Yiombi Thona, a former spy agent for the Democratic Republi
Oct. 12, 2015
-
Two S. Koreans injured in attack in East Timor
Two South Korean construction officials were injured last week after dozens of locals raided a waterway construction site in East Timor, a Foreign Ministry official said Monday. The locals threw stones and assaulted the officials during the attack on the site some 280 kilometers from the capital of Dili last Monday, the official said on condition of anonymity. The injured received medical treatment at a local hospital but are not in a life-threatening condition, the official added. The exact
Oct. 12, 2015
-
Gov't announces state control over history textbooks
The government Monday announced its plan to reintroduce a single state history textbook for secondary school students to address what it calls the predominantly left-leaning contents in current books. Unveiling an administrative measure, the Ministry of Education said history textbooks for middle and high schoolers nationwide will be authored by the government starting in the 2017 school year. The government published state school history textbooks under the authoritarian Park Chung-hee gover
Oct. 12, 2015
-
Ministry unveils plan for history textbook publication system
South Korea's education ministry on Monday unveiled an administrative measure to introduce state-designated history textbooks for secondary school students. According to the measure, history books for middle and high schoolers will be authored by the government for the 2017 school year. Currently, eight private publishing companies print history textbooks after winning approval from the government for use in middle and high schools. Schools choose from any of the eight textbooks while primary
Oct. 12, 2015
-
Multicultural families on the rise: lawmaker
The number of marriage immigrants and people in multicultural families in South Korea have both doubled in the past eight years, an opposition lawmaker said Monday, citing government data. More than 147,000 immigrants are or have been married to a South Korean national without claiming South Korean citizenship as of 2015, Rep. Jin Sun-mee of New Politics Alliance for Democracy said, citing data from the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. More than 92,000 foreigners became naturalized afte
Oct. 12, 2015
-
Gov't to alter history textbook publication system
The government will announce a plan to introduce state-designated history textbooks for secondary school students this week, a government official concerned with the matter said Sunday."The Ministry of Education will make an official announcement on the plan tomorrow," the official said, requesting not to be named.Education minister Hwang Woo-yea will brief reporters on the government decision at 2 p.m. Monday, according to other sources. Currently, eight private publishing companies print histo
Oct. 11, 2015
-
S. Korea growing vulnerable to dengue fever, Chikungunya virus: expert
South Korea is becoming more vulnerable to specific infectious diseases -- dengue fever and Chikungunya virus -- partly because of the nation’s climate change, a medical doctor specializing in epidemics said. According to Dr. Kim Woo-joo, the head of the Korean Society of Infectious Diseases, Korea’s warmer temperatures and heavier rainfall in recent years may have increased the rate of human infection of dengue fever, a mosquito-borne tropical disease. Such warmer, humid weather makes it easie
Oct. 11, 2015
-
Almost 10% of Korean adoptees may be stateless
In March, the life of Adam Crapser, a Korean adoptee who was facing deportation after his adoptive parents never filed for his American citizenship, made headlines worldwide. As the 40-year-old automatically lost his South Korean citizenship when he left the country at the age of four to be adopted, Crapser has always been effectively stateless. Newly released South Korean government data showed that almost 10 percent of 166,138 registered Korean adoptees who left the country since the 1950s may
Oct. 11, 2015
-
Foreign tourists to S. Korea forecast to near 20 mln in 2019
The number of foreign tourists to South Korea is expected to flirt with 20 million in 2019 on the strength of a sharp rise in Chinese visitors, the state tourism agency said Sunday.Despite an expected drop this year due to the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome outbreak, the number is project to surge 14.6 percent on-year in 2016 and grow at an annual average rate of over 7 percent for the next three years to reach 19.35 million in 2019, according to the Korea Tourism Organization.During the cited
Oct. 11, 2015
-
Volkswagen Korea apologizes; mulls recall
The South Korean unit of German carmaker Volkswagen apologized Thursday for an emission-rigging scandal and vowed to take “all necessary measures” including a voluntary recall of the vehicles in question. The scandal erupted after it was revealed last month that Volkswagen Korea had sold some 120,000 vehicles with a device to cheat the pollution tests. To date, over 11 million cars worldwide are believed to have been installed with hidden software that can switch on pollution controls when it de
Oct. 8, 2015
-
English guru helps students foster creativity
With Korean society emphasizing the importance of the “creative economy,” novel and imaginative ideas are becoming more valuable than ever. Professor Min Byoung-chul, professor of international studies at Konkuk University, looks to help students’ capacity to come up with such ideas through his business English class. The class, which is conducted entirely in English, centers on teaching the techniques needed while working at global companies, according to Min. This includes presentation skills,
Oct. 8, 2015
-
Suspect denies charge in Itaewon murder trial
The key suspect in a reopened murder case denied his charges of stabbing a South Korean college student to death in Itaewon, Seoul, nearly two decades ago at the first court hearing on Thursday. Arthur John Patterson, a 35-year-old U.S. citizen, was extradited to Korea late last month to face a new trial on charges of murdering Cho Joong-pil, 22, in 1997 at a Burger King restaurant in Itaewon, a multicultural district frequented by expats residing in Seoul. Arthur Patterson (Yonhap)At the hearin
Oct. 8, 2015