Most Popular
-
1
Over 80,000 millionaires, 20 billionaires in Seoul: report
-
2
Yoon apologizes over first lady’s Dior bag scandal, but accuses special probe attempt as political maneuvering
-
3
Korean battery makers heave sigh of relief over 2-year IRA reprieve
-
4
Young Korean doctors seek plan B: cosmetic dermatology or overseas
-
5
South Korea open to Indonesian proposal to cut KF-21 payments
-
6
Girl hanging on bridge, police trying to rescue her both fall off; rescued immediately
-
7
Coupang earnings hit hard by losses from ailing Farfetch
-
8
Korea forecast to overtake Taiwan in chip production by 2032: report
-
9
[K-pop’s dilemma] Time, profit pressures work against originality
-
10
Why femicide and dating violence are growing issues in S. Korea
-
[Uniquely Korean] Early English education thrives amid concerns
The Korea Herald is launching a new weekly series titled “Uniquely Korean” on Page 3 every Thursday. This series will explore many aspects of Korea that can be classified as “unique” for readers, such as customs, practices, institutions, hot spots and social trends. The column will help guide both Korean and non-Korean readers to the hidden and intriguing gems of Korean culture. ― Ed.Song Joo-hee (not her real name) regularly takes her 3-year-old son to a private English school in Seoul as publi
Jan. 1, 2014
-
Health care sector in turmoil as doctors threaten strike
The longest-ever railway workers’ walkout ended early this week, but the nation is likely to face another major disruption in its medical sector as doctors are threatening to stage strikes protesting the government’s latest plans to overhaul medical services.The Korea Medical Association, a lobby group of physicians, said last week that it would finalize a walkout plan on Jan. 11, saying it would not “tolerate” the government’s plan to allow telemedicine and for-profit hospital subsidiaries. A s
Jan. 1, 2014
-
New address system enters full effect
Only the street name-based address system should be used in official documents starting this year, replacing land lot number-based addresses which were used for nearly a century, the Ministry of Security and Public Administration said. The new address system, which is based on the names of streets and designated building numbers, was initially floated as an alternative system in 1997 in order to simplify the address system and make it more consistent. In recent years, however, policymakers strug
Jan. 1, 2014
-
Penalties for child abuse strengthened
The National Assembly has passed a bill to toughen the punishment for child abuse after a series of cases touched off a spate of public anger last year. Those who beat children to death will be sentenced to a minimum five years up to life imprisonment. Courts are no longer allowed to give probation to the offenders in question. The prosecution must file a loss of parental right to courts for habitual offenders or for those who commit serious child abuse crimes. The tougher punishment came after
Jan. 1, 2014
-
KORAIL union ends strike while management vows discipline
Unionists of the state-run railway operator KORAIL on Tuesday ended a 22-day walkout and returned to their workplaces.However, they vowed to continue their struggle against the government's approval of the establishment of a KORAIL affiliate, which will run the new bullet train route out of Suseo in southwestern Seoul from as early as 2015."All union members returned and resumed their work as of 11 a.m. We will go back to our normal duties," said Choi Eun-cheol, spokesman of the union.KORAIL chi
Dec. 31, 2013
-
Child abusers to spend life behind bars
Child abusers whose assault has caused death of their victims could spend their life behind bars indefinitely in the future, as a bill obliging tougher measures against child abuse passed the National Assembly’s general session on Tuesday.According to the special bill on child protection and abuse prevention proposed by Rep. Ahn Hong-joon of the ruling Saenuri Party, those whose abuse resulted in death of the child victim will be subject to life sentence while those whose deeds inflicted “hard t
Dec. 31, 2013
-
KORAIL unionists end strike, return to workplaces
Unionists of the state-run railway operator KORAIL on Tuesday ended a 22-day walkout and returned to their workplaces.However, they vowed to continue their struggle against the government's approval of the establishment of a KORAIL affiliate, which will run the new bullet train route out of Suseo in southwestern Seoul from as early as 2015."All union members returned and resumed their work as of 11 a.m. We will go back to our normal duties before the strike," said Choi Eun-cheol, spokesman of th
Dec. 31, 2013
-
U.S. soldier acquitted of raping fiancee
A Seoul court acquitted an American soldier of raping his South Korean fiancee in 2011, court officials said Tuesday. The sergeant major of the U.S. Army, whose identity has been withheld, was indicted on charges of raping and assaulting his fiancee, whose identity remains anonymous, officials said. The Seoul Central District Court delivered a not-guilty verdict, citing lack of evidence, they added. "The court does not take credibility in the plaintiff's statement as well as other ev
Dec. 31, 2013
-
Court upholds gov't order to amend history textbooks
A local court on Monday turned down a request from authors of six history textbooks to suspend a controversial government order to amend them for containing ideological bias, allowing the distribution of revised versions to high school students early next year as scheduled. The Ministry of Education ordered publishers of the books on Dec. 2 to revise 41 parts of their descriptions for containing factual errors and views that could "negatively affect students perspective of history." Two days
Dec. 30, 2013
-
[Eye on English] For Koreans, English used as mark of status
For Koreans, English is much more than a lingua franca. It is a crucial measure of personal marketability, intelligence and even academic assiduity that would facilitate their entry into top-tier schools and high-paying professions, and their rise up the corporate ladder.Since the 1990s when the government’s mantra of globalization resonated throughout the whole country, English skills have become a vital means of survival in Korea’s hypercompetitive society.Most students and job-seekers have sp
Dec. 30, 2013
-
[Eye on English] English fever needs cooling
Kim So-yeon, a 23-year-old college student, spends two to three hours each day memorizing English expressions, doing listening exercises and reading English news articles.She also routinely takes the TOEIC, one of the popular English proficiency tests, every three months, hoping to get a higher score to make her resume look better.“I go to a hagwon (private institute) for the test and spend more than 350,000 won ($332) a month just for English,” said the senior at Sogang University.“I don’t thin
Dec. 30, 2013
-
[Photo News] Year of horse
Dec. 30, 2013
-
Expensive imported padded jackets stir up controversy
The sweeping popularity of expensive winter jackets from foreign brands among students is becoming a social issue in South Korea. The premium padded jumpers made by foreign apparel companies like Canada Goose and Moncler usually cost more than 1 to 2 million won ($947 to $1,893). Despite their price tags, the jackets became a huge hit among Korean students this year. The jackets were initially imported in limited quantities for high-income consumers in Gangnam and other posh areas but are now be
Dec. 30, 2013
-
[Graphic News] Korean middle class shrinking: report
Korea’s middle class has steadily decreased from 74.47 percent of the population in 1990 to 67.33 percent in 2010, while the percentages of high-income and low-income earners have increased 2.23 and 4.9 percentage points, respectively, to 20.43 percent and 12.24 percent over the last 20 years, according to a report released by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs Monday.
Dec. 30, 2013
-
Rail union agrees to end strike
Leaders of unionized rail workers agreed to end their prolonged strike after the ruling and opposition parties promised to form a parliamentary subcommittee aimed at preventing privatization of rail services, lawmakers said Monday.The union confirmed the agreement, saying there are only internal procedures left before its members return to work, ending the 22-day walkout."The union decided to withdraw the strike," Choi Eun-cheol, a spokesman for the Korea Railroad Corp. (KORAIL) union, told Yonh
Dec. 30, 2013
-
Railway strike set to bring transport chaos
The ongoing strike by railway workers is likely to cause major disruptions to transport services ahead of the New Year holiday as labor and management showed no signs of compromise. Korea Railroad Corp.’s labor union continued its strike Sunday for the 21st consecutive day and the major labor confederation threatened a second sympathy walkout and wider antigovernment protest. They pledged to escalate action after the government on Friday issued a license for a new high-speed train affiliate of K
Dec. 29, 2013
-
[Photo News] What lies ahead
Dec. 29, 2013
-
Ex-KB Tokyo managers indicted for illegal loans
The prosecution has indicted two former managers of KB Kookmin Bank’s Tokyo branch for extending illegal loans worth 400 billion won ($379 million), officials said Sunday. The prosecutors are further investigating whether the two suspects, identified by the surnames Lee and Ahn, received kickbacks from the borrowers and used them to create a slush fund at home. They were arrested earlier this month on charges of breach of trust. Lee, former branch chief, and Ahn, former deputy chief, were found
Dec. 29, 2013
-
Cargo ship collides with chemical tanker, 91 rescued
A cargo ship collided with a chemical-laden tanker off South Korea's southeast coast early Sunday, causing the tanker to catch fire, but all 91 crew members on the two vessels were rescued safely, coast guard officials said.The 55,000-ton freighter Gravity Highway was on a test-run when it collided with Maritime Maisie, a tanker carrying 29,337 tons of inflammable chemicals, in waters about 9.2 nautical miles off the southeastern port city of Busan around 2:15 a.m., officials said.The impact cau
Dec. 29, 2013
-
Two Kookmin Bank employees to stand trial over massive illegal lending
Two employees of Kookmin Bank's unit in Tokyo have been indicted on charges of extending illegal loans worth 400 billion won (US$380 million) to Korean companies operating in Japan, state prosecutors said Sunday.The Tokyo branch of South Korea's leading bank has been investigated by prosecutors over suspicions that it lent more than permitted to Japan-based firms to secure returns used to amass massive slush funds.The suspects, including a 57-year-old former Tokyo branch manager only identified
Dec. 29, 2013