The Korea Herald

Park steps up pressure on reform bills

President Park Geun-hye on Tuesday continued to add pressure on lawmakers to pass key bills related to government-led reforms in business, labor and education sectors, stressing that the college reform bill is critical to “enhancing competence in higher education” eventually raising youth employment.Speaking at the last Cabinet meeting of 2015, the South Korean leader also warned that the failure to carry out the reform may result in South Korea‘s sovereign credit rating being downgraded. Park s

Dec. 22, 2015

Textbook row taken to Constitutional Court

South Korean civic groups on Tuesday filed an appeal to the Constitutional Court against the government for “infringing upon the impartiality of education” by taking over the publication rights for secondary education history textbooks.Minbyun, or Lawyers for a Democratic Society, said it made the appeal against the Education Ministry’s recent plan to reinstate government-issued textbooks from 2017, a contentious plan that has stoked opposition from mainly the progressive faction and much of the

Dec. 22, 2015

Textbook row taken to Constitutional Court

[Profile] Lee Joon-sik, Education Ministry

Lee Joon-sik, a former professor at Seoul National University’s School of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, was appointed to be the new education minister and deputy prime minister for social affairs. As an expert in mechanical engineering, he started teaching at his Alma mater, SNU, in 1985, and took various positions at the school including vice president of research, dean of research affairs and director of the micro thermal system research center.The 63-year-old educator and researcher is

Dec. 21, 2015

[Profile] Kang Eun-hee, Gender Equality and Family Ministry

Rep. Kang Eun-hee of the ruling Saenuri Party, a former IT businesswoman, has been appointed as the new Gender Equality and Family Minister.A graduate of Kyungpook University’s physics education program, Kang worked as a school teacher before founding her IT venture Winitech in Daegu in 2000. Prior to winning a National Assembly seat in 2012 as a proportional representative, the 51-year-old served as the chairwoman of the Korea IT Business Women’s Association and deputy floor leader for the Saen

Dec. 21, 2015

[Profile] Sung Young-hoon, Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission

Sung Young-hoon, 55, a legal expert whose 30-year career has encompassed stints as a district prosecutor, special investigator and attorney, was named to chair the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission.He started his career as a public prosecutor for Busan District Office in 1986, and also worked as chief prosecutor of the Gwangju District Office, deputy minister for legal affairs at the Ministry of Justice and chief prosecutor of the Criminal Trial and Civil Litigation Department. During

Dec. 21, 2015

[Profile] Hong Yoon-sik, Interior Ministry

Hong Yoon-sik, a former vice minister at the Office for Government Policy Coordination, has been named interior minister.Hong, 59, is known as a veteran in state affairs, having served various key posts during his 30-year career in the prime minister’s office. Born in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, the nominee received his bachelor’s degree in law from Seoul National University and master’s degree in policy from the University of Michigan in the U.S. He passed the state civil service exam in 1985

Dec. 21, 2015

Korea to increase public sector part-time jobs

The South Korean government Monday mapped out a plan to expand its part-time work scheme in the public sector by 2018, which would increase the public workforce by more than 1 percent. Under the plan, it will offer government-backed part-time jobs for women in a bid to help them return to work after childbirth and boost the country’s low birthrate. The Ministry of Employment and Labor, along with relevant ministries, announced these and other plans in a meeting.Unlike part-time jobs generated by

Dec. 21, 2015

Multiple choice testing can ‘smother creativity’

On Nov. 12, over 600,000 Korean students took the college entrance exam, known here as the “Suneung” and widely referred to as “the most important test of their lives.” But Lee Won-key, the vice president of Seoul National University of Education, said the exam papers comprised of multiple-choice questions represents what is wrong with the English education in Korea. The multiple-choice questions restrict the students’ thinking to prearranged options, depriving them of a chance to think creative

Dec. 21, 2015

Multiple choice testing can ‘smother creativity’

Korea limits tuition fee hikes

The Education Ministry on Sunday announced that it has capped college tuition hikes for next year at 1.7 percent, down from 2.4 percent this year.It marked the fourth straight fall of the maximum tuition increase rate. Ministry officials said the rate took into consideration recent inflation rates. The tuition increase cap is restricted by law to 1.5 times the average inflation rate of the previous three years. The average inflation rate for 2013-2015 marked 1.1 percent. The government is planni

Dec. 21, 2015

Korean Air wraps up 2015 mission of planting love, hope

From small communities in Korea to flood-stricken Nepal, Korean Air wrapped up its annual mission to support people in need around the world, fulfilling its corporate responsibility as the nation’s largest air carrier. Employees of Korean Air pose for photo after planting trees in the Baganuur Desert in Mongolia. Korean AirAccording to the company, it has completed a series of sharing projects to relieve the pain of people suffering from poverty and isolation through joint efforts by its senior

Dec. 21, 2015

Korean Air wraps up 2015 mission of planting love, hope

SK launches W30b fund to support start-ups

SK Group on Sunday launched a 30 billion won ($25 million) fund that aims to support tech start-ups in the fields of agriculture and fisheries. The fund targets venture firms and young entrepreneurs based in Daejeon and the neighboring Sejong area where SK opened a start-up acceleration center in July to join a government-led initiative across industries. With the latest funding, SK has secured a combined 75 billion won to support venture firms and start-ups and create an ecosystem for business

Dec. 21, 2015

Denmark marks 150 years since C. Nielsen’s birth

The Danish Embassy teamed up with communications company Jabra to hold a concert Tuesday to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Danish composer Carl Nielsen. The event at the Seoul National University Museum of Art attracted 150 guests from diplomatic missions, cultural industries, educational institutions and business communities, part of worldwide performances celebrating the occasion. Danish-Korean group “Trio con Brio Copenhagen” ― comprised of Korean sisters, violinist Hong Soo-jin and cell

Dec. 20, 2015

Denmark marks 150 years since C. Nielsen’s birth

French language gets boost in Korea

The International Organization of the Francophonie (OIF), an agency dedicated to popularizing French language and culture worldwide, launched a support group in Seoul last week to widen collaboration with Korea.The Council of Promotion of Francophonie in Korea is comprised of diplomats with networks in Tokyo, Hanoi, Bangkok and Jakarta. The agency will support cultural events, academic conferences and business partnerships, meeting once or twice a year.“We are here to celebrate Francophonie’s es

Dec. 20, 2015

Tunisian Embassy celebrates quartet’s Nobel Peace Prize

The Tunisian Embassy on Tuesday held a reception to commemorate the awarding of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize to the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet, a coalition of unionists, employers, lawyers and human rights activists that brokered peace and forestalled a civil war.The quartet is credited with preventing violence in 2013, following the Jasmine Revolution that overthrew longtime president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and ended six decades of dictatorship. By facilitating compromise between dive

Dec. 20, 2015

Tunisian Embassy celebrates quartet’s Nobel Peace Prize

Indonesia honors Korean Army general

The Indonesian Embassy on Friday awarded a former Korean military chief for his contributions to strengthening the bilateral alliance and Indonesia’s defense capacity. Former ROK Army Chief of Staff Kim Yo-han was awarded the Order of Service Medal, an honor bestowed to individuals who made distinguished achievements benefiting the Indonesian government or military. The medal is conferred by Indonesian President Joko Widodo. “The Indonesian government and army express deep gratitude to Gen. Kim

Dec. 20, 2015

WTO members agree to end farm subsidies

The member countries of the World Trade Organization agreed to end agricultural export subsidies by 2023 during their latest ministerial talks in Nairobi, Kenya, on Saturday. The Korean Trade Ministry said Sunday that the 162 WTO members reached a dramatic agreement on some key issues in the agricultural sector, including the sensitive farm subsidies. (Yonhap)WTO director general Roberto Azevedo in a statement welcomed the agreement, calling it the “most significant outcome on agriculture” in t

Dec. 20, 2015

Daewoo E&C seeks sale of mall near Yongsan Station

Daewoo Engineering & Construction Co. is promoting the sale of “Yongsan Summit Square,” a shopping mall in Yongsan, central Seoul, company officials said Sunday.The officials said the mall in front of Yongsan Station was part of the high-rise residential complex “Yongsan Prugio Summit” that the company has constructed. An artist’s rendering of Yongsan Prugio Summit (Daewoo E&C)The three-story mall includes 139 shops and is expected to draw high demand given that it is situated near AmorePacifi

Dec. 20, 2015

Daewoo E&C seeks sale of mall near Yongsan Station