[Herald Interview] Song Hye-kyo faces the music

Actress Song Hye-kyo was careful to begin her interview with The Korea Herald on Monday with an apology. A week has passed since news of a tax evasion scandal involving the actress shocked many of her fans. The timing was especially unfavorable for Song, who was set to promote her new movie “My Brilliant Life” ahead of its Sept. 3 release.She nevertheless decided to open up to the media to apologize multiple times. She admitted it was a big mistake and said she regretted that she disappointed ma

Aug. 27, 2014

[Herald Interview] Gyeonggi a test bed for coalition politics

Gyeonggi Province, the largest local jurisdiction in South Korea, has recently become a test bed for a political coalition between the ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy. This rather radical idea came from Gyeonggi’s new governor Nam Kyung-pil, a former ruling Saenuri lawmaker, as he is seeking cooperation from the provincial council, which is dominated by opposition members. To promote bipartisanship and cooperation, Nam announced that he would form

PoliticsAug. 26, 2014

[Herald Interview] Korea’s agricultural community revival movement goes global

South Korea’s iconic community development movement ― Saemaul Undong ― is to be expanded to developing countries in a joint effort with the International Fund for Agricultural Development, according to a top banker on Tuesday. “The global spread of the Saemaul Movement in partnership with the IFAD is very meaningful for South Korea, the only nation to have transformed into an aid donor from a recipient,” Seop Shim, senior executive director of Korea Eximbank, told The Korea Herald at the bank’s

IndustryAug. 26, 2014

[Herald Interview] LX KCSC eyes second leap in Information Age

Ever wondered how properties are divided and borders are set?Ever asked who those people are standing in the middle of the road with a tripod looking as though they are taking a picture?Land surveys, measurements and management have been led by Korea Cadastral Survey Corp. in South Korea for over 100 years.With some 4,000 experts in geospatial science and technology, the quasi-government entity known as LX, which stands for Land Expert, aims to make a second leap into the Information Age.“We wil

TechnologyAug. 24, 2014

[Herald Interview] ‘Do everything to fulfill your passion’

The name Jamal Sims was not familiar to people in Korea until he appeared on “Dancing 9,” a dance survival show on cable channel Mnet, as a judge for the final round.But he is an established choreographer in the United States, where his recent projects include choreographing the “Step Up” film series and “Footloose,” and working with stars like Jennifer Lopez, Madonna, Usher and the Spice Girls. As a dancer and choreographer for more than 20 years, he knows about maintaining a solid career in a

PerformanceAug. 21, 2014

[Herald Interview] Descendant of U.S. missionary happy with Korean citizenship

For U.S. lawyer David Linton, last week was a meaningful step toward more involvement with his expertise in South Korea. The 42-year-old was given special naturalized Korean citizenship in gratitude for his ancestor’s contribution to the country’s independence movement during the Japanese colonial rule. A total of 15 other foreign nationals ― also descendants of Korean independence supporters ― became naturalized citizens here on the same day. “It is nice to have that final, closest connection w

Social AffairsAug. 20, 2014

[Herald Interview] Ex-U.N. rights expert urges Tokyo to resolve sex slavery dispute

COLOMBO ― A former top U.N. expert on women’s rights urged Japan to come up with a resolution to a decades-long dispute over its wartime sex slavery, criticizing Tokyo for moving “backwards” with its historic revisionism. Radhika Coomaraswamy, the U.N. special rapporteur on violence against women from 1994-2003, warned that the issue of the so-called comfort women would “come back to bite” Japan if it continues attempting to whitewash its imperial past and undermine earlier apologies. “Recently,

Foreign AffairsAug. 20, 2014

[Herald Interview] Korea expands global presence in eco-friendly technology

The global demand for green products and services has sharply expanded in recent years as the world strives to meet its needs for economic growth and environmental protection.Korea’s environmental industry is stepping up a foray into the flourishing market, especially in developing countries, capitalizing on technology, knowledge and experience accumulated through the country’s rapid industrialization and fight against pollution.At the vanguard of the efforts is the state-run Korea Environmental

Social AffairsAug. 19, 2014

[Herald Interview] No way out of labor strife for Hyundai Motor?

Hyundai Motor Group has notched up a number of achievements in its carmaking business over the past decade, becoming the world’s fifth-largest automaker in 2009.However, one area in which it has failed to make progress is labor relations. The automotive group is poised to set a national record, as its union prepares for its 24th annual strike this month ― the most strikes for a single company in Korea. The group’s unionized workers, most of whom are production workers, have taken industrial acti

BusinessAug. 19, 2014

[Herald Interview] Ivy finds her place in ‘Chicago’

Three hours before show time, the lobby of the D-Cube Art Center is dark, with hardly any sign of human presence. But this is when the backstage area comes to life. One by one, cast members arrive for the night’s show ― “Chicago,” a timeless Broadway hit now on its 10th run in Korea. Ivy, who plays the show’s lead character Roxie Hart, is one of the first to arrive. With a friendly and cheerful hello, she greets everyone she meets, even the cleaning ladies. “It almost feels like I have become an

CultureAug. 19, 2014

[Herald Interview] KOICA seeks balanced, sustainable aid

Korea’s 2010 enrollment in the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee was a milestone in the history of its economic growth, epitomizing its unprecedented ascent from a war-stricken backwater to an aid donor. The country has since been scaling up its aid commitments and personnel to help the developing world fight poverty, disease, climate change and other grave challenges. Last year, it doled out more than $1.74 billion in official development assistance as the world’s 16th-largest patron.At t

Foreign AffairsAug. 18, 2014

[Herald Interview] Central Asia, Korea bolster forest partnership

South Korea aims to bolster its forest partnership with Central Asia by sharing its forest expertise and boosting cooperation in restoring the region’s damaged forest ecosystem, the national forestry chief said.“Central Asia is becoming an important region to South Korea as a growing number of Korean companies have been making inroads into the countries, which have abundant natural resources and high growth potential,” said Shin Won-sop, minister of the Korea Forest Service, in an interview with

IndustryAug. 18, 2014

[Herald Interview] No room for N. Korean nuke test: CTBTO chief

Amid persistent concerns over its fourth underground blast, North Korea should put a moratorium on nuclear testing and join a global treaty to outlaw it, the head of the agency monitoring the ban said Wednesday. Lassina Zerbo, executive secretary of the preparatory commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization, called for greater international pressure to stop Pyongyang from further beefing up its nuclear capabilities, saying that North Korea was the only country that has

North KoreaAug. 13, 2014

[Herald Interview] ‘3-D thinking’ key to sustainable future

The future has always been uncertain. And with the rapid advancements in technology, it is even harder to predict. This is why Lee Kwang-hyung, head of KAIST’s Graduate School of Future Strategy, called for the development of new scientific and technological skills to enable the next generation to think creatively by converging their knowledge in various fields.Through such “convergent thinking,” people and businesses can better picture the future as it becomes more complex and sophisticated, he

TechnologyAug. 13, 2014

[Herald Interview] ‘Korea must widen its view of future’

James Dator is dubbed as one of the inventors of futures studies, but what he has tried to do for the past 40 years is to persuade people that the future cannot be predicted.Instead he found that all images of the future can be clustered into four categories, which he calls continued growth, collapse, disciplined society, and transformation.In an interview with The Korea Herald, the futurologist warned against the dangers of sticking to the dominant image of continued growth, a view based on the

TechnologyAug. 13, 2014

[Herald Interview] Rise of IT firms may spur banks: KIF chief

The entry of highly competitive tech firms in the local financial sector may be an opportunity, rather than a threat, for conventional financial institutions, according to a state-run think tank chief.“The entry of these IT firms will eventually push banks to establish their own digital businesses, which will consequentially create new sources of income,” Yun Chang-hyun, president of the Korea Institute of Finance told The Korea Herald in an interview.His remarks came amid rising concerns within

Aug. 11, 2014

[Herald Interview] ‘Alternative education teaches students to be themselves’

South Korea’s alternative education institutes are protesting the government’s push to introduce a mandatary registration system, claiming the move would extend the state’s grip on students who are fleeing regular schools and their rigid curriculum. The Ministry of Education has announced it would conduct a special inspection of unauthorized alternative education facilities, a step that critics argue would pave the way for mandatory registration.“The problem with the new measure is that it can l

Social AffairsAug. 7, 2014

[Herald Interview] Lotte Confectionery pushes to lead Asian snack market

Lotte Confectionery, the country’s No. 1 snack maker, said it aims to become Asia’s largest snack producer by 2018 through aggressive mergers and acquisitions, in addition to building more local production plants. By adding Africa, the Middle East and European markets to its expansion plans over the next four years, the company expects to generate more than 7.5 billion won ($7.4 billion) in annual global sales. Further, it believes overseas sales will, for the first time, swing into the black th

BusinessAug. 5, 2014

[Herald Interview] Qatar Airways to introduce bigger B777 on Korean route

Qatar Airways, one of the fastest growing airlines in the world, is making inroads into the South Korean market, where the carrier plans to introduce a new, bigger Boeing 777 jumbo jet to lure more business and luxury travelers.The flag carrier of Qatar will be introducing the B777-300 aircraft into the Incheon-Doha route starting from September, increasing seating capacity to 293 passengers for the economy-class from the current 217. “Compared to other airlines that have 385 economy-class seats

IndustryAug. 4, 2014

[Herald Interview] Opera singers’ life on stage and off

Soprano Cathleen Kim refrains from talking before performing.Sparing the vocal cords helps not only vocally, given that she has to pull off stratospheric coloratura arias on stage. It also helps her stay focused on the character she has to become. Then as she walks on stage, she feels that something inside her flips the switch that turns her stage persona on. “From the very first step onto the stage, I become a different person. I become the character,” Kim said. The process is very different fo

PerformanceAug. 4, 2014