Most Popular
-
1
[AtoZ into Korean mind] Humor in Korea: Navigating the line between what's funny and not
-
2
Yoon seeks rebound, taps 5-term lawmaker as chief of staff
-
3
Medical standoff deepens as doctors reject new med school plan, talks
-
4
[Herald Interview] Why Toss invited hackers to penetrate its system
-
5
[Graphic News] 77% of young Koreans still financially dependent
-
6
S. Korean envoys convene to navigate strategy amid Middle East tensions
-
7
[Exclusive] Korean military set to ban iPhones over 'security' concerns
-
8
North Korea fires several short-range ballistic missiles into sea: JCS
-
9
Samsung, SK hynix investors dump shares on Nvidia crash
-
10
Suspect in murder of girlfriend's mugshot, name made public
-
[Newsmaker] Former GE man tapped to salvage troubled CJ
CJ Korea Express vice chairman Lee Chae-wook has been appointed chief executive of CJ Corp., the de facto holding firm of the embattled CJ Group.The conglomerate’s Oct. 8 personnel overhaul is drawing wide interest as the 67-year-old businessman joined CJ Group only six months ago when CJ LNS merged with Korea Express.According to market insiders, the appointment comes as an emergency measure after group chairman Lee Jay-hyun was arrested in July on charges of amassing slush funds and evading ta
Oct. 9, 2013
-
[Newsmaker] Elite school alumni dominate judiciary
A handful of elite high schools here produced more than 10 percent of the country’s judges, a new report showed Monday. Of 1,959 judges appointed from 2003-2013, about 11 percent or 227 judges were educated from five foreign language high schools in Seoul, according to Supreme Court data released by Rep. Kim Jin-tae of the Saenuri Party.Daewon Foreign Language High School in Gwangjin-gu produced by far the largest number of judges, with 97 graduates currently authorized for the court.Hanyoung Fo
Social AffairsOct. 7, 2013
-
[Newsmaker] Progressives anxious about Sohn’s next move
For the beleaguered Democratic Party, its senior adviser Sohn Hak-kyu has become one of only a handful of members that hold the key for its political countermove against its rivals.Since losing last year’s presidential election, the DP has concentrated much of its resources on gaining leverage on the ruling party.However, despite numerous opportunities, the DP has so far managed only to paint itself into increasingly tighter corners.The issues surrounding the 2007 inter-Korean summit transcript
PoliticsOct. 6, 2013
-
[Newsmaker] Saenuri picks Suh as by-election candidate
Internal conflict within the ruling Saenuri Party is escalating over its choice for a candidate in the upcoming parliamentary by-election. On Thursday evening, Saenuri picked Suh Chung-won, its former chairman and President Park Geun-hye’s longtime confidant, as the party’s candidate for the Oct. 30 election.The announcement came a day after the 70-year-old politician declared his candidacy bid “for the success of the Park Geun-hye government.”The return of the former six-term lawmaker, however,
PoliticsOct. 3, 2013
-
[Newsmaker] Hanyang dean ousted over admission fraud
Park Moon-il, the dean of Hanyang University’s College of Medicine, is to be removed from office for allegedly committing academic fraud to aid his son in entering the institution’s graduate school of medicine.According to the findings of Hanyang University’s audit board, Park listed his son as the lead author of an academic paper while removing the name of an obstetrician who took part in the research. Park is also an author for the paper in question. Park’s son, who was a student of mechanical
Social AffairsOct. 2, 2013
-
[Newsmaker] Record number seek Samsung jobs
The competition for jobs at Samsung companies in the second half of this year is expected to be the fiercest ever.The number of job seekers who applied for Samsung Group and its subsidiaries reached an all-time high during the regular recruiting session in the second half of this year, company officials said Tuesday. “We have some 100,000 applicants for 5,500 job vacancies although the exact number has not yet been calculated. (Because of the record-high number) we are having hard time securing
IndustryOct. 1, 2013
-
[Newsmaker] Mysterious investor key to SK case
Financial investor and shaman Kim Won-hong is adding a new twist to the convoluted SK Group embezzlement case. Kim, a former financial aide of SK Group chairman Chey Tae-won and adviser for SK Shipping Co., was arrested on Sunday for his alleged involvement in Chey’s misappropriation scheme. Chey and his younger brother Chey Jae-won are alleged to have embezzled 45 billion won ($42 million) from SK Group subsidiaries in 2008 as the companies were making a 100 billion won investment in Benex Inve
Social AffairsSept. 30, 2013
-
[Newsmaker] Chin’s ups & downs as Park’s key ally
When Chin Young, one of the closest allies of President Park Geun-hye and a passionate advocate of broader welfare, was appointed to head the Ministry of Health and Welfare in March, it was considered an indication of her government’s greater commitment to caring for the poor and underprivileged. Six months later the minister is seeking to step down in what is seen as a symbol of the Park administration’s retreat in welfare and return to a growth agenda amid budget woes and a lackluster economy.
PoliticsSept. 29, 2013
-
[Newsmaker] Writer captured the spirit of his time
Author Choe In-ho, a literary legend whose works have been made into numerous movies and TV drama series, died of cancer on Wednesday, about seven months after the publication of his latest collection of essays, “Choe In-ho’s Life.” He was 68.Born in 1945 in Seoul, Choe is one of the very few Korean authors who started their writing careers as a teenager, along with Hwang Sok-yong. He made his literary debut at age 18, while attending Seoul High School, by winning a writing competition hosted by
BooksSept. 26, 2013
-
[Newsmaker] Pantech "legend" quits troubled firm
Park Byeong-yeop, founder and vice chairman of Korea’s third-largest mobile device maker Pantech Corp., decided to leave the firm to take responsibility for sluggish business.He is the latest casualty among a list of so-called legendary businessmen after Woongjin Group founder Yoon Seok-keum and STX Group founder Kang Duk-soo, who had once garnered respect from office workers for their dramatic success stories.Starting his career as a salesperson at telecommunications device maker Maxon Electron
IndustrySept. 25, 2013
-
[Newsmaker] Tong Yang Group in crisis
Embattled Tong Yang Group is suffering through a liquidity crisis as creditors and its sister group refused to help the country’s 38th-largest conglomerate. Its condition is showing signs of improvement as the group founder‘s wife is determined to save her oldest daughter, who is the vice chairwoman of the group, after her younger daughter rejected the rescue request. But it remains yet to be seen whether the conglomerate will be able to tide over financial squeeze. The situation involves family
Sept. 24, 2013
-
[Newsmaker] Merkel cements EU position
German Chancellor Angela Merkel cemented her position as Europe’s de facto leader on Sunday by cruising to election victory for a third term in office.Having presided over a robust economy in a region of sick-man peers, the center-right Christian Democratic Union and its sister Christian Social Union of Bavaria won more than 40 percent of the national vote, bringing Merkel to within five seats of a tantalizingly rare parliamentary majority. Merkel’s political standing, already unmatched among he
Foreign AffairsSept. 23, 2013
-
[Newsmaker] ‘Time is not on our side’
Thousands of families were torn apart at the end of the Korean War (1950-1953) and their pain persists as the remaining members anxiously write the final chapters of their lives, still hoping to see their loved ones again. Of the 129,035 people originally registered in South Korea’s separated-family database since August 1988, 56,544 have passed away while most of the surviving 72,491 are in their 70s, 80s or 90s.The two Koreas have held 18 family reunions for the survivors since 2000, enabling
North KoreaSept. 22, 2013
-
[Newsmaker] Ex-P.M. defiant after bribery conviction
Han Myeong-sook, former prime minister and ex-leader of the main opposition party, faces another long legal battle over bribery accusations which have dealt blow to her political career and reputation as an pro-democracy activist against the military-backed governments in the 1970s and 80s.A Seoul appellate court on Monday sentenced Han to two years in prison for bribery, overturning a lower court’s ruling that cleared her of the charge. Han was found guilty of receiving 880 million won in polit
PoliticsSept. 17, 2013
-
[Newsmaker] Korea OKs ‘invisible’ skyscraper plan
From cloaked alien tanks and jets in the computer game “Starcraft” to a transparent flying fortress in the movie “Avengers,” invisible structures have always been considered a product of imaginary science, whose rightful place is within the boundaries of fiction.That is until South Korea recently authorized the construction of “Tower Infinity,” a 450-meter-high skyscraper which is to use high-tech projectors to make it appear as if the building is not really there. The glass tower, backed by the
IndustrySept. 16, 2013
-
[Newsmaker] Prosecution in disarray over Chae’s resignation
Resistance among prosecutors is rising upon the resignation of prosecutor general Chae Dong-wook last week over a personal rumor, as speculation prevailed that it was the result of pressure from Cheong Wa Dae.A day after Chae offered to step down Friday, Kim Yoon-sang, director of the first inspection division of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, offered to resign, criticizing the ministry’s “unjust” pressure.Chae said he was unable to carry on his duties after Justice Minister Hwang Kyo-an order
PoliticsSept. 15, 2013
-
[Newsmaker] KEPCO to restart power-line project soon
The Korea Electric Power Corp. is set to resume its stalled power-line project in Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province, after next week’s Chuseok holidays despite continued resistance from some residents. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Chung Hong-won visited the county saying that resumption was an “unavoidable choice” and announced a revised 18.5 billion won ($17 million) compensation plan. The compensation package also includes plans to build the country’s largest solar power generation facility i
Social AffairsSept. 12, 2013
-
[Newsmaker] From Olympic champ to IOC president
An Olympic gold medalist has been elected president of the International Olympic Committee for the first time in its 119-year history. Thomas Bach, a 59-year-old vice president of the IOC, has ascended to the top post of Olympic leadership.He was elected the ninth president of the IOC in its 125th session in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday. He will serve a four-year term and will be eligible to run for two more terms. He succeeds Jacques Rogge, a 71-year-old Belgian, who stepped down after lead
SportsSept. 11, 2013
-
[Newsmaker] Prosecution fulfills mission impossible
It has been mission impossible for 16 years: collecting 167.2 billion won in overdue fines from a former strongman who claimed to have only 290,000 won at hand and is notoriously at home with brinkmanship. So, many observers were skeptical when the prosecution began a whirlwind investigation into former President Chun Doo-hwan’s family nearly four months ago with an aim to force him to pay the bill stemming from his misdeeds while in office in the 1980s.Chun’s family finally announced Tuesday th
Social AffairsSept. 10, 2013
-
[Newsmaker] First gay marriage stirs controversy
The first gay marriage in Korea on Saturday sharply divided the country, putting to the test its legal system and public tolerance of sexual minorities. Film director Kim-Jho Gwang-soo and film distributor Kim Seung-hwan held a symbolic wedding in central Seoul. They have been partners for nine years.The two men made their vows in front of guests reported to number about 1,000, including Kim-Jho’s mother, movie director Byun Young-joo and civil activist Paik Ki-wan.Their marriage, however, will
Social AffairsSept. 9, 2013