• 

  Social affairs

  S. Korea raises typhoon alert level to 'vigilance' from 'attention'

  The interior and safety ministry on Saturday elevated the weather alert level to "vigilance" from "attention" as Typhoon Tapah tracking northward is expected to affect parts of the country's southern region over the weekend. Interior Minister Chin Young presided over a meeting of related ministries and provincial governments to make the decision and discuss ways to minimize potential damage from the typhoon, this year's 17th.The officials decided to check vulnerable areas, s

• Social affairs
  

  [From the scene] Koreans join global climate protest

  South Koreans, young and old alike, took to the streets to demand immediate action on climate change

• North Korea
  

  Weather agency says 3.5 magnitude quake occurs in Pyonggang, North Korea

  South Korea's state weather agency said Saturday that a 3.5 magnitude earthquake occurred in Pyonggang, North Korea's Kangwon Province.The Korea Meteorological Administration said there may not be any damage from the "natural" quake that took place 31 kilometers northwest of Pyonggang's county office at 3:11 p.m (Yonhap) 

• Industry
  

  Tokyo willing to discuss export controls with Seoul

  In response to the complaint filed by the South Korean government with the World Trade Organization on the subject of Japan’s export control measures, Tokyo has expressed its willingness to have bilateral consultations with Seoul, a day before the 10-working day deadline set by the WTO, officials said Friday. Japan’s response could be the first step in resolving the Korea-Japan trade dispute triggered by Japan’s export restrictions.  “The Japanese government has resp

• North Korea
  

  NK chief negotiator welcomes Trump's 'new method', voices optimism over talks

  A chief North Korean negotiator on Friday welcomed US President Donald Trump's recent remark suggesting a "new method" of resolving the impasse in denuclearization negotiations. Kim Myong-gil, known to be Pyongyang's counterpart for the United States' top nuclear envoy, Stephen Biegun, made the remarks in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency, also expressing optimism over an upcoming working-level meeting with Washington expected to take place as early as late this mon

• Social affairs
  

  Prosecution zeroes in on Cho Kuk

  An investigation into Justice Minister Cho Kuk is now a possibility as dozens of prosecutors are looking into his suspected involvement in his family’s investment in a private equity fund and alleged attempts to destroy evidence. A number of prosecutors and other staff with expertise in investigating financial crime cases have joined the team scrutinizing Cho’s family at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office. They include a prosecutor who investigated stock trade irreg

NEWSMAKER

• Social affairs

  

  Police decide to drop pimping charges against former YG chief

  Police have dropped pimping charges against Yang Hyun-suk, an idol-turned-K-pop guru who was head of YG Entertainment, one of the biggest K-pop management firms, police officials said Friday.The officials at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said police investigators failed to verify suspicions that Yang arranged sex services for foreign investors in 2014 and sent his case to the prosecution with a recommendation that he not be indicted on pimping charges.The 49-year-old Yang was booked in Ju

LATEST NEWS

• Today

  

  North Korea

  N.K. website unveils revised constitution aimed at strengthening Kim's status

  A North Korean propaganda website on Saturday unveiled the full text of the country's revised constitution, which is apparently aimed at bolstering leader Kim Jong-un's legal status. The website, called Naenara, made public the constitution that the 14th Supreme People's Assembly (SPA), the country's rubber-stamp legislature, amended during its second session late last month.In the latest revision, Article 104 stipulated new responsibilities for the chairman of the State Affairs Commission, the

• Today

  

  Books

  Book of late S. Korean poet Cho's poems published in English

  A book of more than 80 poems of late renowned South Korean poet Cho Ji-hoon was published in English in New York more than half a century after his death, his family said Friday. A ceremony celebrating the publication took place in New York on the day with the attendance of South Korea's Ambassador to the United Nations Cho Tae-yul, the third son of the poet, and his other family members.The publishing company, Cross-Cultural Communications, published the book, entitled "Shedding of the Pet

• Today

  

  Golf

  Sorenstam, Park win foursome competition at exhibition golf event

  The team of Annika Sorenstam and Park Sung-hyun won the foursome competition at an exhibition match featuring LPGA stars from the past and present.Sorenstam-Park combined to shoot 2-over 74 at the Seolhaeone·Cell Return Legends Match golf event Saturday at Seolhaeone Resort's Salmon and Seaview Courses in Yangyang, 215 kilometers east of Seoul in Gangwon Province. Sorenstam, a 72-time LPGA champion from Sweden, was part of the "LPGA Legends" team, which included fellow World Gol

• Today

  

  North Korea

  Previously unidentified underground facilities identified at Yongbyon complex: 38 North

  Two previously unidentified underground complexes have been identified at North Korea's mainstay nuclear compound in Yongbyon, north of Pyongyang, a US website monitoring the communist state has said.In an expert analysis of satellite imagery by Frank V. Pabian, 38 North on Thursday revealed the underground complexes, located east and southeast of Yongbyon across the Kuryong River, saying their purposes remain unknown. The findings are based on the presence of tunnel entrances and visible spoil

• Today

  

  Social affairs

  S. Korea raises typhoon alert level to 'vigilance' from 'attention'

  The interior and safety ministry on Saturday elevated the weather alert level to "vigilance" from "attention" as Typhoon Tapah tracking northward is expected to affect parts of the country's southern region over the weekend. Interior Minister Chin Young presided over a meeting of related ministries and provincial governments to make the decision and discuss ways to minimize potential damage from the typhoon, this year's 17th.The officials decided to check vulnerable areas, s

More Stories

SPOTLIGHT

• K-pop

  

  BTS leader donates 100 m won for students with hearing impairments

  RM, the leader of the popular boy band BTS, has donated 100 million won ($83,745) to help students with hearing impairments, a Seoul school said Friday.The BTS leader made the donation earlier this week in celebration of his birthday, Sept. 12, in a bid to help students receive music education, according to officials at Seoul Samsung School."RM made the donation, expressing his will to help students with hearing difficulties enjoy music through various means," a school official said. S

• 

  Arts&Design

  ’10x10,’ international curatorial exchange program kicks off at MMCA

  “10x10,” an international symposium that invites up-and-coming curators from Korea and abroad, kicked off its two-day run on Friday at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art’s main branch in Seoul.”10x10” was started last year as part of a Korean Culture and Information Service program that invites outstanding researchers from Korea and other countries to ramp up exchanges between experts with different backgrounds. This year, 10 curators from foreign co

• 

  Social affairs

  Typhoon Tapah forecast to bring heavy rain to southern S. Korea

  The southern part of the nation is expected experience downpours and strong winds over the weekend as a small slow-moving typhoon is approaching from the south, the state-run weather agency said Friday.  Typhoon Tapah, this year's 17th, took shape 470 kilometers south of Japan's Okinawa in the western Pacific Ocean the previous day and is currently tracking northward, the Korea Meteorological Administration said.As of 3 a.m., the typhoon's central pressure was 992 hectopascals and the maxim

• 

  Food&Beverage

  Hyodo, fried chicken contender with plenty up its sleeve

  Fried chicken shop known for its pop-ups, noodles and chicken, of course

GRAPHIC NEWS

• 

EDITORIAL

• OPCON transfer

  Seoul could retake wartime operational control from US after North Korea’s denuclearization

• Uphold soldier’s honor

  Veterans Ministry derogates wound caused by NK land mines; Moon instructs reconsideration

VIEWPOINTS

THE INVESTOR

• Industrials

  

  [INTERVIEW] Once labor-intensive, shipbuilders in race for digital transformation

  SINGAPORE -- Traditional methods used to maintain cost efficiency in the labor-intensive field of shipbuilding and marine engineering will give way more and more to digital solutions that are already quietly permeating the industry, Craig Hayman, CEO of UK industrial software developer Aveva, said in a recent interview with The Investor.“Firms constructing vessels are now focused on reducing the labor (costs) associated with the construction and the number of hours put into designing them,

• 

  LG

  Troubled LGD mulls to shut down OLED plant for Apple Watch

  LG Display is considering shutting down its E2 OLED display factory in Paju, Gyeonggi Province in the face of widening losses, according to news reports on Sept. 20.The South Korean display manufacturer rolls out 4.5th generation flexible OLED displays, measuring 730 millimeters by 920 millimeters, at the E2 plant. The OLED displays made at the factory are utilized for smartwatches and smartphones, including Apple Watch. Related: LG Display woos Chinese partners, seeks to expand OLED b

• 

  Samsung

  Samsung’s upcoming developer conference to feature AI, blockchain and more

  Samsung Electronics has announced the lineup of keynote speakers for Samsung Developer Conference 2019, scheduled for Oct. 20-29 in San Jose, California.Last year, Samsung gave the world a glimpse of what its foldable smartphone would look like. This year, the company plans to walk through the progress it has made in different areas, including artificial intelligence, next-generation networks and blockchain.Samsung’s mobile chief, Koh Dong-jin, said his speech would highlight the importanc

• 

  Stocks & Bonds

  S. Korea’s OTC stock market tops W2tr in transaction volume

  The accumulated volume of transactions on South Korea’s flagship over-the-counter securities trading market K-OTC has topped 2 trillion won ($1.7 billion) mark as of Sept. 20.Korea Financial Investment Association, an operator of K-OTC Market, cited an increasingly favorable condition for securities investors here, such as capital income tax exemptions for retail shareholders of small and medium-sized enterprises. Moreover, so far, three private companies trading on K-OTC Market were liste

K-POP HERALD

• 

  Dreamcatcher’s video game fantasy gets real with ‘Raid of Dream’

• 

  #Sunmipop: 7 Songs to celebrate the best of Sunmi

• 

  BTS’ vacation playlist

• 

  What does BTS’ extended break mean?

HERALD INTERVIEW

• Technology

  

  Once labor-intensive, shipbuilders in race for digital transformation

  SINGAPORE -- Traditional methods for cost efficiency in the labor-intensive field of shipbuilding and marine engineering will give way to digital solutions that are already quietly permeating the industry, Craig Hayman, CEO of UK industrial software developer Aveva, said in a recent interview with The Investor.“Shipbuilding firms are now focused on reducing labor (costs) associated with the construction and the number of hours put into designing them,” Hayman said, adding that South

• 

  Fashion

  Yie Sun-yuul has the world at her heels

  Shoe designer is inspired by coral, stone, cubes, alphabet and more

• 

  Social affairs

  ‘Corruption cannot be eradicated, only contained and controlled’

  IACA’s Daniel Li says improving Corruption Perceptions Index, rather than country’s ranking, should be emphasized

• 

  Industry

  New Busan-Jinhae FEZ chief seeks paradigm shift

  BJFEZ to adopt tri-port strategy to attract innovative firms, raise profile as international logistics hub

PHOTO NEWS

• Culture

  

  Peaceful Buam-dong rises as hip place

  Nestled between two mountains -- Bugaksan and Inwangsan -- Buam-dong in Jongno-gu, Seoul, is a quiet neighborhood often described as an oasis of tranquility not far from the city center. While a large number of Seoul’s residential villages have turned into giant fortresses of high-security high-rise apartment complexes, Buam-dong has kept its old-town feel with low-lying houses, curved roads and ample greenery. Not accessible by Seoul’s massive web of subways, the villages were

VIDEO

• Politics

  

  Politics of ‘head shaving performance’

  Head shaving has cultural history, but may lack significance in modern era

• 

  Industry

  Mobile orders and unmanned serving: Robot restaurant lands in Seoul

  When you take your seat in this seemingly ordinary Italian restaurant in Seoul, no waiter comes to the table with a menu. Bustling servers carrying plates of food are also missing.Touted as the nation’s first robotized restaurant, Merry-Go-Kitchen opened its doors in southeastern Seoul last month in collaboration with South Korean food-delivery unicorn Woowa Brothers.At this establishment, placing an order for a meal starts by downloading the mobile application Baedal Minjok -- Baemin for

• 

  Food&Beverage

  Trendy treats on offer at Seoul Dessert Fair 2019

  South Korea’s biggest dessert festival, the Seoul Dessert Fair, closed the doors on its 23rd event last weekend at the Setec exhibition hall in Gangnam, Seoul.(Shot and edited by Choi Ji-won / The Korea Herald)The three-day event ran Friday to Sunday and garnered more than 30,000 visitors. Around 240 dessert shop owners and individual sellers from around the country presented assorted confections ranging from seasonal sweets to those following the latest trends.Traditional Korean treats an

• 

  Industry

  How far are we from printing hearts for transplant?

  Close look at two standout players in Korea’s 3D bioprinting, medical device printing

MOST POPULAR

• Police decide to drop pimping charges against former YG chief
• S. Korea raises typhoon alert level to 'vigilance' from 'attention'
• Tokyo willing to discuss export controls with Seoul
• Prosecution zeroes in on Cho Kuk
• Typhoon Tapah expected to bring heavy rain nationwide over weekend
• Serial rape-murder suspect ‘unperturbed,’ denies guilt despite DNA match
• Top repurposed spaces in Seoul
• Koreans join global climate protest
• Hyodo, fried chicken contender with plenty up its sleeve
• BTS leader donates 100 m won for students with hearing impairments

FEATURES

• Social affairs

  

  Koreans 5 years older, on average, than a decade ago

  SEJONG -- South Korea has become one of several countries undergoing rapid demographic changes that could dent the nation’s competitiveness in the mid- to long term. With fewer babies being born, senior citizens make up a growing proportion of the Korean population and the average age has climbed over the past decade.According to the Ministry of Interior and Safety, the average age reached 42.4 years as of August, as compared with 41.9 a year earlier.The average ages for men and women were

• 

  Politics

  Support-rating gap between rival parties narrows

  SEJONG -- The 2020 general election for South Korea’s next National Assembly is coming in about 200 days.A core issue is whether the ruling Democratic Party of Korea will continue to secure its dominance in support ratings over the main opposition Liberty Korea Party.The Democratic Party has yet to yield its leading position in approval ratings among the people since President Moon-Jae-in took office in May 2017.But symptoms of situation change have emerged over the past few months amid sa

• 

  Economy

  Korea marks 20th anniversary of FTA talks across globe

  SEJONG -- It has been two decades since South Korea took its first steps into the free trade market, seeking bilateral deals with major world economies in hopes of enjoying tariff benefits.Since launching negotiations toward a free trade agreement with its first partner, Chile, in 1999, Korea has put 15 FTAs in place with three continental trade blocs (that involve 42 countries collectively) and 12 countries.The three trade blocs are the 28-member European Union, the 10-member Associat

• 

  Politics

  Moon to pass halfway point with challenges at home and abroad

  SEJONG -- President Moon Jae-in will pass the halfway point in November, finishing the first 30 months of his 60-month term.The Moon administration launched in May 2017, several months after a political scandal involving former President Park Geun-hye and her confidante Choi Soon-sil swept the nation and ignited public fury.The people pinned great hopes on Moon, who stressed justice and fairness in his inaugural speech.Moon’s approval ratings hovered around 70-80 percent during the first y

WEEKENDER

• Arts&Design

  

  From eyesores to hot spots

  How run-down factories get art-ified 　

• 

  Food&Beverage

  Like it hot!

  Tracing the roots of Koreans’ love for chilies

• 

  Arts&Design

  From trash to art

  In a fancy Seoul building, an upcycling ecosystem is being hatched

• 

  Economy

  The life and death of Korean won

  South Korean banknotes and coins begin life at a factory in Gyeongsan, just outside Daegu. They are then transported to the Bank of Korea’s vault in Seoul, heavily guarded by armed security officers, to enter the money circulation cycle. In its lifespan as a medium of exchange, the banknotes and coins travel around at varying speeds, with some -- 1,000 won bills in particular -- changing hands numerous times before exiting circulation. However, some coins spend most of their time sitt