• 

  North Korea

  Trump warns N. Korea could lose 'everything' with hostile acts

  • North Korea intensifies pressure on US as it tries to exact concessions
  • North Korea has not given up hope for nuclear talks with US yet
  • Pyongyang to hold party meeting ahead of year-end deadline

• North Korea
  

  US always open to talks with N. Korea: Esper

  The United States is always open to talks with North Korea, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said, amid growing concern that the communist nation could restart testing of long-range missiles or nuclear weapons amid stalled talks with Washington.Esper made the remarks during an interview with Fox News aired Sunday (Washington time) when asked what the US would do if North Korea resumes nuclear testing, following a recent statement from the North's UN ambassador that denuclearization is off the negoti

• Politics
  

  National Assembly to vote on fast-tracked reform bills this week

  Hotly contested fast-tracked bills -- including election and prosecutorial reforms -- will be put to a vote during the parliament’s plenary session Monday and Tuesday.  However, as the main opposition Liberty Korea Party is expected to stage a filibuster to block voting on the bills, they are most likely to be put to a vote Wednesday, when the parliament convenes a special session.South Korea’s parliamentary law stipulates that bills blocked from being put to a vote via filibust

• Economy
  

  S. Korea to up national information budget to W5.1tr in 2019

  South Korea's budget for national information will rise to over 5.1 trillion won ($4.3 billion) in 2019 to promote the building of a hyperconnected society, the government said Monday.The budget to be spent for 55 state central administrative agencies represents an 11.5 percent increase from 4.6 trillion won earmarked for this year, according to the Ministry of Science and ICT. A hyperconnected society is a key element of the fourth industrial revolution where everything, including people, is li

• Defense
  

  US flies spy plane over S. Korea's capital areas: aviation tracker

  The United States flew a surveillance plane over South Korea's capital areas, an aviation tracker said Monday, amid heightened tensions in the wake of North Korea's announcement it conducted a "very important test" at its satellite launch site.The US RC-135W Rivet Joint was spotted flying over the Korean Peninsula at 31,000 feet, Aircraft Spots said on its Twitter account without specifying the exact time of the operation.The latest flight came after North Korea said it carried out &qu

• World News
  

  Hong Kongers mark half a year of protest with mammoth rally

  HONG KONG (AFP) -- Democracy protesters took part in the largest mass rally through Hong Kong's streets in months on Sunday in a forceful display of support for the movement, with a leading activist warning the city's pro-Beijing leaders they had a "last chance" to end the political crisis.Organisers estimated some 800,000 people snaked for hours through the financial hub's main island as the protests marked six months, a vivid illustration of the hostility that still seethes towards t

NEWSMAKER

• Politics

  

  Centrist third party on course to split

  Minor opposition Bareunmirae Party, formed in February last year to challenge the bipartisan establishment, is on the verge of splitting.The party’s meeting for “nonpartisan initiative” has launched a committee to prepare for the formation of a new party with “a centrist reform agenda.”Heading the committee is Rep. Ha Tae-keung, a conservative politician who helped integrate factions supporting two former third-party presidential candidates, Ahn Cheol-soo and Yoo Se

LATEST NEWS

• Today

  

  Economy

  41-year-olds have highest average labor income

  Workers in South Korea hit the highest average annual earnings at the age of 41 in 2016, data showed Monday, with the labor income of the elderly also showing a steady rise. People aged 41 earned the highest average annual labor income of 32.09 million won ($26,977) in 2016, according to the data released by Statistics Korea. The total labor income stood at 842.1 trillion won in 2016, up 4.5 percent from a year ago.  The labor income for people aged above 65 rose 0.8 percent on-year to 21.7

• Today

  

  Industry

  Koreans consider W3.9b in assets as threshold to be wealthy

  South Koreans consider persons who own an average of 3.98 billion won ($3.2 million) in assets can be considered wealthy, a local survey showed Monday.According to recruiting service provider Saramin’s survey on 4,111 adults, respondents in their 30s quoted the threshold to be considered rich. Those in their 40s put the mark at 3.9 billion won, while those aged 50 and above said 33.3 billion won. Some 3.9 billion won of assets equal the amount accumulated by a salaryman who earns 50 millio

• Today

  

  Industry

  Starbucks Korea receives presidential award for supporting cultural heritage

  Starbucks Coffee Korea said Thursday it has received a presidential award for its effort to contribute to restoring the country’s cultural assets and honoring it heritage and history. The award ceremony which took place at Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation on Friday was attended by some 100 awardees.  The local unit of Starbucks Coffee joined hands with the Cultural Heritage Administration in 2009 and has conducted various activities to protect cultural assets and support descen

• Today

  

  Diplomatic Circuit

  [Diplomatic circuit] [Meet the diplomat] Egypt is eager for transfer of technology, economic growth: Egyptian envoy

  Special committee under Egyptian PM office formed to address difficulties of S. Korean companies

• Today

  

  Diplomatic Circuit

  [Diplomatic circuit] UAE celebrates 48th National Day with positive outlook on bilateral ties

  The UAE Embassy in Seoul celebrated the 48th National Day and noted that bilateral cooperation between the both countries has increased considerably in the last decade from a strategic partnership in 2009 to a special strategic partnership last year, a top Emirati diplomat in Seoul said.“With regard to the bilateral relations with the friendly Republic of Korea, the ties witnessed significant progress over the past decade. … As a result, the existing fields of cooperation have expan

More Stories

SPOTLIGHT

• Film

  

  Disney's 'Frozen 2' becomes biggest animation hit in S. Korea

  Walt Disney's "Frozen 2" continued its bullish mode in the South Korea box office over the weekend to become the most successful animated film in the country's history, data showed Monday.Released Nov. 21, "Frozen 2" had attracted a cumulative 10.7 million moviegoers as of Sunday, slightly surpassing the 10.3 million tallied by its prequel "Frozen" in 2014, according to the data by the Korean Film Council. It became the most-viewed animated film in South Korea, rele

• 

  People

  'Benson,' 'Star Trek' actor Rene Auberjonois has died at 79

  LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Rene Auberjonois, a prolific actor best known for his roles on the television shows "Benson'' and "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' and his part in the 1970 film "M.A.S.H.'' playing Father Mulcahy, has died. He was 79. The actor died Sunday at his home in Los Angeles of metastatic lung cancer, his son Remy-Luc Auberjonois told The Associated Press.Rene Auberjonois worked constantly as a character actor in several golden ages, from the dynamic theater of the 1960s t

• 

  Film

  'Parasite' named best film by LA film critics

  South Korean auteur Bong Joon-ho's family satire "Parasite" has been awarded three prizes, including Best Film, by the film critics association in Los Angeles, the association said Monday.The LA Film Critics Association said it chose "Parasite," the winner of this year's Cannes' Palme d'Or, as the best film of the year, with Martin Scorsese's crime film "Irishman" coming in next.Moreover, Best Director was given to the film's director Bong Joon-ho, while actor Song

• 

  Arts&Design

  Wael Shawky reconstructs Arab history through art

  Imagine a Middle Eastern man walking bare feet on the streets of Mecca in the 1970s, who soon takes out his keys and drives away in a Cadillac. This interesting juxtaposition of a Bedouin city and the influx of Western influence was a common scene in Mecca at the time, when Wael Shawky was a child in the city. His experiences in Mecca have influenced him a great deal, said Shawky, whose artistic efforts are mainly invested in grappling with the history of Arab world to better understand its

GRAPHIC NEWS

• 

EDITORIAL

• Reenacted brinkmanship

  Seoul’s stance should not be detached from reality amid US-NK confrontation

• Absurd pressure

  Ruling camp’s warning and threats, police intervention raise concerns on reforms

VIEWPOINTS

THE INVESTOR

• Mobile & Internet

  

  Korean investors turn to real estate, less interested in stock market

  Korean investors have been turning their attention toward the real estate market, reflected in an increase in mortgage lending, while cash flows in the equity market have been overall stagnant, recent data showed. According to data released by the Bank of Korea last month, the outstanding balance of mortgage loans held by banks and other financial institutions here came to a combined 830.3 trillion won ($700.5 billion) as of September. The latest data is a noteworthy jump from the corresponding

• 

  LG

  LG Chem, GM deal ups ante in EV battery competition

  The recent announcement for a joint venture between South Korean battery maker LG Chem and US carmaker General Motors has upped the ante in the global competition to secure lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles, according to industry sources on Dec.8. The 2.7 trillion won ($2.3 billion) joint venture for an EV battery factory with production capacity of over 30 gigawatt hours per year in Lordstown, Ohio, was clinched amid GM’s ongoing transition from combustion engine cars to electri

• 

  Economy

  Power market open to private firms, price hike needed for green energy expansion

  South Korea’s efforts to tackle environmental issues related to power generation using conventional technologies are no longer sustainable, and the only way forward -- apart from expanding renewable energy -- is to allow private operators in the sector which is now controlled by state firms, according to Korea Energy Economics Institute President Cho Yong-sung.“Korea should now ponder whether its energy market needs to embrace a free market mechanism in a new era driven by renewable

• 

  Finance

  Foreign investors’ bond holdings hit 6-month low

  Foreign investors in South Korea continued to recoup investments from the local bond market for three consecutive months, dragging the amount of locally listed bonds held by them to the lowest level in six months, according to the financial regulator on Dec.8. The latest data of the Financial Supervisory Service showed foreign holdings of locally listed bonds amounted to 122.3 trillion won ($103 billion) as of Dec.4, dropping from 124.77 trillion won in end-November. It is also the lowest f

K-POP

• 

  BTS performs at 2019 Jingle Ball

• 

  BTS' Suga releases collaboration with Halsey

• 

  What went wrong at MAMA 2019

• 

  Playlist: 10 relaxing IU songs to keep you warm this winter

HERALD INTERVIEW

• People

  

  ‘Koreans are like the Latin people of Asia’

  Fitness guru says people can celebrate life through Zumba

• 

  Industry

  Electricity market competition, price hike needed for green energy expansion

  South Korea’s efforts to tackle environmental issues related to power generation using conventional technologies are no longer sustainable, and the only way forward -- apart from expanding renewable energy -- is to allow private operators in the sector which is now controlled by state firms, according to Korea Energy Economics Institute President Cho Yong-sung.“Korea should now ponder whether its energy market needs to embrace a free market mechanism in a new era driven by renewable

• 

  People

  Women’s colleges relevant in world where men enjoy privileges

  What is the relevance of a women’s college today? “The world is still a place where males have tremendous privileges. Smith is an intervention,” said Kathleen McCartney, president of Smith College, a private women’s liberal arts college in Massachusetts, in an interview with The Korea Herald in Seoul on Nov. 22.“What I hear from alumnae is that they found their voice at Smith,” said McCartney, who was in Seoul as part of an Asian tour, meeting with alumnae and

• 

  Industry

  China’s No. 1 aesthetic laser firm sees Korea as bridge to Asian markets

  Israeli company Alma Lasers, a leading player in China’s skin rejuvenation market, is undertaking an aggressive expansion into South Korea, viewing the country as a strategic market for its brand image. “Korea is a very important market. Being here is not only for revenue -- this is a market that we believe is a bridge to other markets in Asia,” said Lior Dayan, CEO of Sisram Medical, Alma’s parent company, in a conference call interview with The Korea Herald. “When

PHOTO NEWS

• Travel

  

  Once a ghetto, now tourist hot spot

  Gamcheon Culture Village, a hilltop village in Busan’s Saha district, is a tourist hot spot, drawing an increasing number of visitors.Camera-toting tourists from Korea and elsewhere explore terraced rows of small houses, painted in pastel colors, and labyrinth-like alleys, with some so narrow only one person can pass at a time. The town has hidden gems as well -- murals, sculptures, installation art, galleries and eateries.Among its recent visitors was Indonesian President Joko Widodo, who

VIDEO

• People

  

  ‘Koreans are like the Latin people of Asia’

  Fitness guru says people can celebrate life through Zumba

• 

  Diplomatic Circuit

  Paris looks to Korea’s technology, startups for cooperation: French ambassador

  Video shot and edited by Kim So-meeIn South Korea, France is known predominantly for its rich history, sophisticated culture and luxury brands. But take a deeper look into the history between the two countries, and traces of France can be found across South Korea’s core industries.In the digital era, Paris is seeking to bolster cooperation with Seoul in the field of technology and startups, the top French diplomat in Seoul said. “In France, I think we have missed the beginning of thi

• 

  Film

  Ryan Reynolds says ‘6 Undergrounds’ shows how times are changing

  For decades, big-budget Hollywood blockbusters have been linked to the silver screen.But the upcoming release of Michael Bay’s “6 Underground” by global streaming giant Netflix is a reminder that the movie distribution industry is changing fast. “I’ve been lucky enough to work in this business for 25 years now, and I don’t think I’ve worked on a movie of this scale and scope. Just the fact that they’re bringing this to Netflix is a real sign of the

• 

  Travel

  While in Busan, don’t miss 2 things: Excitement and adventure

  The Korea Herald’s intern reporters visited Busan -- the host city of the 2019 ASEAN-ROK summit -- as it was getting boisterous and busy for the international event. Busan has, among other things, stunning mountains and narrow back alleys. It has lustrous coastlines with seagulls and sand. The city is also famous for scorching hot springs and heavenly seafood. Busan is, without doubt, a rollicking port metropolis offering many wonderful things to visitors.From casual cart bars to voguish d

MOST POPULAR

• North Korea intensifies pressure on US as it tries to exact concessions
• Korean Chinese still largest group of foreign residents in S. Korea
• BTS performs at 2019 Jingle Ball
• Trump warns N. Korea could lose 'everything' with hostile acts
• Historical documents show Japan's role in sex slaves: Kyodo
• Speaker to put election, prosecution reform bills to vote this week
• 'Son-aldo!': Mourinho salutes South Korean's wonder-goal
• Korean investors turn to real estate, less interested in stock market
• Air New Zealand named world’s best airline 2020
• LG Chem, GM deal ups ante in EV battery competition

FEATURES

• Technology

  

  LG Chem, GM deal ups ante in EV battery competition

  The Friday announcement for a joint venture between South Korean battery maker LG Chem and US carmaker General Motors has upped the ante in the global competition to secure lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles, according to industry sources on Sunday. The 2.7 trillion won ($2.3 billion) joint venture for an EV battery factory with production capacity of over 30 gigawatt hours per year in Lordstown, Ohio, was clinched amid GM’s ongoing transition from combustion engine cars to electr

• 

  Finance

  Unlisted stock market gains momentum with attention to startups

  Interest in unlisted stocks is projected to further grow as there are no other alternatives to Kosdaq and Konex

• 

  Technology

  Is Vietnam an attractive place for Samsung chip plant?

  Is Vietnam a good place for chipmakers to consider building a high-tech plant? In light of a request by the Vietnamese head of state to Samsung Electronics, the world’s largest chipmaker, many in South Korea are asking whether it is a viable business move.In a private meeting held in Seoul on Thursday, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc asked Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong to consider building a chip manufacturing facility there. The Korean tech giant already has pr

• 

  Economy

  Outlook for Korean economy remains grim

  SEJONG -- South Korea has yet to see any positive signals of an economic revival although the government predicted it would bounce back in the second half of the year.The financial woes of companies are continuing while the stock market is lackluster. In addition, another round of the US dollar’s strong position is aggravating the situation.Korea saw its exports fall by 10.3 percent during the Jan. 1-Nov. 20 period, on year, according to the Korea Customs Service. The nation’s outbou

WEEKENDER

• Music

  

  Hot to trot

  Oldest style of Korean pop undergoing resurgence

• 

  Culture

  Kimchi season

  Health benefits of Korea’s beloved fermented side dish range from anti-cancer to weight control to hair growth

• 

  Food&Beverage

  A culinary journey to Asian neighbors

  Southeast Asian cuisines come marching into the Korean food scene