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  North Korea

  Diplomacy is 'stronger' in standoff with NK: US commander

  By Yeo Jun-suk

  The top US military commander in the Asia-Pacific region said Tuesday that the diplomatic approach is the “stronger and more powerful” means to resolve the standoff with North Korea, adding such efforts should be backed by credible military capability. “Diplomatic maneuver has to be applied first and diplomacy is stronger, effective and more powerful if it is backed by credible military power,” said Adm. Harry Harris, commander of the US Pacific Command, during a press conference at Osan Air Bas

• 

  North Korea

  ‘Preventive war against NK will make matters worse’: US senator

  By Jung Min-kyung

  A senior US senator said Tuesday that the United States will closely cooperate with South Korea to bring North Korea back to the negotiating table and ruled out a preventive war as a way to solve the issues surrounding the Korean Peninsula. “The US can only peacefully resolve the threat of a nuclear North Korea by pursuing a bold realistic strategy in close concert with allies in (South) Korea and Japan,” US Sen. Edward J. Markey, a Democrat from Massachusetts and ranking member of the Senate Su

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  Social affairs

  [From the scene] Hundreds enter draw to watch verdict on Samsung heir

  By Ock Hyun-ju

  With the Seoul Central District Court set to rule on Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong on Friday, hundreds of people formed a long line on Tuesday to win a chance to witness the historic moment in person. As the seat allocation process opened at 10 a.m. at the Seoul Bankruptcy Court in southern Seoul, applicants filled out forms, threw them into a box and crossed their fingers to be one of the lucky 30 people to watch the court issue its verdict on the country’s most prominent busin

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  Economy

  Seoul rejects Washington’s request to revise FTA

  By Julie Jackson

  Chief negotiator Kim Hyun-chong says Korea’s position made ‘very clear’

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  Automode

  Hyundai, Kia become world’s No. 2 green carmaker

  By Cho Chung-un

  Hyundai Motor and its sister company Kia together became the world’s second-largest green carmaker in the first half of the year, taking the No. 2 spot three years earlier than they had planned.　According to IHS Markit, Hyundai and Kia sold a total of 102,480 units of eco-friendly vehicles between January and June, a 126.1 percent increase from the same period last year and similar to their combined annual sales last year. The two carmaking units under Hyundai Motor Group, South Korea’s second-l

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  Industry

  Beer tops alcohol imports for first time

  By Won Ho-jung

  Beer was the most imported type of alcoholic beverage in Korea this year, data showed Tuesday. This was the first time that imports of beer topped imports of other drinks such as wine and whisky. According to the Korea International Trade Association’s data information system, Korea imported $143.92 million worth of beer from January to July this year, marking a 50.5 percent rise from the same period last year. Imports of wine during the same period reached $111.46 million, while that of whisky

NEWSMAKER

• Industry

  

  Samsung Bioepis jumps into new drug development with Japan’s Takeda

  By Sohn Ji-young

  Deal seen as major achievement for Samsung's future business initiated by bedridden Chairman Lee Kun-hee

LATEST NEWS

• Today

  

  Defense

  Remains found on US warship that collided off Singapore: US Navy

  Divers searching for 10 missing sailors on a US destroyer that collided with a tanker off Singapore have found human remains, the commander of the US Pacific Fleet said Tuesday.   The US Navy has announced a fleet-wide global investigation following the latest deadly warship collision, the second in two months.   "The divers were able to locate some remains in those sealed compartments during their search today," Admiral Scott Swift told reporters, referring to a search by divers of compartments

• Today

  

  Economy

  S. Korea says no agreement reached with U.S. on possible

  South Korea and the United States reached no agreement on possible amendments to their free trade pact, Seoul's top negotiator said Tuesday.   The U.S. demanded that Seoul and Washington quickly begin negotiations on amending the free trade agreement (FTA), citing a spike in its goods trade deficit with South Korea after the pact went into effect, Trade Minister Kim Hyun-chong said.   Still, South Korea did not agree with the unilateral U.S. proposal, Kim said, noting any decision should be made

• Today

  

  Automode

  New GM Korea head to meet with labor union

  Kaher Kazem, the newly appointed CEO of GM Korea, met with unionized workers of the company ahead of his inauguration next week, the company said Tuesday. At the meeting, the new local head is expected to ask the labor union for cooperation in improving the company’s competitiveness.Kazem will head GM India until the end of this month. He will begin his post as the new CEO of the Korean unit on Sept. 1, following James Kim.“The new CEO is currently going back and forth between India and Korea to

• Today

  

  North Korea

  Diplomacy is “stronger, powerful” to resolve standoff with NK: US Pacific Commander

  The top US military commander in the Asia-Pacific region said Tuesday that the diplomatic approach is the “stronger and more powerful” means to resolve the standoff with North Korea, adding such efforts should be backed by credible military capability. “Diplomatic maneuver has to be applied first and diplomacy is stronger, effective and more powerful if it is backed by credible military power,” said Adm. Harry Harris, commander of the US Pacific Command, during a press conference at Osan Air Bas

• Today

  

  Social affairs

  Gangnam murderer ordered to pay W50m to victim‘s family

  A Seoul court on Tuesday ordered a man who was convicted of murdering a young woman last year at a public bathroom near Gangnam Station in Seoul to compensate her bereaved family for their mental and physical distress.  Mourners march in tribute to the 23-year-old victim killed at a uni-sex public bathroom near Gangman Station last year during a memorial event held in Gangnam, southern Seoul, in May.(Yonhap)The Suwon District Court’s Seongnam branch ruled that the 35-year-old man, surnamed Kim,

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SPOTLIGHT

• Technology

  

  How much economic impact has Google’s Android OS had in Korea?

  By Sohn Ji-young

  South Korea is one of the world’s most wired countries where close to 90 percent of the population owns a smartphone, with a large number of them made by the country’s tech giant Samsung Electronics. As Samsung’s devices run on Google’s Android operating system, the open source software has undoubtedly had a significant impact on Korea’s digital economy. The question is -- exactly how much economic value has it really generated for local businesses and users?　Google Korea has sought to answer th

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  Social affairs

  Fight over woman results in attempted murder charge

  By Kim Min-joo

  A 53-year old man has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly assaulting another man who had been drinking with his girlfriend.Samsan Police Station in Incheon said early Tuesday that an arrest warrant has been requested for the suspect on charges of attempted murder.On Sunday, the suspect allegedly broke into his girlfriend’s house after she told him on the phone that she was drinking with another man. The other man, when put on the phone with the woman’s boyfriend, allegedly said, “

• 

  Music

  ‘TVXQ Week’ heralds phase 2 of duo’s career

  By Yoon Min-sik

  They’re back.Having started off as teenage heart-throbs before blossoming into artists of international fame, the duo of U-Know Yunho and Max Changmin appeared before the public as TVXQ on Monday, the first time since being discharged from the military.“We’ve been introduced as ‘K-pop kings, and I’m really starting to feel the weight of such an expression. I’m happy to be back and to be able to greet you all as TVXQ,” U-Know Yunho said at a press conference held at Hotel Shilla in Seoul on Monda

• 

  Industry

  Sanitary pads face safety checks after claims of health problems

  By Lim Jeong-yeo

  A range of South Korean female sanitary pads is to undergo a government safety inspection as users raised claims Sunday of hormonal disruption after using the product.Users of Lilian pads have raised claims online that their periods were ending faster than before and with less amount of blood. An anonymous user who claimed to have used the Lilian pads for over a year said her vaginitis had worsened during the time. Promotional image for Lilian sanitary padsTaking note of the spread of negative f

GRAPHIC NEWS

• 

EDITORIAL

• Pyongyang’s next step

  North Korea should not make further provocation

• Helter-skelter response

  Tainted eggs in eco-friendly farms arouse suspicion of certification overissue, cozy public-private ties

VIEWPOINTS

THE INVESTOR

• 

  Retail & Consumer

  IQOS hands-on: Heat, instead of burn

  [THE INVESTOR] Editor’s note -- A few of us at The Investor tried out Philip Morris’ IQOS smokeless cigarettes. Here’s a product review. First of all, what is IQOS, or I Quit Ordinary Smoking? For those who don’t know, the device consists of a charger, a holder and of course, cigarettes. The holder goes into the charger, and when it’s ready to go, you stick specially designed cigarettes called “heets” or “heatsticks” into the end of the holder. After that, it’s the same as smoking a normal cigar

• 

  Bio & Medicine

  Celltrion could attract W300b with KOSPI relisting

  [THE INVESTOR]  Celltrion could attract 300 billion won (US$264 million) of fresh investment if it shifts from secondary bourse KOSDAQ to the benchmark KOSPI, a local securities firm said on Aug. 22.The possible KOSPI transfer will enable the biotech firm to join the KOSPI 200 Index, a capitalization-weighted index of 200 Korean stocks, offering access to passive index tracker funds and exposing it to more active stock pickers. “Celltrion’s KOSPI relisting is a matter of time because there seem

K-POP HERALD

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  EXO to hold Gocheok dome concert again

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  Song-Song couple presents to DOTS co-star

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  Park Seo-joon exudes charisma

HERALD INTERVIEW

• Social affairs

  

  How comfort women statues got to ride Seoul buses

  By Bak Se-hwan

  Owner of bus company on personal mission to protest Japan’s wartime sex slavery

• 

  Film

  Actor Jang Dong-gun once thought himself unattractive

  By Rumy Doo

  Actor known for chiseled looks opens up about midlife slump, aspiration of ‘rough’ male life

• 

  Technology

  Neofect eyes global lead in smart rehabilitation device market

  By Sohn Ji-young

  [Health-tech Korea] Neofect's flagship smart robotic glove uses biofeedback gaming system to make post-stroke rehab more motivating and efficient

PHOTO NEWS

• Culture

  

  Lotus flower, miracle of unwavering purity

  By Korea Herald

  Nothing is more divine than this immaculate and pure flower. Gazing into its large colorful blossoms that rise high above broad green leaves, you’ll be drawn to their blithely beautiful figures, and even find yourself unburdened from worldly cares. The lotus, which comes to its beautiful full bloom in the summer, is a flower that defies logic. With its roots deep in the murky pool, the flower slowly emerges toward the surface and bursts out of the water to reveal its fragrant petals, bearing no

VIDEO

• Industry

  

  Beauty meets IT for customized experience

  By Won Ho-jung

  The Korean cosmetics market is a jungle. With its vast spectrum of cosmetics brands at every price point and rapid-fire changes in the latest trends, it is one of the most competitive consumer industries here.But the zeal of brands to constantly come up with new, exciting products can often overwhelm consumers who find it difficult to decide on products to buy.To increase convenience for customers and to help them find the best products, Korean cosmetics companies have found ways to incorporate

MOST POPULAR

• Racism in Korea, from TV to real life
• Sanitary pads face safety checks after claims of health problems
• [Herald Interview] Actor Jang Dong-gun once thought himself unattractive
• iPhone 8 unlikely to have curved edge display: source
• [Newsmaker] Samsung Bioepis jumps into new drug development with Japan’s Takeda

FEATURES

• 

  Finance

  Banks sway between recruitment and downsizing

  By Bae Hyun-jung

  Major banks are holding off their second-half employment notice, pressed between their financial need for downsizing and the Moon Jae-in administration‘s drive for job creation.While the central bank and a partially state-controlled bank vowed to expand recruitment, most commercial banks prolonged their ambiguous silence, apparently reluctant to make pre-emptive moves.The Bank of Korea said Tuesday that it will hire 70 new employees in the latter half of the year, increasing its recruitment by s

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  Social affairs

  Human rights watchdog examines care facilities for signs of abuse

  By Bak Se-hwan

  The National Human Rights Commission of Korea announced Monday that it will release human rights abuse data from local care facilities that serve people with physical and mental disabilities.(Yonhap)In a joint national survey conducted by the watchdog and three activist groups, some 292 care facilities users nationwide have been interviewed since last month on whether they have experienced abuse. “The in-depth research is part of our effort to look into possible violations of human rights among

• 

  Music

  DJ duo Garenz hopes to fill clubs with own music

  By Hong Dam-young

  The Korea Herald is introducing Korean singers, musicians and actors poised to join the next wave of top stars in a twice monthly series. -- Ed.

• 

  Politics

  Political parties experience internal frictions in push for reform

  By Jo He-rim

  Three months into the new Moon Jae-in administration, political parties across the aisle are experiencing internal friction as they push for reforms before local elections slated for June next year. Ruling Democratic Party of Korea lawmakers are divided over their chairwoman’s plan to establish a committee to improve the party, and change nomination rules for the local elections.Rep. Choo Mi-ae, the party leader, said current party regulations should be changed to allow the nominations of new fi

WEEKENDER

• Culture

  

  Seoul and adventurous after-hours

  By Rumy Doo

  It started out with cabarets and discotheques in the 1980s, when Korea saw an unprecedented economic boom. Seoul’s nightlife has been growing and thriving ever since, giving birth to a myriad of clubs with different themes.(D.Bridge)Back then, nightclubs were places for people to dance and performers to put on shows. Cabarets were home to the middle-aged, usually featuring a live band and bluesy tunes. Dubbed “colatheques,” some venues would offer upbeat music and a lively social atmosphere with