SPOTLIGHT

• Music

  

  'League of Legends' virtual K-pop group slays the charts

  “POP/STARS” by virtual K-pop girl group “K/DA,” composed of game characters from online multiplayer arena game “League of Legends,” has made it to the top of the US iTunes’ K-pop and Billboard’s World Digital Song Sales charts, following its release on Nov. 3.“K/DA Ahri, K/DA Evelynn, K/DA Kai’Sa, and K/DA Akali take the world stage with their debut single,” reads the description of the song’s music video on YouTube, which had garnered nearly 55 million views as of Wednesday. (Billboard)On Billb

• Music

  

  E’Dawn cuts ties with Cube Entertainment

  E’Dawn from boy band Pentagon is leaving Cube Entertainment.The singer, who was mired in controversy after going public with his relationship with fellow singer HyunA, will no longer be at Cube Entertainment as of Wednesday, the agency confirmed in a statement.“Cube Entertainment agreed with E’Dawn to end his contract on the 14th,” the statement read. (E'Dawn's Instagram)The decision comes nearly a month after the agency cut ties with female solo artist HyunA, who remains romantically connected

• Social affairs

  

  Dashcam footage of man throwing food at drive-thru employee goes viral

  A video clip of a man throwing food at a fast-food drive-thru employee in Ulsan has gone viral after being shared Sunday on Bobae Dream, a South Korean internet community for car lovers. The video has triggered public fury against the man for abusing his power against the McDonald’s employee, an act locally known as gapjil, by using his status as a customer. The video has exceeded over 120,000 views on Bobae Dream as of Tuesday. (YouTube)In the 26-second video shot by a drive-thru customer waiti

• Music

  

  Big Hit apologizes for recent BTS wardrobe controversy

  BTS' agency Big Hit Entertainment has issued a statement over the recent controversies surrounding its artists' wardrobe choices."We don't condone any activities of war or the use of atomic weapons. ... We had no intention to hurt victims of the dropping of atomic bombs," it said Tuesday night, referring to the controversy regarding BTS member Jimin's T-shirt that had an image of an atomic bomb.(Big Hit Entertainment)It was the company's first public statement on the issue since Japanese music p

LATEST NEWS

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  North Korea

  N. Korean officials arrive in S. Korea to attend int'l forum

  A group of North Korean officials arrived in South Korea on Wednesday to attend an international forum and tour various local facilities.The five-member delegation is led by Ri Jong-hyok, vice chairman of the Korean Asia-Pacific Peace Committee. They arrived at Incheon International Airport in the evening."I am very pleased to step onto the South's soil at a historic time when North-South relations have entered a turning point," Ri told reporters upon arriving at the airport just west of Seoul. 

• 

  Foreign Policy

  Moon asks Moscow to play bigger role in prompting denuclearization steps from Pyongyang

  Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday hinted that sanctions on North Korea should be eased, in a meeting with President Moon Jae-in in Singapore, Cheong Wa Dae said. “President Putin said that if North Korea’s denuclearization measures have advanced, there should be corresponding measures,” Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Kim Eui-kyeom said. The comment falls in line with Moscow’s stance that some sanctions on North Korea could be eased in light of recent developments.  President Moon Jae-in

• 

  World News

  China permits online sale of group tour programs to S. Korea

  China lifted a ban on the online sale of group tour programs to South Korea on Wednesday imposed in retaliation for the deployment of an advanced US missile defense system on the peninsula.Ctrip, a leading travel agency in China, decided to restart the online marketing of related products nationwide in a meeting of executives and immediately posted them on its website. They include a five-day tour program involving Seoul and Gangwon Province. (Yonhap)The move was in accordance with new guideline

• 

  Foreign Policy

  Moon extends condolences over Laos dam accident

  SINGAPORE -- President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday extended his condolences to the people of Laos over an accident at a dam construction site in July that resulted in multiple fatalities. Speaking during a meeting with Laotian Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith, Moon promised further aid to support the recovery efforts and the rebuilding of the dam. President Moon Jae-in and Prime Minister of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith shake hands ahead of their meeting in Singapore on Wednesday. Yonhap“I extend my c

• 

  Social affairs

  Ratio of unredeemed student loans edges up in 2017

  　The ratio of South Korea's unredeemed student loans rose in 2017 for the first time amid the country's unstable job market, government data showed.　According to data from the National Tax Service, 14.5 billion won ($12.8 million) in student loans that should be repaid after borrowers' employment was not paid back last year, accounting for 8.1 percent of the total of such loans, tallied at 179.4 billion won.　The ratio was up from 7.3 percent the previous year, marking the first on-year increase

• 

  Soccer

  Full Korean football squad starts training in Australia

  The full South Korean football squad on Wednesday started training in Australia for two upcoming friendly matches. South Korea, led by head coach Paulo Bento, had two training sessions at Perry Park in Brisbane, Australia, with all 24 players in attendance. The Taeguk Warriors are scheduled to face Australia on Saturday and will take on Uzbekistan three days later in Brisbane. The men's national team arrived in the Australian city on Tuesday but wasn't able to train with the full squad as VfL Bo

• 

  Foreign Affairs

  Moon to meet with Pence in Singapore on Thursday

  SINGAPORE -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in plans to meet with US Vice President Mike Pence on the sidelines of a regional summit in Singapore on Thursday, the presidential spokesman said Wednesday.The one-on-one meeting comes as North Korea's denuclearization process has made little headway in recent weeks, with the planned high-level talks between the US and the North having been called off at the last minute last week.Pence also said in an article contributed to the Washington Post last w

• Editorial

  Tug of war

  US-N. Korea in deadlock over denuclearization; concerns increasing

• 

  Theater

  Mariinsky Ballet’s Spanish rom-com comes to Seoul

  The Mariinsky Ballet will perform “Don Quixote” at the Sejong Center in Seoul from Thursday to Sunday, with ballerino Kim Ki-min and ballerina Viktoria Tereshkina in the lead roles. The production is Alexnader Gorsky’s version of the ballet, created in the early-20th century. It is a reinvention of choreographer Marius Petipa’s work, which premiered in 1869 at the Bolshoi Theatre. The Mariinsky Ballet’s Kim Ki-min performs as the poor barber Basilio in Gorsky’s “Don Quixote” (Mariinsky Theatre)

• 

  Foreign Policy

  Former senior judge indicted in judiciary power abuse probe

  State prosecutors on Wednesday indicted a former senior judge, a key suspect in a judicial power abuse scandal involving former top court officials.  The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office charged Lim Jong-hun, former deputy head of the National Court Administration, the top court's administration affairs body, with abuse of power, dereliction of duty and obstruction of justice, among others, its officials said.  (Yonhap)Lim. 59, was arrested on Oct. 27. Lim is suspected of being the key

GRAPHIC NEWS

OPINION

• Columnists

  

  Tussle with China in Mekong basin

  Countries in the Mekong basin, notably those located in the lower part of the river -- Asia’s seventh longest -- are in need of a collective strategy to secure their future, given China’s control of the upstream part and ongoing changes in global geopolitics.The 4,909-kilometer river runs from Tibet in China through Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. But only its lower portion is regulated by an international agreement and an organization.The lower part is popularly known as Mekong w

• Columnists

  

  NK's missile work not surprising

  Ever since he met with Kim Jong-un last June in Singapore, US President Donald Trump has spoken of his North Korean summitry with pride. The nuclear crisis, he has assured the world, is defused. Diplomacy continues. Sanctions remain.Experts have known for some time that these talking points were shaky. On Monday, analysts at the Center for Strategic and International Studies proved it. The center released a report using commercial satellite imagery to show that North Korea continues to work on i

THE INVESTOR

• Bio & Medicine

  

  Trading of Samsung BioLogics shares halted

  The trading of Samsung BioLogics shares was halted as Korea’s Financial Services Commission concluded on Nov. 14 that the contract drug manufacturer intentionally breached accounting rules in 2015.  The case will be referred to prosecutors. The FSC said the Samsung unit falsely recognized massive gains in its 2015 books by estimating the value of its controlling stake in Samsung Bioepis, a joint venture with Biogen, with a new accounting method. Related: Samsung BioLogics reacts t

• Startups & Investors

  

  The Investor’s Choice 2018 to crown top startups on Nov. 28

  The Investor’s Choice 2018, an awards ceremony focused on promising startups hosted by The Korea Herald’s investment news platform The Investor, will be held on Nov. 28.The one-day event aims to celebrate startups that have demonstrated the highest level of innovation this year and seeks to encourage open discussions about startups that are breaking new ground here. The ceremony will kick off with opening remarks by Herald Corp. Chairman Jungwook Hong. Fleur Pellerin, co-founder a

• Automobiles

  

  US hedge fund Elliot renews pressure on Hyundai

  US activist hedge fund Elliott Management ramped up its pressure on Hyundai Motors on Nov. 13 demanding to return excessive capital of 16 trillion won (US$14.12 billion) to shareholders and sell non-core assets. In an open letter to Hyundai Motor and its affiliates Kia Motors and Hyundai Mobis, the US hedge fund led by billionaire Paul Singer said that the Korean group owns excessive capital and its shareholder returns lag behind industry peers such as General Motors and Toyota Mo

• Startups & Investors

  

  Ant Financial highlights SMEs, blockchain, global partnerships for further growth

  Ant Financial, an affiliate of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, said on Nov. 14 it will continue to focus on helping merchants and small and medium enterprises, implement blockchain technology and boost tie-ups with global partners in order to expand its reach globally. The Hangzhou-based firm operates Alipay, one of China’s most popular mobile payment systems with more than 700 million active users, about half of the country’s population. Consumers connect their bank accounts to

K-POP HERALD

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  E’Dawn cuts ties with Cube Entertainment

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  NCT 127 to release new album

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  Jennie becomes glitter queen in photo shoot

HERALD INTERVIEW

• Foreign Policy

  

  ASEAN important for Korea’s peace as well as prosperity: ambassador

• Diplomatic Circuit

  

  Tapping Korean experience to tackle world’s development challenges

• Technology

  

  Meet 'Faker': Korean League of Legends talent extraordinaire

• Diplomatic Circuit

  

  Combining humanitarian, development aid key to sustainable rehabilitation: Turkish envoy

PHOTO NEWS

• Social affairs

  

  Koreans rally behind senior students before college entrance exam

  Wednesday in South Korea was an orientation day to prepare high school seniors for Thursday’s national college entrance examination, or Suneung. Before the seniors departed for their designated test sites, many younger students wished them the best with a variety of special activities.Students at Seoul High School put on a concert as a way of encouraging their seniors ahead of the test.Local communities also showed their support for the test-takers. Volunteers responsible for helping students ar

VIDEO

• Television

  

  K-pop stars rock red carpet looks at 2018 MGA

• Music

  

  BTS on red carpet at 2018 MGA

• Social affairs

  

  Modernized hanbok setting trend, reinterpreting tradition

• Technology

  

  Koreans line up overnight for Apple’s most expensive phones

FEATURES

• Economy

  

  Shorter workweek adds to corporate woes

  Local companies are struggling to adapt to a shorter workweek and calling for greater flexibility in its application, but their calls face vehement objections from the country’s umbrella labor groups.Under a recently revised law, the maximum weekly working hours have been reduced to 52 from 68. The revisions took effect in July for companies with 300 or more employees and will also affect smaller businesses in the coming years.There seems to be public consensus here that Korea’s notoriously long

• Automode

  

  Elliott demands of Hyundai Motor draw mixed views

  Some say US hedge fund’s move intended to boost share prices, others call it ‘reasonable’ request

• Industry

  

  Naver Labs, SoCar partner for self-driving technologies

  Naver Labs, the research and development arm of search engine giant Naver, and local car-sharing firm SoCar have signed an agreement to cooperate in the development of driver assistant technologies and detailed maps based on self-driving technologies, according to the firms on Wednesday. Under the agreement, Naver Labs will be in charge of developing an advanced driver-assistance system and detailed maps, to contribute to the safety of SoCar drivers. An advanced driver-assistance system has safe

• Social affairs

  

  Seoul to crack down on taxis that refuse passengers, starting Nov. 15

  The Seoul City Government will tighten regulations on taxis that refuse passengers, before raising taxi fare this year.The city said Tuesday it will exercise the right to crack down on taxis that refuse passengers starting Thursday, taking away the right previously exercised by districts.  (Yonhap)It also said it will strictly enforce the “three strikes out” system introduced in 2015, which revokes the cab licenses of taxi drivers and taxi companies found to have refused passengers more than thr