SPOTLIGHT

• Music

  

  BTS records $116.6m in sales from 'Love Yourself: Speak Yourself' tour

  K-pop superstars BTS clinched $116.6 million in sales through its sensational "Love Yourself: Speak Yourself" world tour, Billboard said Friday.Under the globe-trotting concert tour, BTS staged 20 performances in 10 cities in North and South America, Europe, Japan, Saudi Arabia and finally in South Korea through May to October.  Through the tour, BTS sold a total of 976,283 tickets, averaging 48,814 ticket sales worth $5.8 million per concert, according to figures from Billboard B

• Food&Beverage

  

  Busan’s delectable fare

  War refugees’ soul foods become city’s most sought-after delicacies

• Travel

  

  Shopping for herring: Marketplaces in Busan

  Busan’s vitality is best captured in markets BUSAN -- The port city of Busan has long been a hub for exports and imports. While it relinquished its status as a gateway city to Incheon long ago, it is still a place where one can find a variety of products from in and out of the country. This has given rise to a number of large markets that draw not just merchants and shoppers but tourists too. Here are some of the markets worth visiting in Busan.Jagalchi MarketOne of the most well-known fis

• Travel

  

  A stroll through Korea’s naval history

  Since the early history of the Korean Peninsula, the Han River has served as a strategic waterway and was the center of a power struggle among the Three Kingdoms of Baekje, Silla and Goguryeo.It was also near its banks that Joseon-era kings visited to observe the training of the nation’s Navy.Seoul Battleship Park, located on the river’s northern bank in Mapo-gu, is the first shipbuilding theme park in Seoul, providing an ideal destination for family outings.The 9,952-square-meter ar

LATEST NEWS

• 

  Baseball

  Championship final to pit aces from S. Korea, Japan

  It will be one ace against another when South Korea takes on Japan for the championship of thePremier12 baseball tournament in Tokyo on Sunday night.Left-hander Yang Hyeon-jong will start the game at Tokyo Dome, with the first pitch at 7 p.m. He'll be countered by right-hander Shun Yamaguchi. Yang has been the leader of the South Korean staff at the World Baseball Softball Confederation tournament, going 2-0 with a 0.77 ERA in a team-high 11 2/3 innings.Yang opened South Korea's Premier12 tourna

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  North Korea

  Unification minister to head to US for talks about Kumgangsan project

  Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul was to leave for Washington on Sunday on his first trip to the United States since taking office, with the fate of a long-suspended inter-Korean tourism project expected to be among key topics of discussions. During the seven-day trip, Kim plans to deliver a keynote address at the Korea Global Forum for Peace, an annual seminar his ministry has hosted in Washington, and meet with senior US officials, congressional leaders and experts.US Special Representative f

• 

  Industry

  Samsung Electronics' first labor union under umbrella group sets sail

  Samsung Electronics Co.'s first labor union under a major South Korean umbrella union group set sail Saturday.The union, under the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU), submitted a labor union establishment application to the government Monday and earned the approval two days later.  The union did not unveil the number of its members, but it is known to hover around 500. The union said its first goal is to recruit 10,000 members and that it plans to demand negotiations to the company on

• 

  Technology

  Japan OKs 1st shipment of liquid hydrogen fluoride to S. Korea amid restrictions

  Japan has approved the first export of liquid hydrogen fluoride, one of the key materials under restriction to South Korea, to the neighboring country since it tightened related controls in July, industry sources said Saturday.Tokyo has recently given the green light to a Japanese firm to export liquid hydrogen fluoride to South Korea in the first such case since Tokyo imposed tighter regulations on exports to Seoul of materials that are critical for the production of semiconductors and flexible

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  North Korea

  N. Korean leader watches air show, calls for readiness to fight enemies

  North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attended a military air show and called on pilots to be ready to fight "enemies armed to the teeth," state media said Saturday. The air contest at Wonsan Kalma Airport on the North's east coast was "held by way of letting all the aircraft equipped with maximum armament conduct bombing flight and firing flight under the command of the formation flight by the flight commanding officers," according to the Korean Central News Agency in English. Aft

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  Defense

  S. Korean, Japanese defense chiefs to hold talks ahead of GSOMIA expiry

  The defense chiefs of South Korea and Japan will meet bilaterally in Thailand next week just days before the planned expiry of their intelligence-sharing pact, Seoul officials said Saturday.Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo is scheduled to hold talks with his Japanese counterpart, Taro Kono, on Sunday, in the Thai capital of Bangkok on the sidelines of the 6th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus), the officials well-versed in the issue said.

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  Politics

  National Assembly to hold plenary session to handle 120 bills Tuesday

  The National Assembly is scheduled to hold a plenary session next week to handle bills on people's livelihoods and deregulation, parliamentary officials said Saturday.A plenary meeting is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Tuesday to deal with about 120 bills that have long been pending amid partisan tensions over key reform proposals. National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang and the floor leaders of rival political parties agreed on the parliamentary schedule earlier this week.At issue will be a set of thr

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  Defense

  Esper says US will seek Japan's efforts to resolve GSOMIA issue: Cheong Wa Dae

  US Defense Secretary Mark Esper told South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Friday he will try to persuade Japan to "smoothly" resolve the dispute over the two neighbors' military information-sharing arrangement, according to the presidential office.During a 50-minute meeting with Esper at Cheong Wa Dae, Moon explained his government's basic position that it's "difficult to share military information" with Japan, which has imposed export restrictions against South Korea for a

• 

  Defense

  Wealthy South Korea should pay more for keeping US troops: Esper

  US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Friday that South Korea should pay more for the defense the US provides as it is a wealthy country, amid ongoing talks on a bilateral military cost-sharing deal. Esper traveled to Seoul to hold an annual Security Consultative Meeting with South Korea’s Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo. “South Korea is a wealthy country and could and should pay more to help offset the cost of defense,” Esper said in a press conference following the meeting.

• 

  Foreign Affairs

  Japan, S. Korean business groups discuss ways to cool tensions

  TOKYO (AP) -- Officials and business leaders from Japan and South Korea have met in Tokyo seeking to cool a flare up in tensions between the two US allies.The head of Japan's powerful Keidanren business group, Hiroaki Nakanishi, said Friday that the two sides have a track record of handling problems by "sharing wisdom." He said that it was important to have "mutual trust and understanding" and to keep exchanging views.His South Korean counterpart said he was hoping for a brea

GRAPHIC NEWS

OPINION

• Viewpoints

  

  Popular protests carry serious risks

  People all over the world are resorting to mass demonstrations to express grievances and press unmet demands. While, in some ways, popular protests are a triumph of democratic principles and civic activism, they also carry serious risks, including violence by and against protesters. Their pervasiveness today points to a failure of governments, democratic and authoritarian alike, to hear, let alone meet, the needs of their people.The issues at stake are wide-ranging. In Catalonia, demonstrators a

• Viewpoints

  

  University program teaches ‘rule of law’ amid Sino-US tensions

  On every visit I’ve made to China, I’ve looked at issues connected with rule of law, a concept interpreted very differently here and in the US.On this trip, I decided to check out a joint program between Temple University and the law school at Tsinghua University, one of China’s finest, a program that is celebrating its 20th anniversary.Temple’s “Rule of Law” master’s degree program, taught on the sprawling, leafy Tsinghua campus, draws Chinese professio

THE INVESTOR

• Mobile & Internet

  

  Gen Z youth prefer emerging e-commerce platforms, shun Coupang

  South Korea’s e-commerce market has several big players -- Coupang, 11st Street, WeMakePrice and G-market -- which are engaged in cut-throat competition and are gnawing at the business of offline retailers. But they are not necessarily preferred by young Koreans. According to App Annie, Generation Z youth (those born in the mid-90s) prefer unique online secondhand market places like Bungaejangter along with fashion shopping malls ZigZag and Musinsa. There are 6.46 million Gen Z youth in So

• Startups & Investors

  

  S. Korean startups use M&As to improve apps, services

  Let’s say a car-sharing startup tries to launch a business. It will essentially have to buy cars and develop a mobile app for people to use. But that is just the beginning.The startup realizes cars operate remotely, so it finds a need to a control-system for cars -- which have to be regularly maintained, fixed and insured. To address growing number of users, the company has to look for a financing method to buy more cars. For future growth and competitive edge, it colle

• Samsung

  

  Samsung sees market share improve in Japan in Q3

  Tech giant Samsung Electronics saw its share of the Japanese smartphone market increase in the third quarter, according to market research firm Strategy Analytics on Nov. 15.The South Korean smartphone maker shipped some 500,000 smartphones during the July-September period in Japan. The figure accounted for 6.7 percent of the Japanese smartphone market, up from 2.4 percent a year ago. However, it is far lower than the 9.8 percent posted in the second quarter this year, which represented the high

• Bio & Medicine

  

  Celltrion Pharm posts W47.43 b sales in Q3

  Celltrion Pharm, the generic arm of Celltrion, announced Nov. 14 that its sales jumped 36.6 percent in the third quarter from a year earlier to 47.43 billion won ($40.7 million).The South Korean company added that its operating profit and net profit moved into the black this quarter, respectively posting 3.99 billion won and 2.04 billion won.“Our chemical drugs are showing steady growth and also market shares for our biosimilars -- Remsima, Herzuma and Truxima -- are growing. This has cont

K-POP HERALD

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  Eric Nam talks about first English album, hopes of winning over global fans

• 

  Return of 1st-generation K-pop bands bring old fans back together

• 

  Blackpink becomes 1st K-pop group to have music video with over 1b YouTube views

HERALD INTERVIEW

• K-pop

  

  Zico returns with new reflective album ‘Thinking’

• Film

  

  Actress knocks up marionette story in directorial debut, ‘Judy and Punch’

• Arts&Design

  

  Shaping crude warmth into tableware and more

• Diplomatic Circuit

  

  Korea must develop strategy to be seen as ‘attractive’: soft power expert

PHOTO NEWS

• Travel

  

  A stroll through Korea’s naval history

  Since the early history of the Korean Peninsula, the Han River has served as a strategic waterway and was the center of a power struggle among the Three Kingdoms of Baekje, Silla and Goguryeo.It was also near its banks that Joseon-era kings visited to observe the training of the nation’s Navy.Seoul Battleship Park, located on the river’s northern bank in Mapo-gu, is the first shipbuilding theme park in Seoul, providing an ideal destination for family outings.The 9,952-square-meter ar

VIDEO

• Diplomatic Circuit

  

  Mexico top diplomat in Seoul optimistic on Seoul’s Pacific Alliance associate membership prospects

• Diplomatic Circuit

  

  ASEAN delegation relishes ASEAN-Korea Train, future of ASEAN-Korea

• Food&Beverage

  

  A mix of ‘nogari’ and beer in Euljiro, Seoul

• Industry

  

  Looking beyond today’s crises and into the future

FEATURES

• Social affairs

  

  Will K-pop singer Steve Yoo be allowed into South Korea?

  Once a K-pop icon, Steve Seung Jun Yoo, also known as Yoo Seung-jun, is ever closer to entering South Korea again for the first time in more than 16 years.With the exception of a brief sojourn in 2003, the Korean American singer and actor has not been able to set foot in his motherland since he chose to become a US citizen, which immediately relieved him of his duty to serve in the military in Korea. Korea’s Military Manpower Administration, or MMA, viewing his US naturalization in 20

• Social affairs

  

  Year of soccer, Olympics, elections coming up

  SEJONG -- The 2010s will terminate in about 50 days, and South Korean politics will face a turbulent time from the beginning of the 2020s as the nation has already entered the election mode for the 21st Assembly.In 2020, the general election for the National Assembly is slated for April 15, while there will be a presidential election in the US on Nov. 3.Meanwhile, next year will also feature big international sports events.People in Europe and across the globe are waiting for opening of the

• Politics

  

  President’s detractors cite economy as No. 1 reason

  But Moon supporters say prosecution reform is main factor: poll

• Health

  

  Using robotics in dementia prevention, care

  An orb with a set of ears, blinky eyes and the voice and speech manners of a chatty child is making advances in dementia therapy at a hospital in Seoul. Named Bomy, the robot assists cognitive training for patients in the early stages, or at the risk of developing dementia.Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital’s Robot-assisted Cognitive Training Center opened its doors in April, and is headed by Dr. Kim Geon-ha, a neurologist who has been researching related technologies since 2009. The