SPOTLIGHT

• Baseball

  

  S. Korea beats US to open Super Round

  TOKYO (Yonhap) -- South Korea defeated the United States 5-1 at an Olympic baseball qualifying tournament in Japan on Monday to inch closer to a spot in the 2020 Summer Games.Designated hitter Kim Jae-hwan launched a three-run home run in the first for South Korea, who added a couple of insurance runs in the seventh to claim its opening game of the Super Round at the World Baseball Softball Confederation Premier12 at Tokyo Dome in the Japanese capital. South Korean starter Yang Hyeon-jong wiggle

• K-pop

  

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

  Blackpink has become the first K-pop group to have a music video with more than 1 billion views on YouTube, the group's Seoul-based agency said Monday.YG Entertainment said that the female group's "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" music video surpassed the threshold in the afternoon, nearly 17 months after it was released last June. Blackpink is the second K-pop artist with the achievement, after singer PSY, whose mega-hit "Gangnam Style" has 3.4 billion views on YouTube.The quartet, who

• Film

  

  ‘Parasite’ biggest commercial success among foreign films in N. America this year

  The Cannes-winning Korean film “Parasite” has garnered more than $11 million in revenue in North America, becoming the most commercially successful foreign language title of this year so far, industry data showed Monday. The film’s revenue from the one-month period since its North American release on Oct. 11 till Sunday came to $11.28 million, according to the data by the US box office and the American magazine Variety. This marks the most revenue garnered by a foreign-lan

• Music

  

  Park Jin-young returns as singer with vaudeville-style number

  Park Jin-young, the founder and chief producer of JYP Entertainment, will return as a singer next month with a vaudeville-inspired fusion song, his agency said Tuesday.The singer-songwriter-cum-entrepreneur, also known as J.Y. Park, will officially release the song, "Fever," on Dec. 1, returning to the K-pop scene as an entertainer, according to the K-pop agency.  The self-produced song brings together the vaudeville music genre with hip-hop. Its choreography is also a reinterpret

LATEST NEWS

• 

  Education

  3 students awarded grand prize at 19th IYF English Speech Contest

  Three students were awarded the grand prize at the 19th International Youth Fellowship English Speech Contest on Saturday.A total of 1,500 students competed nationwide in the regional preliminary competition and the best 78 made it to the finals of the annual speaking contest, held at Sejong Hall in the Seoul Human Resource Development Center.Each of the middle and high school students competing in the finals gave a three-minute speech on one of six topics, including dreams, school violence, pro

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  Social affairs

  Teenager booked for sharing child pornography

  Police booked a high school student in Incheon for sharing child pornography through a mobile messaging application.Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency said Tuesday a teenager -- whose name and age were withheld -- was booked Tuesday for violation of Act on the Protection of Children and Youth from Sexual Abuse. The male student is accused of sharing thousands of online links to pornography through the secure mobile messenger app Telegram.  The police added the boy was different to a teenage

• 

  Film

  Yoon Jung-hee, beloved actress and icon of Korean cinema

  The nationwide reaction to the recent news that Yoon Jung-hee has Alzheimer’s disease was a testament to her place in South Korean cinema today.　Yoon, perhaps not the best-known actress to the younger crowds as she appeared in only one film after 1994, commanded the spotlight in the 1960s and 1970s as one of a “troika” of actresses considered the best and most influential of their time. The other two were Moon Hee and Nam Jeong-im. Born in 1944 as Son Mi-ja, she debuted in 1967

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  Travel

  Wolmi Sea Train celebrates 1-month anniversary

  Wolmi Sea Train, a monorail connecting the island of Wolmido to Incheon, celebrated one month of operations Friday.The monorail sold 37,365 tickets in the first month of its existence, according to Incheon Transit Corporation. It added that the number of people using nearby Incheon Station had jumped 25 percent.Enterprises at Wolmido have been launching promotional products related to the Wolmido Sea Train; for example, those who arrive by train can buy tickets for the Wolmido Cruise at 15,000 w

• 

  Industry

  Hyundai-led consortium picked as preferred bidder for Asiana

  A consortium of HDC Hyundai Development Company and Mirae Asset has been picked as the preferred bidder to acquire the country’s second-largest air carrier Asiana Airlines on Tuesday.The decision comes seven months after the Asiana Airlines’ parent company Kumho Industrial put a controlling 31 percent stake in its air carrier unit up for sale. Three bidders -- Aekyung Group, Hyundai Development Company and Korea Corporate Governance Improvement -- had submitted applications.In a prel

• 

  Economy

  M&A value in S. Korea reaches W7.3tr in H1

  The value of mergers and acquisitions by listed firms in South Korea amounted to 7.3 trillion won ($6.2 billion) in the first six months of this year, data showed Tuesday. There were 139 mergers, spinoffs and business sales in the January-June period, compared with 294 cases worth 38.7 trillion won in 2018, according to the data compiled by the Financial Supervisory Service. The half-year value marked the lowest in two years due to a lack of big name mergers, the FSS said. Inter-affiliate M&

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  Industry

  S. Korea recaptures No. 1 spot in shipbuilding orders in Oct.

  South Korea recaptured the top spot in global shipbuilding orders last month, industry data showed Tuesday, on the back of its dominance in the liquefied natural gas carrier market. In October, local shipyards, led by Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., won orders totaling 1.29 million compensated gross tons to build 17 ships, accounting for 86 percent of the orders placed around the globe, according to London-based Clarkson Research Services Ltd., the world's leading provider of data for the shipping

• 

  World News

  Democrats, GOP to vie for impeachment narrative: on TV

  WASHINGTON (AP) -- Impeachable or not?Both Democrats and Republicans see the televised impeachment hearings starting this week as their first and best opportunity to shape public opinion about President Donald Trump’s dealings with Ukraine.Democrats believe the testimony will paint a vivid picture of presidential misconduct. Republicans say it will demonstrate just how lacking the evidence is for impeachment.They agree on one thing: The stakes are very high.Democrats plan a narrow foc

• 

  Defense

  S. Korea launches new naval frigate on 74th anniversary of Navy foundation

  South Korea launched a new frigate on Monday featuring advanced sonar and power systems to boost anti-submarine capabilities in coastal operations, the Navy said.The launch ceremony for the 2,800-ton FGG-II Seoul took place at Hyundai Heavy Industries Co.'s shipyard in the southeastern port city of Ulsan, according to the Navy. It is the third frigate to be built under the project to secure a second batch of such vessels to replace the Navy's aging frigates and patrol combat corvettes. The

• 

  World Business

  No. of China’s ‘unicorn’ startups exceed US for first time

  　China now has more privately held startups valued by investors at over $1 billion than the US, a report said.　There were 206 Chinese firms out of a global total of 494 ultravaluable startups - known as unicorns - in June 2019, according to the research firm Hurun Report.　This makes China the country with the largest number of unicorns in the world, with the US coming in second with 203 such companies.　According to Hurun, China is home to the world’s three most valuable unicorns - Alibaba

GRAPHIC NEWS

OPINION

• Viewpoints

  

  Using digital technology to narrow opportunity gap

  Although many societies aspire to provide equal opportunities for everyone, that is easier said than done. People born into different economic and social statuses have unequal educational or financial starting points. This often leads to very different career and life opportunities.Digital technology was not invented to tackle inequality, and there is even a risk that it could widen existing economic and social disparities. But, as the case of China illustrates, new platforms also offer many pos

• Viewpoints

  

  Cutting-edge tech in China raises questions about future

  One of the first things I learned on my current trip to Beijing is that foreigners are marooned if they don’t have a Chinese bank account.That’s because China, a global leader in e-commerce, has become a nearly cashless society. Everyone from school kids to grandmas pays for everything with a personal barcode on their cellphone. I mean everything, including bottles of water, rides with DiDi (the Chinese Uber), takeout dinners and haircuts.　International credit cards are rarely accept

THE INVESTOR

• Deals

  

  Korea discount resurfaces as cable TV deal snubs minority shareholders

  South Korea’s antitrust watchdog Fair Trade Commission on Nov. 8. gave the greenlight for LG Uplus’ takeover of cable TV operator CJ Hello, enabling the mobile carrier to capitalize on its pay-TV portfolio and putting the final decision in the hands of the ICT Ministry and the Korea Communications Commission.In the apparent state-driven move to stir economic growth through mergers and acquisitions, the parties concerned in the deal worth 800 billion won ($687 million) appear to have

• Startups & Investors

  

  DamoGo aims to make impact by reducing food waste

  Food tech startup hopes to raise awareness of food waste in KoreaMore than 820 million people still suffer from hunger due to food shortages, according to a recent United Nations report. However, developed nations produce and throw away excessive amounts of food. In South Korea, some 2,000 tons of perfectly good, untouched food is trashed every day.Among the Korean startups tackling food waste issues is DamoGo. Incorporated in August 2018, it sells what the company calls “excess food&rdquo

• Retail & Consumer

  

  Alibaba posts record-breaking sales on Singles’ Day

  China’s Singles’ Day, the country’s biggest shopping blitz created by e-commerce giant Alibaba, hit another record on Nov. 11, selling goods worth 84 billion yuan ($12 billion) in the first hour, jumping 22 percent from the same period a year ago. In the first 10 hours, it sold goods amounting to 168.2 billion yuan, exceeding the total sales volume in 2017. As of 3:10 pm, the sales reached more than 205 billion yuan. This year’s shopping event, also known as Double Eleven

• Retail & Consumer

  

  D’Live hopes to sell Cube Entertainment

  South Korean cable TV operator D’Live is hoping to sell Cube Entertainment, the agency behind K-pop signers BTOB and (G)I-dle, according to industry sources Nov. 11.The company has picked EY Han Young to organize its sale.According to sources, Korean cosmetics company VT GMP, a Chinese entertainment company and Kakao M, a subsidiary of Korea’s top mobile messenger operator Kakao, have shown interest in acquiring Cube Entertainment.Currently, iHQ owns a 30.61 percent stake in the firm

K-POP HERALD

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

• 

  Zico returns with new reflective album ‘Thinking’

• 

  GOT7 talks about name, fans, comeback and ‘TMI’

HERALD INTERVIEW

• 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

• Technology

  

  Kotra aims to give Korean AI players more Silicon Valley exposure

PHOTO NEWS

• Travel

  

  Legacy of 1st Korean pilot remains in Yeouido

  In the financial and banking district of Yeouido in the center of Seoul, part of the oldest airport in the country is preserved to remind people of South Korea’s aviation history.Korea’s very first airport was constructed in 1916 on Yeouido, which was a barren sandbank in the capital city, known as Gyeongseong at the time. In the times when the idea of flying was unfamiliar to most Koreans, tens of thousands gathered in Yeouido to watch world-famous American stunt pilot Art Smit

VIDEO

• 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

• Health

  

  Using robotics in dementia prevention, care

FEATURES

• 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

• Economy

  

  Portion of optimists over economy stays at 13%: poll

  SEJONG -- A variety of polls show that the public disapproval rating for President Moon Jae-in now outstrips his approval rating.According to a survey from Gallup Korea, the portion of respondents who expressed negative opinion toward the president, exceeded the supporters for him for the sixth consecutive week since August.In the pollster’s latest survey, conducted on Oct. 1-2, 51 percent of the 1,000 citizens polled expressed disapproval of Moon’s performance, while the approval ra

• Social affairs

  

  2 in 5 South Koreans aged 50 or over

  Number of 50s-and-above up 47% in the last decade, while population growth stays at 4.3%