SPOTLIGHT

• Social affairs

  

  Man accused of attacking Japanese woman in Seoul

  The police sent the case of a South Korean man in his 30s to the prosecution Monday, seeking indictment on charges of physical assault and verbal insult.The Seoul Mapo Police Station said the 33-year-old suspect, whose name has not been disclosed, is accused of physically and verbally attacking a 19-year-old Japanese passerby near Hongdae Subway Station on Aug. 23. Pictures and video of the man grabbing the woman by the hair and making malicious statements were posted on social media the same da

• Travel

  

  Travel like a local on Jeju Island

  Airbnb promotes sustainable tourism on Korea’s southernmost island

• Social affairs

  

  Jailed former President Park sent to hospital for surgery

  Former President Park Geun-hye, who is serving a 32-year jail term for bribery, abuse of power and election law violations, was admitted to a hospital for surgery, the Justice Ministry said Monday.　Park was transferred to Catholic University St. Mary’s Hospital in southern Seoul Monday morning for a surgery on her left shoulder.The former president, who has been in the Seoul Detention Center since March 31, 2017, had previously received treatment for herniated disc and other health co

• Technology

  

  Korea’s collaborative streaming service to begin Wednesday

  　South Korea’s three territorial broadcasters and mobile carrier SK Telecom held an event Monday to mark the launch of a massive video streaming service Wednesday, with an aim to attract 5 million paid subscribers by 2023. 　The heads of the broadcasters and SK Telecom gathered in Seoul to celebrate the launch of their new over-the-top video service Wavve, which combines SKT’s Pooq and the broadcasters’ Oksusu into one integrated platform.　The participants pledged to develop Wav

LATEST NEWS

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  Social affairs

  Arrest warrant issued for Cho's relative in fund investment probe

  A Seoul court on Monday issued a warrant to arrest a relative of Justice Minister Cho Kuk as part of a widening probe into corruption allegations surrounding the minister's family. Cho took office earlier this month despite a heated debate among political parties and the general public over suspicions regarding his daughter's education and a family fund investment.The Seoul Central District Court's decision is expected to speed up the probe as the relative, also surnamed Cho, is at the center of

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  Industry

  Dongwon Industries' US unit fined in tuna price-fixing case

  A US federal court has ordered Dongwon Industries' US unit StarKist Co. to pay a $100 million (118 billion won) fine in a canned tuna price-fixing case, the Korean tuna company said Monday. StarKist plans to pay the fine in installments over the next five years. Of the planned payment, $50 million has already been reflected in the upcoming second-quarter earnings results, and the remainder will be factored in the bottom line later, Dongwon Industries said in a regulatory filing. The Pittsburgh,

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  More sports

  After early tournament exit, half Korean tennis player turns eyes to business

  Jessica Pegula's campaign at the Korea Open tennis tournament lasted just one match, but the American player of Korean descent still has much on her plate during her stay in the country -- namely, finding inspiration for her business.Pegula, world No. 60, dropped a grueling match against Ysaline Bonaventure of Belgium, 5-7, 6-2, 6-4, in the first round of the Korea Open on Monday at Olympic Park Tennis Center in Seoul.After outlasting Bonaventure in the first set, Pegula found herself down 5-0 i

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  Music

  Seventeen explores solitude, fear in 3rd full album

  K-pop boy band Seventeen on Monday dropped its third full-length album, "An Ode," a collection of dark, charismatic numbers.The 11-track album marks a sharp turnaround from the characteristic energetic, uplifting music style the band has pursued since its debut in 2015. The record is led by the main track, "Poison: Fear," an R&B dance number, heavy with booming bass sounds.The song comes with a stronger-than-ever dance performance by the mob of 13 performers clad in black

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  More sports

  Korean-American tennis player feels on cusp of reaching next level

  Kristie Ahn's quest for her maiden WTA title got off to a rousing start in Seoul on Monday, as the Korean-American star enjoyed a breezy victory in the land of her parents' birth.Ahn overwhelmed Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland 6-0, 6-0 in the first round of the Korea Open at Olympic Park Tennis Center. This is Ahn's first appearance at this tournament in three years. She was eliminated in the second round in 2017 and didn't play here in 2018.Ahn is riding high from a fourth-round appearance at t

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  Industry

  Seoul has world’s 6th priciest groceries

  Groceries are more expensive in Seoul than in New York or Tokyo, with only five Swiss cities surpassing the South Korean capital in grocery costs, data showed Monday.According to city and country database website Numbeo, Seoul’s groceries price index amounted to 105.01, placing it at No. 6 on a list of 375 major cities. The groceries price index is calculated according to the retail prices of items such as meat, vegetables and fruit, based on data contributed by users. Swiss citi

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  Industry

  Daewoo E&C clinches LNG plant project in Nigeria

  South Korean builder Daewoo Engineering & Construction has clinched a liquefied natural gas plant project in Nigeria, becoming the first Korean builder to be chosen as a prime contractor in the competitive global LNG plant sector.According to Daewoo E&C, it signed a letter of intent with Nigeria LNG last week to undertake planning, equipment purchasing and construction for the Train 7 liquefaction and purification facility on Bonny Island, Nigeria. The Train 7 project is expected to

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  Finance

  S. Koreans hold W61.5tr in overseas accounts

  　South Korean individuals and corporations held a combined 61.5 trillion won ($51.5 billion) worth of wealth in overseas accounts this year, down 7.4 percent from a year earlier, the country’s tax agency said.　The National Tax Service said 696 corporate entities held 55.1 trillion won in June, compared with 551 companies with 59.5 trillion won in overseas accounts a year earlier.　The corporations held the largest amount, 14.81 trillion won, in their accounts in Japan, with their accounts i

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  Politics

  Main opposition leader has head shaved to demand justice minister's resignation

  The leader of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party had his head shaved Monday in a show of protest, calling for the resignation of the justice minister, whose family is embroiled in corruption allegations.In South Korea, politicians sometimes have their heads shaved in public to express dissent over political and social issues.LKP chairman Hwang Kyo-ahn got his head shaved at a plaza in front of the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul in his call for Justice Minister Cho Kuk to step do

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  Technology

  LG Display taps LG Chem president as new chief

  LG Display announced Monday the company’s incumbent chief tendered his resignation and that it has tapped a LG Chem executive as the new leader.Han Sang-beom, current vice chairman and CEO of the panel maker, expressed his willingness to step down from the post during an emergency meeting of the board of directors for the company, which is currently suffering deficits.The board accepted Han’s resignation and tapped Jeong Ho-young, chief operating officer of LG Chem, as the new CEO of

GRAPHIC NEWS

OPINION

• Viewpoints

  

  Why working-class whites aren’t giving up on Trump

  “In some countries, working-class groups have proved to be the most nationalistic and jingoistic sector of the population,” wrote the highly esteemed sociologist and political scientist Seymour Martin Lipset -- 60 years ago last month.In his seminal article “Democracy and Working-Class Authoritarianism,” which appeared in the August 1959 issue of the American Sociological Review, Lipset observed that many in the working class were “in the forefront of the struggle a

• Viewpoints

  

  What’s worse than corrupt billionaires? Socialism

  What’s worse than billionaires who bribe government officials? The “Gangnam Left,” stock pickers may say.The term, and subject of a book by Chonbuk National University professor Kang Jun-man, is a dig at South Korea’s wealthy elite who advocate socialist policies, such as boosting the minimum wage and spending billions to create public-sector jobs. Some of these technocrats have found themselves in hot water recently: President Moon Jae-in’s recently appointed justi

THE INVESTOR

• Stocks & Bonds

  

  S. Korean companies expand presence on Dow Jones indices

  South Korea’s leading businesses are increasing their presence on Dow Jones indices, indicating improvement in the sustainability of companies from Asia’s fourth-largest economy, according to the firms on Sept. 15.  SK Telecom, the country’s biggest mobile carrier, said it has been included on the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for the 12th consecutive year. The telecom giant’s record marks the longest period on the index among Korean businesses and the first a

• Bio & Medicine

  

  Medytox invests in US startup LifeSprout

  Medytox has participated in the seed-funding round of US startup LifeSprout, according to industry sources on Sept. 16.Although the Korean company declined to confirm the specific amount that it has funded, a local news outlet reported that it invested around $1.5 million in this round.The US company secured $6.5 million in total from investors, including Kairos Venture Partners, Triskelion Investments, Maryland Technology Development Corporation, Ginkgo Gofar, and AngelMD also join LifeSprout&r

• Retail & Consumer

  

  KT&G launches new HNB tobacco sticks MIIX Classy

  KT&G, South Korea’s dominant tobacco company, on Sept. 16 announced that it has launched new tobacco sticks MIIX Classy for its heat-not-burn device lil Hybrid.The tobacco maker emphasized that customers will be able to experience taste that is similar to the traditional cigarette. It developed the new product to reduce producing smell that many smokers dislike, which is derived from heating the cigarette sticks.“The new product was launched in response to the continuous request

• Mobile & Internet

  

  KT joins forces with Hyundai for electric bus

  South Korean telecom giant KT announced on Sept. 16 that it would supply automotive solutions, called fleet management system, to manage electric buses manufactured by Hyundai Motor Company.The FMS helps analyze and manage data of electric buses, including GPS coordinates, operating records and the overall vehicle status. “KT and Hyundai will continue to work to develop new services to galvanize the EV sector, which is deemed to replace the conventional car industry in the future,&rdq

K-POP HERALD

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  Music fans flock to stream K-pop classics

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  #Sunmipop: 7 Songs to celebrate the best of Sunmi

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  BTS’ vacation playlist

HERALD INTERVIEW

• Social affairs

  

  ‘Corruption cannot be eradicated, only contained and controlled’

• Industry

  

  New Busan-Jinhae FEZ chief seeks paradigm shift

• Industry

  

  Orsted sees market potential in Korean offshore wind power

• People

  

  ‘The city of Seoul belongs to us’

PHOTO NEWS

• Culture

  

  Where tradition lives on

  The approaching Chuseok holiday is a time of the year that Koreans press pause in their busy day-to-day life and appreciate traditional values of their family, communities and the nation as a whole. Many families visit palaces and famous historic sites during the holiday, usually after performing ancestral rites in the morning of Chuseok, which this year falls on Friday. One of the popular destinations is Namsangol Hanok Village in central Seoul, a traditional village that shows what life was du

VIDEO

• Food&Beverage

  

  Trendy treats on offer at Seoul Dessert Fair 2019

• Industry

  

  How far are we from printing hearts for transplant?

• Foreign Affairs

  

  Views of South Koreans on boycotting Japanese products

• Food&Beverage

  

  Behind South Korea’s ‘fatcaron’ sensation

FEATURES

• Social affairs

  

  Koreans 5 years older, on average, than a decade ago

  SEJONG -- South Korea has become one of several countries undergoing rapid demographic changes that could dent the nation’s competitiveness in the mid- to long term. With fewer babies being born, senior citizens make up a growing proportion of the Korean population and the average age has climbed over the past decade.According to the Ministry of Interior and Safety, the average age reached 42.4 years as of August, as compared with 41.9 a year earlier.The average ages for men and women were

• Politics

  

  Support-rating gap between rival parties narrows

  SEJONG -- The 2020 general election for South Korea’s next National Assembly is coming in about 200 days.A core issue is whether the ruling Democratic Party of Korea will continue to secure its dominance in support ratings over the main opposition Liberty Korea Party.The Democratic Party has yet to yield its leading position in approval ratings among the people since President Moon-Jae-in took office in May 2017.But symptoms of situation change have emerged over the past few months amid sa

• Economy

  

  Korea marks 20th anniversary of FTA talks across globe

  SEJONG -- It has been two decades since South Korea took its first steps into the free trade market, seeking bilateral deals with major world economies in hopes of enjoying tariff benefits.Since launching negotiations toward a free trade agreement with its first partner, Chile, in 1999, Korea has put 15 FTAs in place with three continental trade blocs (that involve 42 countries collectively) and 12 countries.The three trade blocs are the 28-member European Union, the 10-member Associat

• Politics

  

  Moon to pass halfway point with challenges at home and abroad

  SEJONG -- President Moon Jae-in will pass the halfway point in November, finishing the first 30 months of his 60-month term.The Moon administration launched in May 2017, several months after a political scandal involving former President Park Geun-hye and her confidante Choi Soon-sil swept the nation and ignited public fury.The people pinned great hopes on Moon, who stressed justice and fairness in his inaugural speech.Moon’s approval ratings hovered around 70-80 percent during the first y