SPOTLIGHT

• North Korea

  

  2 NK fishermen express desire to defect, 2 others sent back

  Two of the four North Korean fishermen rescued from the East Sea last week expressed a desire to defect to South Korea, while the two others were sent back to the North according to their wishes, the unification ministry said Tuesday.South Korea returned the two crew members at the border village of Panmunjom earlier in the day after notifying the North of the incident via their joint liaison office in Kaesong on Monday, a ministry official said. "Based on their free will, two have clearly

• Automode

  

  Porsche Korea opens world’s 8th studio in Gangnam

  Porsche Korea, local unit of the German luxury carmaker, opened a new studio in Gangnam, southern Seoul, on Tuesday, in a bid to appeal better to younger customers.The new retail format introduced by the carmaker is the eight of its kind in the world and has been opened to provide a wide-ranging brand experience, from cars to custom-made accessories. “Porsche Korea will position ‘Porsche Studio Cheongdam’ as a cultural space where existing customers as well as potential cl

• North Korea

  

  NK media reports on 'Parasite' popularity, highlights downside of capitalism

  A North Korean propaganda media outlet carried a report on South Korea's Cannes-winning film, "Parasite," on Tuesday, saying the movie shows that the South's society is seriously ill with the cancerous problem of the rich-poor gap.The article in DPRK Today, one of the North's propaganda websites, marks the first time that a North Korean state media outlet has mentioned the winner of the Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival. It is rare for a North Korean media outlet to report

• Social affairs

  

  Police open probe into YG founder, B.I in suspected drug scandal

  SUWON -- Police on Monday opened an investigation into allegations that Yang Hyun-suk, founder of entertainment powerhouse YG Entertainment, attempted to cover up drug charges involving one of YG’s artists years ago.Yang resigned as CEO and chief producer of YG Entertainment on Friday after an informant claimed he attempted to deter a police probe into a suspected drug purchase by B.I, the songwriting leader of K-pop boy band iKON, in 2016.　　The Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency said

LATEST NEWS

• 

  Social affairs

  Police seek arrest warrant for KCTU head

  The police have requested an arrest warrant for Kim Myung-hwan, the chairman of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, on charges of planning and carrying out illegal protests in front of the National Assembly in March and April, the police said Tuesday.The latest move comes at a sensitive time, amid heightening tensions among labor, management and the government over South Korea’s pending ratification of four core International Labor Organization conventions.The hard-line Korean Confed

• 

  Social affairs

  Police question suspect in ex-YG boss’s sex-for-favors allegation

  The special investigation squad of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency recently summoned a key figure in sex-for-favors suspicions surrounding former YG Entertainment founder and chief producer Yang Hyun-suk, the police said Tuesday.The suspect, known as “Madam Jung,” reportedly has ties with high-profile figures. MBC’s investigative program “Straight” raised the allegation that Yang had called in over 10 prostitutes through Madam Jung to a meeting with eight inves

• 

  Technology

  Naver deserves credit for its presence on Google-dominant scene: founder

   Naver, the reigning search engine in South Korea, should receive credit for its presence on the Google-dominant scene, its founder said Tuesday.　“I am proud to have built a search engine in our own language, allowing our own people to use the platform,” Lee Hae-jin, the billionaire founder of South Korea‘s top portal operator Naver Corp., said in a forum here.　Appearing after a two-year absence from the public eye, Lee said there are very few countries in the world where

• 

  Economy

  Fitch cuts growth outlook for S. Korea to 2 percent

  Global credit appraiser Fitch Ratings has substantially slashed its growth outlook for South Korea‘s economy this year to 2 percent, citing weaker underlying momentum.The latest forecast, contained in its global economic outlook report posted on its website Monday, represented a sharp downward revision from its previous forecast of 2.5 percent in February. Fitch said the South Korean economy would grow 2.6 percent in both 2020 and 2021.The South Korean economy expanded 2.7 percent in 2018,

• 

  Soccer

  Pro football enjoys significant jump in attendance

  South Korean football is at a fever pitch.The K League 1, the country‘s top pro football circuit, has enjoyed a 53.1 percent increase in average attendance compared to a year ago, data showed Tuesday.The K League said that through the first 16 matches this season, the 12 clubs have averaged 8,408 fans per game, compared to 5,492 fans per match after the same number of matches a year ago.Daegu FC have been the driving force. They have drawn 10,397 fans per match at DGB Daegu Bank Park, up f

• 

  Social affairs

  Two cultural assets allowed to be permanently taken out of country

   Two modern folding screens, called “byeongpung” in Korean, will be legally taken out of the country for permanent overseas display for the first time, the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) said Tuesday.　　“The cultural assets committee has permitted the ‘Chaekgado’ and ‘Yeonhwado’ byeongpung to be transferred to the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia, permanently through a review,” the administration said.　　The 326.5 cen

• 

  Social affairs

  Jeju murder victim’s brother gives account of what happened before, on and since May 25

  JEJU CITY -- A 36-year-old man was killed at a pension in Jeju Island. His body was dismembered and disposed of in the sea. Police suspect his ex-wife, Koh Yu-jeong, of the crimes.The man, identified only by his surname Kang, leaves behind a 6-year-old son, whom he had not seen since his divorce from Koh in 2017. Koh, who took custody, did not allow his visits until the very day he died. On May 25, the two ex-spouses were scheduled to meet for a day out with their son. Kang’s family said s

• 

  World

  115 million men and boys married as children: UNICEF

  　An estimated 115 million boys and men worldwide were married as children, 23 million of them before the age of 15, UNICEF said in the first ever in-depth study of child grooms.　The Central African Republic had the highest prevalence of child marriage among boys at 28 percent, followed by Nicaragua at 20 percent and Madagascar at 13 percent.　Data from 82 countries showed that boys are being married at high rates around the world: in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, South Asia, East Asia and Oc

• 

  North Korea

  Will Xi’s Pyongyang visit create momentum for stalled nuclear talks?

  Experts suggest China could use nuclear issue as leverage to resolve trade war with US

• 

  Social affairs

  Prosecution assigns complaint against Moon to criminal department

  The prosecution on Tuesday assigned the complaint brought against President Moon Jae-in by Rep. Kwak Sang-do of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party to a criminal investigation department. In the complaint, filed June 13, Kwak alleges that Moon violated related regulations by calling for an investigation into former Vice Minister of Justice Kim Hak-eui, as well as other current and past cases.  On March 18, Moon called on the police and the prosecution to look into the Kim Hak-eui case a

GRAPHIC NEWS

OPINION

• Columnists

  

  Japan’s quiet moves toward accepting immigrants

  The Olympics are no longer the big global moment that they were in the late 20th century, but, as events surrounding the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang showed, they still have symbolic power. The Summer Olympics in 2020 will be held in Tokyo, and a short visit on the way back to the US from South Korea reveals the effects of the symbolic power of the Olympics.As expected, the city is investing heavily in infrastructure. Many train and subway stations are being upgraded. New hotels are going up a

• Columnists

  

  The best-case scenario vs. the worst-case scenario

  We still remember that in the past our military dictators vastly exaggerated the threat from North Korea to justify tyranny, intimidating people with the fear of imminent war. Ex-military generals frequently triggered that fear so they could suppress the general public. At that time, the right-wing dictators bragged, “We are the only ones who can prevent war from breaking out on this peninsula.”Today, the situation is reversed. Now, the left-wing politicians who fought against the mi

THE INVESTOR

• Stocks & Bonds

  

  S.M. Entertainment pressed to answer activist shareholder’s demands

  S.M. Entertainment, South Korea’s largest K-pop powerhouse by market cap, is at a crossroads having to decide on taking action ahead of a deadline issued by an activist investor to merge with another firm owned by founder and Executive Producer Lee Soo-man.S.M. must respond by June 20 to these and other demands by KB Asset Management, which has publicly called on Like Agency -- a private company owned by Lee -- to be merged with the entertainment firm in order to keep intact the corporate

• Economy

  

  Goldman Sachs lowers growth forecast for S. Korea, expects two rates cuts

  Goldman Sachs, a leading global investment banking group, said on June 18 it is cutting South Korea’s growth forecast for this year and next. 　The slash is based on the prospect of a smaller-than-expected rebound in the second-quarter GDP growth and a prolonged elevation in trade tensions this year, it said. The group added it expects the Bank of Korea to cut interest rate twice over the coming year by 25 basis points each. It cited escalation in US-China trade tensions and a delayed

• Mobile & Internet

  

  SK hynix’s new China plant to stay idle over Huawei fallout

  Memory chip powerhouse SK hynix is slowing down the pace to ramp up production at its new Chinese plant amid mounting concerns over the negative consequences of the escalating US-China trade war.The Korean chipmaker planned to start full operations of its new DRAM manufacturing plant, called C2F, in Wuxi, in the third quarter after the plant was completed in April. The company spent 950 billion won ($800 million) to construct the plant over more than two years, is addition to the existing C2 mem

• Startups & Investors

  

  Taxi-sharing app operator Kornatus snaps W1.2b funds

  South Korea’s taxi-sharing app operator Kornatus said on June 17 it has received 1.2 billion won ($1 billion) in early-stage round funding from domestic venture capital firms, just before the apps’ official launch. Investors in the round include newly founded VC Thoughts Become Things, as well as seasoned Bon Angels and SparkLabs Ventures.Related:Tada Premium gets approval amid controversyTaxi industry, Kakao Mobility reach breakthrough agreementCriticism grows over Kakao Mobility&rs

K-POP HERALD

• 

  Holland’s summer/Pride playlist: 8 songs to check out

• 

  LGBT support growing in K-pop

• 

  Super Junior’s Kyuhyun would choose Changmin as travel buddy

HERALD INTERVIEW

• Technology

  

  S. Korea's top IP official vows to create user-friendly patent system

• Music

  

  Young composer-conductor excited about Seoul-Paris premiere

• Finance

  

  KIS Vietnam to become first foreign brokerage to launch covered warrants in Vietnam

• North Korea

  

  US-China trade war limits Seoul's ability to advance nuke talks

PHOTO NEWS

• Politics

  

  Cry for democracy still rings out in torture rooms

  Right next to the railroad of Namyeong Station in Seoul stands a tall, dark gray building with peculiar-looking windows -- so narrow only a single beam of light passes through. While one would never know from its exterior view, it carries a portion of the turbulent history of South Korea’s democracy that was earned through sacrifice. Constructed in 1976, the seven-story building was the office for the anti-communism investigation division under the National Police Agency, disguised as

VIDEO

• Social affairs

  

  Partisanship pauses for Lee Hee-ho’s funeral

• Industry

  

  Big buyer NHIS signals real estate market trend shift

• Fashion

  

  At 77, silver model dreams of big show

• Food

  

  Trip back to ’90s: visiting ‘seagull meat alley’ in central Seoul

FEATURES

• National

  

  Chinese raids hit North Korean defectors’ ‘Underground Railroad’

  A decade after leaving her family behind to flee North Korea, the defector was overwhelmed with excitement when she spoke to her 22-year-old son on the phone for the first time in May after he too escaped into China.While speaking to him again on the phone days later, however, she listened in horror as the safe house where her son and four other North Korean escapees were hiding was raided by Chinese authorities.“I heard voices, someone saying ‘shut up’ in Chinese,” said

• Foreign Policy

  

  Experts call for cautious approach to Huawei row

  Seoul finds itself pressured by both US and China on Chinese 5G equipment

• Economy

  

  Korea’s household debt-to-income to top 200%

  SEJONG -- The record household debt in South Korea is an Achilles’ heel when it comes to economic growth, as the financial liability of citizens is putting a damper on private consumption.Some market analysts say that Korea’s collective household debt is estimated to have topped 2,000 trillion won ($1.68 trillion). They claim the latest figure of about 1,500 trillion won, released by the Bank of Korea, does not include loans extended to the self-employed.In any case, the outstanding

• Politics

  

  Will Democratic Party defend its 82 seats in capital area?

  SEJONG -- The general election for the 21st National Assembly is coming up in about 300 days, and it will be a crucial moment when ordinary people get their chance to assess the Moon Jae-in administration.Currently, few people expect the results of the parliamentary election to mirror those of the 2018 local elections, when the ruling Democratic Party of Korea scored a landslide victory over its main rival, the Liberty Korea Party. According to a variety of pollsters, President Moon’s