SPOTLIGHT

• Film

  

  Film festivals galore

  Film events in the coming weeks will center on animation, LGBT, seniors and more

• North Korea

  

  North Korea may be mass producing biological weapons: report

  North Korea may be mass producing biological weapons in a research lab that studies agricultural chemicals, Pyongyang Bio-Technical Institute, a US media outlet reported Saturday, citing an academic report.Radio Free Asia cited a report released by Belfer Center of Harvard University’s Kennedy School in October, which says the communist state already has biological weapons and its industrial facilities are able to produce such weapons.  This photo shows Kim Jong-un looking around the Pyongyang B

• Social affairs

  

  Koreans in UK cautioned after alleged racist attack on student

  The South Korean Embassy in the United Kingdom has issued a warning to Korean tourists and residents over the possibility of being the target of a hate crime after a Korean student was attacked in Brighton last weekend.The 20-year-old victim was hit in his face in an unprovoked attack in downtown Brighton on Oct .15. Two British teenage boys, aged 16 and 17, were arrested Friday by the local police on suspicion of committing the crime. They allegedly threw a glass bottle at the victim, and when

• Social affairs

  

  Dual citizenships among South Koreans increasing

  More than 85,000 South Korean nationals hold citizenship in another country, a number that is increasing every year, Justice Ministry data showed Sunday.Documents provided for the ongoing parliamentary audit said 85,965 South Koreans held dual citizenship as of the end of August this year, up from 15,235 in 2011. There was an increase every year: 26,846 in 2012, 40,442 in 2013, 53,111 in 2014 and 64,633 in 2015. Officials believe there are more such people than what the latest figure suggests si

LATEST NEWS

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  Golf

  Latest LPGA champion soars in world rankings

  South Korean golfer Ji Eun-hee, the latest LPGA champion, made a huge jump in the latest world rankings Monday.Ji soared 30 spots to reach No. 42 in the rankings on the strength of her victory at the Swinging Skirts LPGA Taiwan Championship in Taipei on Sunday. It was her first LPGA win in eight years.There were no changes at the top, with South Koreans Ryu So-yeon and Park Sung-hyun staying at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively. In this EPA photo taken Oct. 22, 2017, Ji Eun-hee of South Korea holds

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  More sports

  Korean PM optimistic about successful Olympic flame lighting despite rain forecast

  ATHENS -- South Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon said Monday he expects successful lighting of the Olympic flame for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games despite rain forecast. The Olympic flame lighting ceremony for PyeongChang Games will take place at the Temple of Hera in Olympia, Greece, on Tuesday. Following the tradition, the Olympic flame will be lit by the sun's rays using a parabolic mirror at noon, but the local weather forecast showed there's an 80 percent chance of rain on the ceremony

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  North Korea

  Sweden urges N. Korea repay 43-yr-old debts: report

  Sweden has said North Korea is not responding to demands for the repayment of debts it has owed for more than 40 years, Voice of America reported Monday.Citing the 2016 annual report compiled by the Swedish Export Credit Agency, VOA's Korean Service said North Korea's debts to Sweden currently amount to SEK 2.7 billion (around $330 million) and account for 45 percent of the entire debt owed by 16 countries to Sweden.The report also said that among the debtors, only North Korea has never implemen

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  Economy

  Manufacturers’ debt repayment ability improves in recent years: KSE

  South Korea's manufacturing firms have improved their ability to repay short-term debt with the cash inflow from their operations in recent years, data showed Monday, despite Asia's fourth largest economy struggling with sluggish growth.The cash flow coverage ratio for 674 manufacturers listed on the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose to 124 percent last year, up from 107 percent in 2013, according to the statistics by the Korea Stock Exchange. (Yonhap)The comparable figure for the

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  Politics

  Majority of Koreans support nuclear phase-out policy: survey

  A majority of South Koreans support phasing out nuclear energy, a survey showed Monday, just as President Moon Jae-in reiterated his commitment to shifting out of nuclear power into safer renewable energy.The Realmeter survey, conducted on 501 adults on Friday, found that 60.5 percent back a nuclear phase-out policy while only 29.5 percent are against it. Ten percent said they are unsure about what's best. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points. (Yonhap)Debate abou

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  Film

  'The Outlaws' again dominates box office, soon to hit 5 mln viewers

  The crime action film "The Outlaws" defeated newcomer "Geostorm" to remain atop the weekend box office for the second straight week.The Korean film sold 787,242 tickets, bringing its total haul to 4.97 million, according to the Korean Film Council, a state agency for promoting Korean films.Directed by Kang Yoon-sung and starring Ma Dong-seok and Yoon Kye-sang, "The Outlaws" has maintained its box-office lead for 15 straight days and is expected to surpass the 5 million mark in attendance Monday.

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  Politics

  Moon to deliver state of nation address at parliament on Nov. 1

  President Moon Jae-in will address the nation on the current state of the country next week, the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Monday."The presidential office and the National Assembly agreed today to arrange the president's state of the nation address on Nov. 1," Cheong Wa Dae said. President Moon Jae-in (Yonhap)The address will be delivered at the National Assembly next Wednesday, marking President Moon's second state of the nation address since taking office in May.It will follow the

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  Politics

  Moon’s approval rating drops on dispute over extended detention of former leader

  President Moon Jae-in's approval rating dropped slightly last week from a week earlier, a poll showed Monday, apparently due to a dispute over the extended detention of the ousted former leader.In a survey conducted by Realmeter Monday through Friday, 67.8 percent of the respondents said they approved of the way the president managed state affairs, down 0.7 percentage point from a week earlier.The weekly survey involved 2,557 adults throughout the country. It had a margin of error of 1.9 percent

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  Finance

  Stocks open higher on foreign buying

  South Korean stocks opened higher Monday as foreigners scooped up technology stocks. The won fell against the dollar.  The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index climbed 2.25 points, or 0.09 percent, to 2,491.79 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Market bellwether Samsung Electronics Co. gained 0.71 percent, and SK hynix, a major chipmaker, advanced 2.0 percent. (Yonhap)Top carmaker Hyundai Motor Co. moved up 0.33 percent, and leading chemical firm LG Chem Ltd. rose 0.52 percent.In contras

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  Baseball

  Top 2 regular season clubs clash for baseball championship

  The top two clubs from the regular season will clash for the 2017 South Korean baseball championship starting this week.The Kia Tigers and the Doosan Bears will duke it out in the best-of-seven Korean Series, the championship final in the Korea Baseball Organization. It opens Wednesday at the Tigers' home, Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in Gwangju, 330 kilometers south of Seoul.The Tigers have the home field advantage after finishing with the best record in the regular season at 87-56-1 (wins-losse

GRAPHIC NEWS

OPINION

• Columnists

  

  Raqqa is a reminder of US military might

  Looking at photographs of the ruined, desolate streets of what was once the Islamic State group’s capital of Raqqa is a reminder of the overwhelming, pitilessly effective military power of the United States.Perhaps it’s a tribute to the inevitable nature of American force, once it‘s engaged, that the fall of Raqqa this week provoked so little public discussion. Commentators focused on whether President Trump had dissed the parents of America’s fallen warriors, but they barely seemed to notice th

• Columnists

  

  Was the fall of Rome a biological phenomenon?

  Bill Gates is worried. The tech entrepreneur and philanthropist has been using his megaphone to warn us of the catastrophic risk posed by infectious diseases. In the Western world, where mortality from lethal germs has mostly receded into the background, the burden of infectious disease can seem like someone else’s problem. But the struggle between humanity and infectious disease is never someone else’s problem -- certainly not in our globally interconnected society. And while modern medicine ha

THE INVESTOR

• Samsung

  

  [EXCLUSIVE] Samsung invests in Chinese AI chipset startup DeePhi Tech

  Memory chip giant Samsung Electronics has invested in a Chinese artificial intelligence technology developer as part of its efforts to catch up in the intensifying global race for AI platforms and devices, according to industry sources on Oct. 22.  　In August, Samsung made a significant investment in DeePhi Tech, a Tsinghua-based startup with deep learning technologies, a source told The Korea Herald. 　“Samsung made quite a large investment in DeePhi Tech, which a group of Korean

• Start-ups

  

  [INTERVIEW] Skelter Labs seeks to be AI game-changer

  Placing big bets on artificial intelligence, tech giants like Google, Microsoft, IBM and Samsung have been making huge investments, rolling out their own versions of AI-based assistants.So far, they have mostly been in the form of digital assistants that understand natural language queries. The products in the market, however, are not sophisticated enough to cater to the real needs of people. Ted Cho, CEO of Skelter LabsTo take the next step, and prepare adequately, it’s all about

• LG

  

  LG, Qualcomm join hands for autonomous car push

  LG Electronics is teaming up with Qualcomm Technologies to jointly develop telecommunication solutions for self-driving cars -- a crucial tie-up for the two tech giants to gain an upper hand in the burgeoning industry. The two firms said on Oct. 19 they will develop a so-called vehicle-to-everything technology based on the next-generation 5G network that enables cars to communicate with other cars, traffic infrastructure and even pedestrians. Even though cameras and sensors are co

• Stocks & Bonds

  

  KB Financial, LG Electronics, Samsung SDI top picks by foreign investors

  KB Financial Group, LG Electronics and Samsung SDI were among the top picks by foreign investors through October, which have enjoyed decent gains far exceeding the market-average returns, industry data showed on Oct. 22.　According to the data compiled by market tracker FNGuide, foreign investors have scooped up KB Financial Group stocks worth 1.23 trillion won (US$1.07 billion) so far this year through on Oct. 20, with some 1 trillion won and 845 billion won, respectively, poured

K-POP HERALD

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  ‘Most Influential Celebs on Social Media’

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  Netizens want Choi Si-won out of drama

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  Lee Ha-nui in New York City

HERALD INTERVIEW

• Culture

  

  The professor campaigning for human rights in cyberspace

• Economy

  

  ‘Korea should take leadership in the world intellectual property sector’

• Music

  

  Block B’s U-Kwon seeks to make name for himself

• Culture

  

  Girls’ Generation’s stylist caps K-pop fashion industry over years

PHOTO NEWS

• Culture

  

  Letting loose in sea of birch trees

  Every year around this time of the season, Korea’s forests turn into a palette of colors, palpably signaling the onset of autumn and advent of winter on the horizon.Wondaeri Birch Forest in Inje County, Gangwon Province, is an ideal place to experience the fall foliage, as groves and greeneries bring out their inner colors of reds, scarlets and ambers toward a clear blue sky. The park, which opened in 2012 as an ecological tourism site, has over 700,000 birch trees that were planted between 1989

VIDEO

• Film

  

  Viewer responses to VR films at BIFF vary from ‘unbelievable’ to ‘blurry’

• Film

  

  Busan Film Fest embarks on 22nd edition with star-studded red carpet

• Industry

  

  Ikea Goyang focuses on environment, sustainability

• Fashion

  

  Learning to wear hanbok with confidence

FEATURES

• Social affairs

  

  Teen suicide prevention budget cut despite rise in incidents: data

  Over 100 teenagers kill themselves every year in South Korea, but the funding for state-run and provincial suicide prevention programs was cut at least 35 percent from 2016, according to a lawmaker. 123rfRep. Cho Hun-hyun of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party cited the Ministry of Education’s data for a parliamentary audit, which showed that the ministry’s budget for the country’s School Mental Health Resources and Research Center declined 538 million won to 1 billion won ($883,000) this ye

• Culture

  

  Photos of traditional marketplace exhibited in Seoul

  Photos of Korea‘s traditional markets are being displayed in Seoul, offering a peak at the lives of ordinary people over the past few decades.Jangteo Photo Club -- jangtae meaning marketplace -- is holding an exhibition at Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Jongro-gu, central Seoul from Wednesday to next Tuesday. The exhibition consists of photos taken by the club members, which encompass people from education, cultural and business circles and headed by former Dankuk University professor

• Industry

  

  Incheon Airport named best for 12th consecutive year

  Incheon Airport has been named the best airport in the world for the 12th consecutive year by an international airport council, the airport announced Thursday.It is the first airport to win for best airport worldwide at the Airport Service Quality Awards hosted by Airports Council International for 12 straight years. The annual awards are based on interviews with airport visitors who rank the services of each airport.  Incheon International Airport Corp. CEO Chung Il-young (right) receives the a

• Industry

  

  Amazon unlikely to launch in Korea

  Despite rumors about Amazon‘s future plans to enter the South Korean market, it is unlikely that the e-commerce giant will launch a Korean version of its flagship online shopping website, according to industry insiders.“It is unclear what Amazon will have to gain by entering the e-commerce market at this point,” an official at another e-commerce firm operating in Korea said, asking not to be named.Rumors have been circulating that Amazon was planning a launch of a Korean arm after the US e-comme