SPOTLIGHT

• K-pop

  

  BTS leader donates 100 m won for students with hearing impairments

  RM, the leader of the popular boy band BTS, has donated 100 million won ($83,745) to help students with hearing impairments, a Seoul school said Friday.The BTS leader made the donation earlier this week in celebration of his birthday, Sept. 12, in a bid to help students receive music education, according to officials at Seoul Samsung School."RM made the donation, expressing his will to help students with hearing difficulties enjoy music through various means," a school official said. S

• Arts&Design

  

  ’10x10,’ international curatorial exchange program kicks off at MMCA

  “10x10,” an international symposium that invites up-and-coming curators from Korea and abroad, kicked off its two-day run on Friday at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art’s main branch in Seoul.”10x10” was started last year as part of a Korean Culture and Information Service program that invites outstanding researchers from Korea and other countries to ramp up exchanges between experts with different backgrounds. This year, 10 curators from foreign co

• Social affairs

  

  Typhoon Tapah forecast to bring heavy rain to southern S. Korea

  The southern part of the nation is expected experience downpours and strong winds over the weekend as a small slow-moving typhoon is approaching from the south, the state-run weather agency said Friday.  Typhoon Tapah, this year's 17th, took shape 470 kilometers south of Japan's Okinawa in the western Pacific Ocean the previous day and is currently tracking northward, the Korea Meteorological Administration said.As of 3 a.m., the typhoon's central pressure was 992 hectopascals and the maxim

• Food&Beverage

  

  Hyodo, fried chicken contender with plenty up its sleeve

  Fried chicken shop known for its pop-ups, noodles and chicken, of course

LATEST NEWS

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  Social affairs

  3 dead pigs in Paju test negative for African swine fever

  Weekend to be crossroads in fight against deadly virus

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  Foreign Affairs

  Foreign Minister stresses South Korea-US alliance in meeting with USFK commander at Camp Humphreys

  Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha met United States Forces Korea Commander Gen. Robert Abrams on Friday during her visit to Osan Air Base and Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province.During the meeting with Abrams at Camp Humphreys, Kang acknowledged his efforts to provide military support for diplomatic efforts to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula and establish lasting peace. According to the Foreign Ministry, the US commander said Kang’s visit was evidence of close cooperation betwe

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  Industry

  Tokyo willing to discuss export controls with Seoul

  In response to the complaint filed by the South Korean government with the World Trade Organization on the subject of Japan’s export control measures, Tokyo has expressed its willingness to have bilateral consultations with Seoul, a day before the 10-working day deadline set by the WTO, officials said Friday. Japan’s response could be the first step in resolving the Korea-Japan trade dispute triggered by Japan’s export restrictions.  “The Japanese government has resp

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  Technology

  Samsung heir in Tokyo again at invitation of Japan’s biz community

  Amid ongoing trade disputes between South Korea and Japan, Samsung Electronics’ de facto leader, Lee Jae-yong, visited Tokyo again at the invitation of the neighboring country’s business community, officials said Friday.The vice chairman of the Korean tech giant visited Tokyo to take part in the opening ceremony of the Rugby World Cup, one of the world’s three largest sports events along with the Summer Olympics and the FIFA World Cup. This is the first Rugby World Cup to be he

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  Social affairs

  Steve Yoo had no intention to dodge military duty: lawyers

  Lawyers for a Korean-American K-pop star on Friday called on the court to carefully examine whether it is legal for the justice ministry to deny him entry into the country for nearly two decades for dodging military service, in line with a top court ruling in his favor.During the first hearing of the case at the Seoul High Court after it was returned from the Supreme Court, the singer also insisted he had no intention to evade conscription. In July, the top court overruled a lower court decision

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  Defense

  Seoul's defense chief vows beefed-up efforts against growing cyberthreats from N. Korea

  Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo said Friday that threats in cyberspace posed by North Korea and other entities have been growing and vowed efforts to bolster the country's cyber operations capabilities.Jeong made the remark during a conference on defense cybersecurity held in Seoul earlier in the day."Even at this moment, cybersecurity threats are increasing from all directions, as North Korea and other unidentified forces continue to launch attacks," Jeong said, calling them a trans

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  Industry

  Smilegate to hold CFS invitational game in Egypt

  Korean game company Smilegate is bringing its annual Crossfire Stars global competition to Egypt, a rare destination for e-sports, the company said Friday. This will be the first time the company has held the e-sports event in Africa. CFS teams have begun to fly in to Cairo, Egypt, for the CFS Invitational Egypt 2019 slated for Saturday.  The winning team gets to compete in the grand final in China in December. The scope of the prize money is yet to be confirmed. A Smilegate representative

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  North Korea

  Pro-N. Korea paper welcomes Bolton's exit, voices concerns over Pompeo

  A pro-North Korea newspaper said Friday that the recent dismissal of John Bolton as the US national security advisor was a "good thing," but voiced concerns over Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, calling him a "destabilizing factor" that could undercut Washington's diplomacy with Pyongyang.North Korea has long denounced Bolton and Pompeo for their hawkish views on its regime that it sees as hampering denuclearization talks. It earlier called Bolton a "security-destroying a

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  Politics

  Justice minister holds first dialogue with prosecutors over reform

  Justice Minister Cho Kuk held his first dialogue with prosecutors since his appointment Friday to collect views about the government's drive to reform the prosecution.Cho held a closed-door meeting with about 40 prosecutors and investigators at the district prosecutors' office in Uijeongbu, north of Seoul.It was his first such meeting since he was appointed as the justice minister last week amid a controversy over allegations of corruption involving his family. "I would like to listen to va

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  Automode

  Hyundai Motor to donate $16 million for pediatric cancer research in US

  Hyundai Motor America said Friday that it would donate $16 million this year to fund 76 research projects on children’s cancers.Of that amount, $13.2 million will be donated this month to support a pediatric cancer awareness campaign in the US, said Jose Munoz, CEO of Hyundai Motor’s North America regional office.  As part of its community outreach efforts, Hyundai and its dealerships have participated in the Hyundai Hope on Wheels fundraising project since 1998 to fight pediatr

GRAPHIC NEWS

OPINION

• Viewpoints

  

  What will come of HK's protests?

  As tens of thousands of protesters marched down Hennessy Road toward government headquarters Sunday afternoon, chanting pro-democracy slogans and waving American flags, it was an exuberant celebration of this territory’s yearning for freedom.The protesters seemed mindless of the danger: Men and women, young and old, ninja-clad teenagers and moms with their kids, all joined in the 15th straight weekend of protest. A doctor at a local hospital, a 56-year-old schoolteacher and a 19-year-old g

• Viewpoints

  

  Populism will probably just go away soon, so relax

  Populism has become a defining feature of public life. It embraces a narrative of victimhood and grievance, pitting “people” against “elites.” US President Donald Trump’s protectionism and hostility toward immigrants are fueled by populist frustration on the political right. On the left, populism appears as resentment of the wealthy, and the Democratic Party’s presidential primary field is marked by proposals to penalize the rich. Compromise has become a dirty

THE INVESTOR

• Industrials

  

  [INTERVIEW] Once labor-intensive, shipbuilders in race for digital transformation

  SINGAPORE -- Traditional methods used to maintain cost efficiency in the labor-intensive field of shipbuilding and marine engineering will give way more and more to digital solutions that are already quietly permeating the industry, Craig Hayman, CEO of UK industrial software developer Aveva, said in a recent interview with The Investor.“Firms constructing vessels are now focused on reducing the labor (costs) associated with the construction and the number of hours put into designing them,

• LG

  

  Troubled LGD mulls to shut down OLED plant for Apple Watch

  LG Display is considering shutting down its E2 OLED display factory in Paju, Gyeonggi Province in the face of widening losses, according to news reports on Sept. 20.The South Korean display manufacturer rolls out 4.5th generation flexible OLED displays, measuring 730 millimeters by 920 millimeters, at the E2 plant. The OLED displays made at the factory are utilized for smartwatches and smartphones, including Apple Watch. Related: LG Display woos Chinese partners, seeks to expand OLED b

• Samsung

  

  Samsung’s upcoming developer conference to feature AI, blockchain and more

  Samsung Electronics has announced the lineup of keynote speakers for Samsung Developer Conference 2019, scheduled for Oct. 20-29 in San Jose, California.Last year, Samsung gave the world a glimpse of what its foldable smartphone would look like. This year, the company plans to walk through the progress it has made in different areas, including artificial intelligence, next-generation networks and blockchain.Samsung’s mobile chief, Koh Dong-jin, said his speech would highlight the importanc

• Stocks & Bonds

  

  S. Korea’s OTC stock market tops W2tr in transaction volume

  The accumulated volume of transactions on South Korea’s flagship over-the-counter securities trading market K-OTC has topped 2 trillion won ($1.7 billion) mark as of Sept. 20.Korea Financial Investment Association, an operator of K-OTC Market, cited an increasingly favorable condition for securities investors here, such as capital income tax exemptions for retail shareholders of small and medium-sized enterprises. Moreover, so far, three private companies trading on K-OTC Market were liste

K-POP HERALD

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  Dreamcatcher’s video game fantasy gets real with ‘Raid of Dream’

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  #Sunmipop: 7 Songs to celebrate the best of Sunmi

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  BTS’ vacation playlist

HERALD INTERVIEW

• Fashion

  

  Yie Sun-yuul has the world at her heels

• 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

PHOTO NEWS

• Culture

  

  Peaceful Buam-dong rises as hip place

  Nestled between two mountains -- Bugaksan and Inwangsan -- Buam-dong in Jongno-gu, Seoul, is a quiet neighborhood often described as an oasis of tranquility not far from the city center. While a large number of Seoul’s residential villages have turned into giant fortresses of high-security high-rise apartment complexes, Buam-dong has kept its old-town feel with low-lying houses, curved roads and ample greenery. Not accessible by Seoul’s massive web of subways, the villages were

VIDEO

• Industry

  

  Mobile orders and unmanned serving: Robot restaurant lands in Seoul

• 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

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