SPOTLIGHT

• Health

  

  Secret to reversing aging? Think again

  By Bak Se-hwan

  As people age, so do their looks. In the hopes of reversing the ravages of time, a growing number of people are willing to pay for the privilege: The anti-aging industry in South Korea is expected to gross more than 28.3 trillion won ($25.1 billion) by 2020. Yet aging is a natural process of life, and experts warn against manipulating the pace using therapies that have not yet been proven to have significant benefits. 123rfA growing number of beauty clinics across the nation are offering stem ce

• Music

  

  R&B artist G.Soul soars high with ‘Circles’

  By Hong Dam-young

  The eagle is finally soaring. G.Soul, a soulful R&B artist relatively new to the K-pop scene, waited a long time to take flight, honing his skills under the watchful eyes of JYP Entertainment for 17 years before his debut. But it’s at his new label that he’s really been able to spread his wings.He returned with the self-produced EP “Circles” featuring the lead track “Can’t” on Thursday. But while his voice is warm and sweet as a melting marshmallow, it also carries the flavor of alcohol on his n

• Fashion

  

  Modern-day hanbok to grace Cheonggyecheon catwalk

  By Lim Jeong-yeo

  Modern interpretations of Korean traditional attire hanbok will showcase at the “Seoul 365 Fashion Show” slated for Saturday along the Cheonggyecheon stream in central Seoul.The area is known as one of the spots for the weekly Seoul Bamdokkaebi Night Markets that is open through Friday to Sunday.Counting down to the fashion show, 25 of the modern hanboks by designer Moon Hyun-seung were teased at Gwanghwamun square in front of Gyeongbokgung Palace on Monday. (Yonhap) (Yonhap) v (Yonhap) (Yonhap)

• Social affairs

  

  Government vows efforts for suicide prevention

  By Ock Hyun-ju

  Korea is finally getting serious about preventing suicides with the establishment of a dedicated ministry department with a budget of 10.5 billion won ($9.3 million) for 2018. Health and Welfare Minister Park Neung-hoo said Thursday that the ministry will set up a team dedicated to lowering the country’s suicide rate, which is one of the world’s highest, and add 500 more counsellors at 241 mental health welfare centers across the nation, starting next year. “Suicide is not a personal problem any

LATEST NEWS

• 

  North Korea

  S. Korea president says THAAD deployment inevitable but temporary

  South Korean President Moon Jae-in defended the government's decision to fully deploy the U.S.Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system here Friday, saying it was an inevitable decision to protect his people from evolving nuclear and missile provocations from North Korea.   The president, however, hinted at possible changes in the future, calling it only a temporary decision.  (Yonhap)   "While ignoring our government and the international community's repeated demands and warnings, Nort

• 

  Soccer

  S. Korea to play friendly with 2018 World Cup hosts Russia in Oct.

  South Korea will play against the 2018 FIFA World Cup hosts Russia next month, the national football governing body said Friday.   The Korea Football Association (KFA) said the men's national team will take on Russia in Moscow on Oct. 7. The KFA said the exact kickoff time and match venue will be announced later.  (Yonhap)   The Taeguk Warriors, led by head coach Shin Tae-yong, secured their spot at the 2018 World Cup on Tuesday following a scoreless draw with Uzbekistan in Tashkent. The result

• 

  North Korea

  Traces of xenon detected in S. Korea following N. Korea's nuke test

  Traces of xenon gas, a radionuclide, were detected in South Korea, the nuclear safety agency said Friday, five days after North Korea conducted its most powerful nuclear test.   The the radioactive material, the xenon-133 isotope, was found in the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission's analysis of ground, air and maritime samplings that were collected locally after the latest nuclear test by the North, according to the agency.  (Yonhap)   Defying international warnings, North Korea conducted i

• 

  Economy

  S. Korea's central bank chief heads to Switzerland for BIS meeting

  South Korea's central bank chief has left for Switzerland to attend a meeting of the Bank for International Settlements, the Bank of Korea (BOK) said Friday.   BOK Gov. Lee Ju-yeol also plans to discuss with his counterparts from major and emerging economies, global economic and financial market conditions, according to the bank. Bank of Korea Gov. Lee Ju-yeol (left) speaks at a parliamentary session on Monday. (Yonhap)   Lee is set to return home Tuesday.   The BIS is an international financial

• 

  Economy

  Lagarde expects S. Korea's stable growth despite N. Korea risks

  International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde expected Friday South Korea's economy will continue to grow stably despite security risks stemming from North Korea, the foreign minister here said after their meeting in Seoul.   Top diplomat Kang Kyung-wha met Lagarde to discuss the economy of South Korea and the world as well as the country's cooperation with the IMF.  (Yonhap)   "Lagarde shared the point that South Korea's stable economic growth will be sustained in spite of the grave situa

• 

  Finance

  Public overseas investment funds back on track

  South Korea’s publicly offered overseas investment funds have recently reverted back to the popularity they enjoyed in the early 2000s, due to tax benefits and higher returns, data showed Friday.According to the Korea Financial Investment Association, the total net worth of these funds stood at 39.4 trillion won ($35 billion) as of Tuesday this week. This marked the first time in six years that the figure inched up toward the 40 trillion won mark.The figure has remained below the given mark sinc

• 

  Travel

  An urban underwater adventure

   From streams to the deepest oceans, water, covering more than two-thirds of the planet’s surface, is the home to a myriad of creatures.As many as 1 million different species are thought to inhabit Earth’s oceans, the majority of which have yet to be fully described. Aquariums are windows into this vast, mostly unexplored world. At the Lotte World Aquarium in southern Seoul, visitors can see organism from diverse aquatic habitats including sturgeons, sharks, and pirarucu, one of the largest fres

• 

  Social affairs

  S. Korean Protestant group to consider banning yoga

  A Protestant religious group in South Korea is set to decide whether it will block its members from practicing yoga and magic tricks, both of which they deem “heretic.”“(Yoga) not only has its origin and motive in worshipping a foreign god, it also is a means of becoming a Hindu,” a committee of the Presbyterian Church of Korea said in an internal report. “It cannot be seen as how it claims to be an exercise for peace of mind, weight control and stretching of body. Therefore, the church must for

• 

  Politics

  THAAD deployment fans controversy, Moon’s ratings drop

  Seoul’s decision to complete the deployment of a US missile defense system is fanning controversy within the country, while concerns for further retaliation from China grows. On Thursday, four more Terminal High Altitude Area Defense launchers were deployed at the site in Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province against resistance from activists and local residents. China has been quick to criticize Seoul’s decision, raising concerns that it will carry out further economic retribution against South Ko

• 

  World News

  At least 5 dead as magnitude 8.2 quake rocks Mexico

  A powerful 8.2-magnitude earthquake rocked Mexico late Thursday, killing at least 5 people and triggering a tsunami alert in what the president called the quake-prone country’s biggest one in a century.Officials evacuated residents along the central and southern Pacific coast as seismologists warned a tsunami of more than three meters could be headed toward land, affecting coastal towns as far south as Ecuador.The quake hit offshore in the Pacific at 11:49 p.m., about 100 kilometers from the coa

GRAPHIC NEWS

OPINION

• Columnists

  

  Mr. President, let’s talk about the Dreamers

  By Korea Herald

  Mr. President (aka @realDonaldTrump),After the inauguration, you pledged to treat Dreamers with “great heart.”You might have heard the collective sigh of relief around the nation from the White House. But, a mere month later, you were giving mixed signals.“DACA is a very, very difficult subject for me,” you said. “To me, it’s one of the most difficult subjects I have because you have these incredible kids, in many cases not in all cases. In some of the cases they’re having DACA and they’re gang

• Columnists

  

  Trump can’t solve North Korea by just making a deal

  By Bloomberg

  President Donald J. Trump’s tweet this weekend that the US might terminate all trade with countries doing business with North Korea was widely derided on the grounds of realism. Given that 90 percent of North Korea’s trade is with China, the tweet was little more than a veiled threat to terminate all US trade with Beijing, ending a bilateral trade relationship valued at $650 billion a year. It would, as many correctly pointed out, mean economic disaster for North Korea -- and also for the US.The

THE INVESTOR

• Automobiles

  

  Beijing Hyundai resumes plant operation, but woes persist

  Beijing Hyundai Motor, a 50-50 joint venture between Hyundai Motor and Chinese state-owned BAIC Motor, resumed production at Changzhou plant in eastern China on Sept. 8, after a three-day long suspension due to delayed payments to an auto parts supplier.Operations there halted earlier this week when a German-based air filter supplier refused to deliver air intake systems due to unpaid bills.“We are currently in talks with the supplier to resolve the payment issue. As for now, we h

• Deals

  

  SK to sell SK Encar in car-sharing push

  SK Holdings is likely to sell its used car business SK Encar amid its recent push for car-sharing service, according to news reports on Sept. 8. The holding firm of SK Group plans to hold a preliminary bidding for four to five financial investors. Some large private equity firms have reportedly shown interest in the deal worth about 100 billion won (US$88.80 million) to 200 billion won.Even after the sale, its online used car business SK Encar.com will continue operations at least

• Deals

  

  LVMH-backed L Catterton ups its stake in Gentle Monster

  L Catterton Asia, a global private equity firm backed by French luxury fashion house LVMH Group, has inked a new partnership deal with Gentle Monster, a Korean sunglass and eyewear brand that is enjoying huge popularity in Asia, especially China. The company's chairman and managing partner  Ravi Thakran on Sept. 7 confirmed the deal that would make it the second-largest shareholder in the Korean firm. He declined to reveal the exact size of the investment but sources predict about

• Economy

  

  [DECODED X] Safety first

  The Sept. 7 issue of The Investor’s blockbuster newsletter DECODED X is out. Check out some of the highlights.SAFETY FIRSTGiven the past experience with North Korea, it seems unlikely anything drastic will happen on the peninsula despite lingering fears worldwide. Above all, Kim Jong-un wants to stay alive. It’s not really even about the regime anymore. It’s about clinging to what he has. So a war, or an attack does not seem to be on the cards. But it’s hard to convince everyone a

K-POP HERALD

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  BTS in love? Photo revealed

• 

  Park Bo-young surprised at Park Bo-gum

• 

  Kang Daniel graces fashion magazine

HERALD INTERVIEW

• Film

  

  Now a director and scriptwriter, actress Moon So-ri speaks about her film

• Film

  

  Daniel Dae Kim wants to populate productions with multiethnic casts

• Culture

  

  BBC journalist Francine Stock talks about Korean films’ richness, complexity and honesty

• Industry

  

  ‘Smartphone OLED will face oversupply by 2020’

PHOTO NEWS

• Travel

  

  An urban underwater adventure

  By Park Hyun-koo

   From streams to the deepest oceans, water, covering more than two-thirds of the planet’s surface, is the home to a myriad of creatures.As many as 1 million different species are thought to inhabit Earth’s oceans, the majority of which have yet to be fully described. Aquariums are windows into this vast, mostly unexplored world. At the Lotte World Aquarium in southern Seoul, visitors can see organism from diverse aquatic habitats including sturgeons, sharks, and pirarucu, one of the largest fres

VIDEO

• Social affairs

  

  Extended Deoksugung Stonewall Walkway unveiled

• People

  

  Meet Korean Billy, the internet sensation of 2017

• Culture

  

  Slimy ‘liquid monsters’ captivate Korean adults

• Industry

  

  Beauty meets IT for customized experience

FEATURES

• Economy

  

  Boosting female workforce is solution to aging society problems: IMF chief

  By Bae Hyun-jung

  ‘Closing gender gap in labor market could become economic game-changer in Asia’

• Expat Living

  

  The unspoken language of tango

  By Anita Mckay

  Cultural differences pose no barrier to Korea’s tango community

• Film

  

  ‘I Can Speak’ talks about comfort women in indirect way: director

  By Rumy Doo

  “I Can Speak” has been marketed as a comedy film. At Wednesday‘s press screening, however, the film was revealed to deal with issues of women forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military during World War II.“I discovered it was about comfort women as I read the script,” said actress Na Moon-hee after the press screening in Seoul. Comfort women is a euphemism used to refer to former military sex slaves.　Veteran actress Na, 75, plays Na Ok-boon, a neighborhood busybody who wants to learn En

• Economy

  

  Korea’s fiscal soundness on shaky ground

  By Kim Kyung-ho

  Doubts are rising over the government’s assertion that the country’s fiscal soundness can be maintained even if public spending increases at a faster pace than economic growth during President Moon Jae-in’s five-year presidency, which began in May.Such an optimistic view is based on expectations that tax revenues will continue to rise as the Korean economy is put on a path toward recovery. A draft tax code revision, if passed during the ongoing parliamentary session, would increase levies collec