SPOTLIGHT

• Social affairs

  

  Video shows Korean Air ‘nut rage’ heiress assaulting husband

  A video clip showing a woman who appears to be Cho Hyun-ah, formerly Korean Air vice president, shouting at her husband, and photos showing his injuries were revealed late Wednesday.  (Yonhap)In the video, the woman shouts “Die! Die!” at her husband, surnamed Park, who filed for divorce last year citing physical and verbal abuse against him and their twin sons. Photos released along with the video show injuries to the man’s neck -- apparently strangle marks.The photos and video footage, which ai

• Social affairs

  Police halt pullout of Seungri nightclub Burning Sun

  Seoul police have stopped Gangnam-based nightclub Burning Sun from pulling out of the building it is located due to concerns of destruction of evidence at the venue now at the center of multiple allegations involving drug use and sexual abuses, police said Thursday.The club affiliated with Seungri of boy band Big Bang began pulling out of the building located at the Le Meridien Seoul late Monday, a day after it shut down operations. Burning Sun entrance (Yonhap)The latest move has sparked critic

• Automode

  

  Kia Motors joins hands with JYP for new advertising strategy

  KIA Motors has reached out to the K-pop industry, this time collaborating with JYP Entertainment’s rising new girl group ITZY in a music video.Kia Motors revealed on Thursday a behind-the-scenes video for ITZY’s debut music video, titled “Dalla Dalla,” featuring its new box car the Soul Booster. Members of ITZY stand in front of Kia Motors’ Soul Booster, featured in their debut music video, “Dalla Dalla." (Kia Motors)This is not the first time Kia Motors has partnered with a K-pop group. It is c

• Social affairs

  

  Egg-laying date to be inscribed on eggshells

  A new policy mandating the inscription of the egg-laying date on eggshells will be implemented starting Saturday, the government said Thursday.Under the new policy, egg farms must indicate the four-digit code of the date the egg was laid in front of the six-digit code that represents the farm and breeding environment.  (Yonhap)The policy aims to prevent old eggs from being distributed in the market and reassure people they are consuming fresh eggs. Hitherto, some farms calculated a carton of egg

LATEST NEWS

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  Defense

  Leaders of S. Korea, India celebrate 150th anniversary of birth of Gandhi

  South Korean President Moon Jae-in welcomed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday with a ceremony to unveil a bust of late Indian leader and activist Mahatma Gandhi that will be put on permanent display in South Korea.Modi arrived here earlier in the day on a two-day state visit.In the unveiling ceremony at Seoul's Yonsei University, President Moon praised the late Indian leader, saying the greatness of Gandhi lies in the fact that he walked the path of peace despite the violence and thre

• 

  Soccer

  FC Seoul head coach vows to restore club's reputation in 2019

  FC Seoul head coach Choi Yong-soo said Thursday his goal for the 2019 season is to restore his club's reputation.FC Seoul, six-time K League 1 champions, barely avoided relegation to the second division last year. After finishing 11th, they beat K League 2 club Busan IPark in a playoff to remain in the top flight of South Korean football.Choi, who rejoined Seoul in October following a seasonlong stint with Chinese side Jiangsu Suning, did manage to save his old club from relegation, but the perf

• 

  Social affairs

  Court finds medical staff not guilty in deaths of 4 newborns

  A court on Thursday found the medical staff of Ewha Womans University Medical Center not guilty of the deaths of four infants.Seoul Southern District Court found malpractice by the seven medical workers, who poorly managed infection control, but said there were no causal relationship between the misconduct and deaths.On Dec. 16, 2017, four newborn babies died one after another between 9:32 p.m. and 10:53 p.m. while being treated at the intensive care unit’s incubators in the hospital. Forensics

• 

  More sports

  Speed skater stands by harassment allegations against ex-teammate, claims to have evidence

  South Korean speed skater Kim Bo-reum said Thursday she stands by allegations of harassment she raised against a former teammate, adding she has materials to back up her claims.Kim was embroiled in a bullying scandal during the PyeongChang Winter Olympics last year, when she was accused of leaving fellow skater Noh Seon-yeong behind on purpose during a team pursuit race. This file photo from Feb. 21, 2018, shows South Korean speed skaters Kim Bo-reum (L) and Noh Seon-yeong at Gangneung Oval in G

• 

  Economy

  S. Korea to offer incentives to firms over job creation

  South Korea on Thursday unveiled a wide range of incentives for companies if they create jobs in deals with municipal governments and other relevant parties.The incentives include an investment subsidy and tax cuts, as well as discounts in rental fees in industrial complexes, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Hong Nam-ki (R), the minister of economy and finance, speaks in a joint news conference with Sung Yun-mo, minister of trade, industry and energy, and other officials

• 

  Music

  For six decades, diva Lee Mi-ja sings with heart

  Lee releases new album to celebrate 60 years since debut, hoping to preserve root of Korean pop music

• 

  Life&Style

  Koreans’ attendance rate of cultural and arts events tops 80% for first time

  　South Koreans’ attendance of cultural and arts events has risen steadily in recent years due to higher incomes and growing interest in culture, showed a survey. 　According to the survey by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute, the rate of public attendance of cultural and arts events was 81.5 percent between Aug. 1, 2017 and July 31, 2018.　This represented an increase of 3.2 percentage points from 78.3 percent recorded in 2016 and marked the fi

• 

  Technology

  SK hynix to invest W120tr in 4 chip plants in Yongin

  SK hynix, the world’s second-largest memory chip provider, announced Thursday it will invest a total of 120 trillion won ($106.65 billion) to build four fabrication lines at a new semiconductor industrial complex in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. According to the announcement, a special purpose company set up by SK Engineering & Construction and multiple financial investors has submitted a letter of intent for the investment to the city of Yongin, joining forces to help create a fresh cluster for ch

• 

  North Korea

  Bolton due in Seoul to discuss US-NK summit: report

  US national security adviser John Bolton will travel to Seoul later this week to discuss matters regarding the US-North Korea summit, CNN reported Wednesday. US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un are set to hold their second summit in Hanoi, Vietnam. Details of the meeting’s schedule have not been released, but the US has announced that the summit will be held on Feb. 27 and 28. John Bolton. YonhapAccording to a CNN report citing two Trump administration officials, Bolton

• Columnists

  Bad jobs data could bite China

  China has long been criticized both for its obsession with GDP statistics and their quality: Pressuring cadres to meet growth targets has encouraged a risky buildup of debt and, at times, the outright fabrication of numbers. If anything, though, the quality of China’s official employment data is even worse -- and the inaccuracies could have equally dangerous repercussions.　Until relatively recently, Chinese GDP growth would fluctuate even while remaining robust. The same can’t be said for jobles

GRAPHIC NEWS

OPINION

• Columnists

  

  Why US and China can’t make a deal

  Optimism that the US and China can reach a trade deal is rising, with another round of intensive negotiations in Washington this week. What buoyant investors are ignoring, however, is that the talks have become a test of strength between the world’s two great powers -- or, more accurately, a test of how accurate each nation’s sense of its own strength is.　The inconvenient fact is that neither country possesses the power to impose its will on the other. The US is not on its own capable of compell

• Columnists

  

  Gwangju deniers damage democracy

  In Gwangju for the first time a few years ago, I walked down Geumnanro, the site of violent clashes between Gwangju locals and troops enforcing martial law on May 18, 1980. Events were being held on the broad avenue closed off to traffic for the day -- a play, a concert and a samulnori performance to name but a few, all commemorating the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement. There were few people in attendance, but that didn’t seem to matter. These were people remembering the massacre in whic

THE INVESTOR

• Stocks & Bonds

  

  Korea Post eyes US$200 purchase of distressed equities overseas

  Korea Post seeks to buy distressed securities worth a combined US$200 million, amid a series of aggressive overseas investments, the state-run agency said on Feb. 21.The agency’s investment units, Postal Savings Service and Postal Insurance Service, will source US$100 million each to two private equity funds. Each fund seeks US$600 million commitment to buy high-yield securities in global markets, mostly in North America and other developed countries. An official of Postal Savings Service told T

• Samsung

  

  Galaxy Fold: The start of a form-factor revolution?

  Samsung’s Galaxy Fold, which becomes a smartphone when closed and a tablet when fully opened, may have brought phone design to another level.The first foldable smartphone is to be released April 26 at a starting price of about US$1,980, according to Samsung on Feb. 20 at the Samsung Unpacked event in San Francisco. “Galaxy Fold is a device of a very new category. The phone will be able to entertain the users with some innovative form factor,” said Samsung Electronics’ mobile chief Koh Dong-jin.

• Blockchain

  

  Hedera Hashgraph forecasts useful blockchain apps to hit market soon

  Blockchain and cryptocurrency markets have been on a downslide over the past year in line with the ever-falling digital currency values. Despite the current difficulties facing the markets, the co-founders of Taxas-based public distributed ledger company Hedera Hashgraph said that they remain positive as the industries will soon pick up momentum again with more practical applications being available, and that the company that boasts transparency in governance will be in the lead.“Hedera Hashgrap

• Blockchain

  

  Deconomy’s 2nd edition to be held on April 4-5 in Seoul

  The second Deconomy blockchain conference will be held on April 4-5 in Seoul under the themes of “Blockchain and Finance,” and “Blockchain and Technology.”At the first event last year, high-profile blockchain figures and experts, including David Chaum, Joseph Poon, Ian Grigg, Vitalik Buterin, and Joseph Lubin took the stage to share their opinions and visions on blockchain technology. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin speaks at the first Deconomy forum in April 2018.Participants at the upcomin

K-POP HERALD

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  ‘Save Me,’ Episode 7, recap

• 

  ‘Save Me,’ Episode 6, recap

• 

  50 facts about V of BTS

HERALD INTERVIEW

• Music

  

  Nobody can imitate our powerfulness: Monsta X

• Economy

  

  SK Innovation’s participation to bring better understanding of EV in US city

• Industry

  

  ‘4th industrial revolution’ technologies now crucial for customs clearance

• Foreign Policy

  

  Peace treaty for Korean Peninsula should be on agenda for Trump-Kim summit, peace activist says

PHOTO NEWS

• Culture

  

  Traditional Korean culture alive at King’s Street

  It’s easy to spot beautiful palaces when you walk around Seoul, a city that blends modern and traditional Korean cultures. Changdeokgung, a royal palace built in 1405, is among them. Donhwanum is the main gate of Changdeokgung, the second royal palace built in 1405. (Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald)The palace Changdeokgung viewed from above. (Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald)Visitors clad in traditional Korean hanbok take pictures in front of Donhwamun. (Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald)The main gate

VIDEO

• Industry

  

  Netmarble eyes growing business in Thailand

• Social affairs

  

  Contract worker’s funeral held two months after death

• Television

  

  Lee Na-young, Lee Jong-suk to show romance in publishing industry in new rom-com

• Food

  

  Seoul’s sweet rendezvous with chocolate, ‘Salon du Chocolat’

FEATURES

• Food

  

  Hide and Seek, new, not-quite-underground bakery-deli

  Baked goods, sandwiches and salads at Darling Kitchen offshoot

• Social affairs

  

  Inside dog farm in Korea

  Humane Society International rescues 200 dogs in South Chungcheong Province

• Finance

  

  US’ decision on Bitcoin ETF to set mood for Korea‘s cryptocurrency market

  The bearish global cryptocurrency market has prompted investors to turn their attention to “safer” bitcoin exchange-traded funds. But South Korean institutions have kept a tight leash on the whole cryptocurrency industry, instead observing the US’ steps for the time being.“The US has been the front-runner on the cryptocurrency market and related derivatives, and there are strong voices supporting the launch of bitcoin ETFs within the market -- which is why we are observing the progress and respo

• Industry

  

  Iranian firm likely to seize assets of Korean firms amid dispute

  An Iranian business group is seeking to seize the overseas assets of Korean firms after winning a suit against the South Korean government in an investor-state dispute case, according to the financial regulator Wednesday.Enterkhab, owned by Iran’s Mohammad Reza Dayyani, recently got international court approval at Rotterdam, the Netherland, to seize assets of Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, KEB Hana Bank and others, according to officials.The compensation dispute between the Iranian company