SPOTLIGHT

• Social affairs

  

  Seoul to become ‘super-aged’ city in 2026

  Seoul is likely to become a “super-aged” city in 2026, according to data released by the Seoul Metropolitan Government.Seoul became an “aged” city last year against the backdrop of a low birthrate and longer life expectancy, with more than 14 percent of its population being 65 or older. South Korea’s capital is expected to become a super-aged city in 2026 at this rate, where more than 1 in 5 of the population is 65 years old or above. The number of those who ar

• Industry

  

  JTBC, CJ ENM to launch joint video-sharing platform

  South Korea’s cable network JTBC and entertainment giant CJ ENM announced Tuesday the launch of a joint video-streaming service amid intensifying competition in the broadcasting industry. The companies have signed a memorandum of understanding to launch an integrated over-the-top video service by combining their video contents. The new platform is expected to become available early next year.The upcoming service will be modeled after CJ ENM’s video-streaming platform Tving, which con

• Industry

  

  Lotte Liquor to launch yogurt-flavored Soonhari soju in the US

  Lotte Liquor, the alcoholic beverage arm of Lotte Chilsung Beverage, said Tuesday that its yogurt-flavored Soonhari Chum-Churum soju will soon be sold in the US. Soonhari Yogurt soju is the latest in the company’s Chum Churum Sunhari line, created by adding fruit flavoring, such as citron, peach, apple and strawberry, to soju. It was manufactured exclusively for export.Earlier this month, some 190,000 bottles of 360 milliliter-size Soonhari Yogurt soju were exported to the US, the com

• Film

  

  ‘Man of Men’ is a film that shouldn’t work but does, through power of character

  Director Yong Soo’s first feature film, “Man of Men,” is a film that by all accounts shouldn’t work: It is far too familiar, far too obvious and far too sappy for a movie that came out in 2019.Yet surprisingly, the buddy flick starring Sol Kyung-gu and Cho Jin-woong turns out to be pretty fun, buoyed by a mix of drama and comedy -- albeit pretty much by the book -- from the accomplished actors.The film kicks off with gangster Yeong-gi, who embezzles his boss’s money

LATEST NEWS

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  International

  Trump Says U.S., Japan Reach Initial Agreement on Tariffs

  President Donald Trump said his administration has reached an initial trade accord with Japan over tariffs and that he intends to enter into the agreement in coming weeks.In a notice to Congress on Monday, Trump also said the U.S. will be entering an “executive agreement” with Japan over digital trade.There was no mention by Trump if he’ll end his threat to slap tariffs on Japanese auto imports as part of the trade deal. “My administration looks forward to continued colla

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  International

  Stocks mixed, oil down as markets await news on Saudi plant

  World shares were mixed on Tuesday and oil prices eased back pending updates on restoring output at a Saudi Aramco oil processing plant damaged by an attack over the weekend.Chinese benchmarks led declines in Asia after the credit ratings agency Moody's downgraded Hong Kong, citing its recent political turmoil.  Germany's DAX lost 0.2% to 12,362 after the ZEW index of economic confidence dropped again in September, pointing to the likelihood of a brief recession before a pick-up at the end

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  North Korea

  N. Korea chased off Japanese fishing boats in late August: KCNA

  North Korea's coast guard chased off Japanese fishing boats illegally operating in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) late last month, Pyongyang's state media reported Tuesday, rebutting Tokyo's claims that armed North Korean boats had trespassed in its own zone. "The expulsion of the Japanese ships from our zone is a just and righteous exercise of our sovereign rights," North Korea's foreign ministry was quoted as saying by the English-language report of the Korean Central News Agency

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  World News

  North Korea world’s 2nd most censored country

  　North Korea is the world’s second-most censored country, an international press freedom group said in a recent report, calling Pyongyang’s media a state “mouthpiece.”　Access to the internet is restricted to the political elite, with some schools and state institutions having access to a tightly controlled intranet, according to the report. The African country of Eritrea topped the list. 　The evaluation was based on a number of benchmarks, including the absence of private

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  Technology

  SK Innovation raided over allegations of trade secret theft

  The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on Tuesday raided SK Innovation’s headquarters in central Seoul over LG Chem’s accusation that the SK unit stole trade secrets related to developing electric vehicle batteries. LG Chem had made the accusation in May after filing a complaint in April with the US International Trade Commission and the District Court of Delaware over misappropriation of trade secrets through the hiring of former LG Chem employees. Police sent officers to SK Innovatio

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  Foreign Affairs

  S. Korea, Japan explore possibility of talks between their top diplomats: sources

  South Korea and Japan are exploring the possibility of their top diplomats holding talks on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York next week, though nothing has been decided yet, multiple sources here said Tuesday.Should they meet, it will mark the first face-to-face talks between Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and her new Japanese counterpart Toshimitsu Motegi since Tokyo's top diplomat was appointed in last week's Cabinet reshuffle. Their talks would come amid high tensions caus

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  Finance

  S. Korea’s oil stocks fluctuate after Saudi strikes

  Shares of South Korean oil-related businesses posted mixed performances Tuesday, in the wake of Saudi Arabia’s decision to shut down nearly half of its oil production after a series of drone strikes on key installations. Shares of petroleum product distributor Joongang Enervis closed nearly 21 percent higher from the previous session, at 10,250 won ($8.61).  Hunggu Oil, which is engaged in the wholesale and retail sale of petroleum products, extended gains for the second day, and clos

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  Defense

  US flew spy plane over S. Korean capital area

  A US reconnaissance plane flew over areas around Seoul earlier this week, an aviation tracker has said, on an apparent mission to collect intelligence regarding North Korea.The plane, believed to be an RC-135W Rivet Joint, was detected in the skies above areas of Gyeonggi Province, including Namyangju, just north of Seoul, and the western port city of Incheon on Monday, Aircraft Spots posted on Twitter.The operation took place on a day when North Korea called on the US to remove all "threat

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  Music

  Holliger, Saariaho win Isang Yun International Composition Award

  Heinz Holliger and Kaija Saariaho have won the 2019 Isang Yun International Composition Award, the Isang Yun Peace Foundation announced Tuesday, which marked the anniversary of Yun’s birth. The foundation launched the annual award in 2007 to support and recognize composers, continuing Yun’s musical legacy. However, the event was halted in 2014 due to difficulties faced by the foundation’s management. After a six-year hiatus, the award resumed this year.  Heinz Holliger is

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  Culture

  ‘Thousands of Mirrors’ festival to reflect world literature

  Seoul International Writers’ Festival evolves into annual event

GRAPHIC NEWS

OPINION

• Viewpoints

  

  Anti-virus software can be a virus, too

  Many people enjoy the “Terminator” film series because the action-packed futuristic science fiction films are fun to watch, thanks to breathtaking action, time travel and enthralling cutting-edge technologies. But there is much more to the series than such visual pleasures. “The Terminator” and its sequels also provide valuable lessons and “post-humanist” hindsight in this era of nuclear weapons that can annihilate human civilization in a flash. The movie espe

• Viewpoints

  

  Dunford was a steady hand during Trump-era turmoil

  Gen. Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who will retire this month, is that rare senior official in Donald Trumps Washington whose career and reputation don’t seem to have been tarnished by his dealings with the president. The explanation is simple: The low-key, Boston-Irish Marine maintained the distance and discipline of a professional military officer. He did not try to be Trump’s friend or confidant, and he stayed away from palace intrigue. The White House

THE INVESTOR

• Industrials

  

  Aveva to upgrade integrated industrial software in digital push

  SINGAPORE -- UK-based industrial software developer Aveva said Sept. 17 it plans to introduce its newly integrated industrial software by November in its digital push to streamline large-scale projects.The news comes amid the UK company’s push for software integration following its merger with French multinational firm Schneider Electric’s industrial software business in March 2018. Since the merger, Aveva has strived to bring together its design, engineering and constructi

• Mobile & Internet

  

  Video-streaming war heats up in S. Korea

  The video-streaming war in South Korea is intensifying, with CJ ENM and broadcasting firm JTBC the latest to join the battleground. The two companies announced Sept. 17 that they have signed an agreement to set up a joint venture for video-streaming services. They will also launch a new platform, based on the existing streaming service Tving owned by CJ ENM, early next year. CJ ENM will be the largest shareholder in the JV. “In order to gain a competitive edge in the growing video-str

• Retail & Consumer

  

  YG faces W6b tax penalty as Burning Sun scandal unfolds

  South Korea’s tax agency has decided to levy tax penalties of 6 billion won ($5.04 million) on troubled YG Entertainment, according to industry sources on Sept. 17. The decision by the National Tax Service comes six months after it launched a special investigation of the entertainment mogul following the so-called Burning Sun scandal. The night club is owned by former Big Bang member Seungri, who is being probed by the police for offering prostitutes to his foreign investors. The tax

• Retail & Consumer

  

  Ghost Kitchen secures additional W9.2b

  South Korean shared kitchen startup Ghost Kitchen announced on Sept. 16 that it has secured additional funds worth 9.2 billion won.Its existing investors including startup accelerator Schmidt and shared office operator Fastfive funded the additional amount. New investors, including Smilegate Investment, Mega Investment and IMM Investment, also joined this funding round. The Korean company received around 2.1 billion won in February. In July, Choi Jung-ee, former key member of Korea’s

K-POP HERALD

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  Music fans flock to stream K-pop classics

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  #Sunmipop: 7 Songs to celebrate the best of Sunmi

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  BTS’ vacation playlist

HERALD INTERVIEW

• 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

• People

  

  ‘The city of Seoul belongs to us’

PHOTO NEWS

• Culture

  

  Where tradition lives on

  The approaching Chuseok holiday is a time of the year that Koreans press pause in their busy day-to-day life and appreciate traditional values of their family, communities and the nation as a whole. Many families visit palaces and famous historic sites during the holiday, usually after performing ancestral rites in the morning of Chuseok, which this year falls on Friday. One of the popular destinations is Namsangol Hanok Village in central Seoul, a traditional village that shows what life was du

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