SPOTLIGHT

• Music

  

  U2’s 1st outing in Seoul a gift after long wait

  As incredible as it sounds, U2 -- one of biggest names in rock history -- has never had a huge following in Korea. The disparity between the band’s international fame and popularity in Korea, among other things, has prevented U2 fans in the country from enjoying the group’s music live. That was until the Seoul leg of the Joshua Tree Tour 2019 in Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Sunday, held in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of one of their best-received albums, “The Joshua T

• Social affairs

  

  Man booked on attempted murder charges for stabbing girlfriend

  Incheon police said Tuesday they have tracked down a man accused of making a run after stabbing his girlfriend with an intent to kill her.The Incheon Seobu Police Station has booked the man on charges of attempted murder. Last Monday, the man allegedly stabbed his girlfriend, 43, inside her shop in Seogu District, Incheon, after she tried to report him to the police on assault charges. The man used a knife he had prepared in advance and ran away from from the site.  The police said the woma

• Social affairs

  

  Foreign worker in Pocheon found dead, stabbed in neck

  Police found the body of a foreign worker in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, on Monday, with stab wounds to the neck.The body of the 30-year-old Nepalese man was found around 7:30 p.m. on Monday in front of a dormitory inside an industrial complex in the city, according to Pocheon Police Station. A colleague discovered the man bleeding on the floor and reported to the police.Security camera footage showed the man stabbing himself several times in the neck, police said. While there was no sign of fou

• Golf

  

  An determined to make most of new opportunity at Presidents Cup

  MELBOURNE -- As a last-minute addition to the International Team at this week's Presidents Cup, South Korean golfer An Byeong-hun said Tuesday he is keen on capitalizing on his second chance.An was named as an injury replacement for Jason Day of Australia on Nov. 30, as International captain Ernie Els went with the South Korean just weeks after leaving him off the team.The Presidents Cup pits a team of a dozen non-European international players against the United States. This year's competition

LATEST NEWS

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  Industry

  Bio startup Aprogen gets S. Korea's 11th unicorn status

  South Korean bio venture firm Aprogen Pharmaceuticals Inc. was listed as the country's 11th unicorn, according to an industry tracker on Tuesday.  Aprogen was registered as a unicorn company with a valuation of more than $1 billion by CB Insights, a tech market intelligence platform.  In May, Aprgoen attracted 20 billion won ($16.7 million) in investment from venture capital firm Lindeman Asia Investment.   Aprogen is a venture enterprise founded with proprietary technologies

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  Music

  [Newsmaker] Big Hit denies rumored disputes with BTS

  Big Hit Entertainment has denied a recent report that the agency and BTS have been in dispute over profit distribution and the renewal of a contract. On Monday, broadcast station JTBC’s “News Room” aired a report that said the band and its members’ parents have been looking into taking legal action against the agency. A few hours after the news was broadcast, the agency released a statement saying, “The report is groundless.” “BTS and the members&rs

• 

  Finance

  Kakao Bank launches mobile version of piggy bank

  New service to ease savings burden, adds fun factor

• 

  Economy

  Finance minister urges lawmakers to pass 2020 budget bill

  Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki called for lawmakers to approve next year's budget bill on Tuesday, when the parliamentary session ends. South Korea is seeking a total of 513.5 trillion won ($430.2 billion) in budget spending for next year, a 9.3 percent hike from 2019. The National Assembly already missed the Dec. 2 deadline to pass the budget bill due to political battles. This year marked the fifth straight year the National Assembly has missed the legal deadline, as the partisan standoff over k

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  North Korea

  Defense minister: N. Korea conducted rocket engine test at Dongchang-ri site

  Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo confirmed Tuesday that North Korea tested a rocket engine in what the regime called a "very important test" at its western satellite launching station over the weekend, calling on the communist country to stop such military acts.Jeong's remark, made in Sydney after a meeting of the foreign and defense ministers of the two countries, represented the first time that a government official has confirmed what the North tested Saturday at the Sohae Satellite

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  K-pop

  Big Hit denies report it is in profit dispute with BTS

  BTS’ agent Big Hit Entertainment on Tuesday flatly denied a report that the label and BTS members are in a legal dispute over profit-sharing. On Monday evening, local cable TV network JTBC reported that the K-pop group had reached out to a large law firm in Seoul to pursue legal action against Big Hit over how profits are distributed. The news was broadcast as part of the channel’s flagship current affairs show “Newsroom.” Shortly after, however, Big Hit issued a lengthy

• 

  World News

  Heroism, devastation after deadly N. Zealand volcano eruption

  WHAKATANE (AFP) -- Tales of heroism, devastation and horrifying injuries emerged Tuesday after New Zealand's smouldering White Island volcano exploded, killing an estimated 13 people.Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said five people had died and eight more were presumed dead after Monday's eruption, while dozens of injured had been airlifted to hospitals across the country.Among the 47 people caught on the island during the sudden eruption were tourists from Australia, the United States, Britain, C

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  Industry

  Seoul expands purchases of eco-friendly cars amid new energy drive

  South Korea's public organizations increased their purchases of eco-friendly cars, including hydrogen fuel cell automobiles, this year in line with a new energy drive that centers on cutting the use of fossil fuels, data showed Tuesday.Eco-friendly cars accounted for roughly 70 percent of the combined cars purchased by public organizations this year, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The survey was conducted on 211 institutions.The figure marks a sharp increase from 56.6 p

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  Defense

  US sends another surveillance plane over S. Korea: aviation tracker

  The United States again flew a surveillance aircraft over the Korean Peninsula, an aviation tracker said Tuesday, the latest in a series of flights to monitor North Korea amid growing concern Pyongyang may be gearing up for a long-range rocket launch. The E-8C aircraft, or JSTARS, was spotted over the Korean Peninsula at 33,000 feet, Aircraft Spots said on its Twitter account without specifying the exact time of the operation. It also did not upload photos showing the flight route.As a platform

• Viewpoints

  [Ted Gover] NK's frustrations indicate Trump is holding the line

  North Korea’s Nov. 28 test-firing of a “superlarge multiple-rocket launcher” -- accompanied by recent ultimatums and criticism of Washington’s negotiating style -- indicates the Kim Jong-un regime’s frustration with the US over the lack of sanctions relief. It also shows that the Trump administration is pursuing a measured and deliberate approach that protects both US and allied interests amid North Korean provocations. It is well known that Pyongyang is disappointe

GRAPHIC NEWS

OPINION

• Viewpoints

  

  Former sex slaves shouldn’t become trade weapons

  A retirement home nestled in farmland 90 minutes from Seoul isn’t what most people would consider a trade-war frontier. But this is no ordinary assisted-living community. Here, visitors can step into a replica of a World War II-era “comfort station”: a dimly lit cabin with a narrow wooden bed, topped with a thin mattress and cheap sheets -- where sex slaves once serviced Japanese soldiers. A photo of a military-issue condom, with holes, is on display.The residents of the House

• Viewpoints

  

  Cracks in NATO alliance significant

  There are really only three ways NATO could end:-- The United States, NATO’s most powerful member, could walk away.-- Europe, led by one of the continent’s larger and more ambitious nations, could break off to try and fend for itself.-- Or an outlying member could throw a wrench in the alliance’s decision-making process, which requires unanimity, therein vetoing the organization into paralysis.All three threats lurked on the horizon as allied leaders headed to London earlier la

THE INVESTOR

• Mobile & Internet

  

  Korean investors turn to real estate, less interested in stock market

  Korean investors have been turning their attention toward the real estate market, reflected in an increase in mortgage lending, while cash flows in the equity market have been overall stagnant, recent data showed. According to data released by the Bank of Korea last month, the outstanding balance of mortgage loans held by banks and other financial institutions here came to a combined 830.3 trillion won ($700.5 billion) as of September. The latest data is a noteworthy jump from the corresponding

• Startups & Investors

  

  Techstars Korea to accept applications for 1st batch through March 2020

  Global startup accelerator Techstars said it would accept applications for its first South Korea-focused accelerator program through March 1, 2020 to tap into the tech-savvy nation’s large pool of talents in a landscape firmly supported by the government. The first phase of the accelerator program, co-hosted by Techstars and Hillstone Partners, will select 10 startups mainly dedicated to three categories -- enterprise technology, human-device interaction and lifestyle tech -- said Lee Eun-

• Bio & Medicine

  

  Celltrion presents Truxima’s results of phase 3 clinical trials in US forum

  Celltrion announced on Dec. 9 that it has disclosed its biosimilar Truxima’s results of phase 3 clinical trial at the 2019 annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology last week.“The clinical trials were conducted among patients in European countries including Germany, Spain and Russia as well as Asian countries like Japan for 40 months,” a Celltrion official said in a statement. More than 17,000 experts of blood diseases from over 100 countries attended the meetin

• LG

  

  LG Chem, GM deal ups ante in EV battery competition

  The recent announcement for a joint venture between South Korean battery maker LG Chem and US carmaker General Motors has upped the ante in the global competition to secure lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles, according to industry sources on Dec.8. The 2.7 trillion won ($2.3 billion) joint venture for an EV battery factory with production capacity of over 30 gigawatt hours per year in Lordstown, Ohio, was clinched amid GM’s ongoing transition from combustion engine cars to electri

K-POP

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  Big Hit denies report it is in profit dispute with BTS

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  ‘Virtual Play’: Genie Music VR service lets you see Mamamoo up-close

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  BTS performs at 2019 Jingle Ball

HERALD INTERVIEW

• Industry

  

  Electricity market competition, price hike needed for green energy expansion

• People

  

  Women’s colleges relevant in world where men enjoy privileges

• Industry

  

  China’s No. 1 aesthetic laser firm sees Korea as bridge to Asian markets

• Defense

  

  ‘We will support conscientious objectors in fulfilling alternative service’

PHOTO NEWS

• Travel

  

  Once a ghetto, now tourist hot spot

  Gamcheon Culture Village, a hilltop village in Busan’s Saha district, is a tourist hot spot, drawing an increasing number of visitors.Camera-toting tourists from Korea and elsewhere explore terraced rows of small houses, painted in pastel colors, and labyrinth-like alleys, with some so narrow only one person can pass at a time. The town has hidden gems as well -- murals, sculptures, installation art, galleries and eateries.Among its recent visitors was Indonesian President Joko Widodo, who

VIDEO

• Diplomatic Circuit

  

  Paris looks to Korea’s technology, startups for cooperation: French ambassador

• Film

  

  Ryan Reynolds says ‘6 Undergrounds’ shows how times are changing

• Travel

  

  While in Busan, don’t miss 2 things: Excitement and adventure

• Automode

  

  The New Grandeur gains a bold, younger and sportier look

FEATURES

• People

  

  Frank penguin becomes new star of year, breaks stereotype of EBS characters

  A 210-centimeter-tall penguin walks into a room for an audition at Educational Broadcasting System, insisting he wants to be a star creator. The penguin, who has a strand of seaweed and a seashell on its head, explains that he swam all the way from the South Pole. The 10-year-old’s ultimate goal is to become as popular as BTS.Speaking in a cute -- sometimes husky -- voice, Pengsoo raps, breakdances and even yodels -- a skill he picked up in Switzerland on his way to Korea. When the judges

• Social affairs

  

  Number of Seoulites residing alone up 300,000 in 10 years

  SEJONG -- The number of residents in Seoul stood at 9.73 million as of November 2019, according to the Ministry of Interior and Safety. This is estimated to be the lowest figure in more than 30 years.Given unofficial statistics showing that Seoul was home to 9.2 million in 1983 and 10.28 million in 1988, the current population level is assumed to be similar to that seen in the years between 1984 and 1987.Compared to the figure of 10.21 million in November 2009, the population of the capital of S

• Technology

  

  LG Chem, GM deal ups ante in EV battery competition

  The Friday announcement for a joint venture between South Korean battery maker LG Chem and US carmaker General Motors has upped the ante in the global competition to secure lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles, according to industry sources on Sunday. The 2.7 trillion won ($2.3 billion) joint venture for an EV battery factory with production capacity of over 30 gigawatt hours per year in Lordstown, Ohio, was clinched amid GM’s ongoing transition from combustion engine cars to electr

• Finance

  

  Unlisted stock market gains momentum with attention to startups

  Interest in unlisted stocks is projected to further grow as there are no other alternatives to Kosdaq and Konex