SPOTLIGHT

• World News

  

  Strong 6.1-magnitude quake hits Taiwan, shakes buildings in Taipei

  TAIPEI (AFP) -- A 6.1-magnitude earthquake jolted Taiwan on Thursday, the US Geological Survey said, shaking buildings and disrupting traffic.In the capital Taipei, highrises swayed while some panicked schoolchildren fled their classrooms in eastern Yilan county, according to reports.The quake was felt across the island and a highway connecting Yilan and Hualien was shut down due to falling rocks, authorities said.An official at the Hualien county fire department told AFP that two people, includ

• Culture

  

  Royal Culture Festival to add color to Seoul’s palaces

  During the 2019 Royal Culture Festival, visitors will be able to get a glimpse of the lifestyles of Joseon royals at Seoul’s five historic palaces. The Cultural Heritage Administration announced Wednesday it will be hosting the annual festival under the theme of “Today, We Meet the Palace” from April 27 to May 7 at Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung, Deoksugung and Gyeonghuigung. This is the first time that Gyeonghuigung has been included in the event. Various programs and activities

• People

  

  BTS ranked among Time's 100 Most Influential of 2019

  South Korean K-pop group BTS has been ranked among Time magazine's 100 most influential people of 2019.The seven-member band, whose albums have topped Billboard music charts, appeared on the annual list unveiled Wednesday on the magazine’s website.By category, BTS was among the 17 artists of 2019. The other four groups were called pioneers, leaders, titans and icons.(Time Megazine)“Over the past few years, the K-pop group has taken the music industry by storm -- shattering sales records, gatheri

• Soccer

  

  Son Heung-min makes history as Tottenham reach Champions League semis

  Son Heung-min has made UEFA Champion League scoring history as he helped send Tottenham Hotspur into the semifinals of the top European club competition.Son grabbed a brace against Manchester City in the Spurs' thrilling 4-3 loss in the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinals at Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England, on Wednesday (local time). Tottenham, having taken the first leg 1-0 at home, still knocked off Man City on away goals and will go on to face Ajax in the semifinals.With 12

LATEST NEWS

• 

  Politics

  S. Korean president arrives in Uzbekistan

  TASHKENT, Uzbekistan -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in arrived in the capital of Uzbekistan on Thursday for a four-day state visit that will include a summit with his Uzbek counterpart, Shavkat Mirziyoyev.    Moon's arrival here follows his state visit to urkmenistan. The South Korean leader is currently on a three-nation tour that will later take him to Kazakhstan. (Yonhap)    Moon and Mirziyoyev will meet Friday to discuss ways to further improve the countries' bilateral relationship and e

• 

  North Korea

  Moscow says Kim Jong-un to visit Russia in late April: report

  North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will visit Russia later this month for talks with President Vladimir Putin, Russian news service RIA Novosti reported Thursday, citing the Kremlin.    Kim will make the visit at Putin's invitation, the news service and other Russian news outlets quoted the Kremlin as announcing in a press release. The report did not give further details, including dates and the venue of the summit between Kim and Putin.  (Yonhap)    Speculation has been rising that the two leaders

• 

  Technology

  Naver disapproves of Korean firms' dependence on foreign cloud-service platforms

  The internet company’s cloud business chief says “it is a shame” that Samsung is taking pride in to using AWS for cloud computing

• 

  Columnists

  How Xi overplayed his hand with America

  In the rebalancing of Sino-American relations that’s underway, the usual roles are reversed: China’s normally deft President Xi Jinping appears to have badly overreached in seeking advantage. And President Trump, who often seems tone-deaf on foreign policy, is riding a bipartisan consensus that it’s time to push back against Beijing. The two nations will probably make a trade deal soon, patching together a working relationship that has been frayed by a year of tariffs and economic brinksmanship.

• Editorial

  The right nest

  Asiana should find a qualified buyer as soon as possible

• 

  North Korea

  NK’s new weapons development a message to Seoul, US

  North Korea on Thursday reported the development of a new tactical weapons system, adding uncertainty to the situation surrounding the Korean Peninsula. According to the North’s Korean Central News Agency, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attended the testing of a newly developed guided tactical weapons system on Wednesday, and applauded the development as having a “very big significance” in strengthening the country’s military capabilities. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is seen inspecting an a

• 

  Music

  From BTS to BoA, a look back on K-pop acts ons Billboard 200

  　BTS is set to make history as the boy band is on course to have its third No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 album chart for the week ending April 27.　While the group’s “Map of the Soul: Persona” is the latest K-pop record to top the high-profile chart, it’s worth nothing there were other South Korean artists who had a crack at the US market and left their mark.　In 2009, BoA became the first K-pop singer to enter Billboard’s albums chart with her self-titled US debut album, which peaked at No. 12

• 

  North Korea

  N. Korea calls for replacement of Pompeo as chief US negotiator

  North Korea called Thursday for replacing US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo with a "more careful and mature" negotiator, accusing the top American diplomat of failing to understand Pyongyang's position and causing the denuclearization talks to become "entangled."A senior North Korean foreign ministry official made the demand, claiming that whenever Pompeo "pokes his nose in, talks between the two countries go wrong without any results even from the point close to success," according to the Korea

• 

  Industry

  Orion’s Choco pie sales in Vietnam surpass Korea for the first time

  Some 600 million Choco pies were sold in Vietnam last year, with sales reaching 92 billion won ($80.9 million), the highest recorded in Vietnam so far, Korean confectionary firm Orion said Wednesday.According to Orion, Choco pie sales in Vietnam surpassed sales in Korea last year at 83 billion won. It is the second country to have done so, with the first being China. Choco pie, chocolate-covered biscuits with marshmallow filling, was first introduced to Korean consumers in 1974. Its popularity g

• 

  North Korea

  Pyongyang slams Seoul over military drills

  North Korea’s propaganda outlets on Thursday criticized the South Korean government for conducting military exercises with the US, which it called “provocative actions” that destroy peace on the Korean Peninsula. The state-run online publication Uriminzokkiri denounced Seoul for lacking willingness to implement the military agreement signed by the two Koreas last year, as the South Korean military carried out a landing drill near Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, on April 3 and another exercise

GRAPHIC NEWS

OPINION

• Columnists

  

  How Xi overplayed his hand with America

  In the rebalancing of Sino-American relations that’s underway, the usual roles are reversed: China’s normally deft President Xi Jinping appears to have badly overreached in seeking advantage. And President Trump, who often seems tone-deaf on foreign policy, is riding a bipartisan consensus that it’s time to push back against Beijing. The two nations will probably make a trade deal soon, patching together a working relationship that has been frayed by a year of tariffs and economic brinksmanship.

• Columnists

  

  Mysterious global impact of BTS

  Exactly how Jimin, RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, V, and Jungkook pull off one history-making feat after another is a mystery

THE INVESTOR

• Startups & Investors

  

  Abyo Korea hopes to redesign delivery industry

  About a year ago, Dasan New Town, a gigantic new apartment complex in Gyeonggi Province, found itself at the center of a nationwide controversy. A car-free community, it faced a dispute with delivery companies because it was impossible for trucks to get past the entrance. Delivery people were expected to complete their routes on foot. Refusing to comply, the couriers left the packages at the complex entrance. The impasse was eventually resolved, but it highlighted the difficulties that the deliv

• Startups & Investors

  

  KDB forms co-investing roundtable with 6 local VCs

  State-run Korea Development Bank announced on April 18 that it has formed a co-investing roundtable with six local venture capital firms to help Korean startups reach a unicorn status. KDB said it is teaming up with VCs dedicated to startup investments -- Korea Investment Partners, Smilegate Investment, Intervest, KTB Network, IMM Investment and LB Investment. KDB Vice Chairman Sung Joo-yung (fourth from left) and representatives of Korean VCs pose for a photo at a ceremony celebrating the launc

• Bio & Medicine

  

  GenBody’s proposed IPO plans this year suffer setback

  South Korean bio startup GenBody, which originally was planning an initial public offering this year, has changed its schedule, according to industry sources on April 18.According to sources, the firm’s decision was mainly due to a decrease in its corporate value. Established in 2012, ZenBody is the first South Korea company that developed the Zika virus test kit. As the virus spread in South America, industry watchers saw high potential for its growth. Industry insiders last year projected GenB

• Bio & Medicine

  

  SK Biopharma signs contract with US new drug developer

  SK Biopharmaceuticals, a drug development unit of South Korea’s telecom-to-energy conglomerate  SK Group, announced on April 18 that it has signed a contract with US-based biotech company twoXAR to co-develop a new drug for treating non-small cell lung cancer.Non-small cell lung cancer is the most common type of the disease accounting for around 85 percent of the total patients. In 2018, around 2 million additional patients were diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer.The California-based comp

K-POP HERALD

• 

  KARD’s Somin, CLC’s Seungyeon to compete to be ‘Next Beauty Creator’

• 

  BTS returns with new chart-topping album in ode to fans

• 

  BTS makes ‘Saturday Night Live’ debut

HERALD INTERVIEW

• Social affairs

  

  Boosting rental housing supply as solution to housing problem

• Industry

  

  ‘Moon will do more for foreign investors’

• Technology

  

  Boosted by BTS and K-pop, Naver’s V Live challenges YouTube

• People

  

  The agent behind Korea's global literary growth

PHOTO NEWS

• World News

  

  Notre Dame after the fire

  Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France, is still standing after a devastating fire broke out Monday. French President Emmanuel Macron promised to rebuild the beloved 13th century building. The Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris is still standing despite major damage caused by a giant fire 16 April 2019. French President Emmanuel Macron vowed to rebuild the 13th century building that welcomes tens of millions of worshippers and tourists per year. (Yonhap) The devastating fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in

VIDEO

• Food

  

  Tongyeong is destination for seafood lovers

• Culture

  

  Throwback to Korea’s roaring ‘20s in Ikseon-dong

• Industry

  

  IFC Seoul, a Yeouido landmark reeling from competition

• Automode

  

  8th-generation Sonata sets standard for smart mobility devices

FEATURES

• Arts&Design

  

  Mindful relaxation at Museum San

  Museum San opens meditation hall, offers art-centered sanctuary

• Social affairs

  

  Gyeonggi Province to build more satellite towns of Seoul

  Gyeonggi’s new cities promise influx of in-city jobs, access to nature, convenient commute to Seoul

• Industry

  

  Korean firms struggle to enter halal market

  Clinching globally acclaimed halal certification key to expansion

• Automode

  

  Why SUVs are hot, while sedans are not

  Changing lifestyle, widened features and automakers‘ supply strategy boost popularity