SPOTLIGHT

• Technology

  

  LG seeks turnaround with V30, with broadened AI capability

  LG’s mobile business outlook upbeat, AI tech to expand, connect with other appliances

• Technology

  

  Samsung's next task: AI chips to empower devices

  Huawei to debut Kirin 970 chip to take on Samsung, Apple

• Television

  

  Lee Hyo-ri’s slow-life reality show comes to end

  The reality show featuring K-pop diva Lee Hyo-ri’s life on Jeju Island, “Hyori’s Bed and Breakfast,” wrapped up Sunday evening on JTBC.　In the final episode, Lee shed tears after reading a heartfelt goodbye letter written to her by singer IU, who stayed as a guest and helper at Lee’s Jeju home throughout the show. 　"Hyori’s Bed and Breakfast”(JTBC)The show, which kicked off in June, surpassed a 9 percent viewership rating at its peak, according to Nielsen Korea, a new record for JTBC variety sho

• Industry

  

  McDonald's to run safety checks on stores nationwide

  McDonald’s Korea said Monday that it will be cooperating with the Korea Food Safety Association to run an independent nationwide safety check on its stores.(McDonald's)The inspections, to cover 80 items including compliance with food sanitation laws, store facilities, employee sanitation and ingredient inventory management, will come as part of McDonald‘s previously announced plans to strengthen safety at its stores following allegations of products leading to adverse health effects.The unannoun

LATEST NEWS

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  Economy

  State insurance to cover more dementia, fertility treatments

  South Korea's national health insurance will provide greater coverage for the treatment of infertility and serious dementia starting in October, the health ministry said Tuesday, which is in line with the government's effort to reduce financial burdens on patients.The Ministry of Health and Welfare said the revision to the relevant law was passed during a Cabinet meeting.Under the revision, patients suffering from serious dementia will only be required to pay 10 percent of medical expenses and t

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  Technology

  Samsung Galaxy tops Korea's brand value list for 7th straight year: poll

  Samsung Electronics Co.'s Galaxy smartphones topped the list of brand value in South Korea for the seventh consecutive year as of the third quarter of 2017, a survey showed Tuesday.Galaxy got 940.98 points out of a possible 1,000 points in the "Top Index" by South Korean market research firms Brandstock. The Samsung brand has retained the top spot since July-September of 2011.  (Yonhap)Naver, South Korea's biggest Internet portal, closely trailed at 931.9 points.Brandstock attributed Naver's str

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  Economy

  Korea to ease regulations to make better use of state-owned property

  South Korea will ease regulations on leasing state-owned properties to make better use of neglected public assets, the finance ministry said Tuesday.The Cabinet approved a revised law that allows the government to cut rents on its buildings and land that have not been fully utilized for a long time and to extend leasing contracts by up to 20 years, according to the Ministry of Strategy and Finance. This undated file photo shows a model of apartment buildings to be built and up for sale. (Yonhap)

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  Industry

  TEC, going the extra mile in Korea

  After enjoying a boom over the past few years in Korea, The Executive Centre, a Hong Kong-based shared office operator, is seeking an even bigger presence here.Over the next five years, TEC will be looking for new opportunities across Korea.The plans come on the heels of the success TEC has enjoyed in Korea. TEC Korea’s sales are expected to reach 10 billion won ($8.81 million) this year, making it the fourth largest after Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai.As a leading shared office company in Asi

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  Finance

  Banks to donate W20b for PyeongChang 2018

  South Korean banks will donate 20 billion won ($17.7 million) to the organizing committee of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics to help the nation successfully host the quadrennial sports extravaganza, the Korea Federation of Banks said Tuesday. Besides the donation, banks will buy 1 billion won worth of tickets for the games, according to the federation. (Yonhap)KEB Hana Bank, an official supporter of the games, also signed a sponsorship deal worth 11.1 billion won. The donation is in line with ba

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  Industry

  Korean airlines to hire 3,000 pilots by 2022

  Local South Korean airline carriers plan to train and hire 3,000 pilots by 2022 to meet growing demand, the transport ministry said Monday.The move is designed to help meet rising demand for airline service as an increasing number of Koreans opt to travel abroad. Currently, low-cost carriers offer flights mainly on Asian routes at reasonable prices, driving up overseas travel demand.  (Yonhap)As the country's eight airlines plan to add 152 planes to their fleets during the 2018-2022 period, they

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  More sports

  Ex-national men's figure skating champion chasing Olympic spot in final qualifying event

  Former South Korean national figure skating champion Lee June-hyoung will chase a spot at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics in the final qualifying event in Germany this week.Lee, a three-time South Korean champion, will skate at the Nebelhorn Trophy in Oberstdorf, Germany, starting Wednesday. In this last Olympic qualifying competition, six tickets to the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games in the men's singles will be up for grabs.If Lee finishes in the top six, then South Korea will be able to s

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  Automode

  Hyundai, Kia to debut new cars in China to tackle sliding sales

  South Korea's leading automakers Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Motors Corp. are poised to unveil a series of new cars in China in a bid to help revive slumping sales in the world's top auto market, sources said Tuesday.Industry leader Hyundai Motor and its smaller affiliate Kia Motors have been struggling with plunging sales in China since late last year due to a Seoul-Beijing row over the deployment of an advanced US missile defense system here, which China considers a security threat. This photo p

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  North Korea

  Caritas building nursing homes in N. Korea: RFA

  An international Catholic charity group is building nursing homes in two North Korean towns despite mounting international sanctions on the country's nuclear and missile programs, a US broadcaster reported Tuesday. Caritas Internationalis has decided to build nursing homes in Hamhung and Kowon in South Hamkyong Province, as facilities for old people there are far from enough, Radio Free Asia reported, citing the aid group.  This undated file photo shows a gym at a nursing home in Pyongyang. (Yon

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  Finance

  Korean stocks open lower on US losses

  South Korean stocks opened lower Tuesday, tracking overnight losses on Wall Street, analysts said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 7.14 points, or 0.3 percent, to 2,373.26 in the first 15 minutes of trading.  Most large caps traded mixed, with market kingpin Samsung Electronics losing 1.72 percent and global chipmaker SK hynix shedding 2.78 percent.In contrast, leading steelmaker POSCO gained 1.46 percent, and No. 1 automaker Hyundai Motor gained 2.13 percent.US stocks declin

GRAPHIC NEWS

OPINION

• Columnists

  

  North Korean threat to utilities

  In times of market uncertainty, some investors will flock to “safeguarded” currencies such as the Swiss franc or Japanese yen. Others may choose diversifiers like gold, farmland or other hard assets. And then there are those who flock to alternative investments like bitcoin or fine wine. Yet one investment that has historically been considered a safe bet, low-risk option for investors when frothy markets appear ripe for a correction, or when market bubbles look to burst, is the utility sector. B

• Columnists

  

  Extinguish Kim Jong-un’s threats without sacrificing Korea

  “I lived in that system for more than 50 years. ... To be honest, my life in North Korea was nothing but the life of the slave.” - Thae Yong-ho, former Pyongyang ambassador (May 4, 2017)“An American first strike would likely trigger one of the worst mass killings in human history.”- Mark Bowden, The Atlantic (July 2017)In June, three northern soldiers defected across the perilous North-South border within a two-week time frame. Two individuals made the journey on foot -- somehow traversing the h

THE INVESTOR

• Mobile & Internet

  

  Apple likely to ditch 5.28-inch OLED iPhone next year

  Apple has decided to ditch the smallest 5.28-inch OLED iPhone next year, while adding a larger -- possibly more than 6 inches -- LCD model into the full lineup, according to The Bell on Sept. 25.Citing local parts makers, the report said Apple had originally given panel orders to Samsung Display, its sole OLED supplier, under a plan to launch three OLED iPhones next year -- 5.28-, 5.85-, and 6.46-inch models. But the report said the development work for the 5.28-inch model has rec

• Mobile & Internet

  

  [ITU BUSAN] Global leaders vow united efforts to address ICT issues

  BUSAN -- ITU Telecom World 2017, one of the largest UN-backed information and communication technology events, kicked off in Korea’s southern port city of Busan on Sept. 25.　Hundreds of ministers, government officials, and business leaders from ITU’s 193 member states packed the auditorium of Bexco, an exhibition center and the main event venue for the conference, to celebrate the opening of the quadrennial event.　The conference, which is being held under the theme “Better Sooner,

• Economy

  

  [DECODED X] Chip off the shoulder

  DECODED X is more than just news. It’s a weekly brief of critical political and economic events in Korea and their takeaway, created by The Investor staff for an exclusive group of opinion leaders. To ensure content quality, DECODED X is offered as a paid service.Corporate annual subscription fees are set at US$3,000, but The Investor is handing out special discounts this year. For more details, please contact Monica Lee (jylee@heraldcorp.com), or call 82-727-0616. You can also get in touch with

• Deals

  

  France’s Brandt joins race to acquire Dongbu Daewoo

  French home appliance maker Brandt Group has become the latest bidder for acquiring Dongbu Daewoo Electronics that is already crowded with multiple players, including Sweden’s Electrolux, China’s Haier and Mexico’s Mabe, according to news reports on Sept. 25. The Korean appliance maker is drawing much attention from overseas bidders as it operates in 40 countries globally. Its strong presence in Latin America, including a production plant in Mexico, has made the firm extremely app

K-POP HERALD

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  'Love Yourself' at No.7 on Billboard 200

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  ‘Love in the Moonlight’ to air during holiday

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  Go Ara craves good works

HERALD INTERVIEW

• Technology

  

  AI to lead next innovation at Asia's top chat app: Line CTO

• Culture

  

  ‘The hands that raised candles should now hold books’

• Technology

  

  Kakao seeks to go global with content distribution business: CEO

• Industry

  

  Suprema seeks opportunity in mobile fingerprint scanner

PHOTO NEWS

• Culture

  

  Take in the autumn breeze at Sangam Sky Park

  There have been many big incidents in South Korea this year.But let bygones be bygones. It is right time to enjoy the scenic beauty because autumn is the most beautiful season of the year.And there are places where you can find its special charms, even in the middle of the city.One such recommendation is the Sky Park in Sangam-dong, Seoul.Visitors can appreciate tall metasequoia trees while hiking to the park, located 98 meters above sea level.It is the highest neighborhood park Seoul, where vis

VIDEO

• Culture

  

  Ever-expanding universe of ramen

• Defense

  

  Seoul carries out missile drill targeting NK’s nuclear sites

• Social affairs

  

  Cheonan-Nonsan Expressway collision results in 11 casualties

• Social affairs

  

  Extended Deoksugung Stonewall Walkway unveiled

FEATURES

• Music

  

  Electrifying music, disappointing operation in World Club Dome

  The self-proclaimed “biggest outdoor club in the world” finally landed in Korea on Friday, and neither the DJs nor the audience held anything back, partying the night away with the hottest electronic dance music in the world.World Club Dome Korea 2017 was held from Friday to Sunday at Munhak Stadium in Incheon, hosting 100,000 music fans from in and out of Korea. It was the first time that the event -- founded in Frankfurt in 2013 by German radio station Big City Beats -- had been hosted in Asia

• Technology

  

  Samsung heralds era of super storage solutions with V-NAND chips

  To address the challenges to meet the pressing requirements of next-generation data processing and storage systems, Samsung has introduced new Vertical-NAND memory solutions and technology to its global customers. At this year’s Flash Memory Summit held in Santa Clara, California, in August, Samsung showcased solutions to address next-generation data processing challenges centered around the company’s latest V-NAND technology and an array of solid state drives. The company hopes SSDs will be at

• Social affairs

  

  W17m booze tab: Itaewon bars face probe over foreign tourist ripoff

  A promise of a fun night out at a bar in Itaewon left an American tourist with a booze tab totaling 17 million won ($15,000).Seoul police said on Thursday owners and employees at three bars in Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, have been indicted without detention for overcharging foreign tourists.One of the indicted bar owners, surnamed Lee, allegedly charged an American tourist 17 million won for drinks he had during his one hour and 40 minutes stay at the bar.An American tourist was charged 17 million won

• Social affairs

  

  Seoul's subway Line No. 2 may get 24-hour service: official

  Seoul Metro is considering operating its subway line No. 2 around the clock. Kim Tae-ho, managing director of Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corporation said it will run Subway Line No. 2 all night every Friday and Saturday during a test period. (Yonhap)Subway Line No. 2 is the most used line in Seoul and connects the city’s key areas. There has been an increasing demand for late night service.By Im Eun-byel (silverstar@heraldcorp.com)