SPOTLIGHT

• Music

  

  BTS becomes 1st K-pop act to break into Spotify's Global Top 50

  BTS became the first Korean musician to break into the top 50 artists played on global music streaming service Spotify, according to its agency Wednesday."DNA," lead track of BTS' latest EP album "Love Yourself: Her," reached No. 50 on the Spotify's Global Top 50 playlist, according to Big Hit Entertainment. The chart ranks the most streamed artist on the platform on a daily basis. (Big Hit Entertainment)Based in Stockholm, Sweden, Spotify was launched in 2008 and currently has some 140 million

• Social affairs

  

  Seoul’s rooftops to turn into concert hall, yoga studio and library

  While many regard rooftops as dead space or a place to avoid due to safety concerns, Seoul is turning the rooftops of five public buildings into venues for events like jazz concerts, yoga classes and other outdoor activities. Citizens enjoy outdoor activities on the rooftop garden of the Seoul Metropolitan Library on Wednesday. (Kim Da-sol/The Korea Herald)For the city’s the first rooftop festival, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said Wednesday that the ticketed event will run until Oct. 28 to

• Technology

  

  KT to build fine dust monitoring system leveraging telecom infrastructure

  South Korea’s mobile carrier KT has set out to develop a new nationwide network to monitor and manage ultrafine dust levels by leveraging its existing telecommunications infrastructure and network technologies.KT said Wednesday announced the launch of the “Air Map Korea Project,” pledging to invest 10 billion won ($8.87 million) for the nationwide project.KT's telecommunications infrastructure installed across Korea (KT)The company plans to turn its network infrastructure — most of which are loc

• Film

  

  Colin Firth, Taron Egerton, Mark Strong meet with Korean fans via live stream

  Firth proclaims love for Korean food in first-ever visit to Korea

LATEST NEWS

• 

  Industry

  Samsung Bioepis wins approval to sell biosimilar in South Korea

  Samsung Biologics Co. said Wednesday its affiliate Samsung Bioepis Co. won a nod from South Korea‘s drug agency to sell its biosimilar dubbed SB5.Through the approval granted by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, Samsung Biologics said in a regulatory filing that the biosimilar is ready for sale in the country. Ko Han-sung, CEO of Samsung BioepisThe SB5 is a biosimilar of Humira released by U.S.-based AbbVie Inc., used for the treatment of various diseases including Crohn’s disease and rheuma

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  Social affairs

  South Korean confirmed dead in quake-hit Mexico

  SEOUL/MEXICO CITY (Yonhap) -- South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said Wednesday a South Korean national was found dead from a massive earthquake that hit Mexico earlier this week.A 7.1-magnitude quake shook central Mexico on Tuesday (local time). Media reports indicate that nearly 250 people have been confirmed dead. (AP-Yonhap)The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it confirmed the death of a 41-year-old South Korean man surnamed Lee.An official from the ministry said Seoul’s Mexico embassy received

• 

  Columnists

  Living at edge of chaos

  This month, two Category 4 hurricanes hit the United States within 17 days of each other. In Asia, North Korea is threatening nuclear Armageddon, and floods and famine are putting thousands of lives at risk from Bangladesh to Yemen. How can one survive in this chaotic era?A first step must be to make sense of the apparent chaos. Hurricanes Harvey and Irma have proved that climate change is not fake science, but a real threat to home and security. When hailstones the size of golf balls hit Istanb

• Columnists

  The human cost of nuclear testing

  With most media focusing on the geopolitical and military consequences of Pyongyang’s September nuclear test, another important consideration has largely gone undiscussed: the human cost. Nuclear testing is dangerous. Not only can it cause immediate damage to the surrounding environment, it can also cause lasting damage to much larger areas around the test site. Just ask Fukushima.Since all of North Korea’s nuclear tests have been conducted underground and inside of a mountain (Mantapsan), the c

• Columnists

  Motormouth Trump warns ‘rocket man’ Kim

  Many a world leader has come to the United Nations to give a mealy-mouthed speech or issue a vague declaration. Delegates understood they could remain awake at their discretion.The action was different, and riveting, Tuesday at the UN when President Donald Trump lit into North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, using what we now recognize to be Trump’s trademark vocabulary of shock and audaciousness.“Rocket man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime,” Trump said, mocking Kim and sounding

• 

  Columnists

  Way out of THAAD reprisals

  Trade officials here were perplexed last week by a presidential spokesperson’s remarks dashing the possibility of South Korea taking China to the World Trade Organization for Beijing’s retaliation against Seoul’s hosting of an advanced US missile defense system.The spokesman told a press briefing that South Korea would seek to strengthen strategic communication and cooperation with China to resolve “difficult issues” between the two sides. He said it was important to maintain cooperation with Ch

• Editorial

  Same questions

  Envisaged investigation body raises doubts over independence

• 

  World

  Military balance in Northeast Asia

• 

  Social affairs

  Prosecution opens probe into former leader Lee

  The prosecution on Wednesday began looking into a complaint filed against former President Lee Mung-bak that he masterminded the national spy agency’s alleged smear campaign against Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, then a vocal critic of him. The former president has been under siege amid mounting accusations of alleged state-led irregularities during his 2009-2013 presidency, including the spy agency’s election manipulation and suppression of left-wing cultural figures. Former President Lee Myung-bak

• 

  Culture

  Unorthodox ensemble to bring ‘L’Appartement’ to life on stage

  Theater director Ko Sun-woong is a man predicted to be unpredictable; it is not often you see a re-creation of a classic morality tale featuring aliens, like in Ko’s version of “Heungbuga.”For the theatrical remake of 1996 film “L’Appartement (The Apartment),” Ko chose film and TV actor Oh Ji-ho and ballerina Kim Joo-won to play lead characters Max and Lisa. Kim Joo-won (left), Ko Sun-woong (center) and Oh Ji-ho pose for a photo after a press conference at LG Arts Center in Seoul last Tuesday. (

GRAPHIC NEWS

OPINION

• Columnists

  

  Living at edge of chaos

  This month, two Category 4 hurricanes hit the United States within 17 days of each other. In Asia, North Korea is threatening nuclear Armageddon, and floods and famine are putting thousands of lives at risk from Bangladesh to Yemen. How can one survive in this chaotic era?A first step must be to make sense of the apparent chaos. Hurricanes Harvey and Irma have proved that climate change is not fake science, but a real threat to home and security. When hailstones the size of golf balls hit Istanb

• Columnists

  

  Way out of THAAD reprisals

  Trade officials here were perplexed last week by a presidential spokesperson’s remarks dashing the possibility of South Korea taking China to the World Trade Organization for Beijing’s retaliation against Seoul’s hosting of an advanced US missile defense system.The spokesman told a press briefing that South Korea would seek to strengthen strategic communication and cooperation with China to resolve “difficult issues” between the two sides. He said it was important to maintain cooperation with Ch

THE INVESTOR

• Mobile & Internet

  

  SK hynix keeps mum on Toshiba deal

  Korean chipmaker SK hynix remained silent on Sept 20 over reports that Japan-based Toshiba has decided to pick a Japan-US-Korean consortium as preferred bidder to buy its memory chip business unit. According to news reports earlier in the day, Toshiba’s board of directors decided to sell its chip-making unit to the consortium for about 2.4 trillion yen (US$21 billion). The consortium includes US fund Bain Capital, Development Bank of Japan and SK hynix. Apple, Dell and other US te

• Bio & Medicine

  

  Samsung BioLogics overtakes Lonza in market cap

  Samsung BioLogics’ stock price has more than doubled since its market debut last November to take on the segment leader Switzerland’s Lonza in terms of market value.Stocks of the contract drug manufacturing arm of Samsung Group closed at 338,000 won (US$298.85) on Sept. 19, pushing its market capitalization above 22.36 trillion won. In comparison, Lonza’s market cap sits at 18.77 Swiss Franc (22.12 trillion won).The Korean CMO’s stocks have continued to rally as investors are bett

• Bio & Medicine

  

  Samsung Bioepis denies canceling deal with MSD Korea

  Samsung Bioepis has denied reports on Sept. 20 that its drug license deal with the Korean unit of global drug maker MSD had been terminated because of lackluster sales here. A local media outlet reported that MSD Korea decided to return the exclusive rights to market biosimilars Brenzys and Renflexis -- copy versions of Amgen’s blockbuster drug Enbrel and Johnson & Johnson’s Remicade.“There have been no talks to discuss such matter. The market rumors have been circulating from ear

• Retail & Consumer

  

  Will HNB tobacco tax hike pass this month?

  The hotly debated hike plan for consumption taxes on heat-not-burn tobacco products is likely to be discussed in the finance committee of the National Assembly on Sept. 20, as industry watchers speculate on whether the bill will be able to pass within the month.If the finance committee sends an amendment to the floor, it could be passed by the full legislature on Sept. 28. IQOS from Philip Morris International. PMI.“It has not been put on the official agenda yet, but people in the

K-POP HERALD

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  BTS enters Spotify’s Global Top 50

• 

  Choi Min-sik, Park Shin-hye in ‘Silence’

• 

  Lee Dong-wook talks on his next work

HERALD INTERVIEW

• Finance

  

  Hacker-turned-CEO brings digital currency offline

• Industry

  

  ‘Samsung wants to bring idea of Silicon Valley project to Korea’

• Film

  

  Empathy without exploitation

• Economy

  

  ‘Forests are Korea’s largest resource’: minister

PHOTO NEWS

• Culture

  

  Cosmos in full bloom

  Visitors take in the view of a cosmos field in Guri, Gyeonggi Province, on Tuesday prior to the local festival’s opening. A yearly celebration of the season’s blooms, “Guri Cosmos Festival 2017” will take place for a three-day run from Friday.By Park Hyun-koo (phko@heraldcorp.com)

VIDEO

• 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

• People

  

  Meet Korean Billy, the internet sensation of 2017

FEATURES

• Film

  

  Busan Film Fest announces 10 nominees for new award category

  Busan International Film Festival on Tuesday announced 10 nominees for its new Kim Ji-seok award, honoring the longtime program director of the festival who passed away in May.　Kim began as a programmer of Asian films at BIFF in 1996, and in 2007 went on to serve as the head programmer of Asia’s largest film festival. 　Kim passed away during a trip to France’s Cannes Film Festival. 　The award celebrates the late Kim’s passion for Asian cinema and the discovery of emerging directors. 　The nominat

• Technology

  

  Korean online game ‘Battlegrounds’ breaks Steam record for highest concurrent player count

  Online shooting game “PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds” developed by South Korea’s Bluehole Studio has broken the record for the highest concurrent player count on Steam, the world’s largest online video game store platform.The game, which was released as an early access beta version on Steam around six months ago, hit the milestone by achieving more than 1.34 million concurrent player counts Saturday, Bluehole said this week.With the new record, “Battlegrounds” beat the top peak player count recor

• Arts&Design

  

  Syrian artists find ways to express war’s impact

  Seoul exhibition of shows artists overcoming obstacles to communicate with world

• Social affairs

  

  Tension mounts over upcoming pro-LGBT event at Haeundae beach

  The first LGBT festival to take place in Busan this weekend is hiking up tensions between pro- and anti-LGBT groups, according to Haeundae Police on Tuesday.The possibility of clashes between the two groups is putting local police on high alert. The festival will start at 10 a.m. Saturday at Haeundae beach. There will also be a parade that begins at 4 p.m. and will go around adjacent areas before ending at Gunam-ro Culture Square, which leads back to the beachfront.