SPOTLIGHT

• Social affairs

  

  2 USFK soldiers invoke right to silence after assaulting passer-by, policeman

  Two female soldiers with the United States Forces Korea invoked their right to silence after allegedly assaulting a South Korean man and a police officer in Dongducheon, Gyeonggi Province. According to the Gyeonggi Bukbu Provincial Police Agency, a private in the 8th Army and private first class in the Second Infantry were walking along a road in Dongducheon when they pushed over a motorcycle at a little past midnight Monday.The owner of the motorcycle, 58, testified to police that the private,

• Technology

  

  Samsung working on foldable display laptop

  Models showcase Samsung Electronics’ new laptop “Flash” with a fast internet speed and a retro-style keyboard at an event held at Pier59 Studios in Seoul on Monday. (Samsung Electronics)Samsung Electronics is working on development of new form factors of laptops, including one with foldable display, as part of its efforts to innovate personal computer products in line with the changing market for mobile devices, a company official said during a showcase event for the latest laptop Flash on Monda

• Fashion

  

  Young Koreans take fashion inspiration from Bernie Sanders and Jesse Jackson

  Past US presidential campaigns have taken on a new life as fashion inspiration in South Korea.

• Social affairs

  

  2,062 nabbed for illegal filming, porn distribution

  Police nabbed 2,062 people suspected of illegally filming women’s body parts and distributing pornography after a two-month special crackdown on online sex crimes.Police detained 88 of the suspects, National Police Agency Chief Min Gap-ryong said Monday.“(Police) cracked down on 99 pornographic websites that had servers overseas, and so it was not easy to track down the 55 suspects involved, detaining 21 of them,” Min said in a statement.“(Police) raided 20 companies that run data storage busine

LATEST NEWS

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  North Korea

  Koreas agree to jointly fight pine tree pests until March

  SEOUL/KAESONG (Joint Press Corps-Yonhap) -- South and North Korea agreed Monday to jointly combat pine tree pests and other tree diseases until March next year as part of efforts to intensify their forestry cooperation. Officials from the two Koreas shake hands at the meeting held in Kaesong, North Korea on Monday. YonhapThe agreement was made during talks held at their joint liaison office in the North's border town of Kaesong."The South agreed to provide necessary drugs to combat pine tree pes

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  Music

  Taeyeon’s musical versatility on full display in Seoul concert

  From ‘Fine’ to ‘I,’ the idol-turned-soloist wows with hit-packed set list

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  World News

  Cost of climate-linked disasters soars: UN

  　The economic cost of climate-related disasters hit $2.25 trillion over the last two decades, an increase of more than 150 percent compared to the previous 20 years, the UN said Wednesday. 　The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction noted that "climate change was increasing the frequency and severity of extreme weather events" such as floods and storms.  　Between 1978-1997, total losses from climate-related disasters was $895 billion, UNISDR said in a report based on data compiled by

• 

  Politics

  Opposition parties demand parliamentary probe into Seoul Metro hiring scandal

  Opposition parties on Monday submitted a proposal to launch a joint parliamentary probe into Seoul Metro and other public agencies’ alleged illicit hiring practices that involve giving jobs to the relatives and family members of those employed at the government entities.　　Seoul Metro, which is run by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, is at the center of the controversy at the ongoing parliamentary inspection. It was recently revealed that 11.2 percent of its 17,084 employees, some 2,000, were r

• 

  Music

  Ed Sheeran to hold Seoul concert in April

  Pop singer Ed Sheeran has confirmed that his first concert here will take place in April. The star will perform at the Songdo Moonlight Festival Park, an hour’s drive west of central Seoul, at 6 p.m. on April 21.  Poster for Ed Sheeran’s April concert (Private Curve)The artist will be visiting Seoul as a part of his Asian tour next spring. He will also be performing in Singapore and Thailand. A more detailed schedule of the tour has yet to be released. Tickets for his concert cost 110,000 ($97)

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  Industry

  K-water succeeds in pilot water management project in Vietnam

  The Korea Water Resources Corporation, or K-water, said it succeeded in its pilot project of smart water management customized for Vietnam that was carried out together with Korean companies and Vietnam’s National Center for Water Resources Planning and Investigation.They shared the performance of the pilot project during a meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam last week, according to K-water on Monday.A Korean company employee explains the equipment to monitor underground water to Vietnamese employees in H

• 

  Industry

  KIPO, WIPO to hold global IP certificate course

  The Korean Intellectual Property Office, jointly with the World Intellectual Property Organization, is holding a special certificate course in Seoul this week for intellectual property practitioners and learners, officials said Monday.The Advanced International Certificate Course kicks off Tuesday and runs throughout the week at the Korea Intellectual Property Service Center building in Yeoksam-dong. The event comes as part of KIPO’s sustainable efforts to promote the use of intellectual propert

• Columnists

  Are Britons really softening on immigration?

  In the United Kingdom, the new conventional wisdom is that attitudes toward immigration are softening. A headline in the Financial Times this July stated that “negativity about immigration falls sharply in Brexit Britain.” Likewise, a recent report by the UK Migration Advisory Committee surmises that “the UK may find itself in the position of ending free movement just as public concern falls about the migration flows that result from it.”This is notable, considering that it has been only two yea

• Columnists

  China M&A isn’t dead, it’s gone under the radar

  You’d be forgiven for thinking Chinese M&A is dead.Over the past several months, the US has led the charge among developed markets to close mainland buyers out of deals in technology and other sensitive sectors -- and scrutiny will only get worse. That’s put a lid on big-ticket acquisitions.But don’t sound the death knell: Deals are still happening, just ones that slip under the radar. Some are for small amounts in “boring” sectors, like infrastructure, logistics or health care. Others are in pl

• 

  Columnists

  Putin’s big military buildup is behind NATO lines

  Last week I visited Naples and spent time with Jamie Foggo, the four-star admiral in command of NATO’s powerful Joint Forces Command located there. Foggo has responsibility for much of NATO’s European operations and defensive posture. At the moment, he is preparing for a major exercise, Trident Juncture, focused on countering Russia’s recent increase in the combat posture of its small enclave of Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea. Russia is continuing to add real combat capability in Kaliningrad by t

GRAPHIC NEWS

OPINION

• Columnists

  

  Putin’s big military buildup is behind NATO lines

  Last week I visited Naples and spent time with Jamie Foggo, the four-star admiral in command of NATO’s powerful Joint Forces Command located there. Foggo has responsibility for much of NATO’s European operations and defensive posture. At the moment, he is preparing for a major exercise, Trident Juncture, focused on countering Russia’s recent increase in the combat posture of its small enclave of Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea. Russia is continuing to add real combat capability in Kaliningrad by t

• Columnists

  

  Putin lives in a world without rules

  It’s chilling when the leader of a nuclear power describes a potential nuclear conflict in terms one might expect from a suicide bomber. But the intellectual foundations of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s latest geopolitical utterances are even more unsettling: Putin’s policy wonks assume that the world can’t hope for reasonable coordinated action to prevent catastrophic war.Putin told a session of the Valdai Club, set up as a forum for Russian foreign-policy intellectuals to share their view

THE INVESTOR

• Retail & Consumer

  

  Mirae consortium fails to sell majority stake in Coffee Bean

  A consortium led by Mirae Asset Global Investments, Korea’s largest asset management firm, has failed to sell majority stake in Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, according to industry sources on Oct. 22.The consortium picked Morgan Stanley as its deal manager in an attempt to sell Coffee Bean in August this year. Since then, the consortium led by Mirae Asset Global Investments has been discussing with five global investors to sell 75 percent stake in the California-based coffee chain operat

• Blockchain

  

  Zikto’s Insureum coin listed on BitForex exchange

  Korean insurtech firm Zikto said on Oct. 22 that its Insureum coin has been listed on Singapore’s BitForex, one of the top crypto exchanges around the world.This is the fourth listing for Insureum since its debut on CoinBene in Singapore in August.Zikto said it has also secured new funding from BitForex and Hong Kong-based Blue Chain Asset Management in a strategic partnership to jointly develop insurance products for crypto investors. The exact amount of the investment was not re

• Startups & Investors

  

  [INTERVIEW] Banksalad out to tackle info asymmetry

  Among the flurry of new credit cards hitting the market every year, many consumers face difficulties in picking one that fits their spending style. Carefully reading the terms and conditions is one way, but not everyone has the time nor understand the full-scope of contents printed in tiny fonts on thin-papered pamphlets. This kind of information asymmetry -- between card issuers and users -- is what led Korean fintech startup Rainist to roll out its financial product recommendati

• Mobile & Internet

  

  KT to build LTE network in Botswana

  Korean network operator KT said on Oct. 22 that it will take part in a project for LTE services in Botswana. The project is part of KT’s long-term partnership with local telecom firm Botswana Telecommunications Corp. to improve telecom infrastructure in the region.  Executives from Korean telecom firm KT Corp. and Botswana Telecommunications Corp. attend a meeting. KTThe Korean firm, which has been running projects to install IT infrastructure in Botswana since 2014, offered consu

K-POP HERALD

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  Taeyeon wows fans in Seoul concert

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  Twice celebrates 3rd anniversary with Once

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  IZ*ONE sings impromptu song

HERALD INTERVIEW

• Automode

  

  Volvo CE president highlights Korea as global excavator hub

• Music

  

  Unmasked by a mask

• Education

  

  Toronto education leads way in ‘Second Machine Age’

• Music

  

  Jung Eun-ji says she sings to comfort herself

PHOTO NEWS

• Culture

  

  Street styles we noticed at 2019 S/S Seoul Fashion Week

  The shows are amazing at the 2019 S/S Hera Seoul Fashion Week, but the fun spills out to the streets. Brightly dyed hair was a visible trend at Dongdaemun Design Plaza on Friday, alongside see-through blouses, neon tops and transparent plastic bags.Oversized jackets, baggy pants, leopard print and fashionable eyewear also drew attention.  (Lim Jeong-yeo/The Korea Herald) (Lim Jeong-yeo/The Korea Herald) (Lim Jeong-yeo/The Korea Herald) (Lim Jeong-yeo/The Korea Herald) (Lim Jeong-yeo/The Korea He

VIDEO

• Music

  

  K-pop ads taking over Seoul subway

• Social affairs

  

  Sunfull Internet Peace Prize goes to Japanese anti-hate speech network, online activist

• Automode

  

  Adding an artful touch to CSR: Han Sung Motor focuses on coloring Seoul, nurturing young artists

• Automode

  

  Car from the future: Nexo excels but faces hydrogen indifference

FEATURES

• Social affairs

  

  How teen feminism is changing school uniforms in South Korea

  　When Jeong Ji-eun was in her high school, in the early 2000s, one of her close friends pierced her tongue. The friend, who had hated having to wear her school uniform all the time -- she especially found the stiff fabric of her blouse unbearable --, wore a red-color tongue ring, which almost looked like a candy in her mouth. “That’s what I first thought, too -- that she was having her candy,” Jeong, now a 32-year-old professional in Seoul, told The Korea Herald. “Until it was caught by our teac

• Technology

  

  Samsung Medison showcases next-generation ultrasound system

  Samsung Medison, a medical equipment manufacturer under South Korea’s Samsung Electronics, on Monday unveiled a next-generation ultrasound system expected to better facilitate examinations during high-risk pregnancies and the early diagnosis of fetal abnormalities.　The company is showcasing HERA W10 -- short for Hyper-aperture Enhanced Reconstruction Architecture -- at the 28th World Congress of the International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology in Singapore, whuch continues un

• Industry

  

  FTC chief to reduce legal uncertainties, urge CEOs to make fair corporate environment

  Predictable guidelines to be made for leniency amid growing concerns among companies

• Diplomatic Circuit

  

  ‘Spain, Korea can forge golden future with creativity, innovation’

  By Spanish Ambassador to Korea Gonzalo OrtizSpain and Korea celebrated the Spanish National Day in Seoul on Oct. 12, followed by another commemoration in Busan on Oct. 15. As ambassador, I addressed the attendees in Spanish, a lingua franca spoken by over 530 million people across 31 countries. The King and Queen of Spain were in Covadonga this year to commemorate the 1,300th anniversary of the victory of Visigoth leader Don Pelayo against Muslim invaders in 718. This historic event gave birth t