SPOTLIGHT

• Television

  

  TV shows give fresh insight into Korea through eyes of foreign visitors

  TV formats show Korea through eyes of foreign visitors

• Social affairs

  

  Man jailed for murder of Vietnamese daughter-in-law

  A man in his 80s has been sentenced to prison for stabbing his Vietnamese daughter-in-law to death while she was sleeping.The Seoul Northern District Court on Friday handed down a 25-year prison term for the murder, which took place at her home on June 2.Kim’s daughter-in-law had been naturalized as a Korean citizen having lived in the country for 10 years since getting married to his son.Investigators said Kim had reportedly been aggrieved at his son and daughter-in-law for mistreating him and

• Politics

  

  Mystery snack sellers on clogged highways explained

  In the middle of a traffic jam on a highway, snack vendors holding bags of puffed rice snacks weave through vehicles that stand bumper to bumper. This scene is familiar to many in South Korea with the experience of being stuck on a congested highway on weekends or major holidays. “When I was younger, it took some 10 hours to go to Mokpo where my grandparents live during the holidays. We were stuck on the clogged road for hours, moving at the speed of tortoises,” said Lee Jin-hee, a 35-year-old o

• Travel

  

  Rest stops become tourist attractions in South Korea

  Rest stops are an essential part of a highway system, offering drivers chances to gas up, use the restroom or just stretch their legs on long trips. But increasingly in South Korea, these roadside establishments offer something a little extra, becoming tourist attractions in their own right. South Korea’s 4,000-kilometer highway system boasts 189 rest areas, which last year generated a combined 1.3 trillion won ($1.1 billion) in revenue, up 13 percent from 2014. From local delicacies, traditiona

LATEST NEWS

• 

  Technology

  Samsung's next task: AI chips to empower devices

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

• 

  Technology

  LG jumps into home beauty market

  Company aims to add AI, big data to beauty appliances

• 

  Soccer

  Korea natl. football team needs big-name striker: coach

  South Korea football coach Shin Tae-yong said Monday that the men's national team needs a big-name striker to play a more aggressive and exciting brand of football.Shin announced his 23-man squad for friendly matches in Europe next month, but only two players -- Ji Dong-won of FC Augsburg and Hwang Ui-jo of Gamba Osaka -- were listed as forwards. South Korea are scheduled to take on Russia in Moscow on Oct. 7 and are trying to play against Morocco three days later in Switzerland. The Taeguk Warr

• 

  Economy

  Additional stimulus mulled to bolster weakening economy

  The growing signs of the Korean economy weakening amid deteriorating conditions at home and abroad are prompting the government to work on additional stimulus measures.Economic indicators have taken a steep downturn in recent months.The on-year increase in the number of employees remained at 212,000 in August, the lowest in four and a half years, according to Statistics Korea.Output in the sector of restaurants and accommodating facilities fell 4.3 percent from a year earlier in July, reflecting

• 

  North Korea

  NK official handling US affairs begins Russia visit

  A senior North Korean official in charge of US affairs embarked her Russia trip on Monday, Pyongyang's state media reported, amid escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula over the North's nuclear program.Choe Son-hui, director-general of the North American department at North Korea's foreign ministry, plans to hold talks with Oleg Burmistrov, Russia's ambassador-at-large, in Moscow, according to the Korean Central News Agency.It said that her trip was arranged at the invitation of Burmistrov

• 

  Finance

  Half of stock trade made within day: data

  Nearly half of the entire trade volume in South Korea‘s stock market this year until mid-September stemmed from day trading, indicating individual traders’ growing tendency to seek instant profit with high price volatility, data showed Monday. (Yonhap)From January to Sept. 15, day traders bought or sold some 48 percent of shares, or 89.5 billion shares, on the first-tier and second-tier markets, according to data by the sole market operator the Korea Exchange. This comes in contrast to the value

• 

  Technology

  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 Monday.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,” gives participant

• 

  Culture

  Free entry to cultural heritage sites during 10-day Chuseok holiday

  For the 10-day-long holiday starting this Saturday, major cultural heritage sites have announced festivities ranging from free admission to special event offerings. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Monday that major royal palaces and tombs across the country will stay open during the 10-day holiday, free of admission fees. Junghwajeon Hall at Deoksugung Palace (Cultural Heritage Administration)The promotion will take place at the royal palaces of Gyeongbokgung, Deoksugung, Changd

• 

  Social affairs

  Man pours hot water over victim’s face to steal gold necklace

  A man, who poured hot water over victim’s face to take a gold necklace, got arrested on suspicion of robbery resulting in serious bodily injury, Gwangju Nambu Police Station said Monday. (Yonhap)According to the police, the 42-year-old assailant had run away after stealing the gold necklace from an owner of a PC cafe in Gwangju Thursday. To take the necklace, which is worth about 3 million won ($2,650), the man reportedly spilled the water on the owner’s face and brutally attacked him with a cha

• 

  Economy

  Youth unemployment worse than during financial crisis

  While the world economy is on a recovering trend, South Korea continues to suffer from aggravating unemployment, particularly among the youth, data showed Monday.The average unemployment rate among the member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has steadily declined over the past six months. However, that of South Korea has continued to surge for the past four years.South Korea’s youth unemployment rate is 0.9 percentage points higher than the 9.8 percent witne

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.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 its development work for the 5.28-inch model has recently been suspended possib

• 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

• 

  BTS’ ‘DNA’ draws over 50m YouTube views

• 

  Sunmi was not fond of ‘Tell Me’ at first

• 

  Who looks best with long hair in EXID?

HERALD INTERVIEW

• 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

• Finance

  

  Hacker-turned-CEO brings digital currency offline

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

• 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)

• Social affairs

  

  Korean colleges alert about ‘spy cam’ on campus

  The recent rise in the number of “spy cam” cases on campus is pushing colleges to come up with measures to protect students and make sure their policies keep up with the reality of campus life.According to The Herald Business on Thursday, a growing number of universities, including top-rated Seoul National University, are grappling with the reports of spy cams on campus.(Yonhap)At College of Natural Sciences building in Seoul National University last month, a male student was reportedly caught i