SPOTLIGHT

• Social affairs

  

  Police seek Jung Joon-young’s arrest over sex video allegations

  The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said Monday that it would seek an arrest warrant for K-pop singer Jung Joon-young, 30, on suspicion of secretly recording and distributing sex videos. It would be the first arrest in a case that broke last week with a series of shocking revelations involving Seungri of Big Bang and a close group of his friends.Jung, who has been booked on charges of filming and sharing sex videos without his partner’s consent, was sent home early Monday morning after a five-h

• Defense

  

  Medium-range missile accidentally launches, explodes in air

  A surface-to-air missile was accidentally launched from an air base in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, Monday and exploded in the air, South Korea’s Air Force said.The medium-range Cheongung M-SAM, also known as the Cheolmae-2, was “abnormally” launched at 10:38 a.m. during maintenance work and automatically exploded in the air, the Air Force said in a statement.  (Yonhap)According to the statement, for safety reasons the missile was designed to self-destruct in abnormal situations. No damage or ca

• Social affairs

  

  3 construction workers plunge to deaths in Andong

  Three construction workers fell to their deaths while working at the construction site of a new town in North Gyeongsang Province on Monday, rescue officials said.The workers fell about 20 meters at the site in Andong, 260 kilometers south of Seoul, at 12:41 p.m., the officials said.The workers were immediately taken to a nearby hospital but were pronounced dead, according to officials from Andong fire and rescue services. (Yonhap)The accident occurred as a steel mold on the fifth floor of the c

• Music

  

  Rapper Kush receives suspended jail term for cocaine use

  Rapper and producer Kim Byung-hoon, better known by his stage name Kush, was sentenced to jail for habitual use of cocaine. On Monday, the Seoul Central District Court sentenced the 35-year-old rapper to two years and six months in prison, suspended for four years, for cocaine use. Kim was also given probation, 80 hours of drug treatment and a fine of 875,000 won ($773). Kush (CJ E&M)In November and December of 2017, Kim purchased 2.5 grams of cocaine and used the drug at his home on seven occas

LATEST NEWS

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  North Korea

  Defector suggests NK pushing for constitutional amendment for leader Kim

  A high-profile North Korean defector suggested Monday that North Korea may be pushing for an amendment to its Constitution in a way that will stipulate that its leader Kim Jong-un is the official head of state.    Thae Yong-ho, a former deputy North Korean ambassador to Britain, raised the theory on his blog in light of the result of Pyongyang's latest rubber-stamp parliamentary elections that ended with Kim holding no post at all.  Thae Yong-ho (Yonhap)    North Korea held nationwide polls on M

• 

  North Korea

  Minister: US seeks 'big picture' master plan to handle NK's nuclear, missile programs

  South Korea's top diplomat said Monday the United States wants a deal with North Korea on a "big picture" roadmap to get rid of its nuclear and missile programs.    On the other hand, in the Hanoi talks held in late February, Pyongyang limited its immediate denuclearization steps to the Yongbyon nuclear complex, according to Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha.    She was talking about why the two sides failed to reach an agreement in their second summit.    "Both the US and South Korea think that a

• 

  Sports

  Bento to throw age out the window in selecting lineup for men's football team

  South Korea men's football head coach Paulo Bento said Monday he will look past players' birth certificates and only focus on their abilities on the field when putting together his lineups going forward.    Bento opened camp at the National Football Center (NFC) in Paju, north of Seoul, ahead of South Korea's friendly matches against Bolivia on Friday and Colombia on March 26. The 27-man roster includes a pair of teenagers in midfield, 18-year-old Lee Kang-in and 19-year-old Kim Jung-min, plus 2

• 

  Social affairs

  Prosecution office decides not to directly investigate Burning Sun scandal

  The Supreme Prosecutors’ Office assigned the Burning Sun investigation to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office on Monday amid snowballing allegations over collusive ties between the police and the club’s management, but the latter said it would not be investigating the case “directly” for now.The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said a team that supervises the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s investigators would be in charge of the case as of Monday. The office added that t

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  Technology

  Ready, set, binge: LG looks to change course with M&As

  LG Electronics CEO Jo Seong-jin recently conceded that as a newcomer in the mergers and acquisitions market in 2015, the firm had a tough time acquiring a stake in family-owned Austrian headlight maker ZKW Group. After years of negotiations, the tech giant and its holding firm LG Corp. were finally able to purchase shares worth 1.1 billion euros ($1.25 billion) in April 2018. It marked the largest acquisition in its 70-year history. Before that, it was focusing on research and development. (Hera

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  Finance

  Overseas securities firms struggle in S. Korea

  Overseas financial firms are losing their grip on the South Korean securities market, and their lackluster performance is making possible newcomers nervous amid concerns there will a mass withdrawal from the local market. Natixis, a France-based financial services provider, had announced last year its plans to enter the local securities market by the first half of 2019, but it is now reportedly skeptical. Its shift in attitude apparently stems from the almost $300 million loss from its portfolio

• 

  Theater

  Jang Hye-rim’s ‘Burnt Offering,’ rite of solace

  Wearing dark blue-green clothes with rolled-up sleeves, seven Swedish dancers appear in a black box theater where dozens of safety helmets with headlamps are scattered around them on the gray floor. The dancers pick up seven helmets and arrange them in a line. Some call out the names of friends and family members while doing so, and others remain silent. The accompanying music recalls a Korean traditional ritual dance. The dancers laboriously perform to the music with distinctive rhythms, and th

• 

  Social affairs

  Number of gas stations drops for 4th year in 2018

  　The number of gas stations in South Korea dropped for the fourth straight year in 2018, amid worsening profitability facing the industry, data have showed.　As of end-December, 11,769 gasoline stations were operating across the country, down 196 from a year earlier, according to data from the Korea Petroleum Quality & Distribution Authority.　It marked the fourth consecutive year of annual decline. An annual average of 149 gas stations have been shuttered over the past four years.

• 

  Politics

  Moon names Joo Hyung-chul new economic adviser

  President Moon Jae-in on Monday named Joo Hyung-chul as his new economic adviser. The post had been vacant since late January when Kim Hyun-chul resigned over controversy raised by his comments regarding opportunities in Southeast Asia. Joo Hyung-chul. Cheong Wa DaeJoo heads the Korea Venture Investment Corp. Previously, Joo headed the Seoul Business Agency and worked as the chief of SK Communications. Joo studied computer science at Seoul National University and received a master’s degree in ma

• Editorial

  Heed controversies

  Nominees show biased views of NK, come under speculation suspicions

GRAPHIC NEWS

OPINION

• Columnists

  

  Don’t let China trade deal kill US campaign against Huawei

  The US-led campaign against Chinese telecom giant Huawei Technologies has attracted much attention for the indictment of the company’s Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou. On Thursday, Huawei’s lawyers pleaded not guilty in a New York federal court to 13 counts of fraud involving an elaborate scheme to violate US sanctions against Iran.That case is no doubt important, not only because of the possibility that Meng, the daughter of Huawei’s founder, could face incarceration. It is also a major ir

• Columnists

  

  Green New Deal isn’t global enough

  At the fourth United Nations Environment Assembly in Kenya this past week, experts and officials from around the world debated how to come up with the investment and innovation needed for countries to grow without dooming the planet. National leaders, nongovernmental organizations and others discussed, among other things, how to create more “sustainable patterns of consumption and production.” What really struck me in Nairobi, though, was what was not discussed: the Green New Deal being pushed b

THE INVESTOR

• Deals

  

  Ready, set, binge: LG looks to change course with M&As

  LG Electronics CEO Jo Seong-jin recently conceded that as a newcomer in the mergers and acquisitions market in 2015, the firm had a tough time acquiring a stake in family-owned Austrian headlight maker ZKW Group. After years of negotiations, the tech giant and its holding firm LG Corp. were finally able to purchase shares worth 1.1 billion euros ($1.25 billion) in April 2018. It marked the largest acquisition in its 70-year history. Before that, it was focusing on research and development.Now, m

• Automobiles

  

  Hyundai AutoEver IPO to raise $150m

  South Korea’s ICT service provider Hyundai AutoEver is poised to raise 168.4 billion won ($148.63 million) in its forthcoming initial public offering, a disclosure showed on March 18.Hyundai AutoEver’s initial offering price was set at 48,000 won per share, above the ceiling of the suggested price of 44,000 won. If the shares are fully subscribed, the IPO will raise what is at least 9 percent larger than the earlier estimates, at up to 154.4 billion won. Related:Hyundai AutoEver eyes future grow

• Samsung

  

  ‘Chinese smartphone market slump could benefit Samsung’

  After their rapid ascent in the global smartphone market in the last few years, Chinese budget smartphone makers are now facing a slump, with some going bankrupt while others are tightening their belts.Gionee, which filed for bankruptcy late last year after failing to pay back nearly $3 billion to its creditors, is one of the latest smartphone makers in trouble. Many others, including HTC and Oppo, are also struggling as they have been shutting down their overseas operations, including in India.

• Mobile & Internet

  

  Spotify poised to enter S. Korea

  Sweden-based audio streaming platform Spotify is poised to enter the South Korean digital music market worth 1 trillion won ($880 billion), according to the Electronic Times on March 18. The local media report cited anonymous sources in the industry noting that the Swedish firm has initiated negotiations with copyright collectives to discuss the distribution rates of contents. Some Apple Korea employees have also already signed on to join Spotify Korea. “The demand for K-pop music is increasing

K-POP HERALD

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  The controversy around Seungri explained

• 

  Park Bom: ‘I hope people like me again’

• 

  Holland tells why he chose his name

HERALD INTERVIEW

• Industry

  

  Unity goes beyond games to cars, AI, VR

• Industry

  

  ‘Drinking less but better has helped single malt boom in Asia’

• People

  

  Cultivating hope through ‘Boccia’

• Industry

  

  Hanwha Q Cells’ advanced tech stands to lower cost of PV energy

PHOTO NEWS

• Social affairs

  

  A parade of color

  When the days get longer and start to feel warmer, it marks the arrival of spring, the season of regeneration and renewal. The whole nature awakens and so do flowers. It is also when South Korea’s biggest flower market springs back to life, after a long, dark winter. When The Korea Herald visited early this week, Yangjae Flower Market was already dominated by colorful spring flowers: freesia, tulip, royal azalea, Japanese apricot flower, daffodil, anemone, hyacinth, crocus, begonia or winter aco

VIDEO

• Industry

  

  Seoul Square, witness to Seoul’s economic history

• North Korea

  

  Hanoi welcomes US, N. Korean leaders

• Social affairs

  

  Violence erupts at Liberty Korea Party national convention as union stages surprise protest

• Social affairs

  

  Inside dog farm in Korea

FEATURES

• Industry

  

  Korea’s peeping Tom dilemma: Are censors getting too much power?

  Controversy erupts over government's method of blocking ‘illegal’ websites

• Industry

  

  Booyoung’s real estate dilemma on acquiring Samsung assets

  The Korea Herald is publishing a series of articles and videos about some of the most expensive and fascinating landmark office buildings in Seoul. -- Ed. Defining the symbolic cityscape of Seoul is Sejong Main Street, a 10-lane road that runs across the downtown area, stretching from Seoul Station to Gwanghwamun Square. Halfway along this main road, just north of Sungnyemun, the southern gate of Seoul, is the “Taepyeong-ro zone,” location of landmark buildings such as the palace Deoksugun

• Social affairs

  

  Delinquency among self-employed gets critical

  SEJONG -- A string of business closures of small enterprises -- particularly the self-employed -- has been increasingly drawing attention since last year amid the sluggish economy.Their financial difficulty, in line with the drastic hike in minimum wage and weak consumer sentiment, is also seen from the lending data of commercial banks. Aside from the first-tier financial firms, a large portion of the self-employed were found to have borrowed from second-tier lenders.According to the Bank of Kor

• Social affairs

  

  Calls grow for lower minimum wage for foreign workers

  SMEs take on migrant workers in wake of stiff minimum wage hike in S. Korea