SPOTLIGHT

• Technology

  

  Moon administration’s battle against fake news intensifies

  Discussion yet to take off on what constitutes fake news and who should oversee measures

• Arts&Design

  

  ‘Rain Room’ raises questions about control and agency

  In “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” Walt Disney’s famous eight-minute animation from 1940 based on a Goethe poem of the same name, Mickey Mouse takes a hold of the magical hat that his master left behind. The apprentice Mickey uses the magical hat to do his chores, but he soon falls asleep, only to wake up to waves of water filling the cavern. Mickey tries to stop the water with his hands, yet fails.Just when Mickey thought he was in control, disastrous consequences were on t

• Film

  

  Megan Fox says she felt gravity of the story in ‘Battle of Jangsari’

  On Sept. 14, 1950, a day before the Battle of Incheon, 772 student soldiers landed on Jangsa-ri, North Gyeongsang Province, risking their lives and contributing to what eventually became the turning point of the Korean War.The story of middle and high school students who fought in the historic battle will be told in the upcoming film “Battle of Jangsari,” directed by Kwak Kyung-taek and Kim Tae-hoon and starring Kim Myung-min, Choi Min-ho and Hollywood actor Megan Fox.“I could

• Theater

  

  ‘Cyrano’ returns to stage with better visuals, but loses some poetic flair

  In the story of “Cyrano,” love has always been in the air. A love letter, serenade, love triangle, misunderstanding and betrayal ... they are all there in the musical. And yet, the 2019 season has returned with even more love than before. Based on a play of the same name written by Edmond Rostand in 1897, the love story of Cyrano has grown in popularity across the world, being adapted into films, a drama, a novel, and finally to a musical in 2009 by legendary duo, Leslie Bricusse and

LATEST NEWS

• Economy

  S. Korea strikes FTA with Israel

  South Korea has struck a free trade deal with Israel as part of efforts to strengthen economic ties with the Middle Eastern country and cope with the growing protectionism around the globe, Seoul’s Trade Ministry said Wednesday.In Jerusalem, Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee and her counterpart, Eli Cohen, declared their bilateral free trade agreement around three years after the two held the first round of negotiations in 2016.The deal is expected to take effect in the first half of 2020, as i

• 

  Foreign Affairs

  President Moon receives six new ambassadors to Seoul

  President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday welcomed six new foreign ambassadors and asked for their support for his peace initiatives involving North Korea. Moon received the credentials of envoys from Singapore, the Philippines, Brunei, Colombia, Bulgaria and Nicaragua during ceremonies at Cheong Wa Dae, according to a press release.  Expressing gratitude for the countries’ support for peace on the Korean Peninsula, the president asked for their continued backing for the successful implement

• 

  Industry

  Lack of information deters smokers from switching to alternatives: PMI study

  A lack of information and confusion deter smokers from switching to alternative options such as heat-not-burn tobacco, according to industry data compiled by Philip Morris International released Wednesday.According to a survey conducted by research firm Povaddo on behalf of PMI, about 55 percent of adult smokers surveyed said they have the information they need about smoke-free products, while 4 in 5 respondents said they agree that a change in their smoking habits was needed.The survey was cond

• 

  World Business

  Samsung No. 2 patent holder in US in 2018

  　Samsung Electronics ranked second in terms of the number of patents filed in the United States last year, a report by a US patent association showed.　 Samsung registered 5,836 patents in the US last year, trailing behind IBM with 9,088 patents, the Intellectual Property Owners Association said. 　Samsung’s rival LG Electronics was the seventh-largest patent holder with 2,473, moving up one notch from a year ago, the IPO said. (Yonhap)

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  Foreign Affairs

  S. Korea, Britain adopt joint statement on post-Brexit cooperation

  South Korea and Britain on Wednesday adopted a joint statement pledging continued close cooperation even after London's expected departure from the European Union (EU) in October, Seoul's foreign ministry said.In the statement, they committed to cooperation for the denuclearization and establishment of permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula, democratic principles, human rights, promotion of trade liberalization and a fight against weapons of mass destruction. Seoul and London have been seeking

• Editorial

  Cho’s impudence

  Listing high school student as thesis writer subject to investigation

• 

  Viewpoints

  Europe must oppose Trump

  With Donald Trump due to visit Europe again for the G-7 summit later this month, European leaders have run out of options for dealing with the US president. They have tried to charm him, persuade him, ignore him, or agree to disagree with him. Yet Trump’s malevolence is bottomless. The only alternative, therefore, is to oppose him.The most immediate issue is European trade with Iran. This is no small matter. It is a battle that Europe cannot afford to lose.Trump is capable of inflicting gr

• 

  Viewpoints

  Singapore’s homes get an anti-aging lift

  Singapore is buying insurance against the ill-effects of Japanese-style population aging. With some luck, the cover will extend to the city’s property prices, too.The retirement age in the financial center will gradually rise to 65 from 62. Including the five additional years employers are required to provide to older workers willing to continue, albeit at a lower pay, Singaporeans’ sunset years will effectively start at 70. That will make the city home to some of the world’s o

• 

  Politics

  14 Korean lawmakers to visit China next week

  A group of 14 South Korean lawmakers will visit China next week for discussions on the Korean Peninsula situation and ways to fight the region's fine dust pollution, officials said Wednesday.The Korean lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties will attend the sixth meeting of South Korean and Chinese next-generation political leaders to be held at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing from Aug. 26-28 under the sponsorship of the Korea-China Leaders Society and the Chinese People's Instit

• 

  Technology

  Samsung, SK hynix slip in chip sales in H1

  ‘Complete switch has occurred with collapse of DRAM and NAND flash markets’

GRAPHIC NEWS

OPINION

• Viewpoints

  

  Europe must oppose Trump

  With Donald Trump due to visit Europe again for the G-7 summit later this month, European leaders have run out of options for dealing with the US president. They have tried to charm him, persuade him, ignore him, or agree to disagree with him. Yet Trump’s malevolence is bottomless. The only alternative, therefore, is to oppose him.The most immediate issue is European trade with Iran. This is no small matter. It is a battle that Europe cannot afford to lose.Trump is capable of inflicting gr

• Viewpoints

  

  Singapore’s homes get an anti-aging lift

  Singapore is buying insurance against the ill-effects of Japanese-style population aging. With some luck, the cover will extend to the city’s property prices, too.The retirement age in the financial center will gradually rise to 65 from 62. Including the five additional years employers are required to provide to older workers willing to continue, albeit at a lower pay, Singaporeans’ sunset years will effectively start at 70. That will make the city home to some of the world’s o

THE INVESTOR

• Office Consulting

  

  [INTERVIEW] When EU real estate gold rush ends, will S. Korean investors return home?

  Korea’s investors have spearheaded what could be seen as a “gold rush” in the European commercial real estate market in a move to hedge risks from equity investment.The volume of cross-border office building investment from Korea into Europe came to 7.2 trillion won ($6 billion) solely in the first half of 2019, according to an estimate from Real Capital Analytics. The figure is higher than the total transactions of 6.8 trillion won recorded in 2018. Office building investments

• Automobiles

  

  Hyundai to join mobility platform business with 3,000 EVs

  Hyundai Motor is poised to join a ride-hailing movement that is taking on a new shape since the government announced a series of measures emphasizing the need to obtain taxi licenses, industry sources said Aug. 20. The top carmaker plans to team up with the Seoul Private Taxi Association and KST Mobility, the operator of Macaron Taxi, to launch an EV-based taxi platform with 3,000 EVs from Hyundai. “We plan to start with 3,000 electric cars, but our ultimate goal is to make a platform for

• Deals

  

  Genexine, ToolGen cancel merger plan on shareholder opposition

  South Korean biopharmaceutical drugmaker Genexine and gene-editing company ToolGen said Aug. 20 in respective regulatory filings that they had dropped plans for a 1:1.2 merger to create ToolGenexine due to shareholder opposition.The total value of stakes held by dissenting shareholders from both companies exceeded the minimum mark as agreed in a contract in June -- 130 billion won ($107.6 million) for Genexine and 50 billion won for ToolGen -- the companies said.Dissenters exercised the appraisa

• Startups & Investors

  

  How can startups rise as driving force behind Korean economy?

  Home to nine unicorns, South Korea is the world’s No. 5 in terms of the number of startups with valuation of over $1 billion. Also, the combined amount of direct investments in innovative startups by 500 Korean major enterprises reached 458 billion won ($379 million) in 2018, jumping nearly 30-fold in four years. These figures demonstrate not only the size of growth in the Korean startup ecosystem, but also the growing possibility of tech-driven startups becoming the driving force behind t

K-POP HERALD

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  Review: Enjoying Monsta X’s LA concert at home in Seoul

• 

  Interview: ‘Chameleonlike’ Jinu of Winner sometimes obsesses over things

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  Review: BTS’ ‘Bring The Soul’ delves into blood, sweat and tears of stardom

HERALD INTERVIEW

• Industry

  

  Raising the bar of ethical farming, startup offers ‘disruptive’ agritech

• People

  

  Four generations of family carry on Jeju’s brewing legacy

• Fashion

  

  Park Seung-gun still pushing the envelope

• Music

  

  Percussion is more than beats and rhythms

PHOTO NEWS

• Culture

  

  Japanese colonial history in Korea at a glance

  On Thursday, a national holiday marking Korea’s independence from Japanese colonial rule on Aug. 15, 1945, the Museum of Japanese Colonial History in Korea was very crowded with visitors wanting to better understand the history of the two neighboring countries amid a deepening diplomatic and trade rift. The two-story museum, which sits in a small alley in Yongsan, central Seoul, opened in August last year through donations from the public, civic groups and academics. It exhibits the h

VIDEO

• Industry

  

  How far are we from printing hearts for transplant?

• Foreign Affairs

  

  Views of South Koreans on boycotting Japanese products

• Food&Beverage

  

  Behind South Korea’s ‘fatcaron’ sensation

• Food&Beverage

  

  Behind jewelry shops, pairing pork, kimchi and oysters in Jongno

FEATURES

• Politics

  

  Moon to pass halfway point with challenges at home and abroad

  SEJONG -- President Moon Jae-in will pass the halfway point in November, finishing the first 30 months of his 60-month term.The Moon administration launched in May 2017, several months after a political scandal involving former President Park Geun-hye and her confidante Choi Soon-sil swept the nation and ignited public fury.The people pinned great hopes on Moon, who stressed justice and fairness in his inaugural speech.Moon’s approval ratings hovered around 70-80 percent during the first y

• Social affairs

  

  Single-person households on the rise in S. Korea

  Seoul, South Jeolla top 1-member household portion

• Social affairs

  

  More than 10,000 centenarians reside in Seoul metropolitan area

  SEJONG -- The population of South Korea increased by less than 1.2 percent over the past five years from 51.25 million in July 2014 to 51.84 million in July 2019, amid the record-low birthrates.According to the Ministry of Interior and Safety, the number of Koreans increased by only 595,000 over the five-year period. This indicates a growth of less than 10,000 a month on average.Apart from the rapid reduction of newborns and those aged under 15, the working population aged between 15 and 64 has

• Economy

  

  Korea faces retreat from GDP, export powerhouses

  SEJONG -- South Korea is one of the few developing countries whose economy expanded sufficiently over the past decades to compete with advanced nations in Europe.Korea achieved the world’s 10th-largest gross domestic product in 2005. It was 28th in 1980, ranked behind Indonesia (21st), Iran (20th) and Saudi Arabia (14th).As exports in sectors such as semiconductors and automobiles greatly contributed to its GDP, there have been predictions that the nation could consistently become one of t