SPOTLIGHT

• Television

  

  Kid YouTube star’s family buys $8m building in Gangnam

  The family company of a 6-year-old South Korean YouTube celebrity has garnered enough money to purchase a building in one of the richest areas of Seoul.According to a report from Maeil Business Newspaper on Tuesday, Boram Family -- the company that operates two YouTube channels featuring 6-year-old girl Boram -- bought a five-story building worth 9.5 billion won ($8.06 million) in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam, in Seoul.Referring to the real estate brokerage industry, the daily newspaper said the buil

• Social affairs

  

  Driver of overturned van in Gangwon repeat road crash offender: police

  A van carrying 16 passengers crashed Monday morning in Gangwon Province, leading to deaths and injuries of all those aboard. Upon investigation, police found the van’s driver, a 61-year-old surnamed Kang, had a criminal record involving another fatal car wreck.According to police, Kang was charged with a similar van crash 10 years ago. In January 2009, the van she was driving hit an excavator in Hongseong, South Chungcheong Province, killing five and injuring 11. She was sentenced to a yea

• Film

  

  Hopes of cinematic universe may be too ambitious for ‘Divine Fury’

  A cinematic universe is not something that has earnestly been tried in the Korean film industry, which makes Jason Kim’s attempt to start one via an occult film border on risky. Occult-themed flicks have rarely been major hits at the box office here.So how does “The Divine Fury” – the supposed “Iron Man” of the crudely named “Holy Universe” -- measure up? While it has some good elements and can be fun from time to time, the unoriginal plot and conc

• North Korea

  

  2 Koreas to discuss Japan’s wartime forced labor, sexual slavery in Manila

  South and North Korea as well as other countries will discuss issues related to forced labor and sexual slavery by Japan at an international forum in Manila, the Philippines, this week, the organizers said Tuesday.The Gyeonggi Provincial Government and Asia Pacific Interchange Association will host the International Convention for Asia Pacific Peace and Prosperity in the Southeast Asian country from Thursday to Saturday.A six-member North Korean delegation, including Ri Jong-hyok, vice chairman

LATEST NEWS

• 

  World News

  Boris Johnson wins race to become UK's next prime minister

  Brexit hardliner Boris Johnson won the contest to lead Britain's governing Conservative Party on Tuesday and will become the country's next prime minister, tasked with fulfilling his promise to lead the U.K. out of the European Union.Johnson resoundingly defeated rival Jeremy Hunt, winning two thirds of the votes in a ballot of about 160,000 Conservative members. He will be installed as prime minister in a formal handover from Theresa May on Wednesday.  In a brief speech Tuesday meant to ra

• 

  Finance

  BOK chief says another rate cut possible

  Bank of Korea (BOK) Gov. Lee Ju-yeol hinted at an additional rate cut Tuesday, less than a week after the central bank slashed the key rate to help spur growth in Asia's fourth-largest economy."(BOK) maintains its stance that it will take measures if necessary, depending on the (rate of) economic growth," Lee said while speaking in front of the parliamentary finance committee. Lee's remarks came five days after the central bank cut the key rate by 25 basis points to 1.50 percent despit

• 

  Travel

  Foreign visitors to S. Korea jump 15 pct in June

  The number of foreign visitors to South Korea rose sharply last month, helped by a large increase in visitors from China, Japan and Taiwan, data showed Tuesday.In June, the number of foreign visitors to the country came to more than 1.47 million, up 15.1 percent from around 1.28 million the same month last year, according to the data from the state-run Korea Tourism Organization. By country, the number of visitors from China spiked 25 percent on-year to a little over 475,000 last month, with vis

• 

  Defense

  S. Korea fires warning shots at intruding Russian warplane

  Two other Russian warplanes, two Chinese bombers enter KADIZ without prior notice

• 

  Defense

  Seoul lodges complaint with Russia over airspace intrusion

  Russia, China deny allegations of violation

• 

  Technology

  LG Display plans W3tr investment to push forward OLED TVs

  LG Display announced Tuesday it has invested an additional 3 trillion won ($2.5 billion) in the 10.5-generation line for organic light-emitting diode panels at its P10 factory in a bid to expand the market presence of large-sized OLED screens. The world’s biggest OLED panel maker will execute the investment with an aim to increase the monthly production capacity of the newest line located in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, to 45,000, starting from 2023. The Gen 10.5 plant was built to manufacture

• 

  Automode

  Eco-friendly car exports soar in part 7 years

   South Korea’s shipments of environment friendly vehicles jumped an average of 33 percent annually in the past seven years on growing overseas demand, an auto business lobby group said.Local carmakers exported 196,000 eco-friendly vehicles in 2018, up from 35,000 units in 2012. Eco-friendly cars accounted for 8 percent of the country’s overall vehicle exports last year, up from 1.1 percent six years earlier, according to data from the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association.

• 

  Politics

  Moon’s civil affairs secretary at center of yet another political feud

  Cho Kuk, senior secretary to the president for civil affairs and justice, is once again in the spotlight, drawing fire from conservatives and fueling a feud between the ruling and opposition blocs. This time around, Cho -- a longtime target of the conservative opposition -- is drawing criticism for comments on social media related to Japan’s decision to impose trade restrictions in apparent retaliation over court rulings on Korean forced labor victims. While Cho has made over 40 posts

• 

  Technology

  AI tech used to battle spycam video crimes

  The South Korean government has begun to use artificial intelligence technology in its fight against illegal sex videos.The state agencies said Monday that they have started applying the AI technology to search and delete illicit sex videos shared on the internet. The technology has been adopted by the Gender Equality Ministry’s center for supporting victims of cybersex crimes.The center expects the new AI solution to help shorten the time in finding and removing sex crime videos, also kno

• 

  Columnists

  Let’s choose the best person to lead the IMF

  Now that Christine Lagarde has announced her resignation as managing director of the International Monetary Fund, German chancellor Angela Merkel says Europeans “again” have a “claim” to fill what is arguably the world’s most important economic job. Merkel is invoking a decades-old political deal, which gives Europe the IMF leadership in return for allowing Americans to run the World Bank.If global leaders want the IMF to achieve its mission of ensuring internationa

GRAPHIC NEWS

OPINION

• Columnists

  

  Let’s choose the best person to lead the IMF

  Now that Christine Lagarde has announced her resignation as managing director of the International Monetary Fund, German chancellor Angela Merkel says Europeans “again” have a “claim” to fill what is arguably the world’s most important economic job. Merkel is invoking a decades-old political deal, which gives Europe the IMF leadership in return for allowing Americans to run the World Bank.If global leaders want the IMF to achieve its mission of ensuring internationa

• Columnists

  

  Ultra-nationalism in the era of globalism

  We are now living in the era of globalism when the whole world has become a global village. The boundaries between nations are rapidly collapsing and people are experiencing crossovers everywhere. Take the EU, for example. Practically the whole continent of Europe has become a global village already and Europeans are freely crossing borders without an entry visa, using the same currency and their mobile phone with no extra charge. Why, then, are we witnessing such sudden unprecedented change in

THE INVESTOR

• Startups & Investors

  

  What Samsung NEXT considers when investing in startups

  Samsung NEXT is one of the most active startup accelerators and investors in Silicon Valley, looking for fledgling but promising startups. An opportunity to work with the accelerator, owned by tech giant Samsung Electronics, can grant startups a great reputation and recognition among other investors and startups around the world.A lot of entrepreneurs may wonder how they can have such a partnership opportunity, and even seize the chance to exit after being acquired by Samsung. A director from th

• Startups & Investors

  

  State-led tech forum NextRise puts Seoul on global tech map

  The state-led technology forum NextRise kicked off July 23 as part of Seoul’s efforts to put the country’s startup ecosystem on the global tech map. The two-day event is expected to come up with a setting for higher chances of engagement between startups and investors, be they venture capital firms or corporations. Related:What Samsung NEXT considers when investing in startupsHeld at Coex in southern Seoul, NextRise 2019 was co-hosted by state-run entities such as the Korea Developme

• LG

  

  LG Display sees losses for two straight quarters in Q2

  South Korean display maker LG Display said on July 23 that it posted an operating loss of 368.7 billion won ($312.7 million) in the April-July period, marking two consecutive quarters in the red.It logged 5.35 trillion won in sales, down 5 percent on-year, in the same quarter.The company said the trade feud between the US and China, which led to the decline in display exports to Chinese customers, and one-time costs for developing mobile OLED displays were some of the main reasons for the disapp

• Politics & North Korea

  

  North Korea’s wireless network backed by Huawei: reports

  North Korea built its nationwide wireless network within three years backed by Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei Technologies, according to a report by the Korea Institute for National Unification on July 23. The report, which analyzes telecommunications development in North Korea, said its network is backed by Chinese tech companies Huawei Technologies and ZTE.Koryolink, using Huawei equipment, has built a national network with 453 base stations covering 14 major cities, including Pyongya

K-POP HERALD

• 

  Sehun, Chanyeol say ‘What a Life’ reflects their own stories

• 

  Playlist: A look back at EXO’s solo and subunit tracks

• 

  Kang Daniel ready to step back into spotlight

HERALD INTERVIEW

• Arts&Design

  

  10-year-old Jeju Museum of Art prepares for next decade under new director

• Foreign Policy

  

  Yuji Hosaka on why Korea, Japan still spar over bygones

• Technology

  

  How Facebook addresses beautification

• Finance

  

  Mirae Asset stands tall on Wall St. amid strong rivals

PHOTO NEWS

• Social affairs

  

  Where startup dreams come true

  With an aim to nurture startups and create an environment where startups can thrive, Seoul Metropolitan Government established Seoul Startup Hub in 2017. It’s designed as a place where investors, conglomerates, startups and consumers can interact and build networks. Seoul Startup Hub has since become a platform to help Koreans make their dreams of launching startups come true -- from planning to implementing their ideas -- as it provides professional consulting, lectures and prog

VIDEO

• Foreign Policy

  

  Views of South Koreans on boycotting Japanese products

• Food

  

  Behind South Korea’s ‘fatcaron’ sensation

• Food

  

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

• Food

  

  Tender, sweet spareribs at Seongsu-dong

FEATURES

• Music

  

  Offering classical music to more in Seoul

  With tickets to classical music concerts typically around 100,000 won ($85), and sometimes triple that for big-name performers, prices have been a major barrier to widening the audience for classical music.To lower that barrier, organizations hold concerts for free or at a relatively affordable price, sponsored by the government or companies. These outreach concerts often feature pieces with a wide appeal and recognition, even among people unfamiliar with classical musicConcerts move out of conc

• Industry

  

  Calm, steady approach needed to tackle Japan’s export curbs: SK chief Chey

  KCCI chief urges political unity to support Moon on trade dispute 　

• Economy

  

  ‘Sagging economy’ faces 2nd rebound in dollar, oil

  SEJONG -- Prices of the US dollar and gasoline directly affect a large proportion of South Korean businesses and households in terms of manufacturing costs and purchasing power.While monetary authorities sometimes have intervened in the foreign exchange market and hamper the cheap dollar in an attempt to promote exports, the greenback’s current strong position versus the Korean won suggests the local economy has been sagging.Simultaneously, a hike in international prices of crude oil, whic

• Economy

  

  Portion of pessimists over economy hits record: poll

  SEJONG -- A large proportion of self-employed people have closed their businesses and joined the growing number of jobless people over the past two years. Simultaneously, the state payment of unemployment benefits has climbed to an all-time high.The Moon government started providing some young jobless people with 3 million won ($2,540) for six months per individual, while the number of people who lost jobs has been drastically increasing among those in their early 50s, 40s and late 30s. The