SPOTLIGHT

• Film

  

  Marvel's involvement in 'Spider-Man' movies may be in doubt

  LOS ANGELES (AP) -- With great success comes great re-negotiation. In the wake of the announcement that "Spider-Man: Far From Home'' is now the highest-grossing film ever in Sony Pictures' history, reports surfaced that Marvel Studios may be stepping away from the cross-studio partnership.  The Hollywood trade Deadline reported Tuesday that there was a disagreement over the profit-sharing structure. According to a person close to the deal who was unauthorized to speak publicly, negotia

• More sports

  

  8 years, 3 doping cases later, race walker becomes 1st S. Korean with world championships medal

  It's been a long time coming, and race walker Kim Hyun-sub has finally become the first South Korean to win a world championships medal, set to receive a prize that he should have been awarded eight years ago on home soil.Kim finished the men's 20-kilometer race walk in sixth place at the 2011 International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championships in Daegu, 300 km southeast of Seoul. But three athletes who finished ahead of him have since been stripped of their records bec

• Social affairs

  

  Police impose exit bans on ex-YG Entertainment chief, Seungri over alleged gambling

  Yang Hyun-suk, former CEO of YG Entertainment, and Seungri, a former member of the company-managed K-pop boy band BIGBANG, have been slapped with an exit ban over allegations that they engaged in habitual gambling abroad and violated the foreign exchange law to secure gambling money, police officials said Tuesday.The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency has recently obtained an approval from the Ministry of Justice to ban Yang and Seungri from leaving the country after booking them on charges of hab

• Film

  

  ‘47 Meters Down: Uncaged’ an absurd, silly shark movie, but kinda fun

  Let’s face it: “47 Meters Down: Uncaged,” an unlikely sequel to the 2017 low-budget summer sleeper “47 Meters Down,” was never going to be a top-notch production with quality acting and thought-provoking moments. Bluntly put, it’s a silly shark movie. But not every film has to shoot for masterpiece status. Through the corny dialogue, extremely over-the-top moments, laughable plot holes and cheesy set-up, this is one dumb and absurd film that does not try to be

LATEST NEWS

• 

  World News

  Facebook hiring journalists to curate its new News Tab

  SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) -- Facebook on Tuesday confirmed plans for a News Tab that will be edited by seasoned journalists, in a departure from its longstanding practice of letting algorithms dictate a user's experience.A human team will select relevant, reliable breaking and top news stories. Other sections of the tab will rely on algorithms to figure out a user's interests based on "signals" such as pages followed, interactions with online news or subscriptions to publications."Our g

• 

  Industry

  Thailand partnering with South Korea on electric bus development

  BANGKOK -- An all-electric bus with the national flags of South Korea and Thailand printed side by side sits on a campus of one of the national research universities on the southern side of Bangkok. The electric bus is a joint project between Korea and Thailand, led mainly by Korean automaker Edison Motors, which currently provides public transport services with eco-friendly buses at Namsan in Seoul and on Jeju Island. The project involves 11 organizations from both sides, including Korea’

• 

  People

  At age of 100, philosopher says ‘I love; therefore I am’

  Widely known as the “100-year-old philosopher,” professor Kim Hyung-seok recently published a collection of essays that delves into the meaning of life. Kim, 100 this year by Korean age, was born in 1920 in Pyongyang, which is now the capital of North Korea. He studied philosophy at Sophia University in Tokyo. After Korea’s liberation from Japan in 1945, he taught at a local middle and high school in Seoul and eventually joined Yonsei University. He is now a professor emeritus

• 

  Music

  Rapper Kisum challenges herself with first dance hip-hop record, 'Yeah!sul'

  Female rapper and songwriter Kisum on Tuesday dropped a new EP, "Yeah!sul," fronted by a funky dance number, transforming sharply from her previous dark hip-hop music.The EP's title, "Yeah!sul," translates in Korean as "Yeah! alcohol," or as "art" when read together, and the six-track album is led by "Let's Drink Up."Kisum sampled the widely loved refrain from male duo Vibe's hit song with the same Korean title in composing and writing the main t

• 

  Automode

  GM Korea union enters partial strike for higher wages

  Unionized workers at GM Korea Co., the South Korean unit of General Motors Co., on Tuesday entered a two-day partial strike, demanding higher wages. GM Korea workers held a four-hour strike on Tuesday and plan to stage another four-hour walkout on Wednesday, GM union spokesman Dang Sung-geun said over the phone. "Union leaders will hold a meeting on Thursday to decide on whether to enter another round of strikes," he said. GM Korea and its union have held seven rounds of talks since Ju

• 

  Industry

  Amorepacific spins off tea brand Osulloc

  South Korean cosmetics giant Amorepacific Corp. said Tuesday that its premium green tea brand Osulloc will be launched as an independent entity this year to boost its value.Osulloc will begin independent business activity starting on Oct. 1, the company said in a regulatory filing. The move is part of efforts to reinforce Osulloc's brand image as a premium organic green tea brand, the company said. "Osulloc will solidify its brand as a leading premium tea brand through efficient and re

• 

  Technology

  Antitrust watchdog approves plan to establish ‘Netflix of Asia’

  Fair Trade Commission approves merger of Pooq and Oksusu services to launch integrated streaming platform

• 

  World Business

  Korea's coal consumption up in 2018, bucks global trend

  　South Korea’s coal consumption increased last year, bucking the global trend for reducing carbon emissions, a report showed. 　South Korea consumed 88.2 million tons of oil equivalent, a unit of energy, in 2018, up 2.4 percent from a year ago, according to the London-based energy company BP’s Statistical Review of World Energy 2019.　The latest figure makes South Korea the world’s fifth-largest coal consumer, following China, India, the United States and Japan, BP said. (Yonhap)

• 

  Industry

  Are ‘water drop’ breast implants a ticking time bomb in the chest?

  Once the most popular breast augmentation product in Korea, rough-surface implants are now a source of concern

• 

  Automode

  SsangYong Motor launches gasoline-powered Korando

  Amid waning market demand for diesel-powered sport utility vehicles, SsangYong Motor unveiled the gasoline model of the Korando on Tuesday, to boost sales of its SUV brand. The carmaker has improved safety of the 1.5-liter turbo gasoline model by installing seven air bags and other safety features, including lane keeping assist, driver awareness assist and autonomous emergency braking systems. The launch came six months after the company unveiled the 2.0-liter diesel Korando here in February. Th

GRAPHIC NEWS

OPINION

• Viewpoints

  

  We should put ourselves in other people’s shoes

  Koreans are known to be people of “jeong” or affection. However, many Koreans do not seem to be thoughtful or considerate. Perhaps jeong does not encompass thoughtfulness or caring about others. Nevertheless, it is necessary to put yourself in another person’s shoes. In the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird,” Harper Lee writes, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view. Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around

• Viewpoints

  

  History seems to be repeating in Russia, China

  It’s beginning to feel like a 1980s news tape showing America’s despotic enemies running amok.In Russia, a mysterious fatal explosion a few days ago in one of the country’s 10 secret cities where nuclear research takes place has caused an uptick in radiation and raised alarm around the world.It also raises memories of the 1986 meltdown at the Ukrainian nuclear power plant at Chernobyl, which Russia tried desperately to hush up, lying repeatedly about how serious it was. An esti

THE INVESTOR

• 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

• Bio & Medicine

  

  Celltrion establishes Irish unit to expand in European biosimilar market

  Celltrion in May established Celltrion Biopharma, its first unit in Ireland, for further expansion in the European biosimilar market, according to industry sources on Aug. 20.At the new unit, the Korean company plans to mainly conduct clinical trials to prove the safety of its biosimilars to local medical staff, and also prepare for sales after achieving the European Medicines Agency’s approval.Celltrion has finished the stage 3 clinical trial of its biosimilar Remsima SC in Europe and is

K-POP HERALD

• 

  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

• 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

• Social affairs

  

  Donggubat CEO strives for social well-being along with revenue growth

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

• 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

• Food&Beverage

  

  Tender, sweet spareribs at Seongsu-dong

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