SPOTLIGHT

• Social affairs

  

  Typhoon Tapah expected to bring heavy rain nationwide over weekend

  Typhoon Tapah, building up as it approaches from the south, will affect the Korean Peninsula over the weekend, bringing heavy rain, the weather agency forecast Thursday.Expected to become the nation’s 17th typhoon this year, Tapah is predicted to gain force as it passes through a high-temperature area of the ocean, reaching 28 degrees Celsius on its path toward the peninsula.“Once it shapes into a typhoon within the next 24 hours, Tapah is expected to advance fast southeastward towar

• Social affairs

  

  Seoul lifts movement ban on pig farms, revs up quarantine to tackle swine fever

  South Korea's agriculture ministry said Thursday it has lifted the 48-hour movement ban on local pig farms as the country accelerates efforts to prevent the spread of African swine fever here.The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs imposed a nationwide standstill on all pig farms, slaughterhouses and feed factories across the country on Tuesday morning after the country confirmed the first case of ASF in Paju near the heavily fortified border with North Korea.A new ASF case was repor

• K-pop

  

  Seventeen’s ‘Ode to You’ rattles Seoul with unwavering love for fans

  Over the last few years, fans have learned that Seventeen always goes above and beyond when it comes to them. In a familiar scene at K-pop concerts, when Seventeen said “jump,” the crowds jumped. When it requested screams, they offered frenzied roars. But that’s not all that made the 3 1/2 hour concert one of the best shows of this year so far. Kicking off Seventeen’s “Ode to You” world tour, the concert took place at the KSPO Dome in Seoul on Aug. 31, the sec

• Television

  

  Actress Kim Tae-hee gives birth to second daughter

  Actress Kim Tae-hee and singer Rain, one of South Korea's most prominent star couples, had their second daughter on Thursday, the actress' management agency, Story J Company, said."We would like to share good news about Kim Tae-hee and Jung Ji-hoon couple's new family member. Kim gave birth to her second child, a daughter, today at a hospital in Seoul," the agency said in a statement. Jung Ji-hoon is Rain's real name."Both mother and daughter are in good health, and are resti

LATEST NEWS

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  Economy

  OECD cuts growth outlook for S. Korea to 2.1 percent

  The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on Thursday slashed its growth outlook for South Korea's economy this year to 2.1 percent amid a slowdown in global trade.The OECD's interim outlook represented a drop from its previous forecast of 2.4 percent in May. It said the South Korean economy would grow 2.3 percent in 2020, also slower than its previous forecast of 2.5 percent.Growth in South Korea "has moderated by more than expected this year, in part due to persiste

• 

  Automode

  GM Korea union to launch partial strikes over wages

  Unionized workers at GM Korea Co. will stage partial strikes as wage negotiations stalled, the union said Thursday.GM Korea's union will strike for eight hours on Friday and then for six hours per day from Sept. 24-27 and will decide afterwards whether to continue strikes, the union said in a statement."We had a meeting with company officials, including President and CEO Kaher Kazem, but the company only said they will make efforts to accept our demands without giving any concrete time fram

• 

  Business

  S. Korean beer imports from Japan plunge 97%

  　South Korean imports of Japanese beer slumped almost to zero last month in the face of a consumer boycott sparked by a bitter trade and historical dispute between Seoul and Tokyo, data showed.　Japanese companies shipped $223,000 worth of beer to South Korea in August, figures from the Korea Trade Statistics Promotion Institute showed - down 97 percent from $7.57 million last year.　Before the trade spat Japanese beer had long been South Koreans' favorite alternative to their country’s own

• 

  Foreign Affairs

  S. Korea’s top nuclear envoy calls for flexibility in upcoming US-NK negotiations

  South Korea’s top nuclear negotiator on Thursday called on the US and North Korea to take a flexible approach to achieve substantial progress ahead of their upcoming denuclearization talks. “To keep the dialogue momentum (between the US and North Korea) alive and make substantial progress, they have to take a flexible approach,” Lee Do-hoon, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told reporters at Incheon Airpo

• 

  Culture

  Kaan show attracts Pattaya visitors

  Pattaya on the eastern coast of the Gulf of Thailand may be better known for its nightlife and water sports. But the city also offers the Kaan show, a theatrical experience that combines live-action and cinema, stage performance and advanced technologies. The 60-minute show is inspired by classic Thai literature. It features more than 90 actors performing magic supported by production staff with international experience, advanced technologies and a state-of-the-art audiovisual system. 

• 

  Industry

  Posco backs startups in Pohang, Gwangyang

  South Korean steelmaker Posco said Thursday it has launched a startup committee to foster companies in the cities of Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, and Gwangyang, South Jeolla Province, and to enhance communication among startups, regional governments and agencies. The committee, which comprises 197 startups, is supported by 17 regional governments and organizations, including the Research Institute of Industrial Science & Technology, Postech and Techno Parks. It plans to periodical

• 

  Foreign Affairs

  SNU professor to head Korea Foundation

  Lee Geun, a professor at Seoul National University, was named president of the Korea Foundation, a nonprofit public diplomacy organization under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thursday. He replaces Lee Si-hyung, and his three-year term is renewable once. The new president served as a professor of International Relations at the Graduate School of International Studies. He was also vice president and dean of the SNU Office of International Affairs, in addition to being a policy adviser

• 

  Social affairs

  Gwanghwamun restructuring put on hold in face of strong opposition

  The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Thursday its plan to restructure Gwanghwamun Square would be put on hold to gather public opinion in the wake of opposition from the relevant ministry and some civic groups. However, the government still plans to restructure the current square, which has been compared to an isolated, gigantic traffic island, but it will revisit the current blueprint and take more time to draw up a final scheme to reflect public opinion, Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon said.&ldquo

• Editorial

  OPCON transfer

  Seoul could retake wartime operational control from US after North Korea’s denuclearization

• 

  Social affairs

  Seoul to host international legal conference next week

  The International Bar Association Annual Conference is slated to start Monday at Coex in southern Seoul.Around 6,000 lawyers from 131 countries will attend the six-day legal forum, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government. During the 264 sessions, speakers will address barriers to diversity in the legal profession, including sexual harassment and bullying. The sessions will also provide a forum to discuss finding solutions to a variety of problems facing modern society, such as the refugee

GRAPHIC NEWS

OPINION

• Viewpoints

  

  What will come of HK's protests?

  As tens of thousands of protesters marched down Hennessy Road toward government headquarters Sunday afternoon, chanting pro-democracy slogans and waving American flags, it was an exuberant celebration of this territory’s yearning for freedom.The protesters seemed mindless of the danger: Men and women, young and old, ninja-clad teenagers and moms with their kids, all joined in the 15th straight weekend of protest. A doctor at a local hospital, a 56-year-old schoolteacher and a 19-year-old g

• Viewpoints

  

  Populism will probably just go away soon, so relax

  Populism has become a defining feature of public life. It embraces a narrative of victimhood and grievance, pitting “people” against “elites.” US President Donald Trump’s protectionism and hostility toward immigrants are fueled by populist frustration on the political right. On the left, populism appears as resentment of the wealthy, and the Democratic Party’s presidential primary field is marked by proposals to penalize the rich. Compromise has become a dirty

THE INVESTOR

• Industrials

  

  [INTERVIEW] Once labor-intensive, shipbuilders in race for digital transformation

  SINGAPORE -- Traditional methods used to maintain cost efficiency in the labor-intensive field of shipbuilding and marine engineering will give way more and more to digital solutions that are already quietly permeating the industry, Craig Hayman, CEO of UK industrial software developer Aveva, said in a recent interview with The Investor.“Firms constructing vessels are now focused on reducing the labor (costs) associated with the construction and the number of hours put into designing them,

• Startups & Investors

  

  E-mart joins hands with delivery startup Now Pick

  E-mart, Korea’s largest discount chain operated by Shinsegae, has joined hands with local startup Now Pick to provide customers round-the-clock delivery service, according to industry sources on Sept. 19.Established in 2018, Now Pick allows customers to place their orders on its app and receive goods from the startup’s center within 30 minutes. The startup’s centers cover customers located up to a 2 km radius. At the beginning of August, Now Pick opened its third center in Song

• Retail & Consumer

  

  Philip Morris launches online IQOS customer service

  Philip Morris Korea announced on Sept. 19 that it has launched a new website for users of its heat-not-burn device IQOS. “We launched the website for customers who need quick service anytime, anywhere. We expect that this personalized service will enable customers to resolve problems swiftly,” Chong Il-woo, managing director of Philip Morris Korea said in a statement.On the website, customers can check detailed information about inventories of IQOS such as its color and amount of exc

• LG

  

  LG Display woos Chinese partners, seeks to expand OLED biz

  LG Display, which has struggled with its money-losing LCD business in recent years, is making efforts to grow its OLED TV display business by attracting Chinese partners.As part of the display company’s efforts to speed up the transition from traditional LCDs to the emerging OLEDs, the display maker held a conference Sept. 19 at 798 Art District, a cultural zone in Beijing. Chinese TV makers, retail giants and local media were present. Due to the recent resignation of LG Display CEO Han Sa

K-POP HERALD

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  Dreamcatcher’s video game fantasy gets real with ‘Raid of Dream’

• 

  #Sunmipop: 7 Songs to celebrate the best of Sunmi

• 

  BTS’ vacation playlist

HERALD INTERVIEW

• Fashion

  

  Yie Sun-yuul has the world at her heels

• Social affairs

  

  ‘Corruption cannot be eradicated, only contained and controlled’

• Industry

  

  New Busan-Jinhae FEZ chief seeks paradigm shift

• Industry

  

  Orsted sees market potential in Korean offshore wind power

PHOTO NEWS

• Culture

  

  Where tradition lives on

  The approaching Chuseok holiday is a time of the year that Koreans press pause in their busy day-to-day life and appreciate traditional values of their family, communities and the nation as a whole. Many families visit palaces and famous historic sites during the holiday, usually after performing ancestral rites in the morning of Chuseok, which this year falls on Friday. One of the popular destinations is Namsangol Hanok Village in central Seoul, a traditional village that shows what life was du

VIDEO

• Industry

  

  Mobile orders and unmanned serving: Robot restaurant lands in Seoul

• Food&Beverage

  

  Trendy treats on offer at Seoul Dessert Fair 2019

• Industry

  

  How far are we from printing hearts for transplant?

• Foreign Affairs

  

  Views of South Koreans on boycotting Japanese products

FEATURES

• Social affairs

  

  Koreans 5 years older, on average, than a decade ago

  SEJONG -- South Korea has become one of several countries undergoing rapid demographic changes that could dent the nation’s competitiveness in the mid- to long term. With fewer babies being born, senior citizens make up a growing proportion of the Korean population and the average age has climbed over the past decade.According to the Ministry of Interior and Safety, the average age reached 42.4 years as of August, as compared with 41.9 a year earlier.The average ages for men and women were

• Politics

  

  Support-rating gap between rival parties narrows

  SEJONG -- The 2020 general election for South Korea’s next National Assembly is coming in about 200 days.A core issue is whether the ruling Democratic Party of Korea will continue to secure its dominance in support ratings over the main opposition Liberty Korea Party.The Democratic Party has yet to yield its leading position in approval ratings among the people since President Moon-Jae-in took office in May 2017.But symptoms of situation change have emerged over the past few months amid sa

• Economy

  

  Korea marks 20th anniversary of FTA talks across globe

  SEJONG -- It has been two decades since South Korea took its first steps into the free trade market, seeking bilateral deals with major world economies in hopes of enjoying tariff benefits.Since launching negotiations toward a free trade agreement with its first partner, Chile, in 1999, Korea has put 15 FTAs in place with three continental trade blocs (that involve 42 countries collectively) and 12 countries.The three trade blocs are the 28-member European Union, the 10-member Associat

• 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