SPOTLIGHT

• People

  

  Song Hye-kyo, Song Joong-ki’s divorce final: court

  Song Hye-kyo and Song Joong-ki’s divorce was finalized at a Seoul court Monday.The two settled their divorce at a closed-door hearing held at 10 a.m. Monday at Seoul Family Court. The hearing lasted for about 20 minutes, a court official said. Their divorce was granted 26 days after the petition was filed June 26. Both cited irreconcilable differences as the reason. Korean law allows a marriage to be dissolved without a trial on the condition of mutual consent.The divorce settlement did no

• Social affairs

  

  37 malatang restaurants violate food sanitation law

  Thirty-seven restaurants specializing in malatang, a type of Chinese street food, failed health inspections in June, the Food and Drug Safety Ministry said Monday.The ministry conducted health inspections at 63 malatang restaurants from June 3 to July 5 and found 37 to be in violation of the food sanitation law. Of the inspected food-service establishments, six were not registered as businesses, 13 used ingredients of unidentified origins and 10 failed to meet food hygiene standards. Other viola

• Music

  

  Violinist Sarah Chang to hold solo recital tour in winter

  Violinist Sarah Chang will embark on a six-city tour across Korea in December, marking her first solo recitals here in seven years. The 39-year-old Korean American musician, also known as Chang Young-joo, will perform in Daegu on Dec. 17, followed by Ulsan; Anyang, Gyeonggi Province; Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province; Donghae, Gangwon Province; and Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. The tour will wrap up with a recital at the Seoul Arts Center on Dec. 29. Chang performed at a concert at the Seoul

• Technology

  

  S. Koreans use social media more for entertainment than communication: survey

  More South Koreans are utilizing social media for sources of entertainment contents than as a means of communications with friends, according to a report released by DMC Media on Monday.According to the survey conducted on 1,000 people here aged between 20 and 60 over the last month, “viewing casually entertaining contents,” selected by 64 percent of the respondents, was the most popular reason for using social media. Other popular reasons for visiting social media platforms included

LATEST NEWS

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  Defense

  Indonesia seeks reduction in share of expenses in joint fighter jet project

  Indonesia is seeking a reduction of its share of expenses in the fighter jet development project with South Korea, as it is running about 300 billion won ($254 million) in arrears. According to Indonesian news reports, Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Politics and Security Wiranto reiterated the need to renegotiate the deal for the Korean Fighter Experimental, citing the government’s lack of budget.Korea and Indonesia have been working together to develop a new fighter jet for t

• 

  National

  Face value of damaged currency rises in H1

  　The face value of damaged banknotes and coins in South Korea rose in the first half of the year, data from the central bank showed. 　A total of 2.27 trillion won ($1.92 billion) worth of damaged bills and coins were discarded by the Bank of Korea in the first half, up 42.5 billion won from six months ago. 　The central bank spent 48.3 billion won replacing the damaged banknotes over the six-month period. (Yonhap)

• 

  Industry

  Royal Salute goes younger with modern twist to lineup

  It is no easy decision for a brand to abandon its original concept and transform a product lineup, especially when it comes to a luxury whisky.Royal Salute, whose distillery dates back to 1801, is best known for being the only scotch whisky in the world with a lineup that begins from 21 years of maturity. The Royal Salute 21 Year Old was launched in 1953 to commemorate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, named after the traditional 21-gun salute.Making a twist to its rich heritage, the br

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  Social affairs

  Koreans expelled from US involved in illegal drug trade

  Twenty-two drug dealers who smuggled marijuana into South Korea by mobilizing Koreans deported from the US and selling them here have been apprehended, the police said Monday. The suspected drug dealers brought in 3.4 kilograms of marijuana from the US into Korea and sold 1.5 kilograms of it between March and September 2018 in Seoul, Incheon and the surrounding areas.A couple -- surnamed Shim and Kwon -- used those holding US-Korean dual citizenships as well as Koreans who were expelled fro

• 

  Columnists

  A free press can never be taken for granted

  Earlier this month, President Trump addressed a group of so-called “digital leaders” invited to a social media summit at the White House.The guests included far right social media activists linked to white nationalists who spew out racist and anti-Muslim messages. They included individuals who produce fake videos, use hoaxes to smear Democratic candidates, and disseminate dangerous conspiracy theories. Only at the last minute was the welcome mat withdrawn from cartoonist Ben Garrison

• 

  Columnists

  Bastille Day and global populist uprising

  July 14 is celebrated in France as Bastille Day, on which day 230 years ago, French peasants stormed the Bastille prison in Paris and sparked off the French Revolution. Thus began the populist movement that overturned the Ancien Regime (old order) of absolute monarchy and replaced it with the popular creed of liberty, equality and fraternity. There is a popular story that when Henry Kissinger asked the late Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai in 1972 what was his view of the French Revolution, he said it

• Editorial

  Prudence matters

  Diplomacy, not emotional reactions, should take center stage in Korea-Japan feud

• 

  World News

  China says Hong Kong protests 'absolutely intolerable'

  BEIJING (AFP) -- China reacted furiously on Monday to anti-government protesters vandalising the walls of the Beijing representative's office in Hong Kong and defacing the national emblem, branding their actions "absolutely intolerable".Thousands of masked pro-democracy demonstrators briefly occupied the road outside the office in the semi-autonomous city Sunday night and targeted the building with eggs, projectiles, laser lights and graffiti in a stark rebuke to Beijing's rule. Hong K

• 

  Social affairs

  6 youths detained for protest performance at Japanese Consulate in Busan

  Six South Korean youths were taken into police custody on Monday after staging a protest performance over Japan's export restrictions inside the Japanese Consulate in central Busan, police said.The six, who are presumed to be college students, were all detained at around 2:35 p.m. while displaying placards condemning Japan's export curbs for South Korea and shouting slogans, such as "Japan must apologize," they said.The protesters dashed out of the consulate's library before holding th

• 

  Technology

  LG to release Arabic-speaking AI TVs in Middle East

  LG Electronics said Monday the company will launch the latest models of its artificial intelligence TVs with Arabic language options in the Middle East market this month, starting with Saudi Arabia. The LG TVs will be the world’s first to offer Arabic as a language option for the AI platform voice controls. The Korean company is releasing organic light-emitting diode TVs and liquid crystal display-based NanoCell TVs in the Middle East market, both equipped with LG’s AI platform LG Th

GRAPHIC NEWS

OPINION

• Columnists

  

  A free press can never be taken for granted

  Earlier this month, President Trump addressed a group of so-called “digital leaders” invited to a social media summit at the White House.The guests included far right social media activists linked to white nationalists who spew out racist and anti-Muslim messages. They included individuals who produce fake videos, use hoaxes to smear Democratic candidates, and disseminate dangerous conspiracy theories. Only at the last minute was the welcome mat withdrawn from cartoonist Ben Garrison

• Columnists

  

  Bastille Day and global populist uprising

  July 14 is celebrated in France as Bastille Day, on which day 230 years ago, French peasants stormed the Bastille prison in Paris and sparked off the French Revolution. Thus began the populist movement that overturned the Ancien Regime (old order) of absolute monarchy and replaced it with the popular creed of liberty, equality and fraternity. There is a popular story that when Henry Kissinger asked the late Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai in 1972 what was his view of the French Revolution, he said it

THE INVESTOR

• Economy

  

  From beer to package tours, figures show spreading boycott of Japanese products

  The boycott of Japanese products and services seems to be gaining ground here as a bilateral trade war with South Korea entered the third week.According to convenience store chain CU, the sales of Japanese beer brands during the first 18 days of the month fell by 40 percent from the same period last year. GS25 also saw a 24 percent drop during the same period. E-mart, a hypermarket chain of Shinsege Group, said the sales of Japanese beer brands between July 1 and 18 dropped by 30.1 percent from

• Samsung

  

  Samsung rumored to expand US chip plants amid Japan’s trade curbs

  Tech giant Samsung Electronics has reportedly been considering beefing up chip production lines in the US, in the wake of the trade feud between South Korea and Japan.Austin, Texas, where Samsung runs a foundry business, is one of the candidate regions, according to the reports.“Samsung seems to consider constructing additional chip plants in the US to respond to Japan’s tightened regulations on chemical products for chips,” an industry official was quoted by local news outlet

• Startups & Investors

  

  Finda bags W4.5b series A funding to enhance paperless loan platform

  South Korea’s fintech startup Finda has received a combined 4.5 billion won ($3.8 million) series A funding from multiple investors to enhance its newest paperless loan platform powered by big data, the startup said on July 22. Joining the round include venture capital houses Intervest, Mega Investment and Strong Ventures, as well as commercial lender Woori Bank and business information provider Coocon.“Finda’s new service is expected to give practical advantage to end-users,&r

• Retail & Consumer

  

  Blank focuses on expanding new businesses before IPO

  Korean e-commerce rookie Blank is further expanding by injecting money into its new businesses before its initial public offering, according to industry sources on July 22. “We are planning to file for preliminary screening at the Korea Exchange during the second quarter next year,” a Blank spokesperson told The Investor. “Meanwhile, we will focus more on expanding our new businesses and aggressively invest in them rather than concentrating on increasing our sales further.&rdqu

K-POP HERALD

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  Kang Daniel ready to step back into spotlight

• 

  Meet songwriting duo behind Red Velvet’s ‘Zimzalabim’

• 

  We hope to become a band that sings every moment’: DAY6

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

• 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

• Social affairs

  

  Partisanship pauses for Lee Hee-ho’s funeral

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