SPOTLIGHT

• Film

  

  Luc Besson explains why ‘Valerian’ is a bit unusual

  By Rumy Doo

  Acclaimed filmmaker of ‘Leon’ says his new sci-fi epic aims to make adults dream

• Music

  

  Electrifying show by Gallagher, Foo Fighters; could’ve been more?

  By Yoon Min-sik

  The fans waited a very long time for a kick-ass show, which they got but not for very long.Liam Gallagher and Foo Fighters sent tremors down the city of Seoul and shivers down the spines of music fans gathered at Jamsil Stadium in Songpa-gu, Seoul on Tuesday. “Live Forever Long” offered Korea a chance to see Gallagher and Foo Fighters for the first time in five and two years, respectively. And it did not disappoint.Liam Gallagher performs during the “Live Forever Long” concert in Seoul on Tuesda

• Music

  

  DIA returns full of love with ‘Love Generation’

  By Hong Dam-young

  K-pop act Dia returned fully charged with powerful energy with its third EP “Love Generation.” Clad in black-and-white school uniforms, the group’s nine singers sparkled as they took to the stage at a media showcase for their new EP in Seoul on Tuesday. Dia is short for “Diamond.”(Yonhap)“Love Generation” marks Dia’s first release since its second full-length album “YOLO” four months ago. The EP delves into the feelings of a teenage girl dabbling in love. Each track features a different musical

• North Korea

  

  Drug trafficking hits major cities in North Korea: report

  By Kim Min-joo

  North Korea faces growing problems linked to drug trafficking, Japanese news media reported Wednesday. According to the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper, about 500 people were apprehended in the month of May last year for drug trafficking in an unidentified North Korean city and nearby areas.  (Yonhap)The reclusive regime’s crackdown suggests drug trafficking, which initially emerged along its Chinese border, is now spreading across other major cities. The Japanese daily based its report on a lecture

LATEST NEWS

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  Economy

  Koreans’ overseas card spending hits record high

  South Koreans’ use of cards overseas hit a record high in the second quarter of this year amounting to $4.18 billion, up 20.6 percent from a year earlier, according to the Bank of Korea on Thursday. It marked a 4 percent increase from the preceding quarter.Some 6.11 million South Koreans traveled abroad in the second quarter, according to government data, down from 6.51 million from January through March. In comparison, card spending by foreign visitors here reached $1.87 billion in the same qua

• 

  Technology

  Samsung’s new Galaxy Note 8 plays it safe

  Launching the much-awaited flagship smartphone Galaxy Note 8 in New York, Samsung Electronics played it safe instead of shaking things up with stunning new features. This is the first Note model after the exploding fiasco of the Note 7 last year that tarnished Samsung’s reputation. The debacle was reportedly caused by packing in too many new features like an iris scanner, increasing battery capacity and accelerating the release schedule on the rush to beat Apple. Samsung, this time, chose safety

• 

  Politics

  PM takes swipe at food safety chief over egg scare

  Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon said Thursday that public criticism of the government's handling of the contaminated egg scare should be taken as a rebuke, not as irritation, taking a swipe at the country's food safety chief who accused Lee of expressing irritation to him.Ryu Young-jin, minister of food and drug safety, made headlines earlier this week when he told a parliamentary committee meeting that the prime minister "expressed irritation" over his handling of the scare over pesticide-contaminat

• 

  Social affairs

  ‘Going 100% renewable not mission impossible for Korea’

  South Korea going 100 percent renewable by 2050 is not a sci-fi fiction, but will become reality, if only it stays committed, a global environmental leader said. Currently, renewable energy, such as solar and wind power, accounts for just 2 percent of the country’s electricity production, while coal-fired power plants generate about 40 percent and nuclear reactors 30 percent. The Moon Jae-in administration is making a strong push for renewables, aiming to raise its share to 20 percent by 2030, w

• 

  Social affairs

  Drunk Kiribati man walking on Busan train track sparks safety row

  A drunk Kiribati man who walked 4 kilometers down the light rail track in Busan sparked a major row over poor management of transit safety.The Busan-Gimhae Light Rail Transit said on Thursday a 22-year old man from Kiribati was caught walking on the train track near Sasang Station last Tuesday in the afternoon.The man was safely removed from the track but his behavior had entailed a high risk, given that the fully-automated trains on the BGLRT operate without on-train staff. (Yonhap)The man, ini

• 

  Automode

  Court to rule on Kia wages next week

  A Seoul court is set to issue a ruling on the case involving wages at Kia Motors Corp. next week, a judiciary official said Thursday, a decision that could have far-reaching consequences for South Korean industries.Next Thursday, the Seoul Central District Court will decide on whether to count "regular" bonuses at the carmaker as part of basic wages, the court spokesman Kim Shin-yoo said over the phone. Unionized workers at Kia brought the case to the court in late 2011, seeking higher wages and

• 

  Baseball

  Career in limbo, Pirates' Kang Jung-ho giving free youth clinics

  Beleaguered major league infielder Kang Jung-ho has been giving free youth clinics and donating equipment, while his playing career remains in limbo, a source close to the player said Thursday.Kang remains without a work permit to play for the Pittsburgh Pirates, having received a suspended sentence over drunk driving charges earlier this year.Kang has kept a low profile while training on his own in South Korea, and the source said he's recently visited four different regions in the South Gyeong

• 

  Politics

  Moon orders publication of white paper on lessons learned from egg scandal

  President Moon Jae-in on Thursday ordered the publication of a white paper on the recent public scare over contaminated eggs, calling on the government not to make the same mistake again in ensuring public safety or dealing with such a case.Moon's instruction came in his weekly meeting with top presidential aides, held at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Park Soo-hyun."President Moon said we must take lessons from the incident to make sure such a case w

• 

  Automode

  Hyundai, Kia face protracted slump in China

  Hyundai Motor Co. and its affiliate Kia Motors Corp. still struggled last month in China, posting a 37 percent on-year slump in their vehicle sales in the world's largest automotive market, industry data showed on Thursday.In July, Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors sold a combined 70,017 vehicles there, down from 111,021 units a year earlier, the companies' data showed.  The results were mainly affected by political tensions between Seoul and Beijing over the deployment of a US missile defense system

• 

  Industry

  Entertainment expenses by drug firms fall due to anti-graft law

  Meals and entertainment spending by major pharmaceutical firms have been greatly reduced after the anti-graft law went into effect nearly one year ago, industry data showed Thursday.According to their semi-annual business reports, 15 drug companies checked greatly reduced their spending on clients and partners during the first half of 2017, compared with the same period a year earlier. These companies raked in more than 100 billion won ($87 million) in revenue each in the January-June period. (Y

GRAPHIC NEWS

OPINION

• Columnists

  

  How to beat North Korea at nuclear blackmail

  By Bloomberg

  “Strategic patience” is out as the US approach to North Korea, and “strategic accountability” is the new term of art. That’s according to an op-ed article by Secretary of Defense James Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. “The object of our peaceful pressure campaign,” they write, “is the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”While I heartedly approve of finally providing clarity beyond President Donald Trump’s bombastic statements, we should be realistic. I understand the reasons fo

• Columnists

  

  Moon needs courage to be hated

  By Lee Joo-hee

  It is literally impossible to please everyone, yet we constantly make the mistake of believing one should, or can.Imagine trying to please 51,744,948 people. That is what President Moon Jae-in set out to do, vowing to become “everyone’s president” as he was sworn in as the 19th leader of the fastidious crowd three months ago. With the dust of political chaos barely settling down, Moon’s inauguration promise seemed an invitation to criticism. It was comparative to, for instance, former US Preside

THE INVESTOR

• Samsung

  

  [Q&A] Samsung mobile chief rules out ditching Note brand

  [THE INVESTOR] Editor’s note: Samsung Electronics on Aug. 23 unveiled its bigger-screen flagship phone Galaxy Note 8, the successor of the ill-fated Note 7 whose sales were suspended right after the launch last year due to fire-prone batteries.Some critics said the Korean tech giant could ditch the Note brand as it failed to regain trust from customers. But at the unveiling event of the new phone in New York, Samsung’s mobile chief Koh Dong-jin who was directly involved in the Note’s development

• The Investor

  

  [DECODED X] Thank you, Mr. President!

  [THE INVESTOR] The Aug. 17 issue of The Investor's blockbuster newsletter DECODED X is out. Check out some of the highlights.THANK YOU, MR.PRESIDENT!The Moon Jae-in government hit a milestone today: its first 100 days in office. Celebratory stamps sold out, and all over the web, Koreans were thanking the president for the past three months and a half .  Moon seems to be one of the few Korean leaders with such blanket support, except, of course on certain issues, such as North Korea.Speaking of t

• Management

  

  Court bars live coverage of Samsung heir’s trial

  [THE INVESTOR] The Seoul Central District Court on Aug. 23 barred the live coverage of the upcoming verdict on Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong.The court also decided not to permit the taking of still photos during the trial on Aug. 25. “Lee Jae-yong and all other defendants submitted their opinions opposing filming or broadcasting of the trial,” the panel of judges said in a statement. “We decided it would be right not to allow broadcasting when considering the public interest tha

• Automobiles

  

  Hyundai Santa Cruz gets green light for production

  [THE INVESTOR] Hyundai Motor on Aug. 23 said it is planning to debut a pickup truck in the US, hinting at the pending production of the Santa Cruz, its first crossover pickup truck whose concept was unveild in 2015. “We are reviewing plans to launch a pickup truck for the US market,” a Hyundai spokesperson told The Investor, declining to confirm whether the car will be the Santa Cruz or not. Earlier, Reuters reported that a new pickup truck, based on the Santa Cruz concept, has recently received

K-POP HERALD

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  Pristin returns with rebellious ‘Schxxl Out’

• 

  Lee Sa-gang on 'Autumn in My Heart'

• 

  Lee Gi-kwang on his solo album

HERALD INTERVIEW

• Politics

  

  Ahn Cheol-soo stresses path of ‘radical centrism’

• Film

  

  Lee Jong-suk on playing a delicate serial killer

• Social affairs

  

  How comfort women statues got to ride Seoul buses

• Film

  

  Actor Jang Dong-gun once thought himself unattractive

PHOTO NEWS

• Culture

  

  Lotus flower, miracle of unwavering purity

  By Korea Herald

  Nothing is more divine than this immaculate and pure flower. Gazing into its large colorful blossoms that rise high above broad green leaves, you’ll be drawn to their blithely beautiful figures, and even find yourself unburdened from worldly cares. The lotus, which comes to its beautiful full bloom in the summer, is a flower that defies logic. With its roots deep in the murky pool, the flower slowly emerges toward the surface and bursts out of the water to reveal its fragrant petals, bearing no

VIDEO

• Social affairs

  

  Campaign on to spread basic floating skills, curb drowning deaths

• Social affairs

  

  Coin-op game arcades struggle to find appeal beyond nostalgia

• Social affairs

  

  Gay pride parade in Seoul draws record number

• More sports

  

  Stephen Curry thrills fans, hosts youth clinic on Korea trip

FEATURES

• Finance

  

  Banks sway between recruitment and downsizing

  By Bae Hyun-jung

  Major banks are holding off their second-half employment notice, pressed between their financial need for downsizing and the Moon Jae-in administration‘s drive for job creation.While the central bank and a partially state-controlled bank vowed to expand recruitment, most commercial banks prolonged their ambiguous silence, apparently reluctant to make pre-emptive moves.The Bank of Korea said Tuesday that it will hire 70 new employees in the latter half of the year, increasing its recruitment by s

• Social affairs

  

  Human rights watchdog examines care facilities for signs of abuse

  By Bak Se-hwan

  The National Human Rights Commission of Korea announced Monday that it will release human rights abuse data from local care facilities that serve people with physical and mental disabilities.(Yonhap)In a joint national survey conducted by the watchdog and three activist groups, some 292 care facilities users nationwide have been interviewed since last month on whether they have experienced abuse. “The in-depth research is part of our effort to look into possible violations of human rights among

• Music

  

  DJ duo Garenz hopes to fill clubs with own music

  By Hong Dam-young

  The Korea Herald is introducing Korean singers, musicians and actors poised to join the next wave of top stars in a twice monthly series. -- Ed.

• Politics

  

  Political parties experience internal frictions in push for reform

  By Jo He-rim

  Three months into the new Moon Jae-in administration, political parties across the aisle are experiencing internal friction as they push for reforms before local elections slated for June next year. Ruling Democratic Party of Korea lawmakers are divided over their chairwoman’s plan to establish a committee to improve the party, and change nomination rules for the local elections.Rep. Choo Mi-ae, the party leader, said current party regulations should be changed to allow the nominations of new fi