SPOTLIGHT

• Social affairs

  

  Death of puma triggers public protest against zoos in South Korea

  The recent death of a puma, killed by police after it escaped from its enclosure in a Daejeon zoo, has triggered a wave of criticism concerning animal rights abuses in South Korea, with some saying all zoos in the country must shut down.　　The puma, named Bbo-rong, was shot to death Tuesday, about four hours after it escaped its enclosure at Daejeon O-World through a door left unlocked by staff at 4:50 p.m. While the search was ongoing, all Daejeon residents were advised to stay indoors.　　Authori

• Industry

  

  Lee Jae-yong’s lip balm ‘closed’ before camera

  Is it the massive media attention he received for his copious use of lip moisturizer that’s making him shy? Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong was seen reaching for a dab of his lip balm, but upon noticing a camera filming him, Lee withdrew his outstretched pinky, stony-faced.Lee was spotted with his ever-famous lip balm at the May Day Stadium in Pyongyang, where he was attending the Mass Games next to SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won as part of a group of South Korean chaebol leaders

• Social affairs

  

  Mangwon, a peek into Seoulites’ daily lives

  Once considered an underdeveloped area on the outskirts of the crowded, boisterous main area of Hongdae, Mangwon is enjoying its day in the sun as a fashionable area of northwestern Seoul, with trendy eateries and also a grasp of local life.At the core of the Mangwon vogue was the neighborhood’s traditional market, long appreciated by residents.Having started off as a cluster of small stores in the 1970s in the backstreets of the neighborhood, the Mangwon Traditional Market gained its current st

• Travel

  

  Planning your Chuseok escape

  Don’t get stuck at home during fall break

LATEST NEWS

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  Industry

  OECD cuts S. Korea's economic growth forecast to 2.7 pct. in 2018

  South Korea's economy is expected to grow at a slower than expected pace this year, a Paris-based international organization said Thursday.In its interim economic outlook, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) expected Asia's fourth-largest economy to grow 2.7 percent this year, lower than its previous estimate of 3 percent growth made in May.For next year, the OECD also slashed its growth outlook to 2.8 percent from the previous 3 percent. (Yonhap)The OECD said the Ko

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  North Korea

  S. Korean businesses expect Kaesong complex to reopen this year

  The chief of South Korean businesses that have operations in the Kaesong Industrial Complex in North Korea said Thursday that he expects the now-closed industrial zone to reopen this year.  Kaesong, North Korea (Yonhap)Shin Han-yong, the head of a private task force representing South Korean companies that have production facilities in Kaesong, expressed hopes that the complex will resume operations soon "given the atmosphere of the third summit" between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and No

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  Industry

  Biz leaders glad to have seen NK up close

  The business leaders who accompanied South Korean President Moon Jae-in to North Korea this week returned to Seoul full of emotion, saying the trip had been worthwhile for the chance to see the North with their own eyes, but at the same time maintaining that it was premature to discuss doing business there. “It can be said that we went (to the North) to hear what they had to say. It was significant to have been able to witness North Korea with our own eyes. We tried to take in as much as possibl

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  North Korea

  Moon calls for swift resumption of NK-US denuclearization talks

  South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday called for the US to swiftly resume talks with North Korea on denuclearizing the communist country, while also saying that a declaration of the end of the Korean War should happen as soon as possible.Briefing South Korean citizens on the outcome of the inter-Korean summit, the main business of which took place Tuesday and Wednesday, Moon said North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had expressed his desire to complete the denuclearization process as soon as

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  North Korea

  Standing on Paektusan, Moon expresses hope for tourism to iconic mountain

  As the leaders of the two Koreas stood together atop Paektusan for the first time, South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday expressed hopes for expanded tourism to the Korean Peninsula’s highest mountain.As of now, the mountain is only accessible to South Koreans from the Chinese side -- leaving parts of it inaccessible to them. “Now that we’ve taken the first step, if we repeat these steps and more people come (to Paektusan), I believe there will be a time when citizens of South Korea can

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  North Korea

  What to expect after third inter-Korean summit

  The third inter-Korean summit between President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has prompted a flurry of speculation over how things will unfold between the two Koreas and with the US. To what extent the summit will revive stalled denuclearization talks between the US and North Korea is the question on the minds of many. Moon will travel to the US on Sunday to brief President Donald Trump on his discussions with Kim. Kim pledged to dismantle missile facilities in the presence of

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  North Korea

  Strong inter-Korean bond boosts Seoul’s role in denuclearization talks

  The third summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un broke new ground in inter-Korean ties, experts said, giving South Korea an opportunity to move beyond its role as a “mediator” in the US-North Korea nuclear talks. The South’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday said the Seoul government would now be able to take on a more “active role” based on the “meaningful” results of the inter-Korean summit. “(The summit agreement) has provided a foundation for both Ko

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  Foreign Policy

  Inter-Korean summit kick-starts stalled nuclear talks

  The US said it is prepared to resume talks with North Korea after the North agreed to dismantle its key missile facility and potentially its main nuclear complex at this week’s inter-Korean summit, kick-starting stalled denuclearization negotiations. (Yonhap)At his third meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, Kim agreed to permanently dismantle the Dongchang-ri missile testing site in the presence of international experts, and suggested the North would permanently destroy a major Yongb

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  Travel

  Trekking on sacred Paektusan highlands

  During a trekking tour of North Korea’s Paektusan highlands in August, Roger Shepherd and his team of international travelers hobnobbed with North Korean guides -- hiking, pitching tents, making campfires, cooking and eating together. Two Australian women and two Norwegian men traveled with Shepherd, a Kiwi professional hiker and travel writer, on their maiden trip to the Korean Peninsula’s tallest mountain, 2,750 meters above sea level, considered the sacred cradle of the Korean people since ti

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  Music

  Nature shares hopes of going global as a multifaceted band

  It’s been less than two months since the band Nature made its debut on the K-pop scene, but already it’s making a splash. Having launched in August under N.CH Entertainment, this promising rookie band consists of leader Lu, Saebom, Chinese members Aurora and Gaga, Chaebin, Japanese member Haru, Uchae and Sunshine. While Nature has only two songs under its belt -- its debut single “Allegro Cantabile” and pre-debut track “Girls and Flowers” -- it’s already an award winner. In an unprecedented star

GRAPHIC NEWS

OPINION

• Columnists

  

  Israeli-Palestinian peace process is dead

  This month commemorates two pinnacles for the benign, naive superpower that was America, both involving our now-lost role as Middle East peacemaker. Forty years ago, President Jimmy Carter brokered the Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt; and 25 years ago, President Bill Clinton presided over the signing of the Oslo Accord between Israel and the Palestinians. As we looked this week at the old photographs of beaming American presidents grandly mediating between adversaries, what was happe

• Columnists

  

  Malaysia at 55

  Was it only 55 years ago when Malaysia was formed on Sept. 16, 1963?　On that day, I was super proud to witness at the parade ground in Jesselton (today Kota Kinabalu) the formation of an independent nation, joining Sabah and Sarawak with the 11 states of Malaya. One forgets easily today that it was a time of grave uncertainty, when the Philippines had a claim on North Borneo and Indonesian President Sukarno was actively against the idea of Malaysia.　At the middle age of 55 years, an individual c

THE INVESTOR

• Samsung

  

  Samsung unveils triple-lens smartphone Galaxy A7

  Samsung Electronics on Sept.20 unveiled the Galaxy A7, its first smartphone with a triple-lens camera system. The rear-facing camera and the high-resolution 24-megapixel selfie shooter will be some of the killer features of the phone, according to the Korean tech giant.The Galaxy A model sports a 24M standard lens, a bokeh lens that alters depth of field, and a 120-degree super wide-angle lens. A fingerprint scanner of the phone is what sets the device apart from other Samsung pho

• Retail & Consumer

  

  SKINFOOD CEO to sell stake amid suffering biz

  SKINFOOD CEO Cho Yoon-ho is seeking to sell his majority stake in the Korean budget cosmetics brand to a strategic investor before its valuation falls further, according to industry sources on Sept. 20.Currently, Cho is the largest stakeholder with 77.28 percent stake, while the remaining stocks are owned by his family.The company has been denying speculations, but many industry watchers are projecting that SKINFOOD may shut shop due to its poor financial condition. Although, it s

• Samsung

  

  Samsung to sell diagnostic device unit to Japanese firm

  Samsung Medison, the diagnostic ultrasound system unit of Samsung Group, will sell a part of its business to a Japanese health care device manufacturer, according to sources on Sept. 20.Nipro, the No. 2 dialysis device manufacturer in the world, signed a letter of intent to acquire a vitro diagnostic division of the Korean firm with a plan to close the deal by the end of this year, according to a Samsung Medison official. The Osaka-headquartered company has been supplying reagents

• Finance

  

  Macquarie Korea wins battle with Platform over infrastructure fund

  An attempt to oust Macquarie Korea Asset Management from operating Macquarie Korea Infrastructure Fund, the only listed infrastructure fund in Korea, has failed. On Sept.19, the fund’s shareholders voted to retain Macquarie Korea Asset Management -- the Korean unit of the Australian financial group -- as fund manager. The failed ouster has been referred to as the first instance of shareholder activism by a Korean company targeting an overseas firm. Among the shareholders who held

K-POP HERALD

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  BTS to deliver speech at UN for youth

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  Sunmi eats ‘Inkigayo’ sandwich

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  U-Kiss Dong-ho files for divorce: report

HERALD INTERVIEW

• Music

  

  Nature shares hopes of going global as a multifaceted band

• Arts&Design

  

  Decorating a home, suggesting a lifestyle

• Foreign Policy

  

  ‘Denuclearization efforts on peninsula opportunity for nuclear free world’

• Diplomatic Circuit

  

  Le Havre, an ideal partner in maritime industry, public decentralization

PHOTO NEWS

• North Korea

  

  Kim grants Moon’s wish to climb Paektusan

  On the final day of President Moon Jae-in’s visit to Pyongyang, he and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made a surprise trip to Paektusan on Thursday. Moon had originally planned to return to the South following a farewell breakfast at the Paekhwawon State Guesthouse around 9 a.m. Accompanied by first ladies Kim Jung-sook and Ri Sol-ju, the leaders of the two Koreas took the hourlong car ride up to the sacred mountain’s peak, Changgun-bong, in separate vehicles. The four then took a cable car dow

VIDEO

• North Korea

  

  Moon Jae-in attends mass games in Pyongyang

• North Korea

  

  Moon enthusiastically received in Pyongyang

• Music

  

  Zico raves about Pyongyang naengmyeon

• Television

  

  ‘Sound of Grazing Grass’ kicks off new season

FEATURES

• Fashion

  

  Korean heritage graces modern runways

  Rookie designers embrace hanbok elements in unexpected ways

• Technology

  

  Samsung in talks with Japan’s Nipro for medical device division sale

  (Yonhap)Samsung Electronics is in talks with Japan’s Nipro to sell off its in-vitro diagnostic unit, as part of efforts to streamline its medical equipment business, according to the industry on Thursday. Jeon Dong-soo, president of the medical device division at Samsung, reportedly held a briefing about the sell-off plan for employees recently, the company said.An IVD refers to a medical device that diagnoses diseases by examining patients’ tissue, blood and urine. The IVD unit belongs to Samsu

• Foreign Policy

  

  Looking back on its communist legacy, Romania supports inter-Korean peace

  Unshackling the chains of the corruption that has plagued Romania since its communist years has proved difficult, a grim harbinger of what’s to come in international efforts to democratize North Korea.

• Industry

  

  Celltrion partners with Emory Univ. for new atherosclerosis drug R&D

  Celltrion said Thursday that it had signed an “incubation” agreement with US-based Emory University to jointly research and develop new drug candidates for atherosclerosis.　An incubation agreement is an open innovation arrangement in which a firm provides its resources and business capabilities, such as research facilities, workforce and operations consulting, to an external research institute.The arrangement aims to ensure the autonomy of the research while obtaining preferential rights to disc