SPOTLIGHT

• Defense

  

  ‘US does not support tactical nuke deployment to South Korea’

  By Yeo Jun-suk

  The United States does not support the idea of South Korea rearming with nuclear weapons to match North Korea, a high-ranking US military official said Thursday.“The US does not support the reintroduction of tactical nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula, although we certainly understand those feelings especially in light of the recent nuclear test (by the North),” said Lt. Gen. Thomas W. Bergeson, deputy commander of USFK and commander of the 7th Air Force, at a forum in Seoul. The US provide

• Music

  

  R&B artist G.Soul soars high with ‘Circles’

  By Hong Dam-young

  The eagle is finally soaring. G.Soul, a soulful R&B artist relatively new to the K-pop scene, waited a long time to take flight, honing his skills under the watchful eyes of JYP Entertainment for 17 years before his debut. But it’s at his new label that he’s really been able to spread his wings.He returned with the self-produced EP “Circles” featuring the lead track “Can’t” on Thursday. But while his voice is warm and sweet as a melting marshmallow, it also carries the flavor of alcohol on his n

• Social affairs

  

  S. Korean Protestant group to consider banning yoga

  By Lim Jeong-yeo

  A Protestant religious group in South Korea is set to decide whether it will block its members from practicing yoga and magic tricks, both of which they deem “heretic.”“(Yoga) not only has its origin and motive in worshipping a foreign god, it also is a means of becoming a Hindu,” a committee of the Presbyterian Church of Korea said in an internal report. “It cannot be seen as how it claims to be an exercise for peace of mind, weight control and stretching of body. Therefore, the church must for

• Social affairs

  

  Government vows efforts for suicide prevention

  By Ock Hyun-ju

  Korea is finally getting serious about preventing suicides with the establishment of a dedicated ministry department with a budget of 10.5 billion won ($9.3 million) for 2018. Health and Welfare Minister Park Neung-hoo said Thursday that the ministry will set up a team dedicated to lowering the country’s suicide rate, which is one of the world’s highest, and add 500 more counsellors at 241 mental health welfare centers across the nation, starting next year. “Suicide is not a personal problem any

LATEST NEWS

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  North Korea

  US calls Monday vote on new North Korea sanctions

  The United States called for a vote Monday on a UN resolution that would impose the toughest-ever sanctions on North Korea, a move that could lead to a showdown with the country's biggest trading partner China and its neighbor Russia.The Trump administration adopted a totally new approach with this resolution, circulating an American draft Tuesday and setting a vote six days later. With previous sanctions resolutions, the US spent weeks and sometimes months negotiating the text with China and th

• 

  Social affairs

  No Korean casualties reported in powerful quake in Mexico

  No South Korean casualties have been reported in a powerful earthquake in Mexico, the foreign ministry in Seoul said Saturday.Mexico was hit by the most powerful earthquake in a century Thursday, leaving more than 60 people dead. Officials check the safety of Korean citizens living in Mexico (Yonhap)South Korea's embassies in Mexico and Guatemala have confirmed there are no South Korean casualties so far, though Korean firms suffered minor property damage, such as cracks in warehouse walls, acco

• 

  North Korea

  S. Korea closely watching N. Korea for signs of provocations on founding anniversary

  South Korea's military is watching North Korea closely for signs of provocations, officials said Saturday, amid concern the regime could undertake a missile launch or even another nuclear test on its founding anniversary.The anniversary, which marks the 1948 establishment of the North's communist government, comes about a week after it carried out its sixth nuclear test and claimed the device was a hydrogen bomb designed to fit on an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the Uni

• 

  World News

  Chased by Irma, Floridians endure arduous journeys to safety

  Floridians fleeing Hurricane Irma have turned freeways across the Southeast into red ribbons of brake lights as they head elsewhere _ to Atlanta, Montgomery, Nashville _ to bunk with relatives, stay at campgrounds or grab hotels before the massive storm makes landfall.Because Interstate 75 north leads straight to Atlanta, thousands of the evacuees have funneled into the city. Other cars and trucks with Florida plates, a few carrying fishing boats, trekked on to Tennessee."We just packed the car

• 

  North Korea

  Philippines suspends trade with N. Korea

  The Philippines has suspended trade with North Korea as part of efforts to enforce a UN Security Council resolution against the regime, according to news reports.On Friday, Foreign Minister Alan Peter Cayetano told reporters in the capital of the decision in the wake of North Korea's sixth and most powerful nuclear test over the weekend. Philippines' President Rodrigo Duterte (AP-Yonhap)"We can say we have suspended trade relations with North Korea," Reuters quoted the minister as saying. "We wi

• 

  North Korea

  N. Korea warns it will watch every US move

  North Korea warned Saturday that it will watch every move of the United States as Washington pushes to impose new UN sanctions on the regime for its latest nuclear test.Choe Hui-chol, a vice minister of foreign affairs, met with foreign ambassadors in the country on Friday to brief them on Pyongyang's sixth and most powerful nuclear test conducted over the weekend, according to the North's Korean Central News Agency.During the meeting, he said the test of what North Korea claims was an H-bomb wa

• 

  Industry

  Korea's food price inflation fifth highest among OECD states

  South Korea's food prices rose at the fifth-highest rate among member states of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in July partly on the back of unfavorable weather conditions, a report showed Saturday.The prices of foodstuffs and non-alcoholic beverages in South Korea were up 5.6 percent from a year before, behind 10.1 percent for Turkey, 9.7 percent for Mexico, 6.6 percent for Latvia and 5.8 percent for the Czech Republic, according to the OECD report. The OECD average w

• 

  Education

  KIS promotes global friendship through football tournament

  The Korea International School held its annual Gaelic Football Season at its campus in Seoul on Sept. 2, co-organized by the Gaelic Athletic Association and the Irish Embassy, the school said. The event was to promote global friendship and was joined by family members and students from KIS’s another campus in Pangyo, Gyeonggi Province, it added. Students participate in a Gaelic Football game held at Korea International School Seoul Campus, Sept. 2, 2017. (Photo: KIS)With campuses on three differ

• 

  North Korea

  S. Korea president says THAAD deployment inevitable but temporary

  South Korean President Moon Jae-in defended the government's decision to fully deploy the U.S.Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system here Friday, saying it was an inevitable decision to protect his people from evolving nuclear and missile provocations from North Korea.   The president, however, hinted at possible changes in the future, calling it only a temporary decision.  (Yonhap)   "While ignoring our government and the international community's repeated demands and warnings, Nort

• 

  Soccer

  S. Korea to play friendly with 2018 World Cup hosts Russia in Oct.

  South Korea will play against the 2018 FIFA World Cup hosts Russia next month, the national football governing body said Friday.   The Korea Football Association (KFA) said the men's national team will take on Russia in Moscow on Oct. 7. The KFA said the exact kickoff time and match venue will be announced later.  (Yonhap)   The Taeguk Warriors, led by head coach Shin Tae-yong, secured their spot at the 2018 World Cup on Tuesday following a scoreless draw with Uzbekistan in Tashkent. The result

GRAPHIC NEWS

OPINION

• Columnists

  

  Mr. President, let’s talk about the Dreamers

  By Korea Herald

  Mr. President (aka @realDonaldTrump),After the inauguration, you pledged to treat Dreamers with “great heart.”You might have heard the collective sigh of relief around the nation from the White House. But, a mere month later, you were giving mixed signals.“DACA is a very, very difficult subject for me,” you said. “To me, it’s one of the most difficult subjects I have because you have these incredible kids, in many cases not in all cases. In some of the cases they’re having DACA and they’re gang

• Columnists

  

  Trump can’t solve North Korea by just making a deal

  By Bloomberg

  President Donald J. Trump’s tweet this weekend that the US might terminate all trade with countries doing business with North Korea was widely derided on the grounds of realism. Given that 90 percent of North Korea’s trade is with China, the tweet was little more than a veiled threat to terminate all US trade with Beijing, ending a bilateral trade relationship valued at $650 billion a year. It would, as many correctly pointed out, mean economic disaster for North Korea -- and also for the US.The

THE INVESTOR

• Automobiles

  

  Beijing Hyundai resumes plant operation, but woes persist

  Beijing Hyundai Motor, a 50-50 joint venture between Hyundai Motor and Chinese state-owned BAIC Motor, resumed production at Changzhou plant in eastern China on Sept. 8, after a three-day long suspension due to delayed payments to an auto parts supplier.Operations there halted earlier this week when a German-based air filter supplier refused to deliver air intake systems due to unpaid bills.“We are currently in talks with the supplier to resolve the payment issue. As for now, we h

• Deals

  

  SK to sell SK Encar in car-sharing push

  SK Holdings is likely to sell its used car business SK Encar amid its recent push for car-sharing service, according to news reports on Sept. 8. The holding firm of SK Group plans to hold a preliminary bidding for four to five financial investors. Some large private equity firms have reportedly shown interest in the deal worth about 100 billion won (US$88.80 million) to 200 billion won.Even after the sale, its online used car business SK Encar.com will continue operations at least

• Deals

  

  LVMH-backed L Catterton ups its stake in Gentle Monster

  L Catterton Asia, a global private equity firm backed by French luxury fashion house LVMH Group, has inked a new partnership deal with Gentle Monster, a Korean sunglass and eyewear brand that is enjoying huge popularity in Asia, especially China. The company's chairman and managing partner  Ravi Thakran on Sept. 7 confirmed the deal that would make it the second-largest shareholder in the Korean firm. He declined to reveal the exact size of the investment but sources predict about

• Economy

  

  [DECODED X] Safety first

  The Sept. 7 issue of The Investor’s blockbuster newsletter DECODED X is out. Check out some of the highlights.SAFETY FIRSTGiven the past experience with North Korea, it seems unlikely anything drastic will happen on the peninsula despite lingering fears worldwide. Above all, Kim Jong-un wants to stay alive. It’s not really even about the regime anymore. It’s about clinging to what he has. So a war, or an attack does not seem to be on the cards. But it’s hard to convince everyone a

K-POP HERALD

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  BTS in love? Photo revealed

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  Park Bo-young surprised at Park Bo-gum

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  Kang Daniel graces fashion magazine

HERALD INTERVIEW

• Film

  

  Now a director and scriptwriter, actress Moon So-ri speaks about her film

• Film

  

  Daniel Dae Kim wants to populate productions with multiethnic casts

• Culture

  

  BBC journalist Francine Stock talks about Korean films’ richness, complexity and honesty

• Industry

  

  ‘Smartphone OLED will face oversupply by 2020’

PHOTO NEWS

• Travel

  

  An urban underwater adventure

  By Park Hyun-koo

   From streams to the deepest oceans, water, covering more than two-thirds of the planet’s surface, is the home to a myriad of creatures.As many as 1 million different species are thought to inhabit Earth’s oceans, the majority of which have yet to be fully described. Aquariums are windows into this vast, mostly unexplored world. At the Lotte World Aquarium in southern Seoul, visitors can see organism from diverse aquatic habitats including sturgeons, sharks, and pirarucu, one of the largest fres

VIDEO

• Social affairs

  

  Extended Deoksugung Stonewall Walkway unveiled

• People

  

  Meet Korean Billy, the internet sensation of 2017

• Culture

  

  Slimy ‘liquid monsters’ captivate Korean adults

• Industry

  

  Beauty meets IT for customized experience

FEATURES

• Economy

  

  Boosting female workforce is solution to aging society problems: IMF chief

  By Bae Hyun-jung

  ‘Closing gender gap in labor market could become economic game-changer in Asia’

• Industry

  

  McDonald's Korea chief expresses regret over burger panic

  By Won Ho-jung

  The chief executive of McDonald’s Korea on Thursday sent out an official statement expressing regret over panic caused by suspected links between health dangers and McDonald’s burgers.“I deeply regret that customers who visited our restaurants may have experienced any related illness,” McDonald’s Korea Managing Director Melanie Joh said in the statement. This is the first time that the company’s leadership has officially expressed regret over the issue.A consumer walks by a McDonald's store in S

• Expat Living

  

  The unspoken language of tango

  By Anita Mckay

  Cultural differences pose no barrier to Korea’s tango community

• Film

  

  ‘I Can Speak’ talks about comfort women in indirect way: director

  By Rumy Doo

  “I Can Speak” has been marketed as a comedy film. At Wednesday‘s press screening, however, the film was revealed to deal with issues of women forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military during World War II.“I discovered it was about comfort women as I read the script,” said actress Na Moon-hee after the press screening in Seoul. Comfort women is a euphemism used to refer to former military sex slaves.　Veteran actress Na, 75, plays Na Ok-boon, a neighborhood busybody who wants to learn En