Most Popular
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Korea enters full election mode
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Seoul bus drivers go on general strike, cause morning rush hour delays
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Immigrant woman stabbed to death by Korean husband
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Official campaigning kicks off for April 10 elections
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Lee Jong-sup resigns as envoy to Australia
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Yellow dust engulfs S. Korea, advisory alert issued
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S. Korea to boost support for single-parent families
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Court upholds jail term for man who attempted to murder ex-girlfriend
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Kia EV9 wins world car of year
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Korea misses out on global bond index boost
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[Herald Interview] ‘Hungary can help inter-Korean ties, innovation with Central Europe’
Hungarian Ambassador to Korea Mozes Csoma is a fluent speaker of the Korean language and has written numerous books and papers on the country’s history and relations with Central European countries (Joel Lee/The Korea Herald)Hungarian Ambassador to South Korea Mozes Csoma speaks Korean better than any other language other than Hungarian. Korean being his first foreign language, he is about as good as a nonnative can get.He is so fluent that this interview was entirely conducted in Korean. As th
Diplomatic CircuitDec. 31, 2018
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[Herald Interview] How Imvely became South Korean women’s fashion and beauty icon
In just five years, a young and vibrant fashion brand has become a staple for young South Korean women. Im Ji-hyun, Imvely’s spokesperson and creative director, said it all started with a genuine interest in what to wear and how to put on makeup.“Like most other women, I have always been fascinated with clothes and cosmetics. But since I could not afford a variety of them, I often liked to play around with what I had and mix and match,” Im told The Korea Herald at her office in the Gasan-dong ar
IndustryDec. 27, 2018
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[Herald Interview] ‘Digging deeper into Korean Wave’
One summer night in 2016, David Kim and Danny Kim were drinking at a pub. Then college students, they were interning at an advertising company and music distribution company, respectively. Company life was draining. They didn’t feel like they were making something of themselves. After hours of complaining, there came the question: Why don’t we make something of our own?YouTube was booming, and so was K-pop. The two noticed a dearth of K-pop content produced by Koreans in English. A few days late
PerformanceDec. 26, 2018
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[Herald Interview] 'Forgiveness key for South Korea to advance into the future'
John Linton has a list of titles that label him as “the first” in Korea. He was the first foreign national to pass Korea’s exam for medical practitioners in 1987, he was the first to introduce an ambulance vehicle here to treat patients while moving and he was the first to receive dual citizenship as an American and a Korean.Born to an American missionary family in the Jeolla provinces in South Korea, Linton has witnessed the ups and downs of Korean history and left his mark here and there -- ju
Social AffairsDec. 20, 2018
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[Herald Interview] Korea needs to change ways of reforming chaebol: FTC chief
It is easy to misread Kim Sang-jo, the chairman of the Fair Trade Commission, who is well known as an erudite economist and a passionate anti-chaebol activist. Ever since he was named to head the nation’s top watchdog in June 2017, views have clashed between those that forewarned an end to the heyday of South Korea’s conglomerates and those that impugned whether the “chaebol sniper” would live up to his nickname. Halfway through his three-year tenure, Kim has completed the exhausting task of con
IndustryDec. 18, 2018
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[Herald Interview] ‘Investing in Ukraine’s IT, agriculture offers high returns’
Andriy Parubiy, chairman of the Ukrainian parliament Verkhovna Rada, believes that interparliamentary exchanges can open up diverse channels of cooperation between countries. It is what translates the abstract language of diplomacy into real connections and frank understanding, spanning the whole spectrum of national industries and communities. In order to elevate bilateral political relations and explore new avenues of prosperity, he signed a memorandum of understanding in Seoul on Wednesday wi
Diplomatic CircuitDec. 17, 2018
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[Herald Interview] ‘I do not paint to be an artist, but to make clothes’
Though some might not instantly recognize the name Song Zio, the brand Songzio Homme will ring a bell right away for many in Korea, especially men who enjoy quality fashion.Fashion designer Song Zio leads Songzio Homme, a contemporary menswear brand best known for its classic lined suits made with fine textiles.Despite the brand’s fame, it has not been easy for local consumers to wear Song’s creations. Founded in 1993, Songzio Homme halted its sales in Korea in the 2000s as it focused on the Par
Arts & DesignDec. 13, 2018
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[Herald Interview] ‘I learned how to love my fate’: Sohee of Elris
One gets the impression that Sohee has got the competitive showbiz world all figured out. In middle school, the current Elris member learned that “acceptance” was key to coping with the whirlwind life of a K-pop trainee. There were times when she almost succumbed to countless cut-throat competition in the course of making her debut, which she recalled as the “hardest thing” during her trainee years. But what always empowered her was the Latin phrase “amor fati,” meaning to accept and love everyt
PerformanceDec. 10, 2018
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[Herald Interview] ‘Automation won’t reduce jobs but workers need to be protected in digital era’
The fear of losing jobs due to automation will not become reality, as innovation will continue to create jobs, according to World Bank Group Senior Director Michal Rutkowski. Still, nations should consider how to better protect workers in the changing work environment driven by technology advances, he added. The notion that automation makes traditional jobs obsolete has always been a source of frustration for blue-collar workers. With the advancement of artificial intelligence and robotics, the
IndustryDec. 9, 2018
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[Herald Interview] Korea is attractive market despite regulations: AmCham CEO
The Korea Herald is publishing a series of features and interviews on South Korea’s business environment for foreign companies and investors. This is the twelfth installment. -- Ed.Regulation is a topic that frequently comes up among foreign companies doing business in Korea. And that makes sense, as Korea ranks 51st among 67 countries on the FDI Regulatory Restrictiveness Index compiled by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. However, James Kim, chairman of the American Ch
IndustryDec. 3, 2018
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[Herald Interview] ‘Regulators should refrain from excessive market intervention’
Contrary to widespread belief, accounting is subjective and involves judgments that are sensitive to the context. And excessive interference by financial regulators could lead to unintended side effects, as can be seen in the case involving Samsung BioLogics’ accounting irregularities, according to accounting experts.Furthermore, to keep a balance between regulatory monitoring and market autonomy, it is crucial that corporate audit committees play an expansive role in the regulator-management-au
IndustryDec. 2, 2018
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[Herald Interview] Foreign cultural diplomat team Hangeul promotes Korea
The number of foreign residents in Korea is increasing at a fast pace, approaching almost 2 million last year, according to Statistics Korea. Experts forecast the number will reach about 3 million in four years. As the country gains more attention abroad, once-closed Korean society is becoming more accepting of other cultures, with one example being thriving ethnic dining places. However, relationships between Koreans and foreigners appear to be developing at a much slower pace. Members of the p
Social AffairsNov. 29, 2018
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[Herald Interview] ‘Chinese chefs are all about respecting masters’
Celebrity chef Marco Pierre White once said, “Cooking is a philosophy, not a recipe.”Chinese chefs in Korea would wholeheartedly agree, divided as they are into different schools somewhat like early philosophers who were divided into stoicism, Epicureanism and more. Cho Nae-sung, also known as Tiao Nai Hsing, recently joined Millennium Seoul Hilton’s Chinese restaurant Taipan. Though the new appointment may look nothing out of the ordinary, it was a big move for Cho, as he was joining the very h
FoodNov. 29, 2018
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[Herald Interview] ‘New deal, joint fund answers to Seoul-Tokyo row over forced labor ruling’
A new deal on victims of Japan’s wartime use of forced labor, or a joint fund involving the Japanese government and firms, could be solutions to resolving the intensifying diplomatic row between Seoul and Tokyo, the victims’ lawyer said in an interview with The Korea Herald. Relations between the neighbors have again hit a new low after South Korea’s top court ruled last month that Japan’s Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp. must compensate four South Koreans, who were forced to work at its stee
Social AffairsNov. 27, 2018
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[Herald Interview] WeWork Korea scales to meet soaring demand
When New York-based coworking space operator WeWork set foot in Seoul in August 2016 with its first office in the affluent Gangnam-gu district, the staff’s main task was to overcome uncertainties in the Korean market, where the concept of coworking spaces was new. Two years later, WeWork Korea is on a roll, tasked instead with meeting soaring demand for easier and trouble-free leases. Masterminding the leap forward in Asia’s fourth-largest economy is Kang Dong-jin, senior director of real estate
IndustryNov. 27, 2018
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[Herald Interview] S. Korea should ease up on growth pace, focus on reforms: OECD chief
Despite pessimistic projections for global growth and consequent market anxiety, South Korea’s economy is expected to put up a reasonably good fight in the coming years, according to the chief official of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.The primary concern for Asia’s fourth-largest economy, however, is whether it can expand beyond the conventional frame of economic measurements and use its capacities and potential to fundamentally improve people’s live
EconomyNov. 27, 2018
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[Herald Interview] Irish aid reaches most vulnerable with compassionate passion
Bangladesh’s Rohingya refugees receive support from Concern Worldwide. (Concern Worldwide)Imagine the following situation: A mother and her children are abused by their husband-father, starved, beaten and neglected over a long time.Without outside help, they might not survive. If you heard the news, would you exhort the father to rectify his behavior, then simply turn a deaf ear? Or, knowing there’s no hope in him, take matters into your own hands to help them?The latter approach -- helping the
Diplomatic CircuitNov. 26, 2018
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[Herald Interview] ‘Taekwondo to spearhead bringing peace to Korean peninsula’
Choue Chung-won, president of World Taekwondo, expresses confidence in ‘One world, one taekwondo’A punch to the face. This seems to be all that separates taekwondo practice in South and North Korea. The South, following the rules of World Taekwondo -- on which most international competitions, including the Olympics, are based -- bans punches to the face, while the North allows them with gloves.As the two Koreas seek to mend fences and expand exchanges in the cultural sector, World Taekwondo Pres
PeopleNov. 22, 2018
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[Herald Interview] ‘Latvia, Korea kindred spirits in self-determination, multilateralism’
Latvian Ambassador to Korea Peteris Vaivars (left) poses with his spouse, Rina (center), and Latvian Embassy staff at the National Day reception in Seoul on Friday. (Joel Lee/The Korea Herald)This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Latvian declaration of independence from Russia following the end of World War I. The brief period in 1918 opened up a window of opportunity for the three Baltic States -- Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania -- to assert their freedom and sovereignty from foreign power
Diplomatic CircuitNov. 19, 2018
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[Herald Interview] How Blair Williams ended up hosting family on South Korean TV
After nearly three years since appearing on popular TV show “Non-Summit,” Blair Williams’ name is back in entertainment news.This time, the spotlight was shared with his family, who recently appeared on “Welcome, First Time in Korea?”Sitting down at a cafe in the upscale neighborhood of Sinsa-dong, the 26-year-old, originally from Brisbane, Australia, looked back on showing his family around Korea on TV, an experience that he called “a blessing.”(Video shot and produced by Lim Jeong-yeo/The Kore
TelevisionNov. 16, 2018