Most Popular
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1 in 3 Koreans live alone, family types becoming diverse
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Korea, Japan finance chiefs vow to tame rampant FX market volatility
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US 'incredibly concerned' about suspected NK-Iran military ties
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K-pop group's manager dismissed for setting up spycam in theater dressing room
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K-pop singer lost consciousness after being hit by foul ball, cancels show
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Korean Muslim YouTuber's plan to build mosque in Incheon goes viral
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[Kim Seong-kon] Democracy and the future of South Korea
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Why is Apple Pay struggling to get purchase in Korea?
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Yoon's office denies considering liberal figures for key posts
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Seoul says Fu Bao loan 'not going to happen'
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[Herald Interview] The infectious joy of ‘Weightlifting Fairy’ Lee Sung-kyoung
When Lee Sung-kyoung put on a few kilograms for her role as a weightlifting trainee, she was “a little depressed” to find patches of dry skin and stretch marks throughout her body. “The best way to put on weight was to eat late at night and go straight to bed,” said the model-turned-actress at an interview at a cafe in Hapjeong-dong, Seoul, Thursday. “My face would be puffy the next morning.”But the toll the extra weight posed on her health was forgotten once she began filming “Weightlifting Fai
TelevisionJan. 13, 2017
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[HERALD INTERVIEW] ‘Korea will be caught in crossfire of global trade’
The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership will have far-reaching geostrategic implications, rather than substantially lowering trade barriers and rewriting economic rules, an influential economist has said. The RCEP is a proposed free trade agreement between the 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the six states -- Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand -- with which ASEAN has existing free trade agreements.Professor Ahn Duk-geun of Seoul
Foreign AffairsJan. 9, 2017
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[Herald Interview] Lippert downplays Trump concerns on FTA
With the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump set for Jan. 20, economic tensions are high in South Korea, as the new administration might make revisions to the current Korea-US Free Trade Agreement. During his election campaign, Trump publically criticized the agreement, referring to it as “catastrophic” and “unfair” to the US, and claiming it took away jobs from Americans. However, US Ambassador to South Korea Mark Lippert said he remains positive about the future prospects of econo
Jan. 9, 2017
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[HERALD INTERVIEW] ‘Era of free banking is over’: Citibank
Brendan Carney, head of consumer banking at Citibank Korea, speaks during an interview with The Korea Herald at his office in central Seoul on Dec. 27. (Yoon Byung-chan/The Korea Herald)As banking becomes more mobile and branchless, it is also to bring a change in the way people perceive traditional banking services, and Citibank has introduced a new maintenance fee system to encourage consumers to adopt faster to the new trend, according to Brendan Carney, head of consumer banking of Citibank K
Jan. 8, 2017
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[HERALD INTERVIEW] Globalization, new economic drives keys to EXCO growth: CEO
In coping with the difficult business environment in the competitive meeting, incentive, travel, convention and exhibition industry, globalization cannot be emphasized more, said Kim Sang-wook, president and CEO of the Exhibition and Convention Center, also known as EXCO, the country’s first regional exhibition center located in Daegu, North Gyeongsang Province.“Starting from 2017, we will cooperate more with global event organizers to attract international events, while promoting the global adv
CompaniesDec. 26, 2016
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[Herald Interview] Air France-KLM combines European touch with comfort of home
Stefan Vanovermeir returned to South Korea this June as the new general manager for Air France-KLM in Korea, Japan and New Caledonia, 10 years after working in the country as Air France Korea’s commercial director.Many things have changed over the past decade, Vanovermeir said, but one thing has stayed the same -- Korea is intensely competitive and is the perfect place to try out new strategies through customers who are vocal about what they want.“Korean consumers are responsive, more demanding,
IndustryDec. 26, 2016
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[Herald Interview] ‘Investors will turn to logistics property for higher profits in 2017’
The office market in Seoul saw a boom this year with foreign investment behemoths buying up two landmark office buildings in Seoul -- the International Financial Center in Yeouido and Capital Tower in Gangnam. But in 2017, expected interest rate hikes and more fierce competition will drive foreign investors to look for riskier, but possibly more profitable, real estate assets such as logistics centers rather than offices, the head of Savills Korea said.Jeon Kyoung-don, president and CEO of the K
Dec. 25, 2016
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[HERALD INTERVIEW] ‘Foldable devices to be popularized by 2019’
Foldable devices could become popular by 2019, grabbing around 20 percent share of the Korean smartphone market, said an executive of Kolon Industries, a chemical arm of Kolon Group. Kolon Industries is currently the only company in the world that can mass produce colorless polyimide, a key technology for foldable devices as the flexible film can replace rigid glass sheets. It is reportedly supplying the materials to global tech firms including Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics and BOE, althou
TechnologyDec. 22, 2016
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[Herald Interview] Kim Woo-bin and his scented characters
Kim Woo-bin is known for putting a lot of thought into his roles.In the past, he would make a list of 100 questions he wanted to ask his characters, imagining their stories. More recently, he’s taken to picking out fragrances that best suit his character, the 27-year-old actor told The Korea Herald at a cafe in northern Seoul on Monday.“When filming ‘Master,’ director Jo Eui-seok said he would know when I walked past him because of a distinctive scent,” said Kim, who was wearing a comfortable da
FilmDec. 20, 2016
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[Herald Interview] Dutch National Ballet principal to guest star in ‘The Nutcracker’
For many theater lovers, there is no greater holiday tradition than to spend an evening listening to the sounds of Tchaikovsky and watching battling toy soldiers. “The Nutcracker” season is upon us and kicking off the Christmas festivities is the Universal Ballet which is staging the all-time holiday classic ballet Dec. 16-31. The company is also celebrating the 30-year anniversary of its first performance of the more than a century-old repertoire in 1986. Joining the Universal’s annual perform
PerformanceDec. 20, 2016
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[Herald Interview] Pyeongtaek Port moving fast to foster new growth engines
Newly established shipping routes from Pyeongtaek Port are giving it a competitive edge as the gateway for Korea’s exports to Southeast Asia for local industries, the head of state-run Gyeonggi Pyeongtaek Port Corporation said. Gyeonggi Pyeongtaek Port Corporation CEO Choi Gwang-il (GPPC)“This year, (the company) has put efforts into expanding the cargo volume and seeking new businesses. It will now focus on turning the port into a vehicle-specialized port to become an automobile cluster, and o
IndustryDec. 19, 2016
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[Herald Interview] Korea to introduce AI to filter out financial crimes
To ramp up its contribution to global fights against money laundering and terrorism financing, South Korea will introduce an artificial intelligence-based system to better filter out financial crimes, said the country’s financial intelligence chief. Yoo Kwang-yeol, commissioner of the Korea Financial Intelligence Unit, said his agency is currently working to upgrade the main system that stores and analyzes information regarding hundreds of millions of financial transactions in order to increase
Dec. 18, 2016
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[Herald Interview] Big Bang wants to enjoy its last moments
No matter how successful he may be, it is the inevitable destiny of every Korean male K-pop star to halt his career and join the mandatory military service.Megastar group Big Bang is no exception. The group has reaped worldwide success since its debut 10 years ago. Reported to have raked in $44 million this year, the five-member band ranked No. 54 on Forbes’ list of celebrity earnings, becoming the first Korean act to make the list. “It still doesn’t feel real,” said Big Bang’s rapper T.O.P. on
PerformanceDec. 13, 2016
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[Herald Interview] Seegene to launch single-platform disease detection in 2017, CEO says
South Korean biotech company Seegene plans to make an aggressive push into the US and European markets by launching hundreds of molecular diagnostic assays enabling early detection of various diseases from flu to cancer on a single platform from next year.Seegene, a developer of multiplex molecular technologies, is set to implement a breakthrough technology -- an automation of reagent development system to reduce development time significantly from a year to weeks. “Molecular tests allow timely
IndustryDec. 11, 2016
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[Herald Interview] Familiar but new, Sechs Kies returns with remake album
K-pop group Sechs Kies, which regrouped this year for a reunion concert after a 16-year hiatus, has released a new album filled with remakes of the band’s past hits. More than a decade since their heyday, the members said they felt nervous but happy, with a stronger sense of responsibility than before, when the members were 20-somethings.“Before, we would basically follow the directions of the songwriters and producers,” said member Kim Jae-duck. “Now, we feel a responsibility to make better mus
PerformanceDec. 5, 2016
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[Herald Interview] Young opera soprano returns home to star as Juliet prior to Met Opera debut
From Violetta in Verdi’s “La Traviata” to Fiorilla in Rossini’s “Il Turco in Italia,” up-and-coming opera star Hyesang Park is gearing up to tackle one of the theater world’s most iconic leading ladies -- Shakespeare’s Juliet. Marking her first return to the local stage since performing alongside the legendary Placido Domingo in his final concert in Korea in October, the 28-year-old Korean soprano is back home to star in the Korea National Opera’s upcoming staging of Charles Gounod’s “Romeo and
PerformanceDec. 4, 2016
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[HERALD INTERVIEW] ‘Investors hold key to sustainable real estate’
Amid tightening energy efficiency regulations for buildings around the globe, it is essential for institutional investors to consider the level of sustainability of their real estate portfolios, said the Asia-Pacific head of a global real estate assessment agency.“More and more countries are strengthening the sustainability rules for real estate. And it is impossible to ignore the sustainability aspect of the buildings when thinking of the future value of the buildings,” Ruben Langbroek, head of
IndustryNov. 30, 2016
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[HERALD INTERVIEW] Free economic zones to foster closer networks between foreign, local firms
When it comes to attracting foreign direct investment, people often assume that foreign-invested firms would be most interested in exclusive incentives in free economic zones for the purpose of lowering their labor and capital costs. However, foreign firms actually would prefer to partner with Korean firms here to tap into the growth potential of the Korean market and demand of consumers here, according to the head of the planning office of the eight free economic zones.“A variety of incentives
Nov. 23, 2016
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[Herald Interview] Ronan by Clinet adds refined touch to Korea’s affordable wine market
Affordability is the recent trend in South Korea’s alcoholic beverage industry. And to break away from the luxurious yet costly image, a growing number of wine and whisky brands are rolling out lower-cost drinks.Having pioneered the trend, Korea’s retailer HomePlus unveiled a lineup of red and white wines made by Ronan by Clinet. They are produced in Bordeaux, France, and sell for 18,900 won ($16) per bottle. Ronan Laborde, the CEO of a prestigious wine brand Chateau Clinet, promotes Ronan by Cl
IndustryNov. 22, 2016
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[HERALD INTERVIEW] Procurement chief vows to support public market entry of SMEs
To support small and medium-sized enterprises and startups eyeing opportunities to enter the public market, the chief of the Public Procurement Service said he would step up efforts to promote their products and services through an online mall, a new government-to-business channel that offers one-stop market access.Venture Nara (venture.g2b.go.kr), is the latest project driven by the state-run public procurement agency, aiming to introduce innovative products and services to government offices a
IndustryNov. 21, 2016