[Herald Interview] Wolfgang’s Steakhouse puts meat ahead of chef for success

Seoul is fast becoming a battlefield for steakhouses as Wolfgang’s Steakhouse ― one of New York’s best high-end steakhouse chains ― started its operations Monday. But what is the most important in a good piece of steak is the ingredient itself rather than having a star-chef, said Peter Zwiener, managing partner of the restaurant, showing his disdain for the current restaurant craze of showcasing renowned chefs.  Peter Zwiener (right) and his father Wolfgang Zwiener make a toast in southern Seoul

IndustryMarch 23, 2015

[Herald Interview] Korean firms advised to adopt data-driven talent search

In today’s competitive business environment, it is crucial that organizations should have the best available talent positioned in the right place and in order to address such needs, a combined mechanism of behavioral science and business strategy may be of use.“Companies pay much attention to talent, as well as to their organization, but few tend to take the two aspects in a comprehensive perspective,” said Ted Bililies, managing director and chief talent officer at AlixPartners, in an interview

March 19, 2015

[Herald Interview] Facial recognition developer offers better home security

With technological development many things in life have become simpler and easier. The way we enter a house will soon become much “smarter” as well, with facial recognition technology set to replace sets of keys.Jeong Gyu-taek, chief executive of start-up FiveGT, which produces facial recognition devices, is a South Korean tech pioneer who wants to keep the home safe and secure through biometric technology. “Home security systems have been changing over time and in the near future people will no

TechnologyMarch 4, 2015

[Herald Interview] ‘Artists should be guaranteed unlimited freedom of expression’

Hong Sung-dam, a high-profile South Korean satirical painter, has likened the role of an artist to a rabbit in a submarine. Rabbits are sensitive to a lack of oxygen and were often taken aboard submarines. If the boat’s rabbit had difficulty breathing, sailors sensed danger and rose to the surface. Hong argues that artists should be no different from a rabbit in a submarine. They should perceive abnormalities in their surroundings, such as injustice and oppression, and alert the public to the da

Social AffairsFeb. 27, 2015

[Herald Interview] Foodpolis, a smart way to unlock Chinese market

Global food manufacturers find the Chinese market a tough nut to crack.The U.S. government recently complained about China’s subsidies to enterprises including food manufacturers. Last year, E-mart, Korea’s largest supermarket chain, pulled out of China after 17 years of operations there.Despite such difficulties, the Chinese food market, with its 1.4 billion customers, is still enticing to exporters. “We cannot miss out on the food export market,” said Lee Ju-myeung, director general of the Foo

Feb. 27, 2015

[Herald Interview] ‘Restaurant curation’ booms in Korea

So-called curated dining businesses, collections of famous restaurants under one roof, are catching on in Korea. According to the founders of Over the Dish, a Seoul-based restaurant curator, success in the industry is all about location and a competitive edge in theme selection. “It seems like a fad ― from the high-end Galleria Department Store in southern Seoul with Gourmet 494 to the rather affordable and hearty Food Empire at IFC Mall in Yeouido, the select collections of popular diners seem

IndustryFeb. 26, 2015

[Herald Interview] Big ideas in Steve Barakatt’s upcoming Seoul concert

Long loved in Korea for gentle tunes such as “Rainbow Bridge” and “Day by Day,” composer and pianist Steve Barakatt has returned this time with an epic symphony that he hopes will “wow” fans.Barakatt will be showcasing, for the first time in Korea, his symphonic work “Ad Vitam Aeternam” ― “for eternity” in Latin ― alongside conductor Kim Bong-mee and Herald Philharmonic Orchestra. Written in 16 short movements, the symphony travels through different stages in the human experience.“We all have qu

PerformanceFeb. 26, 2015

[Herald Interview] ‘Thinking out loud’ with Ed Sheeran

Three-time Grammy nominee and up-and-coming singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran is becoming one of the decade’s most notable breakthrough artists. The 24-year-old musician, who went quintuple platinum in the U.K. with his 2011 debut album “+,” will be making his way to Korea to hold his first concert here. Sheeran’s debut album, featuring hit singles “The A Team” and “Lego House,” earned him the Best British Male Solo Artist and British Breakthrough Act awards at the 2012 Brit Awards. His second album

PerformanceFeb. 24, 2015

[Herald Interview] Korea faces multicultural challenges

When the governing Saenuri Party picked Jasmine Lee to serve as a lawmaker in April 2012, hate groups attacked her as a “dark-skinned” foreigner posing as a Korean.Saenuri officials hoped Lee, the first Philippine-born lawmaker here, would encourage “diversity” in a dominantly homogenous, and sometimes xenophobic South Korea, to better represent naturalized citizens, foreign laborers, and other minorities in the National Assembly.She has done her best to meet the expectations, Lee said in an int

PoliticsFeb. 23, 2015

[Herald Interview] Sky Asia pushes for Myanmar’s first cable car project

A Korean company is helping develop infrastructure for the rising tourism industry on Myanmar as it plans to build and operate the first cable car in Mount Kyaiktiyo in Mon State next year.“The cable car will give easier access to Kyaiktiyo Pagoda, better known as the golden rock, located at the summit of the 1,100-meter high mountain,’’ Sky Asia CEO Yoo Sun-ha said in a recent interview with The Korea Herald. Sky Asia CEO Yoo Sun-ha. (Chung Hee-cho/The Korea Herald)Currently, visitors can reach

IndustryFeb. 23, 2015

[Herald Interview] ‘Russia-N. Korea cooperation will clear way for Eurasia Initiative’

South Korea should take advantage of cooperation between Russia and North Korea to smooth the way for regional economic integration and improve inter-Korean relations, an expert said in an interview with The Korea Herald last week.According to Park Byung-in, a professor at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies and at Kyungnam University’s Department of Political Science and Diplomacy, the recent harmonization between Moscow and Pyongyang is the result of both countries’ desire to wriggle out of

Foreign AffairsFeb. 22, 2015

[Herald Interview] AERIX eyes China air quality market

AERIX, a leading South Korean solution provider for air pollution control and protection, is stepping up its efforts to enter China as the country is poised to raise the bar for air quality improvement from 2016.“The company has set its sights on the growing business opportunities in Chinese power generation and manufacturing sectors,’’ AERIX CEO Kim Kun-ho said in a recent interview with The Korea Herald.More specifically, the company will target China’s coal-powered plants and other industrial

IndustryFeb. 12, 2015

[Herald Interview] Pierre Herme on his macaron empire

To understand Pierre Herme, it is almost implicitly understood that a bite of one of his world famous macarons is the first step. Luscious, fragrant and delicate, macarons like his orange blossom-rose-ginger morsel serve as sufficient proof as to why he has been touted “the Picasso of Pastry” by French Vogue. Now, with two boutiques in Seoul, the master himself is here in South Korea for a four-day trip that includes, of course, meeting with his fans and visiting his shops. When he sat down for

FoodFeb. 10, 2015

[Herald Interview] ‘Seoul should be flexible in reopening inter-Korean dialogue’

Seoul needs wider flexibility in reopening inter-Korean dialogue, a political scientist said, urging the Park Geun-hye administration to actively engage in “preventive diplomacy” with Pyongyang to keep cross-border tensions from escalating.Moon Chung-in, a political science professor at Yonsei University, stressed that the nation should be proactive in tackling North Korean issues, noting that after all, the South would have to bear the full brunt of any conflict on the peninsula. Moon Chung-in

Social AffairsFeb. 9, 2015

[Herald Interview] Olympus Capital seeks diversification

For an investor to distinguish itself in the highly competitive Asian market, the key task is to select an area of business that is neither too narrow, nor too vague.Based on this principle, Olympus Capital Holdings Asia, a private equity firm with a focus on investing in Asia, has decided to target three sectors: agribusiness, environment and clean energy, and financial and business services.“There is little doubt that Asia is one of the few places where one may expect sustainable growth,” Dani

Feb. 9, 2015

[Herald Interview] ‘Korea needs new perceptions, tools for housing market’

Korea needs to use the financial resources of the private sector and new, innovative tools to sustain the real estate market for long-term stability, according to Jin Chang-ha, a Hanyang University professor who specializes in real estate finance and investment.The market is facing a paradigm shift, with “jeonse” leases ― lump sum deposits in lieu of rent ― quickly being replaced by rental agreements. In this situation, financial tools such as real estate investment trusts or funds via public-pr

Feb. 6, 2015

[Herald Interview] ‘Jeonse is fading out of the market’

Korean tenants have traditionally preferred fixed “jeonse” leases to more expensive monthly rents, but increasingly they are feeling the pinch, as the supply of jeonse properties dries up. Son Jae-young, professor at Konkuk University’s Real Estate Department.According to property market expert Son Jae-young, Koreans may have to accept the system’s disappearance. Jeonse is not a welfare system, he points out but was designed on economic grounds, and market conditions may mean it will fade away.“

Feb. 6, 2015

[Herald Interview] KFS seeks to boost youth employment

Korea Forest Service Minister Shin Won-sop said that the state-run afforestation agency would continue to step up efforts to forge strategic partnerships overseas, and support Korean SMEs to stably invest in Southeast Asia’s forestry sector in the long term.KFS Minister Shin Won-sop. (KFS)The exchanges with countries such as Indonesia and Cambodia will help Korea secure necessary wood resources for sustainable growth, and create jobs for the young.He stressed the importance of job creation not o

Feb. 5, 2015

[Herald Interview] Partnerships key to fighting poverty, inequality: Oxfam

With a new office in Seoul, Oxfam is ready to forge partnerships with other relief groups, businesses and civil society here to fight poverty, inequality, climate change and other global challenges, a senior official at the organization said.  Chris Ashworth, international market development manager at Oxfam Great BritainChris Ashworth, international market development manager at Oxfam Great Britain, played a key role in the office’s launch in October. While carrying out fund-raising campaigns,

Foreign AffairsFeb. 4, 2015

[Herald Interview] ‘Seoul needs to take initiative on N.K. issues’

Seoul needs to take the initiative in addressing a range of pending North Korean issues as Washington is unlikely to take any bold steps, riled by Pyongyang’s provocative and unruly behavior including a recent hack into Sony Pictures, a U.S. scholar said.Stephan HaggardIn an interview with The Korea Herald, Stephan Haggard, North Korea expert at University of California, San Diego, urged Seoul to lift its economic sanctions against Pyongyang and promote commercial cross-border exchanges to bring

North KoreaFeb. 2, 2015