[Herald Interview] Kia Motors pins hopes on luxury sedan sales

LOS ANGELES ― Kia Motors’ U.S. sales chief Wednesday expressed confidence in selling the carmaker’s first luxury sedan, the K900, despite its lukewarm sales over the past year since its debut. “There is a market for the $60,000 Kia car in the U.S.,” said Michael Sprague, executive vice president of sales and marketing of Kia Motors America, at the carmaker’s exhibition booth at the LA Auto Show. “There is a niche market for people who don’t want traditional German and American luxury cars and ar

MobilityNov. 23, 2014

[Herald Interview] Dressing up a tradition in new clothes

When Kim Sung-nyo began her three-year term as artistic director of the state-run National Changgeuk Company of Korea in March 2012, she had two things in mind. First was to lure younger and livelier audiences to changgeuk, Korean traditional opera based on pansori, a type of folk narrative. The second was to introduce diverse new forms and styles in changgeuk shows in an effort to transform it from an overlooked genre to the heart of the performing arts scene in Korea. “I was shocked when repor

CultureNov. 23, 2014

[Herald Interview] Blueside aims to take games mobile

BUSAN ― Blueside, a South Korean game company, said that its next strategic move would be developing games for mobile devices next year after the anticipated release of “Kingdom Under Fire 2” for Sony PlayStation 4 and PCs.Lee Sang-youn, CEO and producer of Blueside, said that the company ultimately seeks to make games that can be played on multiple platforms such as consoles, PCs and mobiles.Given its strength in developing games for consoles and PCs, the company has the capability to create “u

TechnologyNov. 21, 2014

[Herald Interview] Proficient process to get linguistic edge

Living in the land of the oft-touted “English fever,” Koreans are no strangers to working hard to achieve their academic goals. They try a number of techniques ranging from eating pages off English dictionaries ― a ritual that supposedly helps you “digest” the words you memorized ― to combing book stores for the “perfect vocabulary list.”But relying on rote memorization can only get you so far. Studying English as a foreign language requires a more proficient process, which is made possible by w

Social AffairsNov. 20, 2014

[Herald Interview] Virtuix aims to change landscape of virtual reality

Despite being hailed as a game changer in the world of tech, head-mounted virtual reality displays are still short of delivering a fully immersive experience for users because the technology is still too static and doesn’t require active physical movement.The Omni VR treadmill is out to change this. Virtuix, the U.S. startup that created the Omni, says it is certain to provide a wholly different experience ― one in which virtual reality can be a true reality. “We want to take virtual reality bey

TechnologyNov. 19, 2014

[Herald Interview] Bringing heaven down to earth

For pop-opera singer Lim Hyung-joo, 2014 has had some unexpected turns. At the start of the year, the 28-year-old musician had high hopes for his fifth full-length album, “Finally,” which came out at the end of 2013.Those hopes were crushed when the ferry Sewol sank on April 16. The country’s entire cultural scene came to a virtual standstill, as the nation mourned the loss of over 300 lives, mostly of them teenagers, in the tragic accident. Then, suddenly a song from his 2008 EP “My Hero” toppe

PerformanceNov. 19, 2014

[Herald Interview] U.N. body calls for transparency standards in investment arbitration

As arbitration remains a key solution to investment disputes, new U.N. rules on transparency in investor-state settlements will reinforce the benefits of existing treaties, public visibility to proceedings and efficiency of domestic legislation, UNCITRAL’s chief said. The convention on transparency in treaty-based investor-state arbitration would provide access to settlement procedures, documents and hearings that were kept secret in the past. The upgraded rules took effect in April and awaits a

Foreign AffairsNov. 18, 2014

[Herald Interview] ‘Korea, Japan more reliable than China’

South Korea and Japan have attained high rating scores from French trade insurance company COFACE, which ranks as one of the world’s top three credit insurers. China, on the other hand, may be downgraded due to the lack of legal protection for foreign companies and the Chinese companies’ unreliable payment process.“Korea is rated as A2, which is the second-highest grade, and this assessment is likely to last for a while,” said COFACE’s chief economic Yves Zlotowski in an interview with The Korea

Nov. 16, 2014

[Herald Interview] ‘Korea to step up investment in green technology’

Environmental protection is often associated with long-term visions and carefully designed projects. As with other industries, however, governments and agencies around the world are newly discovering the importance of speed in the worldwide competition to develop green technologies.The stakes could not be higher. The eco-friendly market is developing at a rapid pace, spurred by a slew of innovative technologies amid intensifying competition around the world. A revolutionary technological breakth

Social AffairsNov. 13, 2014

[Herald Interview] Creator touts real bond between horses and riders

Normand Latourelle, the producer and creator of “Cavalia,” describes his show as an ode to the millennia-old relationship between horses and human. “‘Cavalia’ is not a circus. It’s not a horse show. It is a show about horses and the bond between horses and human,” he said in an interview with The Korea Herald inside one of the tents that make up the White Big Top, a makeshift structure specially designed for the Canadian touring production. “The horses are not forced to do this. There is a genui

CultureNov. 13, 2014

[Herald Interview] ‘Samsung to be biggest beneficiary of Bitcoin market’

DAEJEON ― A leading Bitcoin organization founder said Samsung Electronics, a chipmaking powerhouse, will likely benefit the most as the global market for the digital currency Bitcoin grows further down the road. “At least half a billion U.S. dollars, up from $10 million two years ago, will be spent on purchasing Bitcoin mining systems (built using highly efficient chips) worldwide next year or in 18 months,” said Peter Vessenes, chairman of the Bitcoin Foundation, a U.S. organization committed t

TechnologyNov. 12, 2014

[Herald Interview] Daejeon education chief aims to foster global citizens with creativity

From an elementary school teacher to president of Hanbat National University, Seol Dong-ho has spent over 40 years as a teacher. As Daejeon’s education chief, Seol said he seeks to transform the city’s education system.“What I am focusing on is to prepare students to become dignified members of the global society with creativity and model personalities,” he told The Korea Herald. “For this purpose, (Daejeon Metropolitan Office of Education) is planning to develop a model that links the entire ed

Social AffairsNov. 11, 2014

[Herald Interview] ‘I will give my all to Africa’

With retirement weighing heavily on her mind, Kim Chung-ja, a mezzo-soprano and music professor of Korea National University of Arts, took a sabbatical from work in 2005. She spent a few months traveling Europe, then a couple of months more in the U.S., but still had no clue as to what her post-retirement life would be like, despite reaching 60. Then a short trip to Africa changed it all. “I believe it was God’s calling,” she said in an interview in Seoul last month, describing a series of event

CultureNov. 9, 2014

[Herald Interview] More than a language exchange program

Back in the late 1980s, a group of Japanese volunteers visited Korea as part of a small-scale exchange program between the two countries.During their visit to the Independence Hall of Korea, a Korean history museum, some of them broke down after confronting Japan’s atrocities during World War II.“They told me they did not realize Japan had done such terrible things here. It’s something that they rarely learned at school,” said Shin Chung-ha, the founding president of YFU International Korea, a l

Social AffairsNov. 6, 2014

[Herald Interview] Director tackles temp-worker issues

In her new movie “Cart,” director Boo Ji-young depicts temporary employees of a mega supermarket chain who are facing unfair layoffs. They are ordinary women, including a mother of two kids, a single mom and a college grad. They gather to fight against the company’s exploitative practices.It takes guts for a novice director to tackle a touchy and complex current issue like that of temp workers. The number of such workers here exceeded 6 million this year, an all-time high. The English poster for

FilmNov. 6, 2014

[Herald Interview] Ex-Oregon senator pushes for MacArthur memorial

As a young boy during the Korean War, John Lim witnessed his father being forcibly conscripted by the North Korean People’s Army. The incident was only the beginning of a series of greater tragedies. Branded as a communist, his father, who was a fire captain in his hometown of Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, was shot dead by South Korean authorities after the three-year conflict. The entire family was destroyed, and Lim himself nearly died from tuberculosis. His brushes with death, however, did not ki

Foreign AffairsNov. 5, 2014

[Herald Interview] HanmiGlobal to enter U.S., Europe with wider portfolio

HanmiGlobal, South Korea’s leading construction management firm, is focusing on acquiring domestic and foreign engineering and architecture firms to widen its service portfolio. The firm, already a big name in Southeast Asia with multiple projects in the region, plans to enter the U.S. and Europe in the long term.Based on the growing global client base, HanmiGlobal’s ultimate goal is to become a total solutions provider offering a wider range of services in engineering and construction. “Our rec

IndustryNov. 5, 2014

[Herald Interview] ‘Korea needs to clarify data transfer rules’

South Korea is facing a conflict over whether to further ease domestic restrictions to allow financial companies, especially foreign entities, to transfer customers’ information overseas for processing at data centers operated by their global headquarters or third parties.The current regulation restricts offshore data processing and outsourcing without prior consent from the country’s financial authority due to privacy and security issues.Financial and legal experts said that relaxing the rules

TechnologyNov. 5, 2014

[Herald Interview] Peers call for Korea Exchange privatization

Korea’s state-run Korea Exchange would perform better if it were privatized once again and went public, according to the chief of the Japanese stock operator.“I think for the sake of South Korea’s economy, its stock market should be operated privately,” said Atsuchi Saito, CEO of Japan Exchange Group, in a press conference on Thursday.The Japanese CEO attended the general assembly and annual meeting of the World Federation of Exchanges, an event hosted by KRX and held at Grand Hyatt Seoul from M

Oct. 30, 2014

[Herald Interview] Minzy’s sister debuts with ‘Rebirth’

Looking to continue her family’s musical background, Gong Min-young, the older sister of popular K-pop idol Minzy of 2NE1, made her official debut as a contemporary Christian music singer on Friday with the release of her first album, “Rebirth.” However, unlike her younger sister, who chose the mainstream pop music route, Gong says it was always her dream to pursue gospel music. “We grew up in a very religious household so gospel music is always something that has been a big part of our family,”

PerformanceOct. 30, 2014