Most Popular
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Medical profs at top hospitals suspend surgeries, clinics
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Samsung chip business back on track, logs W1.9tr operating profit in Q1
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Exports to US reach all-time high, widen gap with China
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Trump rekindles criticism: US forces defending 'wealthy' S. Korea 'free of charge'
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Shinsegae faces showdown with investors over SSG.com's delayed IPO
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Hopes rise for possible Gaza truce deal
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Ex-pro baseball player who killed debtor appeals sentence
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S. Korea discussed possible participation in AUKUS Pillar 2 with Australia: defense minister
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S. Korea to issue travel ban on Haiti amid intensifying gang violence
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Leaders of S. Korea, Angola agree to boost economic, trade cooperation
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[Herald Interview] Designer shoe brands diversify sales channels
To most modern women, shoes do more than merely cover one’s foot for protection. “Shoes have become an important fashion item, in particular, for women who want to express themselves,” said Diana Kang, chief executive of GRI Korea, in an interview with The Korea Herald. “Riding on the trend, a growing number of Korean women are seen with growing shoe collections that are meant to match their daily outfits,” Kang said. GRI is a Hong Kong-based international apparel and fashion accessories retail
BusinessApril 15, 2014
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[Herald Interview] Putting Korean culture in global limelight
This summer, a series of Korean concerts, plays and performances will be held in London, competing for the limelight at the city’s major arts festival ― the City of London Festival. Five or six other Korean performance groups will take the much-coveted stage at the famous Edinburgh Festival next year, continuing what Angella Kwon hopes to be “the Korean culture bash” at high-profile international arts festivals. “Hallyu, or the popularity of Korean culture overseas, is still a very tiny, tiny mo
CultureApril 14, 2014
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[Herald Interview] Composer with crossover appeal sees future in gugak
The music of composer Ryu Hyeong-sun has an appeal that crosses strikingly different genres and attracts a diverse range of fans. To young or expecting moms, he is best known for a series of pregnancy music, lullabies and children’s songs. Christians know him as a gospel musician. Among fans of gugak or traditional Korean classical music, he is regarded as one of the country’s most promising gugak composers. Characterizing Ryu or his music by genre makes little difference to him, though. Music m
PerformanceApril 13, 2014
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[Herald Interview] Tiny T’way reaps rewards of efficiency
T’way Air may be the nation’s smallest budget carrier with just seven short- and midrange aircraft, but it is quickly building a reputation as an innovative player in a market which is reaching a fever pitch of competition. The carrier, for instance, moved faster than other low-cost carriers to become the first to launch a route between Daegu and Jejudo Island in March.The same month, the carrier created a sensation by introducing the cheapest-ever early bird promotion fares for domestic and int
BusinessApril 10, 2014
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[Herald Interview] Heritage kept alive in generations
The Italian luxury design house Salvatore Ferragamo has been slow to bring dramatic changes to its designs. Signature designs such as the ribbon bow and metal buckle have been repeated or revived with handbags, shoes, accessories and ready-to-wear collections. “Some of the signature pieces are the same design although new colors and materials have been added. The styles have always been the same because they’ve become icons,” said James Ferragamo, who oversees the women’s leather shoes and bags
Arts & DesignApril 7, 2014
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[Herald Interview] ‘Jam Boy’ talks life beyond money-making
The success story of “Jam Boy” Fraser Doherty, founder of SuperJam, has almost become legend. At the age of 10 he was a door-to-door sausage salesman. By the time he turned 14, he had become a jam maker after learning his grandmother’s secret recipe that replaced sugar with highly reduced fruit juice. In 2013, more than 1 million jars of SuperJam were sold in 20 countries grossing 3.4 billion won ($3.3 million) in sales. In Korea, more than 30,000 jars of SuperJam have been sold here since its K
IndustryApril 6, 2014
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[Herald Interview] Ghosn puts RSM at frontline of global strategy
Carlos Ghosn, chairman and chief executive of the Renault-Nissan Alliance, said Wednesday at a press conference in Seoul that the group will actively support Renault Samsung Motor’s new vision for 2016.Ghosn said he believes RSM will head Renault Group’s current global strategy, “Renault ― Drive the Change,” and play a more vital role in the group’s future.As reflected in the chairman’s words, RSM displayed considerable commitment over the past two years with an intensive revival plan that event
MobilityApril 2, 2014
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[Herald Interview] Procurement agency pledges full support for small businesses
Smaller companies are often at a disadvantage when it comes to competing for government contracts, partly due to heavy red tape. “The main goal of all of our business innovations is so that everyone who is involved may be able to more easily and quickly join the system,” Min Hyung-jong, administrator of the Public Procurement Service, explained in a recent interview with The Korea Herald.Min is one of the few chiefs of the agency who has been promoted from within. In addition to having more than
IndustryApril 1, 2014
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[Herald Interview] Designer Munsoo Kwon adds whimsy to menswear
Munsoo Kwon attracted more viewers than any other rookie designer for his runway show at this year’s Seoul Fashion Week. His show was also frequently mentioned by foreign buyers and press as a favorite during the event. Since his debut with his 2013 fall and winter collection last year, he has become one of the most anticipated young designers in Seoul. His collection, featuring modern silhouettes and fine tailoring with a unique sense of humor, was widely praised by foreign buyers and press. Fo
Arts & DesignApril 1, 2014
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[Herald Interview] Matchmaking website launched to help married people cheat
HONG KONG ― In Korea, where adultery could be prosecuted, an online website arranging extramarital affairs started operating on March 18 to gratify the urge of “some” married people to find happiness in the arms of people other than their spouses. Noel Biderman, founder of online dating site Ashelymadison.com ― and a rather erratic sex liberalist ― believes that his website, notorious for matchmaking married people, could change Korean society, while, of course, bringing him profit. “I have look
IndustryMarch 31, 2014
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[Herald Interview] Changing old habits in equity investment
John Lee left Korea more than three decades ago to study accounting in the U.S. He had a successful career as a fund manager on Wall Street ― he was responsible for some $1.8 billion worth of assets at the time ― and also headed a team of experts focusing on investment in Korea.Having enjoyed such success, Lee, now 56, is back in Korea for a new mission: to create an advanced investment culture in his home country. “I wanted to come back to use my knowledge and experience to help the country’s f
March 31, 2014
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[Herald Interview] Lee Michelle talks empowerment and breaking down stereotypes
Lee Michelle was first introduced to the public eye after auditioning for the first season of popular reality audition program K-pop Star in 2011, and has since further redefined racial stereotypes in Korea. Born to a Korean mother and African American father in the artistic rural town of Paju just north of Seoul, Lee grew up in Korea with her mother and older sister after her parents split. Her father returned to the States before she was born and to this day, Lee has never met him. Lee has alw
March 31, 2014
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[Herald Interview] Technology innovation leads future of Korean agriculture
Gone are the days when urban farming was an arcadian ideal, a hobby for city slickers or a pursuit of self-subsistence communes. It is high time to harness its industrial potential to cope with a growing threat to food security and increasingly fierce competition in agriculture, said Kim Jae-soo, president and CEO of Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade Corp.“Agriculture doesn’t take place in farmlands anymore. Vertical farming converged with various state-of-the-art technologies will be a new pa
Social AffairsMarch 28, 2014
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[Herald Interview] The man behind musical ‘Aida’
Theater director and artist Keith Batten knows what it means to work overseas, especially when it comes to staging some of the most popular musicals in the world. He has directed over 60 productions, including Elton John and Tim Rice’s musical “Aida,” and the Broadway production of “Spiderman,” in 12 countries around the world. His last visit to Seoul took place back in 2005, when he was in charge of directing the local production of “Aida.” The musical, which tells the story of Aida, Nubia’s pr
PerformanceNov. 14, 2012
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[Herald Interview] Chris Bangle, front-runner in innovative design
Bangle to share design vision at second Herald Design Forum Sept. 19-21The following is the first in a series of email interviews with leading designers participating at the Herald Design Forum on Sept. 19-21. ― Ed.As companies try to create competitive advantage with innovative design, new design concepts are fast emerging, according to Chris Bangle, head of the eponymous design brand Chris Bangle Associates, in a recent e-mail interview with The Korea Herald. Just as Bangle said in the intervi
Arts & DesignAug. 14, 2012
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[Herald Interview] FORCA to foster relocation of Japanese firms to Korea
For decades, business associations have been known for aggressive lobbying of policymakers while passively responding to calls for corporate social responsibility. The Korea Foreign Company Association, the largest foreign business community in the country, is seeking to change this image and expand its role to attract overseas businesses.Kim Jong-shik, the newly appointed chairman of FORCA, says the organization is drawing up a plan help transfer the headquarters of Japanese firms to Seoul this
IndustryMarch 27, 2012
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[Herald Interview] Shinwon eyes another big leap with luxury fashion
Chairman confident of economic benefits from having production lines in N.K.’s Gaeseong Industrial ComplexShinwon Group, a leading fashion retailer, was one of the first South Korean companies to enter the inter-Korean industrial complex in Gaeseong, the North Korean border town, in 2004.Despite the political tension between the two Koreas, Shinwon chairman Park Sung-chul still has no doubts about the decision he made eight years ago.“North Koreans are skilled workers as they are willing to work
IndustryMarch 6, 2012
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[Herald Interview] Resources diplomacy takes time, patience: ambassador
In the wake of the CNK International stock-rigging scandal, South Korea’s so-called “resources diplomacy” has become a point of contention due to the high risks and low efficiency in searching for oil and other energy resources overseas.Questions were raised whether Korea’s signing of an MOU with the United Arab Emirates early last year to develop three oil fields in Abu Dhabi was overblown, because neither side has announced the signing of an official deal yet.However, resources diplomacy takes
Foreign AffairsFeb. 26, 2012
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[Herald Interview] Philippine envoy welcomes speedy return for migrant workers
The Philippine ambassador has welcomed revised laws to help migrant workers renew their employment contracts here, but has also called for amnesty for those who have already overstayed their visas. While Luis T. Cruz said South Korea and the Philippines shared the common goal of “the rights and welfare of the workers,” he also called for further improvements to the law on Korea’s Employment Permit System. EPS allows Korean employers to hire temporary foreign workers for jobs they have not been a
Foreign AffairsFeb. 26, 2012
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[Herald Interview] Korea needs to be more assertive on Japanese rule
The rights of Korean victims of Japan’s colonial rule to seek compensation remain intact, said Park In-hwan, the new chief of the Prime Ministerial commission on investigating issues regarding forced labor during Japan’s occupation of Korea.“The rights of the individuals to seek compensation still stand. No comfort woman said entrusted their rights to the Korean government and no-one waived these rights,” Park said.“Even some Japanese lawyers agree to this. All conscientious people agree to this
Social AffairsFeb. 21, 2012