Herald Interview In series
A series of in-depth interviews.
#Interview
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Herald Interview In series
A series of in-depth interviews.
Would you like to subscribe?
‘Test us’: Botswana's vice president urges Korean investors
The technological capabilities of Korea and resources in Botswana could lay the foundations for sustainable and expanding opportunities for both countries, according to Botswana's Vice President and Finance Minister Ndaba Gaolathe. “Korea has the capability. Botswana has the opportunity,” Gaolathe told The Korea Herald on the sidelines of Botswana Business Seminar held in Seoul on Tuesday. “Korea has been such an example to the world through its innovation, industry and diligence,” he said, poin
Sept. 10, 2026 - 10:55:58
Choi Min-sik and Han So-hee do 'The Intern' the Korean way
Nancy Meyers' 2015 "The Intern" was never a sophisticated film, and it never intended to be one. Its pleasures were of the most soothing kind, set in a Brooklyn startup where a frazzled young CEO finds the answer to her problems in the seen-it-all wisdom of a 70-year-old intern. The Korean remake, out Sept. 16, brings that comfort to the Chuseok holiday stretch, when families flock to multiplexes wanting nothing more than a good time. What the remake can't carry over is, of course, De Niro and H
Sept. 9, 2026 - 15:09:44
Kim Soo-ha had to unlearn musical theater for ‘Hell’s Kitchen’
Kim Soo-ha has spent more than a decade in musicals, from London to Seoul, appearing in productions such as “Rent,” “Hadestown” and “Aida.” In 2015, she became the first female Korean actor to make her West End debut, joining the ensemble and serving as a cover for Kim in “Miss Saigon.” Yet nothing in her career prepared her to sing and dance like Ali, the teenage lead she plays in the Korean premiere of “Hell’s Kitchen.” "Hell's Kitchen," a musical created by Alicia Keys based on her teenage ye
Sept. 9, 2026 - 15:06:03
S&P sees more SK hynix buybacks, warns of higher dividend bar
SK hynix could announce another share buyback of up to 40 trillion won ($28 billion) in the fourth quarter, as the AI memory boom fuels record shareholder returns from Korea’s two largest chipmakers, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence. “We think that there will be more buybacks that will get announced in Q4,” Mohammad Hassan, S&P’s head of Asia-Pacific equities dividend forecasting, said in an interview with The Korea Herald in Seoul on Thursday. “It would be on the lower end of maybe 2
Sept. 8, 2026 - 15:13:49
Korea discount fight now in companies’ hands: Morgan Stanley
The next phase of South Korea's market rerating will depend on whether companies improve governance, capital allocation and returns on equity, according to Morgan Stanley's Korea Chief Strategist Joon Seok. "Rather than (government) policy, we believe the ball is in the corporate sectors' and stakeholders' court," Seok said in a written interview with The Korea Herald. Morgan Stanley's assessment of Korea's reform drive has shifted markedly from April last year, when it viewed the country as sti
Sept. 7, 2026 - 14:38:48
From lab coats to limelight: Grabity puts its researchers at the fore
The scientists behind Grabity, the hair-loss shampoo brand that has gained traction in South Korea and overseas with its polyphenol-based technology, have stepped out of their labs and into an unusual second job: modeling for their own products. On buses and product packaging, researchers Yang Han-yeol, Kim Eun-u and Ju Helen pose alongside Lee Hae-shin, a KAIST distinguished professor of chemistry and the founder of Polyphenol Factory, the startup behind Grabity. "We are not professional models
Sept. 7, 2026 - 13:49:18
Jeju Island invites global visitors for safer, longer stay
Jeju Island has long been known as a resort destination. Gov. Wi Seong-gon wants to turn it from a place to visit into a place to stay, with particular emphasis on safety. As the island draws a growing number of international visitors, Wi is seeking to position Jeju Island as a destination where travelers spend more time, venture beyond its famous attractions and engage with local communities. “Our goal is to encourage visitors to stay longer, making Jeju a place where they want to spend more ti
Sept. 6, 2026 - 11:22:48
Kirin pours Hyoketsu into Korea’s RTD boom
For 10 days in June, around 4,000 people gathered in a corner of Yeouido Hangang Park for a pop-up staged at the Kirin Ichiban Premium Beer Bar, a riverside bar run by the Japanese brewer. The draw wasn't the bar's namesake beer, but Hyoketsu, a canned Japanese chuhai, or shochu highball, made of fruit juice and vodka. Chilled below freezing while still liquid, it turned to slush on contact when poured, true to the pop-up's "Ice Magic" concept. The drink itself is a testament to Kirin's belief i
Sept. 5, 2026 - 16:00:00
Minhwa, inked
A Canadian client came to a Seoul studio this spring and asked for Ilwolobongdo, the sun, moon and five peaks that once hung behind the throne of Joseon kings. It went on his calf as a farewell to the country. He had wanted a minhwa tattoo for years, he said, and could not find anyone making them. Tattooist Choi Hae-sol hears this often. Choi works in minhwa, the folk painting produced mostly by Joseon's commoner class rather than its scholar-gentry, and by his own count, roughly 95 percent of h
Sept. 5, 2026 - 16:00:00
Ryu Jun-yeol looks beyond acting, to film production
Ever since his breakout role in the cable phenomenon "Reply 1988," Ryu Jun-yeol has steered his filmography toward increasingly complex, psychologically charged territory. From exploring human greed in Netflix’s "The 8 Show" — once tipped as a potential successor to "Squid Game" — to confronting twisted faith in director Yeon Sang-ho’s "Revelations," the 39-year-old actor has spent recent years probing the rawest aspects of human nature. Continuing this dive into the human condition, Ryu’s lates
Sept. 3, 2026 - 17:59:11
Frida Kahlo through eyes of Lie Sang-bong
Fashion designer Lie Sang-bong has spent four decades bringing Korean cultural motifs to audiences overseas. For his 40th anniversary collection, however, he began somewhere else — with a Mexican artist whose work confronted pain head-on. Frida Kahlo became the muse for Lie’s latest collection, shown Tuesday evening at Dongdaemun Design Plaza on the opening day of 2027 spring-summer Seoul Fashion Week. Behind the choice was a question that has stayed with him amid years of war and conflict: How
Sept. 3, 2026 - 17:57:34
From protection to value creation: Korea resets IP strategy
South Korea’s newly elevated intellectual property authority is seeking to turn patents and ideas into sources of revenue, moving beyond its traditional role of examining and registering intellectual property rights. “The biggest change is that our role no longer ends with granting and protecting rights,” Intellectual Property Minister Kim Yong-sun said in an interview with The Korea Herald. “We are expanding it to help intellectual property generate revenue through transactions and commercializ
Sept. 3, 2026 - 10:00:02
Anemoi courts Korean shipbuilders for wind propulsion
British wind-propulsion company Anemoi Marine Technologies seeks closer ties with South Korean shipbuilders and shipping companies as the industry faces growing pressure to reduce fuel consumption and emissions. “South Korea combines world-class shipbuilding, sophisticated shipowners and strong marine engineering capabilities,” Anemoi co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer Nick Contopoulos told The Korea Herald in Seoul last week. Anemoi develops Rotor Sails, tall spinning cylinders installed o
Sept. 3, 2026 - 02:02:18
Tunexx is just getting started
Tunexx is learning to think as one. Asked what kind of group they wanted to be remembered as, the seven members jokingly answered, “Ultra Legend Super Tunexx,” sending the room into laughter. The exchange offered a glimpse of a group still young in its career but increasingly comfortable as a team, with members quick to build on one another’s thoughts. That evolution is at the heart of Tunexx’s second EP, “Blue Mode,” the group’s first release since debuting in March and the first in which the m
Sept. 2, 2026 - 08:00:00
Korea's market rally must go beyond chips: Societe Generale
South Korea’s artificial intelligence rally must expand beyond Samsung Electronics and SK hynix if the country is to achieve broader and more sustainable stock market growth, according to Frank Benzimra, head of Asia equity strategy at Societe Generale. The two chipmakers now account for more than 48 percent of the Kospi’s roughly 5,610 trillion won ($4.1 billion) market capitalization and two-thirds of the combined first-half net profit of all Kospi-listed companies. “Today, the Korean market r
Sept. 1, 2026 - 14:48:33
