[Herald Design Forum] Lacaton, Vassal extend life of buildings without demolition

One may raise their eyebrows hearing the philosophy of the French architects Anne Lacaton and Jean Philippe Vassal whose practices are opposed to demolishing buildings to build new ones. The Pritzker-winning architects’ approach is particularly unusual in Korean society where the wholesale reconstruction of apartment complexes to be taller, newer and more luxurious is a common and positively regarded way to raise home and property values. “We do not think it is necessary to demolish

Arts & DesignSept. 30, 2024

Seoul shares open tad higher on battery, steel gains

Seoul shares opened slightly higher Monday, led by gains in battery and steel shares. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 0.05 percent, or 1.3 points, to 2,651.08 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Battery and steel shares led the overall gains, with industry leaders LG Energy Solution and Posco Holdings increasing 2.53 percent and 1.94 percent, respectively. Bio and internet service operators also added momentum. Samsung Biologics rose 0.91 percent, and top internet portal ope

MarketSept. 30, 2024

Industrial output rises for first time in 4 months in August

South Korea's industrial output increased for the first time in four months last month on the rising production in the auto and semiconductor sectors, data showed Monday. Retail sales, a gauge of private spending, also rose by the most in 18 months in August, but facility investment ended two months of on-month growth and fell markedly, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. Industrial output advanced 1.2 percent on-month in August, the first increase since April. The figure fe

EconomySept. 30, 2024

[팟캐스트] (623) 한국의 젊은 세대에게 낯설지 않은 해외 문화는?

진행자: 간형우, Chelsea Proctor Young Koreans more open to Japanese cultural products 기사 요약: 올해로 20주년 맞은 한국의 완전한 일본 문화 수용과 젊은 세대에겐 익숙한 일본 문화 소비 습관 현상 [1] Japanese songs playing on South Korean TV and radio stations and giant posters of Japanese anime hung outside cinemas -- unimaginable just over two decades ago -- are no longer surprising. anime: 일본 만화 unimaginable: 상상할 수 없는 [2] Following liberation from 35 years of Japanese colonial rule in 1945, Korea had banned Japanese cultural products from re

PodcastSept. 30, 2024

[Graphic News] Ronaldo tops 2024 Instagram earnings list

Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo has been named the highest-paid celebrity on Instagram, according to a survey by British data analyst Hopper HQ. Ronaldo can earn up to $3.43 million per post. Following closely behind is Lionel Messi, while Selena Gomez, Kylie Jenner and Dwayne Johnson round out the top five. Hopper HQ reveals how much your favorite celebrities are earning from sponsored posts this year, using internal data, agency rates and publicly available information. Notably, all four membe

World NewsSept. 30, 2024

[Herald Interview] Vanner sings about ordeal of being young in 3rd EP ‘Burn’

K-pop boy group Vanner returns to the music scene with its third EP, “Burn,” on Monday, in which it sings about the hardships that youth face on their journeys to realize their dreams. Such difficulties are familiar to the group that debuted in 2019, shortly before COVID-19 pandemic brought things to a standstill. "We did not get a chance to perform. But winning on JTBC’s idol survival program ‘Peak Time’ last year, we began to garner a lot of love from the pub

K-popSept. 30, 2024

[Yoo Choon-sik] Protecting sound firms from zombies

While there is no official definition agreed on globally, zombie firms are widely referred to as those that are risky, unproductive and unviable, yet which still manage to avoid immediate default, most likely thanks to continued support from banks, investors or governments, in light of misaligned incentives. The existence of zombie firms can be said to be inevitable for any country adopting market capitalism, at least for a certain period and under certain conditions, such as immediately after u

ViewpointsSept. 30, 2024

Media regulator notes 'significant progress' in talks with Telegram over handling of deepfakes

The South Korean state telecommunications watchdog on Sunday noted "significant progress" in its recent talks with Telegram over the handling of deepfake content on the encrypted messaging app. The Korea Communications Standards Commission added that its chairman, Ryu Hee-lim, is scheduled to announce the results of those talks with Telegram on Monday. "We met with Telegram's top security officer and others in a third country on Friday and Saturday," a KCSC official said

Social AffairsSept. 29, 2024

Prosecutors investigating nature of e-commerce platforms' payments to parent firm

Prosecutors investigating two beleaguered e-commerce platforms' payment delays to vendors are now trying to determine the nature of huge sums of money changing hands between those firms and their parent company, legal sources said Sunday. According to the sources, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office secured a management consulting agreement between Qoo10 and their e-commerce affiliates, TMON and WeMakePrice, in June 2023. Under the deal, those affiliates were required to pay the S

Social AffairsSept. 29, 2024

Hanwha Eagles lose final home game at oldest KBO stadium

The Hanwha Eagles lost their final home game at the oldest stadium in the South Korean professional baseball league Sunday. The Eagles fell to the NC Dinos 7-2 at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon, some 140 kilometers south of Seoul, to finish off their 2024 Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) season at 66-76-2 (wins-losses-ties). Opened in 1964, the stadium had been the oldest ballpark in the KBO and also the smallest in the league with a capacity of 12,000. The KBO had its first season in 1982,

BaseballSept. 29, 2024

Gov't agencies discuss preparedness for Typhoon Krathon

The interior ministry held a meeting Sunday with relevant agencies to discuss preparedness for an approaching typhoon. Interior Minister Lee Sang-min presided over the meeting, where attending officials reviewed emergency plans and safety measures with Typhoon Krathon expected to affect the southern island of Jeju and other southern regions, plus the eastern province of Gangwon this week. The Korea Meteorological Administration said the typhoon will likely pass near Taipei on Wednesday with a ma

Social AffairsSept. 29, 2024

Express Bus Terminal, Gangnam stations lead subway crime statistics

Seoul’s subway system, which serves 7 million passengers daily, recorded a total of 3,516 crimes in 2023, a 4 percent rise from the previous year, police data revealed. Misappropriation of lost property made up 42 percent of all crimes with 1,408 cases. Sexual assault accounted for 36 percent with 1,230 cases, and theft 25 percent with 855 cases, according to the data made public Sunday by Rep. Yang Bu-nam of the Democratic Party of Korea. The released data did not include comparative figu

Social AffairsSept. 29, 2024

‘Korea crossed the line too far’ disgraced singer’s lawyer cries foul after 3rd visa denial

Once a superstar in the 1990s K-pop scene, Korean American singer Steve Yoo strongly criticized South Korea’s recent refusal of his visa request. It is the third time his visa application has been denied. The singer, also known as Yoo Seung-jun, posted a statement written by his lawyer Ryu Jeong-sun on his Instagram account on Saturday. According to the statement, the South Korean consulate general in Los Angeles recently refused a visa to Korea for Yoo. Yoo has now been unable to enter Ko

Social AffairsSept. 29, 2024

Suspected mpox patient denied tests for hours by multiple hospitals

A man showing symptoms of mpox was denied tests for 10 hours, with multiple medical institutions refusing to admit him for testing, local media reported Saturday. According to reports, the patient was receiving treatment for fever and difficulty breathing at a hospital in South Jeolla Province on Sept. 17, when blisters appeared on his hands and feet. Suspecting the blisters to be a symptom of mpox, medical workers at the hospital recommended he get tested for the virus immediately. The man then

Social AffairsSept. 29, 2024

[Legal updates in Korea] How 'car camping' could now get you fined

● Updated law: Parking Lot Act What it does: Prohibits camping, cooking and lighting fires in public parking lots Took effect: Sept. 20 Punishment: Fine up to 500,000 won ($379.33) In recent years, “chabak,” or the trend of camping in one's car, has become a major trend in South Korea. While it has provided travelers with the benefits of convenient and flexible camping compared to pitching and sleeping in a tent, it has also contributed to a surge in fire hazards. Recent actio

PoliticsSept. 29, 2024

Opposition mulls delay of financial investment income tax

South Korea's main opposition party, whose lawmakers occupy a strong majority of the seats at the National Assembly, is leaning toward delaying the adoption of the financial investment income tax, observers said Sunday. The Democratic Party of Korea will likely agree with ruling People Power Party Chair Han Dong-hoon's request last month to agree on postponing the implementation of the new investment tax policy set to take effect next year. During a press briefing Sunday, Democratic Pa

PoliticsSept. 29, 2024

[Herald Interview] Korea, Chile eye two-way benefits in green energy

With a renewed push toward a leading green energy supplier with its vast energy resources, Chilean government officials urged South Korea, which shares similar goals in reducing dependence on fossil fuels, to expand investments to Chile and boost strategic partnerships. “The challenge today for Chile is to increase the participation of Korean companies in the Chilean economy and the flows of Korean capital into Chile,” Chilean Ambassador Mathias Francke told The Korea Herald at the E

IndustrySept. 29, 2024

Nasrallah's killing reveals depth of Israel's Hezbollah penetration

In the wake of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's killing, Hezbollah faces the enormous challenge of plugging the infiltration in its ranks that allowed its arch enemy Israel to destroy weapons sites, booby-trap its communications and assassinate the veteran leader, whose whereabouts had been a closely guarded secret for years. Nasrallah's killing on Friday came barely a week after Israel's deadly detonation of hundreds of booby-trapped pagers and radios. It was the culmination of a rapid

World NewsSept. 29, 2024

KT and Microsoft to develop AI models for Korea

South Korean mobile carrier KT has forged a five-year, multibillion-dollar partnership with Microsoft to develop customized artificial intelligence solutions for Korea and to build a tech innovation center, the company said Sunday. Signing the agreement at the Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, Washington, Friday, the two sides agreed to collaborate in the areas of AI, cloud technologies and information technology, and for Microsoft to commit its resources in the areas of infrastructure and peop

IndustrySept. 29, 2024