S. Korean travelers in Israel for religious event all left country: Seoul official

Around 30 South Korean nationals who stayed in Israel after attending a religious event have now left the country, officials said Tuesday. That means all South Korean travelers who were there for the same event have exited the region, where tensions have heightened following a series of missile and air strikes exchanged between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. The 30 people were among some 180 South Koreans who entered Israel last month to attend the event. Of them, 150 first de

Foreign AffairsSept. 3, 2024

Trump says his talks with N. Korean leader Kim prove 'real change' is possible

Former US President Donald Trump said in a soon-to-be-published book that his summitry with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during his time in office showed "real change" was "indeed" possible, portraying it as "honest, direct and productive." The Republican presidential candidate made the remarks in the photo book, titled "Save America," reinforcing speculation that should he win the Nov. 5 general election, he could revive his personal diplomacy with the

Foreign AffairsSept. 3, 2024

Azerbaijan’s green energy, connectivity vital: presidential envoy

Elchin Amirbayov, special envoy of the president of Azerbaijan, urged Korean companies to participate in Azerbaijan's green energy sector and connectivity projects in an interview with The Korea Herald on Aug. 26. “Korean companies can take part in this green energy zone, which has great potential as it is expected to expand significantly in the near future,” Amirbayov said, pointing to the evolving geopolitical landscape and a growing need for sustainable energy globally. Korea

Diplomatic CircuitSept. 3, 2024

NewJeans members express distress over label's CEO change

Six days after the dismissal of Min Hee-jin as CEO of their label, ADOR, members of the K-pop girl group NewJeans broke their silence on the issue, expressing concerns and emotional distress. "Since the CEO was dismissed, it's been difficult in many ways and we have a lot of concerns. For a while, I was in a state of mental breakdown and very anxious," member Danielle was quoted as saying on "Phoning," a dedicated mobile app for the group's fans, on Monday by indust

K-popSept. 3, 2024

[History through films] ‘The Man Standing Next’: President’s assassination revisited

The 2020 suspenseful history flick “The Man Standing Next” revisits one of the most pivotal incidents in Korea’s modern history: the 1979 presidential assassination. The late President Park Chung-hee, who ruled South Korea with an iron fist for 18 years, is a highly debated figure in the country’s history. So is his right-hand man Kim Jae-gyu, the then director of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency who pulled the trigger against Park. More than 40 years have passed an

FilmSept. 3, 2024

N. Korea earned over $6b through illicit activities over past 7 years: report

North Korea is estimated to have earned more than $6 billion through hacking and other illicit activities over the past seven years despite facing heavy international sanctions, a state-run think tank report showed Tuesday. North Korea's income through illegal activities from 2017 to 2023, such as smuggling out coal, reached a total of $6.29 billion, according to the report from the Institute for National Security Strategy. The UN Security Council has imposed wide-ranging sanctions on North

North KoreaSept. 3, 2024

[해커스 TEPS] 텝스 시험대비 단기간 고득점 단어 & 문법 5문제

2) 해커스 텝스 문법 Part Ⅰ Choose the best answer for the blank. 1. A: The band ________________ the country since 1995. B: No wonder they seem so comfortable playing live. (a) has traveled (b) had traveled (c) was traveled (d) had been traveled 해석 A: 그 밴드는 1995년부터 전국을 순회해왔어. B: 그들이 라이브로 공연하는 것이 그렇게 편안해 보이는 게 당연하네. 해설 올바른 시제의 동사 채우기: 현재완료 현재완료 시제와 함께 쓰이는 시간 표현인 'since+과거 시간(1995)'이 왔으므로 현재완료 시제 (a) has traveled가 정답이다. 어휘 (It is) no wonder (that) ~이 당연하다, 놀랄 일이 아니다 2. A: Do I need to

English EyeSept. 3, 2024

Seoul shares open higher on large cap gains

South Korean shares opened higher Tuesday, helped by large cap gains amid growing hopes for a US rate cut. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 12.33 points, or 0.46 percent, to 2,693.33 in the first 15 minutes of trading. The index has closed higher for two consecutive sessions, with a growing number of investors expecting the United States to start cutting interest rates as early as this month. The US Federal Reserve is set to hold its rate-setting meeting on Tuesday and Wedne

MarketSept. 3, 2024

[Graphic News] 1 in 3 workers taking parental leave are dads

According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor, one in three workers who took parental leave in the first half of this year were fathers. From January to June, 69,631 workers began receiving parental leave benefits, excluding civil servants and teachers not enrolled in employment insurance. This represents a 3.2 percent increase from the same period last year, which had 67,465 recipients. By gender, 47,171 women (67.7 percent) took parental leave, a slight decrease of 1.8 percent from last

Social AffairsSept. 3, 2024

[Herald Interview] Onew of SHINee steps outside comfort zone

For Onew, who debuted as a member of the legendary K-pop boy group SHINee in 2008 at 18, buying tickets for public transportation while on a trip was something he had never done by himself until recently. “I’ve never traveled by myself before visiting Vienna a few months ago. It was the first time that I made reservations for accommodations and bought train tickets by myself. That’s when it hit me that I was just a frog in the well knowing nothing of the ocean. I wanted to expl

K-popSept. 3, 2024

[Eric Posner] Is a pro-labor Republican Party possible?

Following a speech by Sean O’Brien, the president of the Teamsters union, at the Republican National Convention last month, a New York Times analysis considered whether the party could really carry out a populist agenda in support of workers. While Donald Trump has never shown much interest in workers’ rights, many of his acolytes have. Republican Sens. Josh Hawley, Roger Marshall, Marco Rubio and JD Vance (the party’s vice-presidential candidate) have all sided with workers in

ViewpointsSept. 3, 2024

[Grace Kao] My K-pop class at Yale University

For the past four years, I’ve taught a first-year seminar titled “Race and Place in British New Wave, K-pop and Beyond” at Yale University. Since it’s the beginning of the Fall semester here, it seems like an appropriate time to share what my course is like. At Yale, we have special seminars that are only open to our first-year students. These courses are introductory and offer unique content. First-year seminars give our newest students a chance to interact with other st

ViewpointsSept. 3, 2024

S. Korea training camp opens ahead of World Cup qualifying matches as coach Hong begins 2nd tenure

South Korea opened their training camp Monday ahead of two World Cup qualifying matches coming up this month, as head coach Hong Myung-bo began his second tour of duty with the men's national team. South Korea will host Palestine at 8 p.m. Thursday at Seoul World Cup Stadium to begin Group B play in the third round of the Asian qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. South Korea will then visit Muscat to play Oman on Sept. 10. These will be Hong's first two matches in his second t

SoccerSept. 2, 2024

Installations that combine steel, hanji shown at Artcube 2R2

Installation artist Lee Sung-kuen’s solo exhibition “The Circle of Life” at Artcube 2R2 in Gangnam-gu, southern Seoul encompasses the artist’s 70-year career that has evolved around the act of continuous binding and tying. The exhibition that kicked off on Aug. 29 features the artist’s iconic installations created with oil-tempered steel wire, widely used for springs, wrapped in hanji, traditional Korean mulberry paper. The wire is woven into a mesh in round shapes

Arts & DesignSept. 2, 2024

Hansung Motors appoints new CEO

Hansung Motors, one of the top official Mercedes-Benz dealers in South Korea, has appointed Marco Kim as its new CEO, the company announced Monday. Marco Kim brings extensive global expertise in the luxury automotive sector, having held key leadership and consulting roles with several prestigious car brands. Born in South Korea and raised in Australia, Kim holds a medical degree and an MBA from the University of Queensland. He later became a chartered accountant and joined Deloitte Motor Industr

MobilitySept. 2, 2024

Hanwha Industrial Solutions launches as new subsidiary under Hanwha Group

Hanwha Industrial Solutions officially launched Monday with a founding meeting at The Plaza Hotel in Seoul. The new company, established as a subsidiary of Hanwha Vision and Hanwha Precision Machinery, represents Hanwha Aerospace’s move to consolidate and lead Hanwha Group’s industrial solutions business. During the inaugural meeting, key agenda items included the formal establishment of the company, the appointment of leadership and the enactment of company bylaws. Ahn Soon-Hong,

CompaniesSept. 2, 2024

President Yoon, IEA's Birol discuss global clean energy collaboration

President Yoon Suk Yeol met with Fatih Birol, the chief of the International Energy Agency (IEA), on Monday, the president's office said, expressing gratitude for the agency's support of Seoul's Carbon-Free Energy (CFE) initiative. In September, Yoon introduced the CFE initiative during his keynote speech at the U.N. General Assembly, focusing on achieving carbon neutrality by leveraging carbon-free energy sources. Yoon acknowledged Birol's leadership and efforts to promote t

PoliticsSept. 2, 2024

Take the high road: Suspect on drugs drives to police station

South Korean police said Monday that a man in his 30s is being investigated for suspected drug use after he parked his car at a police station while apparently still under the influence of illegal drugs. The suspect was taken into custody by officers at Ilsan Dongbu Police Station in Gyeonggi Province on Saturday, after he parked his car in the handicapped zone of the station at around 5 p.m. He told the police official who approached him that he came to visit the traffic investigation unit, b

Social AffairsSept. 2, 2024

Blockchain platform Kaia aims to become ‘Asia's gateway to Web3’

Blockchain network Kaia, formed through the merger of platforms launched by Korean tech giants Line and Kakao, announced Monday it hopes to serve as a gateway between Web2 and Web3 in Asia and beyond. The merger between Kakao's blockchain platform Klaytn Foundation, and Finschia Foundation under Naver's affiliate Line Tech Plus was completed under the name “Kaia” on Thursday. The two platforms' respective tokens will be integrated under the name "Kaia," which

IndustrySept. 2, 2024