Tajikistan holds cultural day to share heritage with Korea

The Embassy of Tajikistan in South Korea announced Monday that it hosted a special event dedicated to celebrating Tajikistan Cultural Day, while strengthening cultural exchanges between the two nations. The event also marked the publication of the Korean edition of "Tajiks in the Mirror of History: From Aryans to Samanids," a book authored by Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon. Rahmon’s book reportedly offers an in-depth exploration of the history and cultural development of the

IndustryAug. 26, 2024

Celltrion gets European approval for Stelara biosimilar

South Korean biopharmaceutical firm Celltrion announced Monday that it has received the European Commission’s final approval for Steqeyma, a Stelara (ustekinumab) biosimilar used to treat various autoimmune conditions. Steqeyma, or CT-P43, has been approved for use in all indications of reference product Stelara, including plaque psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis and Crohn's disease, following recent approvals in Korea and Canada in June and July, respectively. According to market resear

CompaniesAug. 26, 2024

20th JIMFF to kick off next week, features 98 music films

The 20th Jecheon International Music & Film Festival will kick off Sept. 5 for a six-day run, with a program combining contemporary music and cinema and live concerts. Under the slogan of “Superascendo,” which means “to transcend” in Latin, the festival will screen 98 movies from 37 countries and hold music concerts by 26 performers. The slogan represents JIMFF’s commitment to advancing into a new era, reflecting on its 20 years of history while looking forward

FilmAug. 26, 2024

Kim Jong-un hoping for Trump’s re-election: ex-North Korean envoy

Tae Yong-ho, who was Pyongyang’s envoy to the UK before seeking asylum in South Korea in 2016, said North Korean leader Kim Jong-un would want US presidential nominee Donald Trump to win in November. “What Kim Jong-un wants more than anything at this moment is for Trump to win the US presidential election and for the trilateral security cooperation of South Korea, Japan and the US -- a Biden era legacy -- to become obsolete,” Tae told The Korea Herald on Sunday. Trump, speaking

PoliticsAug. 26, 2024

[Community Discovery] Bringing the vibe back: Yongsan strives to revive Itaewon

Choi Jeong-kyu, CEO of Jonny Dumpling, a Shandong-style dumpling restaurant located in Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, central Seoul, reflects on the challenging days his business has faced since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the tragic crowd crush incident nearly two years ago. The local restaurant, well known for its half-moon-shaped dumplings, faced a significant decline in customers over the past four years. However, it has gradually regained its footing after being selected as one of 30 rep

Social AffairsAug. 26, 2024

Opposition party accuses Yoon govt. of 'submissive' diplomacy with Japan

The main opposition Democratic Party accused the Yoon Suk Yeol administration on Monday of engaging in "submissive" diplomacy with Japan by appointing pro-Japan figures to key positions and removing public installations depicting the easternmost islets of Dokdo. "Since the start of the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, we have seen continued pro-Japan submissive diplomacy and a desperation to erase history," DP floor leader Park Chan-dae said during a supreme council meeting. &qu

PoliticsAug. 26, 2024

Top prosecutor vows to respect investigation review panel in first lady's case

Prosecutor General Lee One-seok said Monday that he will respect the upcoming conclusion by a panel of external private experts on first lady Kim Keon Hee's luxury handbag case. Lee made the remarks after referring the case to the investigation review committee, an external body that deliberates on investigations of high public interest, last Friday. Earlier that week, he was briefed that an investigation team from the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office decided not to seek charges ag

Social AffairsAug. 26, 2024

Yoon to meet ruling party leadership this week

President Yoon Suk Yeol will host a dinner meeting with the leadership of the ruling People Power Party later this week, party officials said Monday. PPP leader Han Dong-hoon, floor leader Choo Kyung-ho, five Supreme Council members, and the party's policy chief are expected to attend the meeting on Friday, according to party officials. During the meeting, Yoon and the party leaders are expected to discuss key policy issues ahead of the regular National Assembly session, which is set to beg

PoliticsAug. 26, 2024

11 mpox cases reported this year with no new virus strain

Eleven mpox cases have been reported so far this year in South Korea, but all detected cases were the less deadly Clade II variant, health authorities said Monday. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said the latest case was reported last month, adding that health authorities have bolstered screening at borders to cope with the deadly new variant. South Korea reported 151 mpox cases last year. The majority of patients were males aged 20 to 40 in the greater Seoul area, with cl

Social AffairsAug. 26, 2024

S. Korea, US to hold 7th round of talks on defense cost sharing this week

South Korea and the United States will hold their seventh round of negotiations in Seoul this week to determine Seoul's share of the cost for stationing the US Forces Korea, officials said Monday. The talks are set to take place from Tuesday through Thursday, led by the chief negotiators — Lee Tae-woo of South Korea and Linda Specht representing the United States — as the allies work to renew the current six-year deal, which will expire at the end of next year. Under the Special

DefenseAug. 26, 2024

N. Korean leader oversees suicide drones test, calls for more production

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has overseen a performance test of various drones, calling for the development and production of more suicide drones to enhance war preparedness, state media reported Monday. Kim supervised the test organized by the Drone Institute of the Academy of Defence Sciences on Saturday, according to the Korean Central News Agency. In the test, the drones flew along various preset courses and correctly identified and destroyed the designated targets, as they have missions

North KoreaAug. 26, 2024

Seoul shares open higher on US rate cut hopes

South Korean shares opened slightly higher Monday amid growing hopes for a US rate cut. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) added 2.85 points, or 0.11 percent, to 2,704.54 in the first 15 minutes of trading. The increase follows sharp gains on Wall Street, prompted by remarks from US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell that hinted at the start of US rate cuts in the near future. The Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 1.14 percent to close at 41,175.07 Friday (US time), with

MarketAug. 26, 2024

[Herald Interview] Oh My Girl presents soothing music to bring listeners comfort

K-pop summer queens Oh My Girl return Monday with their 10th EP, “Dreamy Resonance,” led by “Classified,” a fresh track that brings something new to the table. “It’s a dreamy and lyrical music, which is quite different from our popular summer songs that involve energetic rhythm. This song conveys a message of comfort to those who need someone by their side for support. As you would see in the music video for the song, we are portrayed as dolls that comfort chi

K-popAug. 26, 2024

[Graphic News] Singapore tops passport power rankings, Korea secures 3rd place

Singapore has once again claimed the title of the world's most powerful passport, according to the Henley Passport Index. Singaporean citizens can enjoy visa-free access to 195 countries, maintaining the city-state's top position from 2023. France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Spain share the second spot, offering visa-free access to 192 destinations out of 227. Meanwhile, an unprecedented seven-nation group holds the third position, with citizens from Austria, Finland, Ireland, Luxemb

World NewsAug. 26, 2024

[팟캐스트] (613) 전기차 화재가 중고차 판매량에 미치는 영향은?

진행자: 간형우, Paul Kerry Korea sees panic selling in used EVs 기사 요약: 전기차 화재 이후 중고차 판매 시장에서 매물 쏟아지는 전기차 [1] A mass sell-off of EVs has begun in South Korea, following a fire involving a Mercedes-Benz EV in Incheon that destroyed more than 140 cars and sparked proposals to restrict EVs' access to underground parking lots. sell-off: 매각 spark: 촉발시키다 access: 입장 [2] Since the fire on Aug. 1, the market has been flooded with used EVs. K Car, Korea’s second-largest used car trading platform, r

PodcastAug. 26, 2024

[Lee Kyong-hee] Yoon’s dangerous spin on history

Saburo Ienaga, arguably the most famous historian in 20th-century Japan, waged a more than 30-year fight against his government’s efforts to omit wartime atrocities from school textbooks. “Even if you hide from the Japanese,” he declared, “the people in other countries know about them. The side that inflicted sufferings forgets, but the side that suffered doesn’t forget.” Not necessarily so, one may say, when it comes to the current Korean administration. Ad

ViewpointsAug. 26, 2024

[Jackie Payne] Tipping point in US presidential election

After a wild few weeks, the top of the ticket is once again set for Democrats and Republicans. Polls show US Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are neck and neck. Over the last several years, we’ve seen presidential elections decided by slimmer and slimmer margins, and 2024 will likely be no different. There’s one thing that links these historically close election results in recent years -- and that’s the voting behavior of America’s moderate w

ViewpointsAug. 26, 2024

Govt. to offer 40 tln won to SMEs ahead of Chuseok holiday

The government plans to provide some 40 trillion won ($30.1 billion) in financial support to small and medium-sized enterprises, and micro business owners as part of measures to support them in the run-up to the Chuseok holiday, officials said Sunday. The decision was made during a high-level meeting of government and ruling party officials, held to finalize measures on stabilizing prices, as well as supporting small business owners and others, according to People Power Party spokesperson Han Ze

PoliticsAug. 25, 2024

Govt., ruling party call for mandating disclosing battery brand information of electric vehicles

The government and the ruling People Power Party agreed Sunday to introduce a system mandating automakers to disclose the battery brand information of all electric vehicles. During a meeting between senior government officials and PPP officials, the two sides also agreed to launch at an early date a system mandating automakers to get government certification on the safety of the batteries for their EV models, which was initially set to be introduced in February next year. The move comes amid saf

PoliticsAug. 25, 2024