No one can deny that water is essential for life, but until recently, it has typically been considered indistinctive -- without color, taste or smell. But as water sommelier Ko Jae-youn explains, the common idea that water is tasteless is wrong. Aside from its beneficial mineral content, water also has enough taste to be paired with food, like wine is, he said. “Try light carbonated water with fried chicken, just as a quick way to find out how water can be paired with food. It will ta

IndustryApril 1, 2020

The impact of the novel coronavirus on the film industry may continue into early next year, as films not only postpone imminent releases, but suspend shootings and push back entire production schedules. Filming of blockbuster aviation disaster flick “Emergency Declaration,” originally scheduled to start last month, has been postponed, according to the film’s distributor and investor Showbox. “As the film is set inside a plane, it’s a big project in itself and req

FilmApril 1, 2020

Ediya Coffee Chairman Moon Chang-ki (far right) turns on a roasting machine at Ediya Dream Factory in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, on Tuesday. The factory that spans 12,982 square meters, with 40 billion won investment, is equipped with new coffee roasting technologies.  Ediya, which has 3,000 franchisees nationwide, said with the opening of the roasting factory and a logistics facility, it has automated all four processes of selecting, roasting and packaging coffee products. (herim@he

ConsumerApril 1, 2020

The Cultural Heritage Administration on Wednesday announced that it had applied for the addition of Talchum, Mask Dance Drama in the Republic of Korea to the list of UNESCO intangible cultural heritage on Tuesday. The decision on the listing will be made in December 2022, after UNESCO reviews and evaluates the application’s technical completeness and the value of the heritage. Talchum is a performing art that encompasses dance, music, and theater. There are 18 different kinds of Kor

CultureApril 1, 2020

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki on Wednesday announced that the government would exempt cinemas from paying into the movie development fund to help theaters weather the impact of COVID-19. The exemption will apply retroactively from February. The government expects the total amount that will be exempted to reach 54 billion won ($44.28 million), the average amount collected annually as movie development fund since 2016. Under the law, movie theaters are required to cont

FilmApril 1, 2020

Major South Korean companies saw their operating profit fall to half in 2019 on-year and have cut their investments by more than 10 percent, amid the worsening global economic crisis, according to a local corporate tracker Wednesday. CEOScore analyzed the financial records of 358 affiliates of Korea’s conglomerates -- with more than 10 trillion won ($8.2 billion) in assets -- submitted to the Financial Supervisory Service. Booyoung Group, GM Korea and Jungheung Construction were exclud

IndustryApril 1, 2020

South Korea -- with its high-speed internet infrastructure and people quick to learn new technologies -- may seem like it is better prepared than any other country to herald in a new era of e-learning. 　 But, when the government announced that schools, ready or not, have to go online due to the coronavirus pandemic, many students and teachers were clueless what to expect. 　 “I just don’t have an idea how online classes will go,” Park Kyung-ah, a mother of two, said. “

Social AffairsApril 1, 2020

Hana Bank said Wednesday that it has selected Korean actor Kim Soo-hyun as its new model for TV commercials. “Kim Soo-hyun embodies the bank’s global image,” said an official. “His strong public impression will boost our public relations move for overseas branches in Southeast Asian countries.” Kim previously modeled for Hana Financial Group in 2014. He will star in the bank’s new TV commercial for Hana 1Q Bank, a mobile banking application.  The b

MarketApril 1, 2020

A South Korean government-chartered plane with 309 citizens on board returned from coronavirus-hit Italy on Wednesday, amid the worsening virus outbreak in the European country. The Korean Air flight from Milan landed at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, at about 2:30 p.m. It was the first of the two flights the government has sent to airlift citizens stranded in Italy, a country under nationwide lockdown due to the virus spread. The second plane is set to depart from Rome after a

Foreign AffairsApril 1, 2020

South Korea’s top fiscal chief proposed more currency swap deals at a key G-20 meeting to help tackle the impending global economic recession, the Ministry of Economy and Finance said Wednesday. Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki’s remarks were made during a virtual meeting of the G-20 finance ministers and central bank governors on Tuesday. According to the ministry, Hong also stressed the need for reforms of the International Monetary Fund framework to

EconomyApril 1, 2020

Hyundai Capital said Wednesday that assets of its global offices surpassed 50 trillion won ($40.9 billion) in value for the first time since it launched its first overseas branch in the US in 1989. The Seoul-headquartered auto financier said its global branches owned 50.8 trillion won of financial assets last year, double that of the domestic market. Hyundai Capital’s global branches also posted a record pretax income of 766.3 billion won. “The company’s standardized busin

MarketApril 1, 2020

South Korean stocks sank 4 percent Wednesday as foreign investors continued to sell local shares on fears of the economic fallout from the new coronavirus outbreak. The local currency dropped sharply against the US greenback. After a choppy session, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) plunged 69.18 points, or 3.94 percent, to close at 1,685.46. Trading volume was high at 123 million shares worth some 11.9 trillion won ($9.67 billion), with losers outnumbering gainers 574 t

MarketApril 1, 2020

South Korea has deported two North Korean fishermen accused of killing 16 crew members in November, after concluding that their intentions to defect were disingenuous, according to local news reports Wednesday. 　 The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said the South Korean government had responded to letter sent by UN special rapporteur for North Korea’s human rights Tomas Ojea Quintana in January to inquire the repatriation of two fishermen to North Korea. 　 Seoul expl

North KoreaApril 1, 2020

Nearly half of Koreans working at the US military in Korea went on indefinite, unpaid leave Wednesday, taken hostage by drawn-out negotiations between Korea and the US on how to share costs for the upkeep of 28,500 American troops here. “Today, approximately half of the USFK Korean national employee workforce has been furloughed due to a lapse in the Special Measures Agreement,” Gen. Robert Abrams, commander of the US military in Korea, said, referring to the cost-sharing deal the a

DefenseApril 1, 2020

Despite growing fatigue among citizens over a prolonged social distancing campaign, South Korea needs to further extend its nationwide drive, rather than loosening it up, as there are still risks from new cases steadily popping up, the country's health authorities said Wednesday. The country launched a strict, two-week-long social distancing drive on March 22 urging people to keep a safe distance from each other by putting off all meetings, avoiding crowds and working from home to minimize con

Social AffairsApril 1, 2020

South Korea on Wednesday implemented a 14-day mandatory isolation procedure for all visitors from abroad, stepping up efforts to limit the influx of novel coronavirus infections. From midnight Tuesday, Koreans and foreign nationals arriving from aoverseas are required to enter 14 days isolation at home or in government facilities regardless of having symptoms linked to COVID-19. Those staying in government facilities are required to cover the daily cost of about 100,000 won ($81). While the

Social AffairsApril 1, 2020

Seoul and nearby Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, were placed on heightened alert for a potential spike in COVID-19 infections, as a string of new virus cases were identified at large hospitals there. The key concern is Uijeongbu St. Mary’s Hospital, with nearly 2,500 staff members and inpatients, where more than 10 people tied to the hospital tested positive over the course of three days. The institution, closed until Friday, has been testing the entirety of its staff and patients for t

Social AffairsApril 1, 2020

Herald Corp. said Wednesday it had reappointed Kwon Chung-won as its chief executive officer and publisher. The decision to extend Kwon’s tenure was finalized at the annual shareholders meeting Tuesday. The incumbent CEO Kwon has been leading Herald Corp., which publishes The Korea Herald and its sister paper The Herald Business, since March 2017, when he took the helm of the company. Kwon initially joined the Korea Economic Research Institute in 1985 and later moved to The Herald Bu

Social AffairsApril 1, 2020