Navy chief to visit unit dispatched to Strait of Hormuz

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Sim Seung-seob will embark on a trip to Oman and Thailand next week and visit an anti-piracy unit deployed to the Strait of Hormuz, the Navy said Friday. The six-day visit, which will kick off Sunday, is aimed at boosting maritime security cooperation with the two countries and supporting South Korea's broader pitch to expand exchanges with Southeast Asia, it said. During his stay in Oman, Sim will visit the 4,400-ton destroyer Wang Geon of the 300-strong Cheon

DefenseFeb. 14, 2020

Moon to receive economic policy reports from ministries next week

President Moon Jae-in will be briefed next week on key economic policies for 2020 by four relevant ministries as part of his renewed focus on revitalizing South Korea's economy amid nascent signs of the coronavirus epidemic subsiding in the nation, his office said Friday. Moon has put state affairs on an emergency footing since the confirmation of people here infected with the virus late last month. He adjusted some public schedules, including the postponement of a series of new year policy br

PoliticsFeb. 14, 2020

Korean Air unionized workers warn against KCGI-Cho Hyun-ah coalition

Korean Air’s unionized workers on Friday warned against a coalition comprising a Korean Air heiress and activist fund Korea Corporate Governance Improvement.  In an apparent scheme to oust incumbent Chairman Cho Won-tae, former Korean Air Vice President Cho Hyun-ah and Hanjin Group’s largest and third-largest shareholders -- KCGI and Bando Construction -- said Thursday they are proposing eight figures, including former SK Group Vice Chairman Kim Shin-bae, as candidates for boar

MobilityFeb. 14, 2020

S. Korea’s export prices drop in January

South Korea saw its export prices fall on-year in January, mainly due to the strengthening of the Korean won against the US dollar, central bank data showed Friday. The export prices index in terms of Korean won came to 96.59 last month, according to preliminary data released by the Bank of Korea. The figure was down 0.8 percentage point from a month earlier and down 2.8 percent from a year earlier. “The export price index prolonged an on-month downturn but the pace of the decrease sl

EconomyFeb. 14, 2020

Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip flies off shelves on first day

Samsung Electronics’ foldable phone Galaxy Z Flip went on sale online and offline in Korea on Friday, with some online vendors selling out within 30 minutes. It started taking preorders for its new flagship smartphone series Galaxy S20 the same day. The Galaxy Z Flip is available at Samsung’s official website and branches of major mobile carriers SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus. Earlier in the day, LG Uplus said Z Flip models sold out 30 minutes after launching Friday. In the fir

IndustryFeb. 14, 2020

BOK chief says will maintain ample liquidity

The head of South Korea's central bank said Friday the country will continue to maintain ample liquidity to help minimize the fallout from the outbreak of the new coronavirus amid growing market expectations for a rate cut down the road. "I believe now is the time when we need everyone's efforts to minimize the impact of this crisis," Bank of Korea (BOK) Gov. Lee Ju-yeol told a Seoul meeting hosted by Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki to review the impact of the outbreak. "To this e

EconomyFeb. 14, 2020

Bong Joon-ho's detailed directing works behind the scene

Even before Bong Joon-ho grabbed four Oscars, including best picture and best director, for his black comedy masterpiece "Parasite," the South Korean auteur was not a new kid on the block. With seven features on his directorial career, including "Parasite," he has earned a nickname of "Bongtail" at home and abroad, a combination of his family name and the English word "detail." Even though he mentioned several times in interviews that he does not like t

FilmFeb. 14, 2020

KLM apologizes after being accused of coronavirus racism

The Netherlands’ flag carrier KLM Royal Dutch Airlines apologized Friday for banning South Koreans from using a restroom on a plane amid coronavirus concerns.  According to a Korean passenger onboard the KLM 855 flight bound for Incheon from Amsterdam on Monday, a hand-written note that read “cabin crew exclusive restroom” in Korean was posted on the door of a restroom. Koreans made up 135 out of 279 passengers on the plane.  When a passenger asked why the note wa

MobilityFeb. 14, 2020

'Parasite' soundtrack album shares an Oscar bump

While the South Korean film "Parasite"'s historic Oscar triumph gives the film a bump at international box offices, its soundtrack album is also benefiting from the boost. Streaming of the "Parasite" album skyrocketed 11 fold on Monday on local online streaming service Genie Music, compared with the previous day, according to Genie. On Sunday (US time), the satirical thriller became the first non-English language film to take best picture, the main award, in the Academy's

FilmFeb. 14, 2020

S. Korea to spare no efforts to minimize economic impact of coronavirus

South Korea will spare no efforts to minimize the economic fallout of the new coronavirus and draw up additional measures to support an economic recovery, Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said Friday. Hong made the remarks in a meeting with Bank of Korea Gov. Lee Ju-yeol on Friday to discuss how to cope with the economic impact of the virus, which was recently named COVID-19. Hong also urged people to carry out "normal economic activities," saying private consumption was hit by the spr

EconomyFeb. 14, 2020

Japan to begin moving some off quarantined cruise ship

YOKOHAMA (AFP) - Japanese authorities were preparing Friday to move some older passengers who test negative for new coronavirus off a quarantined cruise ship and into government-designated lodging. The move comes a day after the number of infections diagnosed on the Diamond Princess rose to 218, with fears growing for the health of some of the several hundred people on the ship aged 80 or over. Health Minister Katsunobu Kato told reporters that the first passengers who want to leave the ship

WorldFeb. 14, 2020

[Newsmaker] Actor suspected of propofol abuse

Prosecutors are looking into about 10 people suspected of drug abuse, including a famous actor, a chaebol scion, an entertainment agency CEO and a well-known fashion designer, SBS reported Thursday. Those suspected allegedly got habitual propofol injections for non-medical purposes over the past several years at a plastic surgery clinic in Seoul’s Gangnam, the broadcaster said.　 The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety requested for an investigation, as the clinic used excessive amounts of

Social AffairsFeb. 14, 2020

Top aide of Samsung heir quizzed over 2015 merger of key affiliates

One of Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong's most trusted aides was questioned by prosecutors Friday about suspicions surrounding the top conglomerate's controversial merger of two leading affiliates in 2015. Chung Hyun-ho, president of Samsung Electronics' business support task force, was called in by the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office in the morning to face questioning about the Samsung management's decision-making process in the merger of Samsung C&T Corp. and Cheil Industries Inc. fiv

Social AffairsFeb. 14, 2020

Rival IPTV operators join hands for TV advertisement solutions

Two rival internet protocol television (IPTV) operators in South Korea said Friday they have joined hands to develop advanced TV advertisement solutions. KT Corp. and SK Broadband Co. said they agreed to collaborate in the field of addressable TV advertising technologies that can help advertisers to selectively segment TV audiences and send different ads based on viewer data. Under the deal, the two sides will work on standardization of such technologies and develop business models sharing

IndustryFeb. 14, 2020

N. Korea likely to mark late leader's birthday with usual commemorative events

North Korea is expected to mark the upcoming birthday of late leader Kim Jong-il with the usual commemorative events rather than holding any special celebrations, the unification ministry said Friday. Sunday marks the 78th birthday of the late leader and father of current leader Kim Jong-un. It is one of the country's biggest national holidays, as well as the birthday of Kim Il-sung, the North's late founding leader and grandfather of the current leader. "North Korea is likely to hold ce

North KoreaFeb. 14, 2020

PM says no complacency yet over coronavirus in S. Korea

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Friday his government is coping with the coronavirus pandemic relatively well but it's too early to be complacent. He cited "several risk factors" still in place as a number of Chinese workers and students are returning to South Korea in the wake of the Chinese New Year holidays and winter vacation. "Although there was great anxiety in the early stage of the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus, (we) now have a belief that it's being well managed wi

PoliticsFeb. 14, 2020

Auto exports down for 6th month on strike, fewer working days

South Korea's exports of cars nose-dived 28.1 percent on-year in January, extending their slump for the sixth consecutive month due to a strike by Kia Motors Corp. and fewer working days, data showed Friday. South Korean carmakers shipped 150,974 units of cars overseas last month, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. In terms of value, auto exports also fell 22.2 percent over the period to $2.85 billion. The country's outbound shipments of cars have be

MobilityFeb. 14, 2020

S. Korea, Japan to hold FM talks, trilateral meeting with US in Munich

The top diplomats of South Korea and Japan will hold bilateral talks and a tripartite meeting with their US counterpart on the margins of a security conference in Munich, Germany, this week, Seoul's foreign ministry said Friday. Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha is set to meet bilaterally with her Japanese counterpart, Toshimitsu Motegi, on Saturday morning (Munich time) on the sidelines of the annual three-day Munich Security Conference, which will run through Sunday. On the same day, they als

Foreign AffairsFeb. 14, 2020

Seoul suspends more than 81,000 visas issued in China's Wuhan

Seoul has temporarily suspended more than 81,000 visas issued by the South Korean Consulate General in Wuhan, central China, since Feb. 4, when an entry ban for non-Korean travelers from the epicenter of the new coronavirus and its surrounding Hubei Province took effect, the Ministry of Justice said Friday. The suspension was announced by the Seoul government early this month, together with the unprecedented entry ban for all foreigners traveling from Hubei, as part of its efforts to stem the

PoliticsFeb. 14, 2020

US: S. Korea's possible funding for its THAAD base on Korean soil 'addressed'

WASHINGTON/SEOUL -- South Korea's possible funding of the construction of a US base on Korean soil for the THAAD missile defense system has been "addressed," a US budget proposal has shown, which could run counter to the allies' agreement on the issue. According to the fiscal year 2021 budget proposal of the Department of the Army dated Feb. 3, 2020, the US earmarked $49 million for the development of the South's Seongju area, where its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) bat

DefenseFeb. 14, 2020