Cherry Bullet returns with charismatic ‘Hands Up’

Cherry Bullet has changed tack this year with its charismatic new single “Hands Up.” The rookie’s first release in nine months, “Hands Up” marks a dramatic shift from the act’s past bubbly image, featuring the girls as fierce dancers taking over the stage. The high-energy trap dance track was inspired by “Fur Elise” by Ludwig van Beethoven, with the classic’s iconic main tune running throughout the song.   The song puts forth a mess

K-popFeb. 12, 2020

Despite coronavirus concerns, tech aficionados gather at Samsung Unpacked

SAN FRANCISCO -- Around 3,000 industry officials and tech aficionados including some famous Twitterians gathered at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco on Tuesday for the unveiling of the Galaxy Z Flip and Galaxy S20 lineup, despite persisting fears over the novel coronavirus outbreak. Some attendees at the Galaxy Unpacked 2020 event were spotted with masks on throughout the hourlong show, being aware of the continuously spreading virus across the world, particularly in the Asian region,

TechnologyFeb. 12, 2020

ICT exports down for 15th consecutive month in Jan.

SEJONG -- South Korean exports of information and communication technology products dropped for the 15th straight month in January due to sluggish shipments of chips, displays, and mobile devices, data showed Wednesday. Outbound shipments of related goods moved down 7.2 percent on-year to reach $13.4 billion last month, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Science and ICT. Asia's No.-4 economy imported $8.82 billion worth of ICT products in January, resulting in a trade surplus

EconomyFeb. 12, 2020

[Newsmaker] Hands-on: What you can do with Galaxy Z Flip when folded

SAN FRANCISCO -- There are more things that can be done on a tiny 1.1-inch display on the cover of Samsung Electronics’ palm-sized foldable Galaxy Z Flip than many would have thought, which maximizes both fun and convenient elements of the brand new mobile form factor. The Korea Herald got a chance to check out the new flip-type foldable gadget at the Galaxy Unpacked 2020 held in San Francisco on Tuesday. The tech giant highlighted that its foldable device can now be folded into a sma

TechnologyFeb. 12, 2020

Sales of toys, functional foods jump on coronavirus

Sales of toys and functional foods are surging in South Korea as children stay home longer and people pay more attention to their health due to a prolonged new coronavirus scare, industry sources said Wednesday. Online shopping site Auction said its sales of toys for toddlers and children skyrocketed from a year earlier in the seven-day period to Sunday. Sales of slides and other large toys nearly tripled over the cited period, and shipments of multi-function play sets, which combine a slide

IndustryFeb. 12, 2020

GSOMIA still 'viable option' for S. Korea: Cheong Wa Dae

Maintaining South Korea's agreement with Japan on exchanging military information is a "viable option" depending on the neighboring country's attitude on its export control against Seoul, a Cheong Wa Dae official said Wednesday. The official was responding to a news report that the office of President Moon Jae-in is pushing for the scrapping of the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) amid no meaningful progress in related consultations between the two sides.

Foreign AffairsFeb. 12, 2020

Number of S. Korea's virus cases unchanged at 28; 3 more patients to be released

South Korea said Wednesday three more patients with the novel coronavirus, dubbed COVID-19, will be released from quarantine, in addition to four previous discharges cases, out of a total of 28 confirmed cases. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said the country's third, eighth, 17th virus-infected patients will be released from quarantine later in the day after full recovery. Four other patients were previously discharged from hospitals after testing negative for th

Social AffairsFeb. 12, 2020

Hyundai joins hands with startup Canoo on electric vehicles

South Korean auto giant Hyundai Motor Group said Wednesday it has signed a deal with US electric vehicle startup Canoo to develop an electric vehicle platform for its upcoming models. Hyundai said it expects the new platform using Canoo's scalable skateboard architecture to allow for a simplified and standardized development process, which in turn would lower the prices of vehicles made by its two flagship units -- Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Motors Corp. Canoo's proprietary skateboard architec

MobilityFeb. 12, 2020

BTS extends record-breaking dominance of Billboard Social 50 chart

BTS topped the Billboard Social 50 chart again this week, extending its record-breaking dominance of the chart. Coming atop the Social 50 chart for Feb. 15, BTS marked its 135th consecutive week on top of the chart and its 165th Social 50 No. 1.  A week earlier, BTS became the act with the most No. 1 rankings on the chart, beating pop icon Justin Bieber, who topped it 163 times. The Social 50 chart ranks the most popular artists on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Wikipedia,

K-popFeb. 12, 2020

Trump open to summit with Kim if it produces deal: O'Brien

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump is open to having another summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un but only if it will lead to a nuclear deal, his national security adviser said Tuesday. Robert O'Brien told an audience at the Atlantic Council think tank that the president has been clear about that and will act independently of any political considerations. O'Brien spoke a day after CNN reported that Trump has told his advisers he does not want another summit with Kim before the Nov

North KoreaFeb. 12, 2020

GM Korea to partially halt assembly line over parts shortages

GM Korea Co., the South Korean unit of General Motors Co., said Wednesday that it will temporarily suspend one of three domestic car assembly plants due to shortages of Chinese parts amid the spreading coronavirus outbreak. GM Korea is set to close its main Bupyeong plant in Incheon, just west of Seoul, on Feb. 17 and 18 due to shortages of Chinese parts, including wiring harnesses, a key component for a variety of models, a company official said. The move would disrupt the production of the

MobilityFeb. 12, 2020

China virus death toll reaches 1,110: govt.

BEIJING (AFP) -- The number of fatalities from China's new coronavirus epidemic jumped to 1,110 nationwide on Wednesday after hard-hit Hubei province reported 94 new deaths. In its daily update, Hubei's health commission also confirmed another 1,638 new cases in the central province, where the outbreak emerged in December. There are now more than 44,200 confirmed cases across China, based on previously released figures from the government. The new virus is believed to have emerged last year

World NewsFeb. 12, 2020

39 more on board Japan cruise ship have new coronavirus: minister

TOKYO (AFP) -- An additional 39 people on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship off the Japan coast have tested positive for the new coronavirus, Japanese Health Minister Katsunobu Kato said Wednesday, bringing the total to 174. "Out of 53 new test results, 39 people were found positive," he told reporters, adding that a quarantine official had also been infected with the virus. He added that: "At this point, we have confirmed that four people, among those who are hospitalised

World NewsFeb. 12, 2020

Trump under fire for intervening in Roger Stone case

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- US President Donald Trump faced fresh accusations of abuse of power Tuesday after the Justice Department moved to override its own prosecutors who are seeking a stiff sentence of seven to nine years for Republican political operative Roger Stone. In new turmoil for the administration, the four prosecutors who tried the Stone case resigned as the Justice Department suggested a new sentence of less than half of what was originally recommended. The proposed reduction appeared

World NewsFeb. 12, 2020

Trump plans to name No. 2 NK envoy as representative to UN

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump plans to nominate the No. 2 US envoy for North Korea as a representative to the United Nations, the White House said Tuesday. Alex Wong, currently the deputy US special representative for North Korea, has been tapped to serve as the US alternative representative for special political affairs at the global body, with the rank of ambassador, the White House said in a press release. The planned nomination adds to uncertainty about the future of denucleariz

Foreign AffairsFeb. 12, 2020

Korea's 3rd evacuation plane arrives from Wuhan, 5 showing symptoms

South Korea's third evacuation flight from the coronavirus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan arrived back in Seoul on Wednesday, carrying about 140 of its citizens, their Chinese spouses and family members, with five of them showing symptoms of the coronavirus. The chartered plane landed at Gimpo International Airport in western Seoul at 6:23 a.m. The passengers with the symptoms were sent to a hospital for additional medical checks and treatment. The evacuation mission came less than a fortnight aft

Social AffairsFeb. 12, 2020

Unpacked: Samsung brings 5G, AI, foldable to 2020 Galaxy lineup

SAN FRANCISCO -- Samsung Electronics has reset the tone for the upcoming decade in the mobile world with catchphrases “5G, AI and foldable” by unveiling an enhanced Galaxy S smartphone lineup and a new foldable form factor in San Francisco on Tuesday. At the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2020 event held at the Palace Fine Arts in the city, the South Korean tech titan introduced the global audience comprising 3,000 industry officials and tech aficionados to its vision for the upcoming dec

TechnologyFeb. 12, 2020

Look into new techs, features in Galaxy S20, Galaxy Z Flip

SAN FRANCISCO -- By unveiling the Galaxy S20 series and Galaxy Z Flip foldable smartphone, Samsung has introduced some fresh technologies and features that could possibly be benchmarked by competitors. The flagship Galaxy S20 series boasts the enhanced camera system among others. The Galaxy S20 introduces an entirely new camera system -- powered by AI and with the biggest image sensor yet -- to bring out the best in every image and every moment.  With larger image sensors available

TechnologyFeb. 12, 2020

Galaxy Buds+ lasts 11 hours on single charge

Samsung Electronics on Tuesday announced the launch of its upgraded wireless earphones Galaxy Buds+ armed with woofer sound and clearer mic function, with battery that can last for 11 hours on a single charge. Galaxy Buds+ is also the first set of wireless earphones from Samsung that is compatible with iOS, posing a competition to Apple’s latest AirPods Pro. Galaxy Buds+ is equipped with dynamic two-way speaker and three microphones for deeper sound and clearer voice calls, the firm expl

IndustryFeb. 12, 2020

Thailand yields to virus fears, bars docking of cruise ship

Thai health authorities have barred a cruise ship from docking that has already been turned away by the Philippines, Taiwan and Japan out of concern over a new virus, although no cases have been confirmed on board.    The chief of the Department of Disease Control, Suwanchai Wattanayingcharoenchai, said Tuesday that the Public Health Ministry had rejected a request from the crew of the MS Westerdam to dock at Laem Chabang in eastern Thailand.    Prime Minister Prayuth Chano

World NewsFeb. 11, 2020