'Big problems' in China response to virus: HRW

Human Rights Watch on Thursday accused China of suppressing criticism of its response to the deadly novel coronavirus and said it had made the outbreak worse. HRW chief Kenneth Roth also criticised the Chinese government's lockdown on various cities in an attempt to contain the virus as a "sledgehammer" approach. "There have been big problems in China's response to the coronavirus that have worsened the outbreak," Roth told reporters in Geneva, although he also said China d

NationalFeb. 6, 2020

Presidential secretary visits US amid impasse in nuclear talks

A presidential secretary recently visited the United States to discuss ways to resume the stalled nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang, sources said Thursday. Choi Jong-kun, Cheong Wa Dae secretary for peace planning, visited the US between last weekend and early this week to meet with US officials, according to sources at the ruling party and the government. The presidential office did not make his trip public. The visit came amid a prolonged deadlock in the nuclear negotiations aft

NationalFeb. 6, 2020

[Meet the diplomat] No changes for the time being: UK envoy

The UK has left the EU as of Jan. 31, but its trade with South Korea will see no major changes, the country’s envoy said Thursday. “My message is that nothing changes … for the time being at least, nothing in the arrangements that set out how trade between Korea and Britain will be done will change because there will be continuity,” British Ambassador Simon Smith said in an interview at the embassy in central Seoul. Korea’s free trade agreement with the European

Diplomatic CircuitFeb. 6, 2020

iKON returns as six-member group

K-pop boy band iKON dropped its third EP “i DECIDE” Thursday, returning to the music scene after a yearlong hiatus. The title of the five-track album shows the sextet’s determination to choose their own path, and has garnered fans’ attention as it sets the direction of iKON’s new identity as a six-piece group. It is their first album since former leader B.I left the team June last year amid drug purchase allegations. His abrupt departure forced the album’

K-popFeb. 6, 2020

[Graphic News] International award-winning Korean films

  　As Korean cinema marked its centennial last year, director Bong Joon-ho’s “Parasite” won the country’s first Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, opening a new chapter in Korean cinema. 　Bong continues to write history, clinching the first Golden Globe for a Korean film. ”Parasite“ also became the　first film to win at the BAFTA Film Awards, winning the best film not in English and best original screenplay. “Parasite” now awaits

CultureFeb. 6, 2020

Kim Yong-min steps down from TV show after over 11,000 people sign online petition

Political pundit Kim Yong-min posted on Facebook on Thursday afternoon that he is stepping down as host of the second season of “Road Dinner,” which was to air its first episode Feb. 16. KBS’ announcement Wednesday that it was replacing the talk show’s three female hosts with Kim and actor Shin Hyun-joon had met with criticism. The first season -- with Park Mi-sun, Yang Hee-eun and Lee Ji-hye as hosts -- received acclaim from viewers for looking at current issues, esp

TelevisionFeb. 6, 2020

Seoul gets tough on profiteering on masks, sanitizers

Complaints about suspected illegal profiteering over face masks are skyrocketing after the government opened channels for civil reports in a bid to stamp out those seeking to reap big profits amid concerns over a new coronavirus. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on Wednesday opened a section in its homepage and blog for submission of cases concerning market cornering and price gouging of face masks and hand sanitizers. To offer greater accessibility, the ministry created 21 hotlines, resp

Social AffairsFeb. 6, 2020

Translation, wings that helped ‘Parasite’ soar free and high

As director Bong Joon-ho captivated the audience abroad with his dark satire “Parasite,” back home the name Darcy Paquet made headlines in local media outlets. Many Koreans were initially surprised that “Parasite” outperformed Bong’s previous films and those by other prominent auteurs, such as Lee Chang-dong and Park Chan-wook, winning the first Palm d’Or for a Korean film. That is, until they heard of “Ram-don,” “Oxford,” and many m

FilmFeb. 6, 2020

[Weekender] Forgotten stories behind Jeongwol Daeboreum traditions

“I crack nuts with my family on Jeongwol Daeboreum. I am not sure why, but I guess the tradition is supposed to shoo away some bad ghosts and bring good luck,” Kang Min-woo, 26, said. “I do know that there are some other Jeongwol Daeboreum traditions, but I do not celebrate them.” Saturday is “Jeongwol Daeboreum” or “Daeboreum,” a traditional holiday marking the first full moon of the Lunar New Year. However, traditions are slowly fading, especia

CultureFeb. 6, 2020

Seoul’s office vacancy hits 10-year low in Q4: JLL Korea

The vacancy rate of Grade A offices in Seoul reached a 10-year low last year as landmark buildings in central business districts welcomed new tenants, global real estate service provider Jones Lang LaSalle said Thursday. The latest quarterly report of JLL Korea showed that the vacancy rate for Grade A offices in the capital city came to 7.7 percent in October-December last year, down 1.9 percentage point on-quarter, marking the lowest since the third quarter in 2010. The key business district

MarketFeb. 6, 2020

New coronavirus cases appear at increasing rate in Korea

South Korea on Thursday saw the highest number of novel coronavirus cases being confirmed in one day, adding to growing fears about an epidemic here. On Thursday, the government coronavirus response team revealed that four individuals -- tagged the 20th to 23rd patients -- have been confirmed, pushing up the total to 23. Meanwhile, another patient has made a full recovery and was set to be released later in the day. The patient set for release Thursday is a 35-year old Chinese national, who

Social AffairsFeb. 6, 2020

[Katherine A. Mason] International overreaction to the coronavirus is more dangerous than the virus itself

In April 2003, I was evacuated from my post teaching English in Guangzhou, China, at the height of the SARS epidemic. I was 23. While transiting in Chicago on my way home to Philadelphia, I called my parents. That’s when they informed me that they were not coming to pick me up. Convinced that I was going to be “patient zero” for an American outbreak of SARS, they told me to take a cab to my sister’s apartment, where they intended to lock me up for 10 days with only a bag

ViewpointsFeb. 6, 2020

Firms protest ministry’s battery defect blame for ESS fires

A joint panel of electric engineering experts at public and private institutions under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy concluded on Thursday that four out of five energy storage systems of Korean battery makers caught fire last year due to defects in the battery cells. The five ESS sites that caught fire last year involved the battery systems built by LG Chem and Samsung SDI across the country. Both companies refuted the ministry panel’s findings immediately. The panel conc

TechnologyFeb. 6, 2020

US serious about nuclear talks with NK: IAEA chief

The US has not given up on the nuclear talks with North Korea, Rafael Mariano Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said Wednesday, referring to his meeting with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo a day earlier. During his two-day visit to the US for the first time since taking office two months ago, the UN nuclear watchdog chief said his agency will undertake a reliable, independent verification process once Washington and Pyongyang reach a deal on denuclearization

North KoreaFeb. 6, 2020

FM stresses Xi Jinping will visit Korea in first half

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said Thursday there was no change in Chinese President Xi Jinping’s plan to visit South Korea in the first half of the year, despite the outbreak of a coronavirus. 　 “Regarding Xi’s visit to Korea, the agreement that it will be in the first half is still valid,” she told reporters during a press conference for local media outlets. “We will communicate closely with China so that major diplomatic events take place as planned.” 　

Foreign AffairsFeb. 6, 2020

Woori Financial chief to remain until further notice

South Korea’s Woori Financial Group on Thursday said its current chief would maintain his role for the time being despite sanctions imposed by financial authorities for misselling of derivatives-linked funds. The announcement came as a result of a preliminary board meeting, on the eve of the regular board meeting scheduled Friday. Woori Financial’s seven board members, including Chairman Sohn Tae-seung, gathered with the goal of releasing a statement conveying the chairman’s

MarketFeb. 6, 2020

Diplomats of S. Korea, Japan hold working-level talks on wartime history, trade

Diplomats of South Korea and Japan held working-level talks in Seoul on Thursday to discuss a protracted row surrounding the issue of Tokyo's wartime forced labor, the foreign ministry said. Kim Jung-han, director-general for Asia and Pacific affairs, met with his Japanese counterpart, Shigeki Takizaki, who arrived in Seoul earlier in the day for the talks. The two last held talks in San Francisco in January. "We will discuss various things between the two countries," Takizaki tol

Foreign AffairsFeb. 6, 2020

[Monitor] How much will new coronavirus hurt exports to China?

With the on-going outbreak of the novel coronavirus (2019n-CoV), concerns have been rising over the impact it will have on the country’s overall exports that have only just begun to show signs of rebounding. Looking back at the Severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak in 2003, the growth in Korea’s overall exports slowed down in the short term but did not hamper the yearly performance. In the whole of 2003, Korea’s exports surged 19.3 percent on-year. By month, the increas

IndustryFeb. 6, 2020

Patients without China links, symptoms catch health officials off guard

Health authorities are updating their screening protocols after a series of novel coronavirus cases here revealed that infection can occur without symptoms, and in patients who have not visited high-risk areas of China. South Korea confirmed four additional cases of the virus Thursday morning, taking the national tally to 23. Three of the four new patients were Koreans with no recent China travel history, and were infected through person-to-person contact. The other patient was a Chinese tou

Social AffairsFeb. 6, 2020