iKON to release 1st album since leader B.I's departure last year

K-pop boy band iKON will return to the music scene with a new album, "i DECIDE," next week. The new album, set for official release on Feb. 6, is iKON's third EP and its first release since band leader B.I left in June last year over drug-related allegations, according to the band's management agency, YG Entertainment. B.I's departure reconfigured iKON as a six-member boy band. The new album contains tracks created by the former leader, including "Dive." YG said it ch

K-popJan. 30, 2020

[David Fickling] Small weapons are the most potent in virus fight

How do you turn a disease outbreak into an epidemic? The best way might be to mix infected people with the healthy for long periods in crowded conditions, and then move them around to new locations. That’s worrying, because that more or less describes the situation of many people at the center of China’s coronavirus outbreak. Yang Zhongyi, a 53-year-old woman in Wuhan with feverish symptoms, has been unable to get full-time admission to hospitals or testing in the city for two week

ViewpointsJan. 30, 2020

[Jean Pisani-Ferry] Explaining triumph of Trump’s economic recklessness

Since he was elected US president, Donald Trump has done almost everything standard economic wisdom regards as heresy. He has erected trade barriers and stoked uncertainty with threats of further tariffs. He has blackmailed private businesses. He has eased prudential standards for banks. He has time and again attacked the Federal Reserve for policy not to his liking. He increased the budget deficit even as the economy was nearing full capacity. On a policymaker’s “Don’t Do&rdqu

ViewpointsJan. 30, 2020

LG posts record W62.3tr revenue in 2019

LG Electronics posted a record revenue of 62.3 trillion won in 2019, as the home appliances division spurt past the 20 trillion won milestone, according to its earnings report Thursday. In the fourth quarter alone, the company notched 16.6 trillion won in revenue and 101.9 billion won operating profit, up 1.8 percent and 34.5 percent on-year, respectively. At the same time, the company suffered quarterly net loss of 87.8 percent due to subsidiary LG Display’s flat performance, turning

IndustryJan. 30, 2020

[Herald Interview] Father-daughter team has eyes on ‘Korean minimalism’

Eyeglasses are more than a fashion accessory, being a necessity for those who need their vision corrected. Designer Yun Ji-yoon, who formerly worked at a fashion firm, fell in love with the practicality of eyeglasses. She joined hands with her father Yun Chul-joo -- who has been in the eyewear business for around 30 years -- to launch eyewear brand Yun, naming the brand after the family name. The Yun family all pitched in the business, and launched the label’s first shop in Berlin in

Arts & DesignJan. 30, 2020

Moon’s former chief of staff questioned; claims probe politically motivated

A former chief of staff to President Moon Jae-in accused the prosecutors investigating him and several other former and incumbent presidential secretaries of doing so with a “clear purpose” other than justice. Im Jong-seok, who served as the Cheong Wa Dae chief of staff from 2017-2019, made the remarks Thursday, before he faced a prosecutorial interrogation over his alleged role in a mayoral election-meddling scandal. “The prosecution should exercise its authority in a mo

Social AffairsJan. 30, 2020

Ahn’s ‘new politics’ mantra getting old

Former presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo is leaving the political party he co-founded two years ago to embark on a quest, once again, for “new politics.” In doing so, the entrepreneur-turned-centrist-politician seeks to revive his political fortunes in the April parliamentary elections and attract moderate voters who have grown disillusioned with the endless partisan battle of liberals and conservatives.   French President Emmanuel Macron appears to be his role mod

PoliticsJan. 30, 2020

Hyundai Mobis’ 2019 sales, operating profit inch up

Hyundai Motor Group’s key affiliate Hyundai Mobis said Thursday that its operating profit hit 2.35 trillion won ($1.9 billion) last year, up 16.5 percent year-on-year, according to the auto parts maker’s regulatory filing.  The company’s sales inched up by 8.2 percent to 38.48 trillion won over the same period, while its net profit recorded 2.29 trillion won, up 21.5 percent on-year.  Hyundai Mobis attributed last year’s improved performance to expanded sales

MobilityJan. 30, 2020

[Brief] Jeju likely to suspend visa-free entry for Chinese

Jeju Island is considering suspending a visa-free entry program for Chinese visitors in a bid to prevent the inflow of those infected with the deadly coronavirus virus, the provincial government said Thursday. The government is discussing with the Ministry of Justice on imposing a temporary halt to the system that permits foreigners to stay on the island for 30 days without visa. “We are exchanging opinions such as measures to minimize the suspension period for Chinese visitors due t

Social AffairsJan. 30, 2020

[Newsmaker] Asan, Jincheon residents continue to protest accommodating evacuees from Wuhan

Residents of Asan and Jincheon continued on Thursday to protest the government’s plan to use facilities in their towns to quarantine some 700 Korean evacuees from the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus outbreak. The evacuees -- first batch scheduled to be flown out of Wuhan Thursday night -- will be housed at a public officials training center in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, and a police training center in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province, for monito

Social AffairsJan. 30, 2020

Bando E&C begins apartment project in central LA

Bando Engineering & Construction said Thursday that it had started the construction of a mixed-use apartment building in Los Angeles, the company’s first overseas project in nine years. According to the company the Bora 3170 will be an eight-floor building with one floor below ground, about 10 minutes from downtown LA in the Korea Town neighborhood. It is the second overseas project for Bando E&C, which built the Ubora Towers in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in 2011. Led by C

IndustryJan. 30, 2020

Moon asks for calm, vows air-tight quarantine

President Moon Jae-in on Thursday asked for public trust in the government’s efforts to contain the new coronavirus, pledging secure management of facilities housing Koreans returning from China’s Wuhan, the epicenter of the virus outbreak. Speaking at a meeting to assess the government’s response to the coronavirus outbreak, which included an evacuation plan of South Korean nationals from the Chinese city, Moon called on ministries to deal sternly with “fake news&rdqu

Social AffairsJan. 30, 2020

Amnesty International urges Korea to take action on LGBT rights

Amnesty International on Thursday expressed concerns about the rights of sexual minorities in South Korea in its yearly human rights report, calling on the government and parliament to improve the situation.  In a review of human rights in the Asia-Pacific region, released Thursday, the human rights organization hailed the Constitutional Court’s 2019 decision ruling the country’s abortion ban unconstitutional as a “historic step” for women’s rights. It also r

Social AffairsJan. 30, 2020

[Serendipity] Still perplexed after all these years

In October 2005, I visited Pyongyang and Myohyangsan with a small group of South Korean travel journalists. This was the time of the Roh Moo-hyun administration when there were robust inter-Korean exchanges. A year earlier, I had traveled to the Kumgangsan resort and attended the groundbreaking ceremony for a South Korean company-invested 18-hole golf course. I also visited Singyesa Temple, where a South Korea-led project to restore the Silla-period Buddhist temple had just commenced. Writing

ViewpointsJan. 30, 2020

[Weekender] Does screen-free parenting work?

Annie Jeong has always been concerned about her 3-year-old son’s exposure to digital devices. She became more worried recently after learning about the rise of screen-free parenting. But such a scheme is a tall order, she said. With digital-driven education permeating classrooms across South Korea, the use of digital devices and software has become a necessity for the future generation. “I’m worried that my kid might be in trouble in the future if he grows up tech-free,&rd

CultureJan. 30, 2020

Chin Un-suk wins Leonie Sonning Music Prize 2021

Composer Chin Un-suk, 58, has been named the winner of Leonie Sonning Music Prize 2021. The Leonie Sonning Music Prize is awarded every year to an internationally recognized composer, instrumentalist, conductor or singer. Chin is the first Asian to receive Denmark’s highest music award since its founding in 1959. Chin will receive 133,000 euros ($146,529), according to the Leonie Sonning Music Foundation. “With music rich in shimmering light effects and endless color play, Chin i

PerformanceJan. 30, 2020

8 NK officials defect, 7 others caught at border: report

Eight North Korean government officials appear to have defected to China earlier this month, while another seven were caught at the border, a US radio station reported Thursday.  　　 　 North Korean authorities carried out an emergency operation Jan. 2 to capture the defectors, flying a team to Samjiyon Airport near the Chinese border to track them down. The use of an airplane, which is rare in defector chases, indicates the severity of the case, the report said.  　 Eight of the 15 of

North KoreaJan. 30, 2020

New Chinese ambassador pledges efforts for 'great' development of S. Korea-China ties

New Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Xing Haiming pledged Thursday to strive hard for the "great" development of relations between the two countries amid their efforts to address lingering tensions over the installation of a US missile defense system here. Xing, a former Chinese ambassador to Mongolia, made the remarks upon arriving in South Korea to fill the ambassadorial post that was left vacant after his predecessor Qiu Guohong left the country late last month after nearly six y

Foreign AffairsJan. 30, 2020

Negative outlook prevails in Korean industry: KIS

The industrial outlook for 2020 is negative for eight of South Korea’s 11 major industries, in part due to the slowing global economy, according to credit rating agency Korea Investors Service on Thursday. Sectors that fell into the “negative industrial outlook” category were construction, steel, distribution, automotive, transportation, petrochemicals, life insurance and non-life insurance. The outlook for refiners, shipbuilders and securities rated neutral, according to t

EconomyJan. 30, 2020