Court to check on Samsung’s fulfillment of compliance rules before sentencing Lee

The Seoul High Court said it will take into account the effectiveness of a new internal compliance committee at Samsung Electronics in its ruling on Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong’s jail term, during the fourth hearing of Lee’s retrial on Friday.  The court said it will designate third-party experts to check on the implementation of compliance rules at Samsung, and only successful results will be considered in its decision on the length of imprisonment for Lee in the bribery case inv

IndustryJan. 17, 2020

Korean Air says new loyalty program reflects global standards

Korean Air, the country’s biggest and national flag carrier, is trying to assuage customers ill at ease about a revised plan for the airline’s loyalty program, saying the latest changes reflect global standards, including reasonable benefits for customers in comparison to foreign carriers, according to the company on Friday. The airliner recently uploaded a notice to its homepage to clarify facts about the revision plan for the loyalty program amid strong backlash from customers, inc

MobilityJan. 17, 2020

‘A nose ring is not weird -- you are not used to it’

Actress Han Ye-seul created a buzz earlier this month when she attended the 34th Golden Disc Awards in western Seoul on Jan. 5. Wearing a colorful floral off-shoulder dress and dark smoky eye makeup, she looked daring and bold, but what caught the eyes of viewers was her nose ring -- an accessory not commonly seen in the relatively conservative entertainment industry here.Her look evoked mixed responses online, drawing both compliments and disapproval.  On Wednesday, she shared with the 620

TelevisionJan. 17, 2020

Hongcheon Ice Fishing Festival faces cold shoulder

HONGCHEON, Gangwon Province -- The opening day of the Hongcheon Ice Fishing Festival on Jan. 10 was marked by tourists pouring out of shuttle buses, clad in thick down jackets and gloves, to find the sun beaming down on an unfrozen river.The river is usually completely frozen over by this time in January, offering punters the chance to catch local trout from holes drilled into the river. But not a sliver of ice was to be found on the opening day of the festival, which last year welcomed approxim

TravelJan. 17, 2020

Ex-Semo chairman's family ordered to pay 70% of state expenses on Sewol ferry disaster

Three children of a former chairman of Semo Group, which was involved in the operation of the Sewol ferry that sank off South Korea's southwestern coast in 2014, were ordered by a local court Friday to cover 70 percent of the state funds spent to deal with the ferry sinking.The Seoul Central District Court ordered former Semo Group Chairman Yoo Byung-eun's three children -- 53-year-old daughter Yoo Sum-na, 51-year-old daughter Yoo Sang-na and 47-year-old son Yoo Hyuk-ki -- to pay a total of 170

PoliticsJan. 17, 2020

Cho Kuk indicted for alleged power abuse

The prosecution on Friday filed charges against former Justice Minister Cho Kuk in connection with allegations that he abused his power to suspend an inquiry into a former Busan vice mayor. The Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors’ Office charged Cho with abuse of power without physically detaining him, three weeks after the prosecution’s request for a warrant to arrest him was rejected by a local court.Prosecutors accused Cho of abusing his power in 2017, as then-presidential secretar

Social AffairsJan. 17, 2020

[Newsmaker] Main opposition lawmaker found not guilty in daughter’s hiring scandal

A Seoul court on Friday cleared main opposition lawmaker Kim Sung-tae of bribery charges, clearing a hurdle for him to run in the upcoming April 15 general elections. The Seoul Southern District Court found Rep. Kim Sung-tae of the Liberty Korea Party not guilty of receiving bribes from Lee Suk-chae, former chief of telecom firm KT. Lee was also cleared of offering bribes to Kim. Based on testimony from former KT President Seo Yu-yeol, prosecutors indicted Lee for inappropriately asking Lee

Social AffairsJan. 17, 2020

Nat'l training center opens for Olympic year

South Korea's largest training facility for amateur athletes officially opened for 2020 on Friday, with hundreds of athletes and officials attending a ceremony to mark the beginning of the Olympic year.The Korean Sport and Olympic Committee hosted the ceremony at the Jincheon National Training Center in Jincheon, 90 kilometers south of Seoul, with 480 athletes and their coaches on hand."Now that we're all preparing for the Tokyo Olympics, I can see the passion and determination written all

Olympic GamesJan. 17, 2020

US State Dept. says it supports inter-Korean cooperation

The US State Department said it supports inter-Korean cooperation, Voice of America reported Friday.　“The United States supports inter-Korean cooperation and coordinates with our ROK ally to ensure inter-Korean cooperation proceeds in lockstep with progress on denuclearization,” an official at the State Department spokesperson’s office said, when asked to comment on recent remarks by the South Korean foreign minister, according to the US broadcaster.Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-

North KoreaJan. 17, 2020

Mahindra set to inject W230b into SsangYong Motor: sources

Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. looks set to inject fresh cash into its cash-strapped South Korean unit SsangYong Motor Co. in a move to seek help from SsangYong's main creditor bank, industry sources said Friday. Mahindra & Mahindra Managing Director Pawan Goenka said the Indian carmaker will make a 230 billion-won ($198 million) investment after obtaining approval from its board during his meetings with SsangYong's labor union and Lee Dong-gull, chairman of the state-run Korea Development Ban

MobilityJan. 17, 2020

S. Korea lowers travel alert level for Hong Kong

South Korea on Friday lowered its travel alert level for Hong Kong, the foreign ministry said, amid signs of stability in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory plagued by clashes between pro-democracy protesters and police.The ministry downgraded the alert level to "caution," the lowest of the four-tier warning system. In November last year, it raised the level by one notch to "restraint" due to increasingly violent confrontation between the two sides."In line with this

Foreign AffairsJan. 17, 2020

Moon to have dinner with ruling party officials

President Moon Jae-in has invited senior ruling party officials to a dinner with him at Cheong Wa Dae on Friday to thank them for the passage of several key reform bills, his aides said.The meeting will be joined by Rep. Lee In-young, floor leader of the Democratic Party, and 13 other party officials who led negotiations with some opposition parties in the process of handling the bills, especially those on electoral and prosecution reform. It will be Moon's first dinner with the ruling party lea

PoliticsJan. 17, 2020

McDonald’s Korea to raise burger prices by 1.36 percent, including Big Mac

McDonald’s Korea said Friday that it will raise prices of eight items on its menu from Monday, including the brand’s signature Big Mac, by 1.36 percent overall. The items are four burgers, one side and one drink. The prices for the Cheese Burger and Big Mac will increase by 200 won (18 cents). Other items will see 100 won to 300 won increases.  The burger chain said it will also cut the prices of three burgers: the Hamburger by 200 won, and Double Bulgogi Burger and Double Chees

ConsumerJan. 17, 2020

Samsung de facto leader Lee Jae-yong attends fourth hearing of retrial

Samsung Electronics’ de facto leader Lee Jae-yong on Friday appeared at the Seoul High Court with his lawyers to attend the fourth hearing of the retrial on Lee’s bribery scandal involving former President Park Geun-hye. Lee remained silent on questions asked by reporters on the scene. At the entrance to the Seoul High Court, a group of people from local labor unions demonstrated in support of more jail time for Lee. For this hearing, Samsung tried to bring CJ Group Chairman Sohn Kyu

IndustryJan. 17, 2020

Hyundai Motor chief Chung Euisun underlines decarbonizing transportation

Chung Euisun, executive vice chairman of Hyundai Motor Group, said decarbonizing transportation will support the Hydrogen Council’s vision of building a hydrogen-powered societyAccording to the company on Friday, Chung, who co-chairs the council, said in an interview that it is the responsibility of Hyundai Motor to extend beyond vehicles and invest in the hydrogen supply chain.“As an innovator and pioneer in hydrogen-powered mobility, Hyundai Motor Group is willingly taking the resp

MobilityJan. 17, 2020

Pyongyang demands Seoul tear down inter-Korean resort facilities

North Korea asked South Korea through the inter-Korean liaison office in December to tear down buildings at the inter-Korean resort town on the east coast near Kumgangsan, Seoul officials familiar with the matter said Thursday. Pyongyang requested Seoul do so by February this year. “I can’t confirm anything at the moment because the matter is under consultation between the two Koreas,” one official said. “On the matter of the resort, our position is that those in charge

North KoreaJan. 17, 2020

Chevrolet rolls out Trailblazer as new core SUV model

Chevrolet launched Friday its new sport utility vehicle Trailblazer in Korea, dubbing it as the brand’s “core next-generation model.” The midsized SUV sits between the compact SUV Trax and Equinox, targeting urban drivers. It contains Chevrolet’s next-generation powertrain and high-tech driving functions, said the American automaker, which is owned by General Motors.  “Trailblazer is a stylish SUV that will strengthen the Chevrolet SUV lineup, maximize the driv

MobilityJan. 17, 2020

KCON to hit Tokyo, New York, Los Angeles and Bangkok this year

KCON, an annual overseas K-pop concert series from entertainment giant CJ ENM, will hit four global cities this year including Tokyo and New York, the company said Friday. This year's KCON, a festival of Korean music and culture, will kick off on April 3 at the Makuhari Messe convention center in Chiba Prefecture, just outside Tokyo, for a three-day run. For the American leg, KCON will move to New York's Manhattan from June 12-14 before a four-day event in Los Angeles from Aug. 27-30.The show wi

PerformanceJan. 17, 2020

Moon urges 'tangible' results from New Northern Policy this year

President Moon Jae-in called Friday for all-out efforts to pull off "tangible" accomplishments from his administration's New Northern Policy aimed at improving South Korea's partnerships with Russia and other countries located north of the peninsula.He made the comment while receiving a briefing from Kwon Goo-hoon, chairman of the Presidential Committee on Northern Economic Cooperation, on the panel's major policy goals this year.Moon launched the body weeks after taking office in May

PoliticsJan. 17, 2020

S. Korea sees $920m in foreigners’ net purchase last year

Foreign investors in South Korea net purchased some $920 million, or 1.04 trillion won, of locally listed stocks last year, but the figure was conspicuously lower than that of peer emerging economies, data showed Friday.According to Yuanta Securities, the combined net purchase volume by foreigners on the nation’s benchmark Kospi and tech-laden secondary Kosdaq marked $924 million in 2019.Among emerging economies, India topped the list in amount at $14.2 billion, followed by Taiwan and Indo

MarketJan. 17, 2020