'Parasite' earns six Oscar nominations, including best picture

Bong Joon-ho's sensation "Parasite" earned six nominations, including best picture, for the upcoming Academy Awards on Monday, becoming the first South Korean movie to compete at the world's biggest film event.The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences unveiled its final list of nominations for the 2020 Oscars Awards, to be held on Feb. 9."Parasite" was up for best picture, best directing, best original screenplay, best international feature film, production design and f

FilmJan. 13, 2020

Koreans mourn victims of Australia’s wildfire, call for action on climate change

Koreans mourned the people and animals killed in Australia’s bushfires in central Seoul on Monday, calling on the Korean and Australian governments to take tougher action to combat climate change. Despite the subzero temperatures, some 100 people gathered and held up candles in front of the Australian Embassy to stand in solidarity with living creatures victimized by the unprecedented wildfire crisis. 　A series of massive bushfires across Australia have burned more than 25.5 million hectar

Social AffairsJan. 13, 2020

[Newsmaker] Court denies arrest warrant for ex-Big Bang member Seungri

A Seoul court on Monday again denied an arrest warrant for Seungri, the disgraced former Big Bang member accused of overseas gambling and procuring prostitutes for investors.The Seoul Central District Court dismissed the prosecution's request to detain Seungri, who was at the center of a major sex and drug scandal that roiled the K-pop industry last year. It is the second time the court has turned down law enforcement authorities' bid to detain the 29-year-old. A similar attempt by police i

Social AffairsJan. 13, 2020

Parliament passes bills on giving police more investigative power

Police will be able to close probes without prosecution approval as the National Assembly passed two bills on granting police more investigative power on Monday.The legislative move is expected to usher in a change in the relationship between the prosecution and police in a country where the prosecution has a monopoly on filing charges.Currently, police are able to initiate probes but not allowed to close them without prosecution approval. Only prosecutors can file indictments in direct control

PoliticsJan. 13, 2020

Govt. announces reorganization to reduce prosecution's direct investigation

The Justice Ministry on Monday unveiled a plan to reorganize the prosecution in line with a reform policy to reduce its investigative authority.Under the plan, the ministry will push to halve the number of units under the anti-corruption department at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office from four to two, while also reducing the number of units of the public security department to two from three.The plan also includes scrapping five of public security units at district offices across th

PoliticsJan. 13, 2020

Assembly approves prime minister nominee

The National Assembly on Monday endorsed President Moon Jae-in's pick for new prime minister despite strong resistance from the main opposition party.The legislature passed the confirmation motion for Chung Sye-kyun at a plenary session. The six-term ruling party lawmaker and former speaker was nominated last month. Among the 278 lawmakers present, 164 voted to approve Chung's appointment, while 109 disapproved. One lawmaker abstained, with four votes declared invalid.Most disapproval votes

PoliticsJan. 13, 2020

[Diplomatic circuit] Winners of ASEAN-Korea essay contest take part in Vietnam, Busan workshop

The 2019 ASEAN-Korea Youth Academic Workshop involving 14 winners of an essay contest has entered its final phase, the intergovernmental organization said Monday.The 14 youths were selected for their top performance in the 2019 ASEAN-Korea Academic Essay Contest co-organized by the ASEAN-Korea Centre and ASEAN University Network between June and October last year.“Following the success of the 2019 ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit and the first Mekong-ROK Summit, ASEAN and Korea are now advan

Diplomatic CircuitJan. 13, 2020

[Diplomatic circuit] British Embassy highlights climate change at annual youth camp

The British Embassy in Seoul took part in the 2020 Youth Ambassador Camp for middle and high school students in Korea on Friday to raise awareness about the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference in England. The event, organized by the Korean Culture Association, was held at the Olympic Parktel in southeastern Seoul with the aim of improving intercultural and global awareness. It was attended by some 100 students aspiring to pursue a career in diplomacy and international affairs.  Representi

Diplomatic CircuitJan. 13, 2020

[Diplomatic circuit] ICCK names Sachin Satpute as new chairman

The Indian Chamber of Commerce in Korea has elected Sachin Satpute, president of Novelis Asia, to lead the business lobby as of Jan. 1 on the back of his near 30 years of experience, the ICCK said Monday.“While the Indian economy is also navigating through rough times, the government’s push for infrastructure development and the thrust for structural reform … will enable India to achieve sustained economic growth in the future,” Satpute said in a statement.“And I c

Diplomatic CircuitJan. 13, 2020

[Herald Interview] Bangladesh’s top envoy expresses hope for Moon’s visit

Bangladesh’s Ambassador to South Korea Abida Islam, who is more than halfway into her term in Seoul, expressed hopes for President Moon Jae-in to visit the South Asian country in the near future.Prior to her 2017 appointment as the top diplomat to Seoul, Islam served multiple key posts at Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in charge of international organizations, the Far East, Southeast Asia, Americas and the Pacific, counterterrorism and administration, alongside missions in

Diplomatic CircuitJan. 13, 2020

[Graphic News] Number of Catholics in Korea increased nearly 50% over past 20 years

　The number of Roman Catholics in South Korea has steadily increased over the past two decades, though the pace has significantly slowed in recent years, a report showed.　The report, issued by the Catholic Pastoral Institute of Korea, said the number of Catholics here increased 48.6 percent from 3,946,844 in 1999 to 5,866,510 in 2018.　The diocese of Suwon, just south of Seoul, saw the highest rate of increase in the 20-year period, 89.1 percent. This was followed by Daejeon in central Korea with

Social AffairsJan. 13, 2020

Foreign investors turn net buyers of stocks, continue bond pullout

Foreign investors turned net buyers in the South Korean stocks in December, after snapping a four-month streak of selling. However, they continued their net outflow of investment in the local fixed-income market for a third consecutive month, the financial watchdog said Monday.Foreign investors net-bought 810 billion won ($699.6 million) worth of local listed stocks during the month -- 350 billion won on Seoul’s benchmark Kospi and 460 billion won on the tech-focused secondary Kosdaq -- ac

MarketJan. 13, 2020

Air Force sheds shaved-head tradition over rights issue

South Korea’s Air Force is going lenient on its hair regulations, doing away with the shaved head tradition for new recruits, according to reports Monday.The revision follows the National Human Rights Commission of Korea’s recommendation Monday, urging the Air Force to amend its practice.Under the revised rule, Air Force recruits can opt to have three to five centimeters of hair, as allowed for the Army and Navy recruits.  The commission delivered its recommendation in response

Social AffairsJan. 13, 2020

Samsung BioLogics’ CDO is lucrative strategy

San Francisco -- Samsung BioLogics’ newfound focus on small-scale contract development organization services will be the foundation for its plans to draw larger contract manufacturing organization deals, a top executive said Sunday.“The CDO business will bring in 30 percent of CMO clients by 2030 and 50 percent by 2035,” Yang Eun-young, head of Samsung BioLogics’ CDO business team, told reporters a day ahead of the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference slated for Monday through

IndustryJan. 13, 2020

Manila-bound flights canceled due to volcanic eruption

South Korean air carriers canceled flights connecting Incheon and Manila following a volcanic eruption that covered areas of the Philippines with ashes, industry sources said Monday.Earlier in the day, Korean Air Lines Co., South Korea's top flag carrier, canceled three flights departing from Incheon International Airport to Manila, along with three returning flights.Global flights bound for Manila have been disrupted since Sunday following the eruption of Taal Volcano, located 65 kilometers sou

IndustryJan. 13, 2020

Samsung, SK hynix hit historic highs on earnings recovery hopes

South Korea's two largest chipmakers -- Samsung Electronics Co. and SK hynix Inc. -- finished at all-time highs on Monday on expectations that the chipmaking sector is recovering after bottoming out in the fourth quarter of last year.Stocks in Samsung Electronics, the world's largest memory chipmaker, closed at a record-high of 60,000 won ($51.88), up 0.84 percent from the previous session's close. SK hynix Inc., the world's second-largest DRAM maker, finished at 100,500 won, up 1.62 percent fro

MarketJan. 13, 2020

Kang to discuss troop dispatch, N. Korea with Pompeo in US

South Korea’s Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha left for the US on Monday to discuss outstanding issues between the two allies, including the possibility of dispatching troops to the Middle East and stalled denuclearization talks with North Korea. Kang is set to meet US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in San Francisco on Tuesday (US time), nine months after their last talks in Washington in March. She is also expected to meet Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, who is visiting S

Foreign AffairsJan. 13, 2020

[David Fickling] What ‘Parasite’ misses about inequality in Korea

To judge by “Parasite” -- Bong Joon-ho’s Golden Globe-winning portrait of three Seoul families thrown into queasy proximity by the country’s wealth divide — South Korea is an Asian version of Brazil or South Africa.The poor in Bong’s black comedy are unable to escape the bottom of the heap -- living in overcrowded basement apartments, or even (in a horrifying twist) further below ground. The wealthy enjoy a life of careless riches and open skies on Seoul&rsquo

ViewpointsJan. 13, 2020

[J. Bradford DeLong] Isn’t a wealth tax common sense?

I was not surprised when leading Democratic primary contenders began endorsing a “wealth tax” along the lines of what has been proposed by my University of California, Berkeley colleagues Gabriel Zucman and Emmanuel Saez. What has surprised me is the level of pushback these candidates have received, particularly from those who should be in favor of anything that moves the United States toward a more progressive tax system. When I first began studying public finance, I was taught that

ViewpointsJan. 13, 2020