Hankook Tire CEO indicted on charges of bribery, embezzlement

Cho Hyun-bum, chief executive of Hankook Tire & Technology, South Korea's largest tire maker by sales, was indicted for taking bribes and embezzling corporate funds, prosecutors said Monday.Cho is suspected of receiving kickbacks worth around 600 million won (US$503,778) from subcontractors and siphoning off some 200 million won from Hankook's affiliated companies, according to the prosecutors' office. In January, the Seoul office of the National Tax Service filed a complaint with the prosec

Social AffairsDec. 9, 2019

Official: China hopes for US trade pact as tariff hike nears

A Chinese official says Beijing wants a prompt settlement of its trade war with Washington. A deputy commerce minister said Monday that Beijing wants "satisfactory results as soon as possible.'' The official gave no details of talks on a "Phase 1" deal announced by President Donald Trump in October. Another US tariff hike on $160 billion of Chinese imports is due to take effect Sunday. China announced Friday it was carrying out a promise to waive punitive tariffs on American

World BusinessDec. 9, 2019

World Anti-Doping Agency imposes 4-year ban on Russia

The Russian flag and national anthem were banned from next year's Tokyo Olympics and other major sports events for four years on Monday.Russia's hosting of world championships in Olympic sports also face being stripped after the World Anti-Doping Agency executive committee approved a full slate of recommended sanctions as punishment for state authorities tampering with a Moscow laboratory database.Russian athletes will be allowed to compete in major events only if they are not implicated in posi

World NewsDec. 9, 2019

N. Korean airline increases flights to Russia ahead of deadline for repatriation of workers

North Korea's national carrier has increased flights on a route between Pyongyang and Vladivostok as the deadline for the repatriation of North Korean workers draws near, sources said Monday.Air Koryo increased the number of weekly flights connecting the two cities to five from the previous two this week, according to Vladivostok International Airport. The change is set to last until Dec. 20. The increase apparently reflected the upcoming deadline for the repatriation of North Korean worker

North KoreaDec. 9, 2019

FTC to probe ‘slave’ contracts of Korean esports players

Amid the recent controversy over unfair contracts of young professional esports players in South Korea, the Fair Trade Commission on Monday pledged to comb through the relevant regulations and examine all contracts.Currently, the watchdog is undertaking preliminary inspections of Korea e-Sports Association’s standard contract and a full-fledged review of major esports teams will begin as soon as possible, a FTC official confirmed to The Korea Herald.Any unfair clauses found during the inve

IndustryDec. 9, 2019

‘Time is ticking for action on antimicrobial resistance’

PYEONGCHANG, Gangwon Province -- Korea is hosting an international meeting to fight the rising public health threat of drug resistance.The seventh session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission task force on antimicrobial resistance kicked off Monday in Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province, to be held for five days through Friday.In 2015, the World Health Assembly adopted a global action plan to tackle the trend of antimicrobial resistance. The international food standards body Codex launched the task fo

TechnologyDec. 9, 2019

National Assembly suspends voting on fast-tracked reform bills

The National Assembly decided Monday to suspend voting on the fiercely contested fast-tracked bills, including election and prosecution reforms, and to postpone its plenary session until Tuesday. With the help of the National Assembly speaker, the three major parties – the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, Liberty Korea Party and minor conservative Bareunmirae Party – came to the interim agreement. The longstanding battle over the reform proposals came to a cease-fire as the Liber

PoliticsDec. 9, 2019

[Graphic News] Majority of Americans see North Korea as enemy: poll

　A majority of Americans view North Korea as an enemy, a recent survey showed, putting the communist nation atop a list of countries in terms of enemy perceptions.　The poll of 1,500 people, carried out last month by the London-based research data group YouGov and the Economist magazine, showed that 56 percent of Americans consider North Korea to be an enemy of the United States, up from 51 percent in August. 　The survey asked respondents about their perceptions of 14 countries. The enemy percept

World NewsDec. 9, 2019

Secret love story between Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin takes place in North Korea

The new tvN drama “Crash Landing on You,” starring seasoned actors Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin, features a secret romance across the border between South and North Korea. The fantasy-romance drama begins as Yoon Se-ri, heiress of a South Korean conglomerate, accidently lands in North Korea while paragliding, and meets Lee Jung-hyuk, a North Korean commissioned officer.  Yoon, played by Son, soon falls in love with the North Korean officer, played by Hyun Bin, who tries to help the a

TelevisionDec. 9, 2019

N. Korea blasts Trump's warning, says it has nothing more to lose

North Korea has nothing more to lose, a senior Pyongyang official said Monday, after U.S. President Donald Trump warned that the communist nation could lose everything if it engages in hostile acts.Kim Yong-chol, a former North Korean nuclear negotiator, made the remarks in a statement carried by the North's Korean Central News Agency, stressing that the U.S. should think about how to keep the two countries from clashing, rather than spending time choosing warning expressions."Trump has too

North KoreaDec. 9, 2019

PPP forum on exporting smart transport infra to be held

A forum on public-private partnerships for the export of smart technology-based public transport infrastructure is set to be held in Seoul on Thursday, the Seoul City government said Monday.  Hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the forum will look at emerging trends in smart transport systems, Seoul’s smart transport policies and the municipality’s support for private companies looking to break into the overseas transport industry. It will also discuss strategies for ex

Social AffairsDec. 9, 2019

Seoul closely monitors Pyongyang’s activities amid latest possible provocation

The South Korean government is closely watching activities at major North Korean sites after the regime announced that it carried out a “very important” test at its Sohae satellite launch site. Experts believe it is likely that the test was for a new solid fuel engine for an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of striking the continental US. Pyongyang has refrained from conducting ICBM tests for the past 18 months.As of Monday, the defense and unification ministries could not

North KoreaDec. 9, 2019

Court gives jail terms to Samsung execs in accounting fraud case

A Seoul court on Monday handed jail terms of up to two years to Samsung Electronics Co. executives for destroying evidence in relation to an alleged accounting fraud at Samsung BioLogics Co.A Samsung Electronics vice president overseeing the company's funds was sentenced to two years in prison, while two presidents in a Samsung Electronics taskforce were each sentenced to one year and six months in prison, according to the ruling handed down by the Seoul Central District Court. Prosecutors had e

IndustryDec. 9, 2019

22 restaurants in Korea included in La Liste

Though French restaurants are at better odds to be included in the La Liste, a gastronomic ranking system based in France, a total of 22 restaurants in Korea have made it in the recently released 2020 edition of the list.Like that of last year, French fine-dining restaurants Guy Savoy in France and Le Bernardin in New York took the top spots, earning 99.5 points each. Japan also made a presence, with Ryugin and Sugalabo earning top marks.  Meanwhile, Korean fine-dining restaurant La Yeon at

FoodDec. 9, 2019

S. Korea’s workforce to see steepest decline among key economies: WTO

South Korea’s working-age population is expected to shrink the fastest among key economies over the next two decades, a report released by the World Trade Organization said Monday, with risks tied to the nation’s low birthrate and aging society looming over its economy. According to the World Trade Report 2019, Korea is unlikely to see an increase in its overall population by 2040, but its workforce is expected to shrink by 17 percent in the same period. This marks the steepest decli

EconomyDec. 9, 2019

[Daniel Moss] Former sex slaves shouldn’t become trade weapons

A retirement home nestled in farmland 90 minutes from Seoul isn’t what most people would consider a trade-war frontier. But this is no ordinary assisted-living community. Here, visitors can step into a replica of a World War II-era “comfort station”: a dimly lit cabin with a narrow wooden bed, topped with a thin mattress and cheap sheets -- where sex slaves once serviced Japanese soldiers. A photo of a military-issue condom, with holes, is on display.The residents of the House

ViewpointsDec. 9, 2019

[Ivo Daalder] Cracks in NATO alliance significant

There are really only three ways NATO could end:-- The United States, NATO’s most powerful member, could walk away.-- Europe, led by one of the continent’s larger and more ambitious nations, could break off to try and fend for itself.-- Or an outlying member could throw a wrench in the alliance’s decision-making process, which requires unanimity, therein vetoing the organization into paralysis.All three threats lurked on the horizon as allied leaders headed to London earlier la

ViewpointsDec. 9, 2019

[Monitor] Half of Korean firms plan to downsize in 2020

The majority of South Korean firms foresee the current economy entering a long-term slump with half of them planning to downsize next year, a survey by the Korea Enterprises Federation led by Chairman Sohn Kyung-shik, who is also CJ Group chairman, showed over the weekend.In the survey, 64.6 percent said the current economy was heading for a long-term recession. Nearly half, or 47.4 percent, said that they plan to downsize their businesses next year, followed by 34.1 percent who will maintain th

EconomyDec. 9, 2019

[Behind the Wheel] Why Mercedes-Benz GLB has it all

MALAGA, Spain -- It may be difficult to have it all, but Mercedes-Benz’s new compact SUV lineup of the GLB has certainly tried its very best. It’s a luxury family car with enough spacious cabin room for a third row of seats. It has strong and adaptive suspension and an intelligent four-wheel system that increases driving pleasure even on curvy, steep and inclined mountain roads. Above all, the spirit of a traditional SUV is intertwined with the latest auto technology, including the a

MobilityDec. 9, 2019