UN committee adopts resolution designating clean air day

A UN committee has adopted by consensus a resolution designating a special day to promote clean air under a South Korea-led initiative for global efforts to improve air quality, Seoul's foreign ministry said Wednesday.On Tuesday, the Second Committee of the General Assembly, which deals with economic growth and development issues, endorsed the resolution to set Sept. 7 as the International Day of Clean Air for blue skies to be observed starting next year.  South Korea launched a diplomatic

Foreign AffairsNov. 27, 2019

Cabinet OKs reserve fund for budget shortfall

The Cabinet on Wednesday approved a proposal to use the reserve fund to make up for a budget shortfall of 98.5 billion won ($84 million) in a job stabilization fund.The government set aside 2.82 trillion won this year for the job stabilization fund for 2.38 million people, but the number of people who received the benefit had reached 3.29 million as of Nov. 15, causing a budget shortfall.The fund is meant to provide some personnel expenses to owners of small businesses hit by sharp increases in

PoliticsNov. 27, 2019

Big firms' debt-service ability worsens on falling profit

Large South Korean companies' ability to service their debts worsened sharply in the first nine months of this year due to plunging profits, a corporate tracker said Wednesday.The interest coverage ratio for 241 out of the country's top 500 firms averaged 5.08 as of end-September, compared with 10.01 a year ago, according to CEO Score, which tracks financial details of conglomerates.The ratio is obtained by dividing a company's operating profit by its interest expenses. A reading below 1 means t

MarketNov. 27, 2019

Next phase of Trump impeachment hearings set for Dec. 4

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- The House Judiciary Committee said Tuesday it would begin hearings on December 4 in the next phase of the impeachment inquiry into Donald Trump, inviting the US president and his lawyer to attend.Lawmakers in the Democratic-led House of Representatives spent the last two weeks publicly questioning witnesses including White House officials and diplomats over allegations Trump abused the power of his office when he pressured Ukraine to launch investigations that would help him

World NewsNov. 27, 2019

Trump believed war with NK could have killed 100m people: new book

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump estimated that as many as 100 million people could have been killed had the United States gone to war with North Korea under the previous administration of President Barack Obama, according to a new book based on interviews with the president.Trump's comment came during a January 2019 meeting at the White House with Doug Wead, a New York Times bestselling author and former adviser to two American presidents, whose book, "Inside Trump's White House: Th

North KoreaNov. 27, 2019

Court strips immigrant’s citizenship after bigamy discovered

The Seoul Administrative Court ruled Tuesday that the Ministry of Justice can revoke the South Korean citizenship granted to a foreign immigrant if it finds the person married to more than one spouse -- whether by legal marriage or common law marriage -- even after granting citizenship. A man obtained South Korean citizenship in 2014 after marrying a Korean national in 2004. But upon learning of the man’s common law marriage in his home country in 2009, the Justice Ministry canceled his K

Social AffairsNov. 26, 2019

Moon praises partnership with Mekong nations in summit banquet

President Moon Jae-in and first lady Kim Jung-sook hosted a banquet dinner on Tuesday for leaders of the five Mekong River nations of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and their spouses on the eve of their inaugural summit. The banquet was held to mark the start of the 1st Mekong-Republic of Korea Summit slated for Wednesday in the southern port city of Busan, which follows the two-day special summit held between South Korea and the 10 ASEAN countries.  The five ASEAN leaders were

Foreign AffairsNov. 26, 2019

Memorial service for defector mother, son begins

A three-day memorial service for a North Korean defector and her six-year-old son began Tuesday, about four months after they were found dead, apparently from starvation.The 42-year-old Han Sung-ok and her son, surnamed Kim, were found dead at their home in southern Seoul in late July, sparking widespread suspicion they starved to death months earlier.Citizens expressed condolences at memorial altars that have been set up at six of the state-run Korea Hana Foundation's regional offices in the ar

Social AffairsNov. 26, 2019

Leaders of S. Korea, Myanmar hold talks on bilateral ties

The leaders of South Korea and Myanmar held bilateral talks on Tuesday and discussed ways to further boost ties in various areas including fisheries and the environment, the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said.President Moon Jae-in and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi met after the closing of a special summit between South Korea and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in the southern port city of Busan. The two-day event was held to mark the 30th anniversary of dialogue relations betw

Foreign AffairsNov. 26, 2019

S. Korea, Vietnam vow to beef up trade, investment

South Korea and Vietnam agreed Tuesday to further promote bilateral trade and investment.South Korean Industry Minister Sung Yun-mo met his Vietnamese counterpart, Tran Tuan Anh, and exchanged various ideas on expanding trade of the two countries, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy.Vietnam is the third largest export partner of South Korea. The meeting came during the two-day special group summit between South Korea and the 10 member countries of ASEAN, which kicked off in

Foreign AffairsNov. 26, 2019

S. Korea to support 'logistical hub' campaign of Laos

South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday his country will help Laos achieve its goal of becoming a "transportation and logistical hub" in the region.He made the commitment in bilateral talks with Laotian Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith in Busan, some 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul. The prime minister was on a visit to the port city for the ASEAN-Republic of Korea special summit to mark the 30th anniversary of their dialogue relationship. They had a broad range of discussio

Foreign AffairsNov. 26, 2019

Hyundai Motor’s GBC construction to begin next year

Hyundai Motor Group has received the green light to begin construction of its new headquarters, dubbed the Global Business Center, in Samseong-dong in Seoul in the first half of next year. Targeting for 2026 completion, the automaker said it has reached a phased agreement deal with the Defense Ministry and received municipal approval.The project was initially scheduled to start construction in December 2016 but it hit a snag for years due to concerns over national safety in cases of air-to-

MobilityNov. 26, 2019

[ASEAN-Korea summit] Hyundai Motor clinches $1.5b deal with Indonesia to build automotive plant

Hyundai Motor Group on Tuesday clinched a $1.5 billion investment deal with the Indonesian government to construct an automotive plant in Delta Mas in Bekasi, Indonesia, which will be the automaker’s first finished car production facility in the Southeast Asian region.The investment clinching ceremony was attended by President of Indonesia Joko Widodo, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment of Indonesia Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs

MobilityNov. 26, 2019

[ASEAN-Korea summit] KT to support AI-driven transformation of ASEAN countries

KT, one of South Korea’s leading mobile carriers, said Tuesday it is preparing solutions to support the artificial intelligence-driven transformation of ASEAN countries based on its high-tech capabilities. The company is currently working to build AI-enabled hotels in various Southeast Asian countries including the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. It also plans to introduce 5G AI factory and autonomous driving solutions that will facilitate the region’s transformation. KT

TechnologyNov. 26, 2019

Veterinary professor accused of animal abuse, case sent to prosecution

An animal abuse case against a renowned veterinary professor based at Seoul National University, who allegedly conducted illegal experiments on a cloned dog, has been sent to the prosecution.The Seoul Gwanak Police Station said Tuesday that it had referred Lee Byeong-chun’s case to the prosecution, recommending that he be charged with violating the Animal Protection Act. The animal keeper at Lee’s lab and an owner of a dog farm, suspected of providing Lee with dogs for experiments, w

Social AffairsNov. 26, 2019

PKM Gallery’s exhibition brings together 6 internationally renowned artists

PKM Gallery is holding an exhibition where visitors can glimpse works by artists who have drawn a great deal of attention in the contemporary art world.PKM Gallery’s exhibition “Eternal Now,” co-curated by Park Kyung-mee of PKM Gallery and Saskia Draxler of Galerie Nagel Draxler in Cologne, Germany, features works by six artists: Hito Steyerl, Francis Alys, Kader Attia, Koo Jeong-a, Lee Bul and Martha Rosler. The works on display show each artist’s unique take on differen

Arts & DesignNov. 26, 2019

[Kim Seong-kon] “Your Republic Is Calling You”

Kim Young-ha’s celebrated novel, “Your Republic Is Calling You,” is an account of a North Korean spy named Ki-yong who has lived in South Korea since the mid-1980s with no contact from the North. Cut off from the North for such a long time, he assumes that the North Korean government has completely forgotten him in the vortex of its shifts of power. Meanwhile, Ki-yong has become so accustomed to South Korean society and a lifestyle marked by capitalism and liberalism that he ca

ViewpointsNov. 26, 2019

[Ann McFeatters] A rare bipartisan show of support for 5G technology

Amazingly, the US Senate just sent a bipartisan request to the White House.　In a hopeful if small sign that there are matters of state that Republicans and Democrats can still agree on, a coalition of senators is arguing that the United States is at serious risk of losing the international race to get 5G wireless technology.　This could constitute a major national security threat, the senators argued in a letter to Peter O’Brien, national security adviser to President Trump.　China is by all

ViewpointsNov. 26, 2019

[Video] While in Busan, don’t miss 2 things: Excitement and adventure

The Korea Herald’s intern reporters visited Busan -- the host city of the 2019 ASEAN-ROK summit -- as it was getting boisterous and busy for the international event. Busan has, among other things, stunning mountains and narrow back alleys. It has lustrous coastlines with seagulls and sand. The city is also famous for scorching hot springs and heavenly seafood. Busan is, without doubt, a rollicking port metropolis offering many wonderful things to visitors.From casual cart bars to voguish d

TravelNov. 26, 2019