Opposition bloc raises heat on NSC chief, senior presidential aide

The main opposition Liberty Korea Party raised the heat on Cheong Wa Dae on Tuesday, calling for the removal from office of two of President Moon Jae-in’s top aides. The main opposition accuses national security office chief Chung Eui-yong of perjury and senior secretary for political affairs Kang Gi-jung of insulting the National Assembly, in connection with their actions during the parliamentary audit of the presidential office Friday.  “Chung no longer has the right to sit in

PoliticsNov. 5, 2019

S. Korea’s FX reserves hit record high amid weak US dollar

South Korea’s foreign exchange reserves reached a new high last month, mostly due to the impact of the weakening US dollar, central bank showed Tuesday.As of end-October, the country’s forex reserves stood at $406.32 billion, up $3 billion from a month earlier, according to the Bank of Korea.“The increase is largely due to the profits from forex assets and dollar-equivalent forex reserves held in other currencies as the US dollar has weakened,” the BOK said. Last month, t

EconomyNov. 5, 2019

Police to close cold case serial murder probe before retrial to overturn conviction

Police are wrapping up a probe into the cold case serial killings from over 30 years ago before commencement of a retrial over the wrongful conviction of a man in one of the 10 rapes and murders.Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency said Tuesday it intends to close the probe into the serial murder cases in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, that stretched from 1986-1991 ahead of the initiation of retrial proceedings.A 52-year-old man surnamed Yun, who was jailed nearly 20 years for the 1988 rape and

Social AffairsNov. 5, 2019

Korean card issuers enter Vietnamese market eyeing growth potential

South Korean credit card companies have recently been tapping into and expanding their business in Vietnam, eyeing the Southeast Asian country’s growing economy while seeking to diversify due to a sluggish domestic market.The credit card unit of Hyundai Motor Group, Hyundai Card, announced last month that it has signed a deal worth 49 billion won ($41.9 million) to acquire a 50 percent stake in Vietnamese retail bank Finance Company Limited for Community. FCCOM is a wholly-owned subsidiary

MarketNov. 5, 2019

LS Cable, KEPCO commercialize superconducting cables

LS Cable & System and Korea Electric Power Corp. said Tuesday that they have for the first time in the world succeeded in commercializing superconducting cable technology thorough their joint projects.　The commercial service has been launched in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province -- in a 1-kilometer section between Heungdeok substation and Singal substation 　Including LS Cable & System, five companies in Europe, Japan and the US have obtained superconducting cable technology so far, however the S

IndustryNov. 5, 2019

Golfzon opens 1st Zstrict in US

South Korea’s leading golf simulator maker, Golfzon, launched last week its first store in the US under its new brand Zstrict, as parts of its effort in expanding sports entertainment business in the country, the company said Tuesday.Located in Chelsea Piers, a sports complex in Connecticut, Zstrict offers tournament-type golf games that allow players to participate simultaneously against each other in numerous competitions for cash and rewards.  With cash and rewards gained by comple

IndustryNov. 5, 2019

‘Han River’ murderer sentenced to life in prison

A court on Tuesday sentenced Jang Dae-ho to life in prison for the murder and dismemberment of a guest at the hotel where he worked. The Uijeongbu District Court’s Goyang branch handed down a life sentence to the 38-year-old, who shocked the public with his complete lack of remorse. The court said he should be permanently isolated from society for appearing to “mock” the victim and the judiciary. Jang said that the victim had deserved to die. During the trial, Jang said he did

Social AffairsNov. 5, 2019

[Herald Review] Let your hair down with ‘La Fresque’

Contemporary ballet “La Fresque” is surreal and dreamy, featuring barefooted dancers carrying out explosive and exuberant movements.Led by legendary French choreographer Angelin Preljocaj, Ballet Preljocaj is touring Korea with “La Fresque.” It performed at the LG Arts Center in southern Seoul over the weekend.The performance began in complete darkness. The soundtrack created by Nicolas Godin -- half of the groundbreaking French electronic music duo Air -- evoked a myster

PerformanceNov. 5, 2019

Horim Museum’s 10th anniversary show taps highlights from exhibitions held in past decade

A lotus-shape museum stands majestically holding ancient Korean artifacts among luxury brand flagship stores and hip restaurants in Gangnam’s Sinsa-dong -- one of the quickly changing areas in Seoul. Horim Museum -- one of three private museums in Korea best known for holding national treasures, along with Leeum (Samsung Museum of Art) and Gansong Art Museum -- opened the new branch in Sinsa-dong in 2009. Celebrating the 10th anniversary of the new branch, “A Decade’s Record an

Arts & DesignNov. 5, 2019

Samsung focusing on artificial general intelligence to innovate UX

Samsung Electronics is particularly focusing on development of artificial general intelligence technologies as part of efforts to innovate user experiences for digital customers, said the company’s mobile unit chief at a forum on Tuesday. Koh Dong-jin, CEO of Samsung’s smartphone business, opened the second day of the Samsung AI Forum with opening remarks that highlighted the importance of user experiences at the company research and development campus in Yangjae-dong, southern Seoul

TechnologyNov. 5, 2019

[Newsmaker] Banners supporting Hong Kong protesters pulled down at Yonsei campus

Banners hung up at a university campus in Seoul by students to show support for the Hong Kong protests have been taken down twice in as many weeks.A group of Yonsei University students -- who identified themselves as “South Korean students of Yonsei University advocating for Hong Kong” -- said Tuesday that four banners they put up on Monday around noon were removed less than two hours later. The banners bearing the slogans “Liberate Hong Kong” and “Free Hong Kong, r

Social AffairsNov. 5, 2019

Army suspends operation of Surion choppers following unusual signs

The Army said Tuesday it has suspended the operation of Surion choppers, after one helicopter made an emergency landing due to signs of a malfunction during military operations.On Monday, the Surion chopper made "a preventive landing" at a military airbase in Yanggu, Gangwon Province, while taking part in military operations to ensure safety after unusual signs, including a slight vibration, were detected."Though there were no problems in the safety of crew members and the helicop

DefenseNov. 5, 2019

Samsung BioLogics, Ichnos Sciences eye W20tr atopic dermatitis market

Samsung BioLogics and US’ Ichnos Sciences inked a long-term agreement for the latter’s contract development of an atopic dermatitis treatment, the companies said Tuesday. This is a continuation of the 10 billion-won ($8.61 million) contract inked between the two in June 2018. For an additional 6.3 billion won, BioLogics will produce the drug substance for Ichnos’ atopic dermatitis treatment pipeline ISB 830 for clinical phase 3 trials and potentially manufacture for the global

IndustryNov. 5, 2019

Moon assesses his latest meeting with Abe was 'meaningful'

President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday he has had a "meaningful" meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that could herald the start of dialogue for mending soured ties between Seoul and Tokyo.Moon held an 11-minute conversation with Abe on Monday ahead of an ASEAN Plus Three summit in Bangkok, the first one-on-one talks in more than a year amid frayed ties."I've held a meaningful meeting with Abe that could be a start point for dialogue," Moon said on his social media, w

Foreign AffairsNov. 5, 2019

Trump cited shared goal of denuclearizing Korea in letter to Moon

BANGKOK -- US President Donald Trump has reaffirmed a commitment to his "shared goal" with South Korean President Moon Jae-in of denuclearization and peace on the Korean Peninsula, Moon's office said Tuesday.Trump delivered the message in his personal letter to Moon extending his condolences over the death of his mother last week, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Ko Min-jung.It was conveyed by the US National Security Adviser, Robert O'Brien, during his meeting with Moon in Bang

North KoreaNov. 5, 2019

S. Korean firms' sales, profit growth slows in 2018

Sales and profit of South Korean companies slowed down significantly in 2018 from a year earlier, though their financial stability improved slightly, a central bank report showed Tuesday, possibly indicating the start of economic headwinds that continue to haunt Asia's fourth-largest economy.In 2018, the combined sales of non-financial firms here rose 4 percent from the year before when the comparative figure jumped 9.2 percent on-year, according to the report from the Bank of Korea.Their averag

IndustryNov. 5, 2019

Korean version of ‘Las Vegas’ to emerge in Incheon

UNCASVILLE, Connecticut -- Incheon, home to South Korea’s largest international airport, is set to transform into a comprehensive entertainment zone representative of Northeast Asia, according to officials.A five-star hotel, an arena, convention facility, casino and theme park are being fast-tracked at the International Business Center of the airport. The Incheon International Airport Corp. said Tuesday that the integrated entertainment resort project -- the largest in Korea under the name

IndustryNov. 5, 2019

SM Entertainment joins hands with US entertainment agency

South Korea's biggest music label SM Entertainment has joined hands with a US entertainment giant to support its artists' global activities, the Korean company said Tuesday.SM Entertainment, home to NCT 127, SuperM and EXO, said it signed a deal with the US-based Creative Artists Agency, or CAA, in Los Angeles on Oct. 17 (US time).CAA is the biggest sports and entertainment agency in the United States, representing Beyonce, Ariana Grande and Mariah Carey. Under the partnership, CAA and SM Entert

PerformanceNov. 5, 2019

S. Korea, US to stage scaled-back combined air exercise to replace Vigilant Ace: officials

South Korea and the United States are not considering resuming their annual Vigilant Ace joint air exercise and will instead hold a scaled-back flying training together, officials said Tuesday.The allies decided last year to suspend the massive Vigilant Ace drills in an effort to support diplomatic efforts to convince the communist nation to give up its nuclear programs. The sides instead held a replacement exercise, called the Combined Flying Training Event.The Vigilant Ace maneuvers will be sk

DefenseNov. 5, 2019

One more body found at East Sea chopper crash site

Rescue workers on Tuesday discovered another body believed to be one of the missing people who were on board an ambulance chopper that crashed into the East Sea five days ago, maritime police said.According to the Korea Coast Guard East Regional Headquarters, a remotely operated vehicle of the Navy's submarine rescue ship Cheonghaejin located a body from the site of the chopper crash shortly after Monday midnight but unsuccessfully attempted to retrieve it due to unstable electronic signals.The

Social AffairsNov. 5, 2019