Auto exports fall 10 % in Oct.

South Korea's vehicle exports fell 10 percent last month from a year earlier due to lower demand in emerging markets, data showed Thursday. South Korean carmakers shipped a total of 208,714 vehicles in October, down from 230,086 units a year ago amid a slowing global economy, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said in a statement.  "Lower demand in Asia and Latin America fully offset increased sales of Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Motors Corp. in North America and rising demand in

EconomyNov. 14, 2019

Image sensor market to post record sales in 2019: report

Global sales of an image sensor used in smartphones and digital cameras are expected to hit a record high this year, emerging as a bright spot in the stagnant chip sector, a report showed Thursday.The market for complementary metal oxide semiconductor sensors is forecast to reach $16.8 billion in 2019, up 19 percent from a year earlier, according to market researcher IC Insights. The latest growth rate is sharply up from its August prediction of a 9 percent rise for this year. The explosive grow

IndustryNov. 14, 2019

Prosecutors grill ex-Justice Minister Cho

Former Justice Minister Cho Kuk was questioned for eight hours by prosecutors Thursday. Cho appeared at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office in the morning, a month after his resignation as justice minister, and three days after his wife’s second indictment on additional charges. “Given all charges against me are all untrue, I think it’s unnecessary for me to address prosecutors’ questions one by one. I intend to reveal the truth at the court,”

Social AffairsNov. 14, 2019

N. Korea warns US against joint military drills with S. Korea

North Korea's top governing body demanded Wednesday the United States cancel planned joint military drills with South Korea, warning otherwise it would face a "greater threat." The State Affairs Commission, chaired by leader Kim Jong-un, also repeated that Pyongyang would seek a "new way" unless Washington changes its stance and comes up with new solutions in their nuclear talks by the end of this year. South Korea and the US conducted regular joint drills in March and August

North KoreaNov. 14, 2019

S. Korean Ryu Hyun-jin ties for 2nd in NL Cy Young voting

South Korean left-hander Ryu Hyun-jin has finished tied for second place in the 2019 National League Cy Young Award voting, while also becoming the first Asian to earn a first-place vote for the top pitching prize.In the voting result announced Wednesday evening (US Eastern Time), Ryu, who led all of baseball with a 2.32 ERA for the Los Angeles Dodgers this year, earned one first-place vote, six second-place votes and eight third-place votes for a total of 72 points. It tied him with Max Scherze

BaseballNov. 14, 2019

Trump says he will decide on auto tariffs soon

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he will make a decision soon on whether to impose tariffs on imported cars and auto parts.Trump made the remark to reporters at a meeting with Turkey's president at the White House amid expectations he would announce the decision as early as Wednesday following a six-month delay in May.South Korea has lobbied hard to win an exemption from any further tariffs, citing its renegotiated trade deal with the US."I'll make a decision fair

Foreign AffairsNov. 14, 2019

Esper: US could alter military drills to boost N. Korea talks

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Wednesday that he is open to the possibility of altering American military activities in South Korea if it would help advance a diplomatic deal with North Korea to eliminate its nuclear program.In an interview with reporters flying with him to Seoul, Esper said any changes in military exercises or training would be done in ways that did not jeopardize troops' combat preparedness. And he said they would be done in consultation with the South Ko

DefenseNov. 14, 2019

Pressure builds as Trump impeachment probe hears new claims

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- Two top US diplomats delivered gripping testimony Wednesday about Donald Trump's efforts to get Ukraine to investigate his potential 2020 rival Joe Biden, as the impeachment inquiry into the president shifted into a new phase of high-stakes televised hearings.Trump dismissed the probe in the Democratic-led House of Representatives as a "witch hunt" and said he was "too busy" to watch the first public hearings, during which he received staunch backing from

World NewsNov. 14, 2019

One dead, another in coma after inhaling toxic gas from waste oil tank

One man was killed and another injured after inhaling toxic gas in an offshore waste oil tank on Wednesday, the coast guard said.The incident occurred in an oil storage structure docked near a shipbuilding yard in the southeastern port city of Busan.  Officers from the Busan Coast Guard found the chief executive of an oil waste collection company, identified by his surname, Jeong, and a worker, surnamed Lee, unconscious inside the tank.Jeong in his 30s died later in hospital and Lee, 62, is

Social AffairsNov. 13, 2019

Culture minister says gaming is not disease, vows law revision in 2020

BUSAN – Korea’s culture minister vowed to make revisions to the decade-long game industry law to help revitalize the gaming industry, Wednesday, saying that he disagrees with viewing it as a disease.“Gaming is not a disease but a leisure activity. Cultural contents not only enrich our lives but also serve as growth engines for our future.” said Culture Minister Park Yang-woo at the 2019 Korea Game Awards held in Busan.  He was referring to the World Health Organizati

IndustryNov. 13, 2019

Lost Ark sweeps 2019 Korea Game Awards

BUSAN -- Smilegate RPG’s Lost Ark bagged six awards at 2019 Korea Game Awards including the presidential accolade, receiving 10 million won ($8,550) in prize money. XLGames’ Moonlight Sculptor nabbed the prime minister’s accolade and a 5 million won prize. The culture minister’s accolade went to four games: Cherry Bug’s Blade and Soul Revolution, Funnypaw’s Seven Deadly Sins: Grand Cross, Netmarble N2’s Koongya Catch Mind and Krafton’s Mistover.Los

IndustryNov. 13, 2019

President Moon orders full efforts to retrieve bodies from chopper crash site

President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday ordered officials to use "all possible means" to retrieve bodies from a chopper crash site in the East Sea, his spokeswoman said, a day after rescue workers found the fourth body. Three people are unaccounted for after the rescue helicopter, carrying seven people, fell into waters near the easternmost islets of Dokdo late at night on Oct. 31, right after taking off from the islets. Moon ordered officials to "step up search works to swiftly rescue

PoliticsNov. 13, 2019

Prosecution requests $6,000-fine for Mongolian judge over sex offenses

The Incheon District Prosecutors’ Office said Wednesday that it asked the court to withhold trial and instead fine a Mongolian judge accused of groping a Korean flight attendant roughly $6,000. Prosecutors said Judge Dorj Odbayar was summarily indicted as he admitted to most of his charges during a flight from Ulaanbaatar to Incheon on Oct. 31. He was also accused of verbally abusing a Mongolian crew member but was cleared because the crew member did not press charges.  Prosecutors

Social AffairsNov. 13, 2019

Return of 1st-generation K-pop bands bring old fans back together

The origin of today's globally acclaimed K-pop's allure unquestionably dates back to the late 1990s, when the music scene witnessed the birth of the first batch of K-pop stars and their enthusiastic fans. First-generation bands like H.O.T., Sechs Kies, S.E.S. or Fin.K.L who laid the foundation for today's K-pop symbols such as BTS or BLACKPINK have returned to show business to enjoy a renaissance on the back of a widespread retro trend.  To mark the 30th anniversary of its launch next year,

K-popNov. 13, 2019

Food, housing, clothing fall in Korean consumers’ priorities

Koreans’ spending priorities are moving beyond the bare essentials, a survey showed Wednesday, with food, clothes and shelter all losing ground in the number of consumers who list them as their main concern.The basics had dominated South Korean consumers’ priorities, with the vast majority of consumers here listing their top concern as one of food, clothes or housing. Food still topped the most recent survey by the Korea Consumer Agency, with 21 percent of 8,000 respondents list

MobilityNov. 13, 2019

[Graphic News] Shenzhen, Beijing lose out to Chengdu as China’s best performing city

　Chengdu, the capital of China’s southwestern province Sichuan, overtook technology hub Shenzhen to top the Milken Institute’s 2019 index of the nation’s best-performing cities.　This is the third time that Chengdu, best known internationally for its pandas, has been ranked first since the list began in 2015. 　The index incorporated nine indicators for the period up to 2017, including employment and wage growth, the growth in gross regional product per-capita, and foreign direct

World NewsNov. 13, 2019

[Newsmaker] First hearing in ‘comfort women’ case held three years after lawsuit filed

The first hearing in a lawsuit brought against the Japanese government by former victims of Japanese military sexual slavery was held Wednesday, nearly three years after the suit was filed. The Japanese government, which had delayed court proceedings by refusing to accept South Korean court-issued documents demanding its presence in court, was absent from the hearing at the Seoul Central District Court. Eleven survivors and 10 bereaved family members representing six other victims file

Social AffairsNov. 13, 2019

1 killed, 5 injured in Daejeon lab explosion

At least one person was killed and five others were injured in an explosion at a state-run scientific lab in Daejeon on Wednesday, local fire authorities said.The explosion occurred at 4:24 p.m. at a lab at the Agency for Defense Development in the city 160 kilometers south of Seoul, according to the officials. The injured people were sent to a nearby hospital. The one casualty was reported to be a researcher in his 40s.Around 120 fire authorities have been dispatched to the site to handle the a

Social AffairsNov. 13, 2019

Hyundai Card bets on ‘super customization’

Hyundai Card, the credit card unit of Hyundai Motor Group, is preparing to level up its business with “super customized” marketing, officials said Wednesday.The new system, heavily based on the data of over 8 million customers accumulated by the company over the years, uses artificial intelligence to measure a customer’s real-time circumstances, such as location and weather, and uses that information to provide tailored marketing messages.The company explains that super customi

MarketNov. 13, 2019

[Contribution] ‘Seoul awakens your soul’

Once, someone asked me the reason I fell in love with South Korea. Well, falling in love is not something rational, but I do give it a thought. I came to the conclusion that it is both our differences and similarities that attract me to the country. When I first landed at Incheon International Airport, I had two contrasting feelings. While Korea mirrored my expectations I sensed like I was thrown into an alien world. Instantly, I also realized that I am too loud for Korea -- a mountain girl who

TravelNov. 13, 2019