S. Korean, Japanese biz leaders call for restoration of relations amid trade row

Business leaders from South Korea and Japan on Tuesday voiced their hopes that the two countries can work to restore their bilateral relationship over a tit-for-tat trade dispute. Some 300 business leaders from the two countries gathered in Seoul for the annual conference of the Korea-Japan Economic Association to discuss the economic situation surrounding the two Asian neighbors. "Both South Korea and Japan have to deeply understand each other and should live together through cooperation a

IndustrySept. 24, 2019

LoL World Championship to kick off next week

The annual League of Legends World Championship will be held next week, with Korean teams including SK Telecom T1, Griffin and Damwon Gaming in the mix.The LoL Worlds will kick off on Oct. 2 in Berlin, with the quarterfinals and semifinals starting from Oct. 26 in Madrid, culminating with the final round on Nov. 10 in Paris. According to game maker Riot, the main stage groups have been drawn and the Summoner’s Cup trophy will come in a Louis Vuitton trunk in a new collaboration with the up

IndustrySept. 24, 2019

Moon seeks wider cooperation for peace, environment

NEW YORK -- President Moon Jae-in on Monday held a string of meetings with world leaders, seeking closer cooperation with international society on issues ranging from climate change to his administration’s peace drive. Moon kicked off his day with a summit meeting with Polish President Andrzej Duda. At the meeting, Moon expressed hopes for wider economic ties between the two nations. “Trade between the two countries has passed $5 billion, setting a record, and bilateral relation

Foreign AffairsSept. 24, 2019

Royal Danish Orchestra to visit in December, play with pianist Sunwoo Yekwon

As Denmark and South Korea celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, the Royal Danish Orchestra is getting ready to play to a Korean audience for the first time at a concert featuring Danish conductor Thomas Sondergard and Korean pianist Sunwoo Yekwon. At the event, slated for Dec. 8 at the Seoul Arts Center, the orchestra will perform the preludes to Danish composer Carl Nielsen’s opera “Maskarade”; Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Conc

PerformanceSept. 24, 2019

Seoul Metropolitan Traditional Music Orchestra to stage new gugak compositions

The Seoul Metropolitan Traditional Music Orchestra will take the stage at the Sejong Center’s M Theater on Wednesday to presenting newly commissioned gugak works. The orchestra, led by conductor Park Ho-seong, has been aiming for creative ways to uphold Korea’s traditional music since its establishment in 1965 as the nation’s first traditional music orchestra.“As Korea’s first traditional music orchestra, we have prepared Wednesday’s presentation to encourage

PerformanceSept. 24, 2019

Former USFK base near border to turn into history park

A former United States Forces Korea base near the border with North Korea will be turned into a history park symbolizing both division and peace on the Korean Peninsula, a local government said Tuesday.The government of Gyeonggi Province said it will begin the construction of a new history park on the former site of Camp Greaves in Paju, some 40 kilometers northwest of Seoul, in 2021 in a bid to reflect on the pain of national division and deliver the message of peace and co-existence. The envis

DefenseSept. 24, 2019

Top diplomats of S. Korea, Japan to hold talks in New York this week

The top diplomats of South Korea and Japan will hold talks on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York this week, an informed source said Tuesday, amid tensions over Tokyo's export curbs and wartime forced labor.Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and her new Japanese counterpart, Toshimitsu Motegi, will meet on Thursday afternoon (local time) for the first time since the latter was appointed in Tokyo's Cabinet reshuffle earlier this month.The two sides are expected to exchange their vie

Foreign AffairsSept. 24, 2019

Medical dispute support for foreign patients neglected

A 23-year-old Korean staying in Japan visited Seoul in May for a nose and jawline surgery. The clinic she chose was located in the affluent district of Gangnam, which boasted raving reviews and dramatic before-and-after images on its website.Little did she know that it was the same clinic where a college student went brain-dead during rhinoplasty -- nose job surgery -- less than a year ago.“It was a miracle that my daughter survived. But a doctor should not gamble with a patient’s li

Social AffairsSept. 24, 2019

[Newsmaker] Police summon K-pop star Seungri over gambling charges

Seungri, a former member of the K-pop boy band BIGBANG, was questioned by police on Tuesday over his alleged overseas gambling.Dressed in formal attire, the disgraced K-pop star arrived at a police investigative unit in eastern Seoul at 10:40 a.m.Seungri quickly walked past some journalists, who asked him about allegations that he regularly gambled in foreign countries and illegally secured gambling funds. It was his second interrogation following one on Aug. 28, when he apologized for "cau

Social AffairsSept. 24, 2019

Korea, Denmark seek sustainability cooperation

NEW YORK -- President Moon Jae-in and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Monday pledged stronger bilateral cooperation in a wide range of areas, including climate change.“It is clear that cooperation is needed in the area of climate change,” Frederiksen was quoted as saying by Cheong Wa Dae.   “If the two countries cooperate closely, it will be a very good thing not only for the two countries but for the world.” Moon praised Denmark’s sus

Foreign AffairsSept. 24, 2019

Moon, Trump reaffirm NK denuclearization resolve

NEW YORK -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump agreed during their summit in New York on Monday on the need to obtain results in North Korean denuclearization talks, Cheong Wa Dae said. However, the two leaders did not discuss the security guarantees that Pyongyang is demanding or broach Trump’s “new method” of handling North Korean issues. Seoul’s presidential office also said Moon and Trump had discussed the importance of the South Korea-US

North KoreaSept. 24, 2019

Asia's biggest K-pop awards MAMA to hit Nagoya, defying diplomatic row

Mnet Asian Music Awards, the biggest K-pop award event in Asia, has chosen Japan's Nagoya as the destination for its 2019 ceremony despite a deepening diplomatic row between Seoul and Tokyo.The 2019 MAMA is scheduled for Dec. 4 at the 30,000-seat Nagoya Dome, the organizer, CJ ENM, said Tuesday. For the past two years, MAMA was hosted as a three-day event in three Asian cities, including Hong Kong, but CJ ENM cut it down to a single-day event for 2019 amid ongoing political protests in Hong Kong

PerformanceSept. 24, 2019

South Korea to purchase US LNG worth $9.6b

South Korea’s state-run Korea Gas Corp. signed a long-term agreement with British energy company BP to buy US liquefied natural gas, the first LNG deal between the two countries under the Donald Trump administration, officials said on Tuesday. On Monday, Korea Gas Corp. signed a 15-year contract with BP in Washington to purchase 1.58 million tons of US liquefied natural gas on a yearly basis starting from 2025. The seller, BP, can extend the term for three years if desired.The signing

IndustrySept. 24, 2019

Trump says meeting with Kim may 'happen soon'

US President Donald Trump said Monday that another meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un may happen soon, although likely after there has been progress in working-level denuclearization negotiations.Arriving at the United Nations headquarters in New York to attend the UN General Assembly, Trump was asked by a reporter when he plans to meet with Kim."It could happen soon," he replied.Later Trump added a caveat at the start of a meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who

North KoreaSept. 24, 2019

Prepare for a world with more tariffs, US Fed's Bullard says

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- Ignited by President Trump's conflict with China, the global economy is facing a future with higher tariffs and barriers to free trade than in the past eight decades, a Federal Reserve official said Monday.As hopes for a rapid trade deal between the United States and China evaporated in August, St Louis Federal Reserve Bank President James Bullard drastically shifted his outlook and called for even more stimulus from the central bank.After the Fed cut the benchmark interest r

World NewsSept. 24, 2019

Four cases of African swine fever detected in a week

SEJONG -- Four cases of African swine fever have been confirmed in South Korea in a week since Sept. 17. Its incubation period is one week or more.On Tuesday, the fourth case of the deadly virus was detected at a hog farm in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, following the previous day’s third case at a farm in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province.Since the first outbreak, Paju recorded two ASF cases, and Yeoncheon and Gimpo one each.Quarantine authorities are on alert to the possibility that ASF will spread to

Social AffairsSept. 24, 2019

Seoul stocks open lower ahead of US-China trade talks

Seoul stocks opened lower Tuesday as investors remain on edge ahead of next month's high-level trade talks between the United States and China.   The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 0.9 points, or 0.04 percent, to 2,092.61 in the first 15 minutes of trading. The main index ended in positive territory in the past 12 sessions.At the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 23 (local time), US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the trade talks would resume next week a

MarketSept. 24, 2019

Messi wins FIFA player of the year as Ronaldo skips ceremony

MILAN (AFP) -- Lionel Messi won the FIFA Men's Player of the Year award as beaten rival Cristiano Ronaldo stayed away from the star-studded ceremony in Milan's iconic La Scala Opera House on Monday.Barcelona striker Messi's victory was a surprise as he edged out Virgil Van Dijk, who won the UEFA player's award last month after helping Liverpool to the Champions League last season.Juventus forward Ronaldo had also been shortlisted for the award, but did not attend the ceremony as he was named in

SoccerSept. 24, 2019

4th African swine fever case confirmed in S. Korea

South Korea on Tuesday reported its fourth confirmed case of African swine fever in the country, along with a new suspected case, fueling concerns over the nationwide spread of the highly contagious animal disease.A suspected case reported late Monday afternoon at Paju, located near the border with North Korea, resulted in a positive test for the virus, raising the number outbreaks of the disease to four in a week, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. It is the secon

Social AffairsSept. 24, 2019

Trump hints at new trade issue with S. Korea, military equipment sale

NEW YORK -- US President Donald Trump on Monday hinted that Washington is seeking further changes to trade-related issues with South Korea. Speaking at his meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in New York, Trump said that that the two countries are working on “tremendous trade deals,” while touting revisions to the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement. “We are working on tremendous trade deals. We -- as you know, we‘ve completed a trade deal, and that’

Foreign AffairsSept. 24, 2019