Riyadh abuzz with excitement ahead of BTS concert

    RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- Major landmarks in the Saudi Arabian capital, Riyadh, were lit up in purple late Thursday as the city welcomed global K-pop act BTS and its upcoming concert here.     The septet arrived in Riyadh early Thursday for their historic "Love Yourself: Speak Yourself" concert in the Middle Eastern city's King Fahd International Stadium, set for Friday evening.     One day before the first-ever stadium concert by non

PerformanceOct. 11, 2019

SK Telecom's esports JV with Comcast Spectator sets sail

SK Telecom Co., South Korea's leading mobile carrier, said Friday that its esports joint venture with U.S. sports and entertainment company Comcast Spectator has been officially launched as it looks to expand its presence in the fast-growing gaming market.     SK telecom CS T1 Co.'s global headquarters office will be in Seoul, according to the South Korean telecommunications giant. SK Telecom is the largest shareholder of the joint venture with a 55 percent stake.   

BusinessOct. 11, 2019

[KH Biz Forum] Corporate officials gather at forum in need of solutions to crises

Around 200 participants, comprising corporate officials, consultants and economic and legal experts, gathered for The Korea Herald’s Biz Forum on Friday to discuss responding to crises in the face of political and economic uncertainties. From the global economy to climate change, companies around the world are undergoing many kinds of crisis that pose threats to their profitability, public image and future strategies. “Today’s forum was timely planned to provide a place fo

IndustryOct. 11, 2019

[KH Biz Forum] Watch your instincts to defend yourself: Kim Hoh

　The worst path a company can go down in times of business crisis is to deny responsibility, attack victims, defend itself and delay a public apology, said Kim Hoh, founder and CEO of The LAB h, at The Korea Herald Biz Forum on Friday at the Shilla Seoul. 　The problem is that may just be what our brains are designed to do. 　Kim, citing socio-psychological research, illustrated that under stress, the brain’s emotional control system dominates over its reasonable decision-making capability,

IndustryOct. 11, 2019

[KH Biz Forum] Companies need to focus more on masses in hyperdemocracy: Levick

In the age of social media, where information spreads fast, companies need to rethink their risk management strategies by focusing more on the masses, said an American crisis management expert during a forum held by The Korea Herald on Friday. “We are living in a revolutionary period. We always talk about hardware and software, but this is not a technology revolution. This is an information revolution,” said Richard Levick of the Washington-based crisis management firm LEVICK during

IndustryOct. 11, 2019

[KH Biz Forum] Jipyong chief highlights social responsibility in corporate risk management

Mapping out a plan that incorporates social responsibility will allow firms to manage risks sustainably, compared with a purely legal approach, a legal expert said Friday. “It is popular among law firms today to launch a risk management team,” Lim Sung-taek, managing partner of Jipyong LLC, said during The Korea Herald’s Biz Forum “Korea in crisis: How to survive in an era of trade wars and industrial risks” at the Hotel Shilla in Seoul. “Risk management is re

IndustryOct. 11, 2019

Kim Jong-un visits mausoleum on party anniversary

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un paid tribute to his late grandfather and father on Thursday to mark the anniversary of the ruling Workers’ Party, Pyongyang state media reported Friday.Kim visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun with members of the political bureau of the Workers’ Party central committee on Oct. 10, the 74th founding anniversary of the party, the Korean Central News Agency said.The bodies of Kim’s grandfather and the country’s founding leader Kim Il-sung an

North KoreaOct. 11, 2019

US warns Pyongyang to stop provocations, resume talks

The US Department of State warned North Korea to end provocations and resume denuclearization talks, Radio Free Asia reported Friday. According to RFA, the US State Department urged the North to “refrain from provocations and to uphold their responsibilities according to the UN Security Council resolutions.”  The State Department was also quoted as urging North Korea to play a “practical role” in achieving denuclearization and stability on the Korean Peninsula. Accor

North KoreaOct. 11, 2019

Liberal heavyweight voices doubt over report linking chief prosecutor to sex scandal

Veteran lawmaker Rep. Park Jie-won on Friday claimed that Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl does not appear nor is mentioned in any of the video or audio files he has related to the sex scandal revolving around former Deputy Justice Minister Kim Hak-eui.  Park is a four-term lawmaker with close ties to the liberal icon and late President Kim Dae-jung. Hankyoreh 21, a local weekly publication, on Friday reported that Yoon may be connected to the scandal, and that the prosecution had buried r

PoliticsOct. 11, 2019

Chief prosecutor news report riles main opposition

The conservative bloc on Friday accused those supporting Minister of Justice Cho Kuk of attempting to cloud the issue through the report on Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl. “The watering down (of issues) must be stopped and all matters should be put to an independent counsel investigation,” said Rep. Na Kyung-won, floor leader of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party. A number of members of Cho’s family and acquaintances are under investigation on a range of suspicions

Social AffairsOct. 11, 2019

Ruling party says allegations against chief prosecutor must be looked into

The floor leader of the ruling Democratic Party on Friday said that allegations raised against Prosecutor-General Yoon Seok-youl must be looked into. While declining to comment directly on the allegations raised in a report by Hankyoreh 21, Floor Leader Rep. Lee In-young said the matter should be dealt with. “It cannot be left uninspected,” Lee said, when asked whether the party has plans to look into the matter Friday. Lee, however, declined to comment on the issues raised in t

PoliticsOct. 11, 2019

[KH Biz Forum] International trade standards can strengthen Korea’s business competitiveness: Psillakis

A strong and multilateral trade system supported by international standards can help South Korea to build a conducive business environment, encourage foreign capital and strengthen the competitiveness of Korean industries, according to the chairperson of a European business advocacy organization here. “Aligning domestic regulations with global standards is imperative, as otherwise they will have (a) difficult time adapting to the international standards when the time for export comes,

IndustryOct. 11, 2019

Ingredient-focused, fresh suppers at Sanok

When Sanok chef Kim Jeong-ho decided to strike out on his own, he zoomed in on the ingredients, turning to the bare bones of cuisine for inspiration. Kim explained how he, as a father cooking for his child, found himself increasingly interested in the provenance and cultivation of ingredients that made their way to his table. This newfound focus influenced his role as chef of the newly-minted bistro, Sanok, which, Kim explained, means “four types of greens” in Korean. “It signi

FoodOct. 11, 2019

[Eye Plus] Racecourse Park in Gwacheon

Gwacheon, just south of Seoul, is South Korea’s horse-racing capital. At the Racecourse Park Subway Station, the compound of the Korea Racing Authority, the country’s sole race administrator, boasts the nation’s largest thoroughbred flat tracks with a 450-meter home stretch and two grandstands accommodating over 70,000 people. Originally built for the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games, it covers more than 1.1 million square meters, with two artificial sandy tracks, sable areas for

CultureOct. 11, 2019

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Joker(US)Opened Oct.2Drama, mystery & suspense Directed by Todd Phillips A clown-for-hire by day, Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) aspires to be a stand-up comic at night. But finds the joke always seems to be on him. Caught in a cyclical existence between apathy and cruelty, Arthur makes one bad decision that brings about a chain reaction of escalating events in this gritty character study. Crazy Romance (Korea)Opened Oct.2RomanceDirected by Kim Han-gyeolJae-hoon (Kim Rae-won) is hu

FilmOct. 11, 2019

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and packages

Grand opening at Nine Tree Premier Hotel InsadongNine Tree Premier Hotel Insadong, a business hotel property under Parnas Hotel, opened to the public Wednesday.Located in Insadong, central Seoul, the newly-minted hotel offers 301 rooms from the fifth to the 14th floors, restaurants for all-day dining, a rooftop bar, a rooftop garden and conference rooms. Its room portfolio is diverse, ranging from bunk beds to three-person rooms for family guests. The hotel is equipped with self-service locker r

FoodOct. 11, 2019

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Everland ‘Horror Club: Fear the Night’ festivalEverland theme park is presenting a horror-themed party “Horror Club: Fear the Night” on each Saturday of October.The event, held as part of its annual zombie-themed festival “Blood City,” will feature DJs like Bequz and Cream, along with performance by rock band Devil’s Rock.Around 100 staff will be dressed as zombies, clowns and monsters, creating a Halloween vibe. Photo spots will be set up at various pla

TravelOct. 11, 2019

Senior police officer arrested in nightclub scandal

 Prosecutors said Friday they will widen investigations into a ranking police officer allegedly involved in attempts to cover up irregularities at southern Seoul nightclubs, following his arrest the previous night.   A senior superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, identified only by his surname, Yoon, was placed under arrest Thursday night after the Seoul Central District Court approved a warrant for his pre-trial detention, citing concern about his destruction of

Social AffairsOct. 11, 2019

S. Korea to provide full support to boost industrial competitiveness

   South Korea will provide support worth more than 2 trillion won ($1.6 billion) each year to strengthen industrial competitiveness, the finance minister said Friday, amid an ongoing trade row with Japan.   Hong Nam-ki also said South Korea will push for a stable supply of key industrial materials, parts and equipment.   The move is the latest in a series of South Korea's efforts to reduce South Korea's heavy reliance on Japan in the key industrial sector amid Jap

EconomyOct. 11, 2019

'N. Korea poses one of biggest ballistic missile threats to US'

North Korea's short- and medium-range ballistic missiles represent one of the "ballistic missile threats of most concern" to the United States, along with those from Iran and China, a U.S. congressional report has said.North Korea has an arsenal of hundreds of short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) that can reach all of South Korea and perhaps dozens of medium-range ballistic missiles (MRBMs) capable of reaching Japan and U.S. bases in the region, according to the Congressional Researc

North KoreaOct. 11, 2019