Typhoon kills 5, damages N. Korean farms: North media

Typhoon Lingling has killed at least five people and injured three in North Korea, the North’s official Korean Central News Agency reported Sunday. “Five people have been killed and three others have been injured and are being treated at the hospital according to the data collected by the National Emergency Disaster Committee,” the KCNA said. Some 460 houses and 14 public buildings were "completely or partially destroyed or submerged" by the typhoon. It added tha

North KoreaSept. 8, 2019

High-ranking S. Korean envoys visited U.S. over GSOMIA issue: sources

Two high-ranking South Korean envoys recently visited the United States to explain Seoul's decision to terminate a military information-sharing pact with Japan, sources here said Sunday.Kim Tae-jin, head of the North American Affairs bureau at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, visited Washington D.C. on Thursday with Kim Jung-han, who is in charge of Asian and Pacific affairs at Seoul's foreign ministry, according to sources. It is believed to be the first US visit by high-ranking South Korean of

Foreign AffairsSept. 8, 2019

[Graphic News] Pirated content increasing on YouTube

　A state copyright agency found a total of 8,833 YouTube videos so far this year to be illegally copied content that violates copyrights here, marking a sharp rise from last year, data from the agency showed.　The number of pirated videos, detected through Aug. 14, is similar to 8,880 cases found for the whole of last year, according to data that the Korea Copyright Protection Agency submitted to Rep. Noh Woong-rae of the ruling Democratic Party, chairman of the parliamentary committee on science

NationalSept. 8, 2019

[Photo News] Hyundai collaborates to turn leftover leather into fashion

Models wearing clothes made from upcycled leather offcuts from car seats pose during Hyundai Motor’s upcycling fashion collection “Re:Style” at Public Hotel in Manhattan, New York, Friday. The automaker said it collaborated with New York-based fashion brand Zero + Maria Cornejo to create an eco-friendly fashion line using leftover leather supplied by its auto parts making unit Hyundai Transys. (ddd@heraldcorp.com)

MobilitySept. 8, 2019

[Herald Interview] Orsted sees market potential in Korean offshore wind power

Denmark’s state-run energy company Orsted sees high potential in the Korean offshore wind power market, intending to build long-term, sustainable relationships with the Korean government and companies. “Korea has a high potential in the offshore wind power market, given that the nation is a peninsular, possesses numerous sites with superb wind and the government’s strong willingness to achieve its energy shift goal,” Matthias Bausenwein, Orsted’s head of Asia-Pacifi

IndustrySept. 8, 2019

[New Economic Non-order: 1] In 2019, world bids farewell to liberal economic order

The Korea Herald is publishing a series of articles to look into the weakening of global economic frameworks in light of fading liberalism and rise of trade protectionism and nationalism. This is the first installment. -- Ed.This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Bretton Woods Agreement, which laid the foundation of the liberal economic order in the post-World War era and led to the establishment of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank.But it is also likely to be remembered as the

EconomySept. 8, 2019

[Peter Singer] Why climb Everest? Don’s set goals on status

In 1953, when Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest, I was 7 years old. For a time, I was immersed in the stories of the epic climb. It seemed like an achievement for all of humankind, like reaching the South Pole. Would there still be any frontiers left, I wondered, by the time I grew up?A photo of the southern summit ridge of Everest has brought these memories back to me. But what a different Everest this is! The splendid isolation of th

ViewpointsSept. 8, 2019

[David Ignatius] Trump unclear on China strategy

As we move into the fall, there’s one overriding foreign-policy priority for America: Find a strategy to deal with a rising China that protects US interests but doesn’t subvert the global economy. China is the challenge of our time, and the risks of getting it wrong are enormous. Huawei, the Shenzen-based communications powerhouse, argues in a slick new YouTube video that its critics want to create a new Berlin Wall. That’s not true -- Huawei and other Chinese tech companies ha

ViewpointsSept. 8, 2019

Top US officials urge NK to resume talks

Top US officials are urging North Korea to return to talks, stressing that failing to achieve denuclearization of the regime could have wider consequences. On Friday, US Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun called on Pyongyang to resume talks with the US as agreed on by the two countries’ leaders.  The North, meanwhile, has been highlighting its close ties to China, and has issued several warnings to South Korea and the US. “At this moment, to achieve further pr

North KoreaSept. 8, 2019

[IFA 2019] Huawei claims world’s first commercialized 5G SoC

BERLIN -- Huawei CEO Richard Yu announced the world’s first commercialized 5G system-on-chip during his keynote speech at IFA 2019, darting ahead of competitors Samsung and Qualcomm in the race.The flagship Kirin 990 and its 5G version will power Huawei’s Mate 30 when the new phone is unveiled in Munich, Germany, on Sept. 19.“We don’t know when Samsung’s chip will be available -- our chipset is available now,” said Yu on the opening day of IFA 2019, calling th

IndustrySept. 8, 2019

[News Focus] Koreans 5 years older, on average, than a decade ago

SEJONG -- South Korea has become one of several countries undergoing rapid demographic changes that could dent the nation’s competitiveness in the mid- to long term. With fewer babies being born, senior citizens make up a growing proportion of the Korean population and the average age has climbed over the past decade.According to the Ministry of Interior and Safety, the average age reached 42.4 years as of August, as compared with 41.9 a year earlier.The average ages for men and women were

Social AffairsSept. 8, 2019

Dark ‘Joker’ wins top Venice Film Festival prize

VENICE (AP) -- Todd Phillips’ dark comic book film “Joker” won the Golden Lion Award at the 76th Venice International Film Festival on Saturday and cemented its place as a legitimate contender for the rest of the awards season.Jury president Lucretia Martel announced the winners of the prestigious award during a ceremony on the Lido. The Golden Lion previously put a spotlight on films that went on to be major awards season players, such as “Roma” and the film academ

FilmSept. 8, 2019

Teen Andreescu topples record-chasing Serena in US Open final

NEW YORK (AFP) -- Teenager Bianca Andreescu became Canada's first Grand Slam singles champion Saturday with a rollercoaster 6-3, 7-5 win over 23-time major champion Serena Williams in the US Open final.The 19-year-old Andreescu became the youngest Grand Slam winner since Svetlana Kuznetsova at the 2004 US Open, handing Williams a fourth consecutive defeat in the final of a major to again deny her a record-equaling 24th Slam title."It's so hard to explain in words but I'm just beyond gratefu

World NewsSept. 8, 2019

Typhoon Lingling leaves 3 dead, more than 20 injured

Typhoon Lingling, the fifth-strongest typhoon to hit South Korea, left three people dead and more than 20 injured, caused power outages, disrupted transport services and damaged farmland and properties, with recovery operations underway Sunday.　The typhoon, which made landfall near the southern island of Jeju on Friday night, rapidly swept along the country’s west coast Saturday with strong winds and heavy rain before heading toward North Korea in the afternoon, according to the weather ag

Social AffairsSept. 8, 2019

Nissan mulls withdrawal from Korea: reports

Japanese carmaker Nissan Motor is reportedly considering whether to pull out of the Korean market as sales dwindle amid the ongoing diplomatic and trade tensions between the neighboring countries.Multiple news outlets reported Sunday that Nissan’s decision-making officials have been reviewing whether to continue sales in Korea, as the Japanese carmaker has been hit hard by the nationwide boycott of Japanese goods here.Early in July, many here began a boycott of all things Japanese after th

MobilitySept. 8, 2019

Moon likely to take time to determine whether to appoint justice minister nominee

President Moon Jae-in will likely spend more time determining whether to appoint his embattled justice minister nominee, a presidential official said Sunday, suggesting the appointment could be delayed further amid mounting demands from the opposition party to withdraw the nomination.Moon was widely expected to officially name his new justice minister over the weekend.Cho Kuk, a law professor and former senior presidential adviser for civilian affairs, was nominated as justice minister last mont

PoliticsSept. 8, 2019

[Feature] Concerns raised over support policy after N. Korean refugees die of hunger

On the last day of July, the decomposing bodies of a mother in her 40s and her 6-year-old son were found in their apartment in Seoul, their deaths apparently due to starvation. The case would be shocking on its own, but the impact of the news was compounded when it was revealed that the mother was a North Korean who had fled the North for a better life in the South.As questions piled up as to how the defector and her young son died of hunger in South Korea, Asia’s fourth-largest economy, a

North KoreaSept. 8, 2019

'The Phantom of the Opera’ to visit Korea in Dec.

The world tour of the beloved musical “The Phantom of the Opera” will land in Korea this winter.The South Korean leg of the world tour will kick off at Dream Theater in Busan, with its first performance in December. It will then move to Blue Square in Seoul, before winding up at Kyeimyung Art Center in Daegu.The cast and the schedule for the performance has not been confirmed. Based on the French novel of the same title by Gaston Leroux, the musical featuring music by Andrew Llo

PerformanceSept. 8, 2019

2019 SPAF to bring 19 international productions onstage

The 2019 Seoul Performing Art Festival (SPAF) is set to kick off its 18-day run, bringing 19 international productions onstage.The festival, organized by the Korea Arts Management Service, is slated to take place Oct. 3-20 in central Seoul, spread out across Arko Arts Theater, Deahakro Arts Theater, Sejong Center and Arts Theater at Korea National University of Arts.This year’s SPAF puts 19 performing arts productions from 10 countries onstage, featuring nine plays, nine dances, and one ge

PerformanceSept. 8, 2019