[Around the Hotels] Promotions and packages

Suite escape at Park Hyatt SeoulPark Hyatt Seoul presents a suite room promotion, offering a 15 percent saving on regular suite rates with a complimentary bottle of red wine. A Park Suites room, featuring separated bed room and living room areas, will be offered at a starting price of 420,750 won. Guests will have free access to the hotel’s sauna, swimming pool and fitness facilities. The deal is available for bookings made until Nov. 14 for stays until Dec. 13. Reservations are available

FoodOct. 4, 2019

[Weekender] The pink invasion

Pink is the most sought-after autumn color in South Korea right now. Do an Instagram search for #pinkmuhly and you’ll get an idea of what’s going on. There are over 300,000 posts, many showing couples, children and young women posing in picturesque gardens full of pink grass. Surreal displays of pink and purple inflorescences, floating above tall grass like soft clouds, have popped up in so many cities and towns that they are difficult to keep track of: Seoul, Busan, Jeju, Ulsan, Yeo

TravelOct. 4, 2019

[Weekender] Into the red, yellow and orange

The air is crisp and the trees are getting ready to change color. Now is the time to be outdoors. With nearly 70 percent of its territory covered by mountains, South Korea is spoiled with choices for fall getaway destinations where the scenery is a magnificent display of vibrant colors. Autumn reds and oranges have already started to emerge at some high peaks in northern parts of the country. The fall foliage is expected to be most spectacular in late October to early November. Just be

TravelOct. 4, 2019

Seoul stocks open tad higher following Wall Street gains

Seoul stocks opened slightly higher Friday following overnight gains on Wall Street.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index gained 3.91 points, or 0.19 percent, to 2,035.82 in the first 15 minutes of trading.US stocks rose Thursday (local time) on hopes that the US Federal Reserve may lower interest rates following signs of a slowing economy. The Dow Jones industrial average climbed 0.47 percent to close at 26,201.04.  In Seoul, large caps traded mixed, though tech and chemical shar

MarketOct. 4, 2019

Facebook launches 'Threads' app woven into Instagram

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) -- Facebook on Thursday launched Threads, an image-centric messaging app designed to weave tight circles of Instagram friends together, while ramping up its challenge to rival Snapchat.Threads is its own separate smartphone app, but ties into lists of "close friends" that Instagram began letting users create late last year, according to director of product Robby Stein."Threads is the fastest way to share a photo or video with your close friends on Instagram,&qu

World NewsOct. 4, 2019

EU 'unconvinced' by UK Brexit proposals

BRUSSELS (AFP) -- The EU is "unconvinced" by Britain's new Brexit proposals but has not immediately dismissed them, with officials and diplomats saying Thursday there were positive points alongside the many problematic ones.The question is: are they the basis for negotiations?British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he hopes so, as he moves to execute his vow to take his country out of the EU on October 31, deal or no deal.His government submitted legal proposals on Wednesday to the E

World NewsOct. 4, 2019

Pompeo, pillar of Trump team, drawn deep into Ukraine scandal

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- Less than a month ago, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo triumphed over rivals to emerge as the dominant force in Donald Trump's foreign policy.Pompeo's ascendancy was confirmed in a very public manner when Trump sacked his chief adversary, John Bolton, as national security advisor on September 10.But Pompeo's fortunes have suddenly darkened over his role in the Ukraine scandal that has triggered an impeachment probe into the president.After prevaricating for days, Pompeo fin

World NewsOct. 4, 2019

Dodgers' Ryu Hyun-jin to start Game 3 in NLDS vs. Nationals

Los Angeles Dodgers' South Korean left-hander Ryu Hyun-jin will start Game 3 of the National League Division Series against the Washington Nationals.Dodgers manager Dave Roberts made the announcement Thursday, hours before the start of Game 1 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.The Dodgers, which finished with the best record in the NL at 106-56, will have the home-field advantage until the World Series, if they go that far. Game 3 of this best-of-five series against the Nationals will be at Nation

BaseballOct. 4, 2019

US says NK test was of short to medium range ballistic missile, fired from sea-based platform

The US Joint Chiefs of Staff said Thursday that North Korea's latest test was of a short to medium range ballistic missile, which was fired from a sea-based platform.JCS spokesman Air Force Col. Patrick Ryder told reporters there was no indication the missile on Wednesday was launched from a submarine, but declined to provide other details.The comments come after North Korea said it successfully tested a new submarine-launched ballistic missile off its east coast, "usher(ing) in a new phase

North KoreaOct. 4, 2019

N. Korea's chief envoy arrives in Sweden for nuke talks with US

North Korea's chief nuclear negotiator arrived in Stockholm Thursday to resume working-level denuclearization negotiations with the United States this weekend.Kim Myong-gil and his delegation arrived at Stockholm Arlanda Airport around 5:40 p.m. on a flight from Beijing. They left the airport shortly after through the VIP hall instead of the main arrivals gate.The US chief negotiator, Stephen Biegun, is also expected to head to the Swedish capital soon. North Korea said earlier that the two side

North KoreaOct. 4, 2019

Trump: US will talk to N. Korea soon

US President Donald Trump said Thursday that the United States will be talking to North Korea soon, indicating denuclearization negotiations will go ahead as planned despite the regime's test-firing of a submarine-launched ballistic missile earlier this week.Trump's remarks come as negotiators from the two countries are expected to meet in Sweden this weekend to resume working-level talks on denuclearizing the regime."We'll see," Trump told reporters at the White House when asked if No

North KoreaOct. 4, 2019

Police block anti-Cho Kuk protesters outside Cheong Wa Dae; 46 arrested

A large-scale rally calling for Justice Minister Cho Kuk’s resignation is expected to last all night.Hundreds of thousands gathered Thursday afternoon in Gwanghwamun Square, central Seoul, to protest the minister over spiraling corruption allegations against his family. The anti-Cho rally kicked off at around 1 p.m., and the protesters marched toward Cheong Wa Dae at around 4 p.m. only to be halted by a police barricade.  The police blocked the way, preventing the protesters from get

Social AffairsOct. 3, 2019

Justice minister's wife grilled over alleged family corruption

Prosecutors on Thursday questioned Justice Minister Cho Kuk's wife for the first time as part of a widening probe into corruption allegations surrounding the family.Cho's wife, a university professor surnamed Chung, is suspected of inappropriately helping the couple's daughter gain admission to medical school, as well as being involved in a dubious private equity fund investment.Chung showed up for the questioning at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office in southern Seoul at around 9 a.m

PoliticsOct. 3, 2019

Debts of public institutions under Trade Ministry rise to W182tr

Public institutions affiliated with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy have not recovered financially from past failures of overseas resource development projects, data showed Thursday.According to data supplied by Rep. Wi Seong-gon of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, the combined debt of 41 ministry-affiliated public institutions stood at 182 trillion won ($150 billion) last year, up 8 trillion won from the previous year.  “The debt of the public organizations has grown

IndustryOct. 3, 2019

BIFF kicks off in the aftermath of typhoon

Although Typhoon Mitga’s landfall forced organizers to cancel the inaugural ceremony, the 24th Busan International Film Festival kicked off Thursday for 10 days of festivities.Actors Jung Woo-sung and Lee Hanee hosted the opening event of the festival that will feature 303 movies from 85 countries until next Saturday, including the world premiere of 97 feature films and 23 short films. The opening film was the world premiere of “The Horse Thieves. Roads of Time” by Kazakhstan&r

FilmOct. 3, 2019

TikTok hopes to form ties with K-pop

Short-form video sharing app TikTok stresses it can be a powerful tool in promoting the ongoing K-pop trend around the world. On Thursday, TikTok officials took to the podium for at the 2019 Seoul International Music Fair held at Coex in southern Seoul to give a presentation titled “The New Kid on the New Music Block: TikTok.”The Chinese app, launched in 2016, is available in 150 countries in 75 languages, and bills itself as a music discovery app, allowing “TikTokers” (T

PerformanceOct. 3, 2019

[Graphic News] S. Korea’s trade surplus in beauty products hits new high

　South Korea’s trade surplus in beauty products hit an all-time high of 5.47 trillion won ($4.56 billion) last year on the back of strong demand from China and other Asian countries, government data showed.　Outbound shipments of cosmetics stood at 6.89 trillion won last year, up 23.3 percent on-year, while imports grew 6.8 percent to 1.42 trillion won, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. (Yonhap)

BusinessOct. 3, 2019

Subway, railway workers in Seoul, Gyeonggi Province plan strikes starting next week

Subway workers in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province are expected to go on a series of strikes starting Monday, affecting more than 8 million commuters.The four public transport unions affiliated with the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions announced Wednesday that they would start separate strikes beginning next week. Unionized workers of Seoul Subway Line No. 9 will go on a preliminary strike on Monday with the actual strike scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday.The labor union of Seoul Metro, which o

PoliticsOct. 3, 2019

[Herald Interview] ‘What is Korean is what is most global’

In 1965, a group of history majors from Ewha Womans University visited Sosu Seowon in Yeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, a Confucian academy built in the 16th century during the Joseon era (1392-1910). The simple, relatively uneventful field trip ended up kicking off a series of events that saw nine of the “seowon” -- Korean neo-Confucian academies -- being inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List over half a century later.“I was struck by the grace of the wooden buildings

PeopleOct. 3, 2019

Holiday on rails: cruise train Haerang

It is every couch potato's dream come true: You get to travel around the country with a friendly guide at your side, try each region’s delicacies, enjoy a performance once in a while and sleep in a comfy bed -- all while not once having to book for a ride. The catch? It comes with a rather hefty price tag. But if you are up for it, a trip aboard Korail’s Rail Cruise Haerang could be quite an experience.On a recent sunny fall day, I boarded the train at Seoul Station for a trip slated

TravelOct. 3, 2019