Police grills ex-YG chief over gambling, soliciting sex services

Police on Thursday questioned Yang Hyun-suk, former chief of YG Entertainment, over allegations of overseas gambling and solicitation of sex services for foreign investors.Yang is suspected of gambling in hotel casinos in Las Vegas, and violating foreign exchange rules by borrowing US dollars in the US to gamble and paying it back in Korean won at home. Korea prohibits gambling by its nationals even in countries where it is legal.Police grilled Seungri, a former member of boy band Big Bang, for

Social AffairsAug. 29, 2019

US flies spy plane over Seoul

A US reconnaissance plane flew over Seoul and surrounding regions Thursday, an aviation tracker said, on an apparent mission to collect intelligence regarding North Korea.The plane, believed to be an RC-135V, was detected in the skies above South Korea's capital city and Gyeonggi Province, Aircraft Spots posted on Twitter. The flight came amid concern the North could continue to conduct missile or rocket launches despite the conclusion of a combined military exercise between Seoul and Washington

DefenseAug. 29, 2019

Costco cuts short China debut after shoppers swamp store

SHANGHAI (AFP) -- US retailer Costco was forced to cut short the opening day of its inaugural mainland China outlet over safety worries Tuesday after huge crowds of bargain-hunters swamped the store in suburban Shanghai.The massive warehouse outlet issued a notice to users of its official app in the early afternoon saying that it would no longer allow more customers through the doors, citing an "overcrowding" situation inside the store and traffic chaos in surrounding areas.Earlier in

World NewsAug. 29, 2019

Line under fire over mobile stamps mocking President Moon

Line Corp., a Japanese subsidiary of South Korea’s major portal Naver, has come under criticism for selling mobile emoticons that portrayed President Moon Jae-in in a disparaging way. Line hurriedly removed the stamps from its online store available in Korea and Japan after Korean users filed a complaint about the problematic mobile content. Line took down the collection of emoticons titled “Stamps of Mr. Moon” from its online store Wednesday, shortly after getting complaints f

TechnologyAug. 29, 2019

Indonesians seek injunction in Seoul to stop coal-fired plants

Indonesian residents filed a petition for a preliminary injunction to stop construction of coal-fired power plants, which are financed by Korean financial organizations and built and operated by Korean firms, according to Korean environmental civic group Solutions for Our Climate on Thursday. This is the first case where residents outside Korea brought a legal action in the Korean court over a coal-fired power plant site.On Thursday, the Indonesian plaintiffs -- three residents of Java Island --

IndustryAug. 29, 2019

N. Korea says recent weapons tests aim to defend dignity from growing outside threats

North Korea's recent weapons tests are aimed at bolstering its self-defense capacity at a time when "imperialistic behavior" infringing upon the sovereignty of other nations is spreading around the world.North Korea has fired seven rounds of short-range missiles and projectiles since late July, including the latest test of what it called a new "super-large" multiple rocket launcher on Saturday. The weapons tests are seen as intended to modernize its weapons system and also vo

North KoreaAug. 29, 2019

S. Korea seeks to increase defense budget 7.4% next year

South Korea is seeking a 7.4 percent increase in its defense budget for next year, as it strives to strengthen self-defense capabilities amid growing security uncertainties, the defense ministry said Thursday.The government has proposed a budget of 50.15 trillion won ($41.29 billion) for next year, up from this year's 46.7 trillion won. If approved, it will be the first time that the country's defense budget surpasses the 50 trillion-won mark. Of the total, the ministry plans to spend 16.69 tril

DefenseAug. 29, 2019

US urges S. Korea, Japan to unite as rift escalates

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- The United States on Wednesday called on Japan and South Korea to put aside differences and focus on challenges posed by China and North Korea as a rift showed no signs of easing.South Korea accused the mutual US ally of treating it as an adversary as Tokyo's decision effectively to degrade Seoul's trading status came into effect.The two nations have engaged in a tit-for-tat row stemming from a long-running dispute over Japan's use of forced labor during its colonial rule ove

Foreign AffairsAug. 29, 2019

Science ICT ministry seeks 17.3% hike in national R&D budget for 2020

The Ministry of Science and ICT said Thursday that it has proposed a 17.3-percent on-year increase in the national research and development budget for 2020 to allow the country to strive for independence in critical technologies.The proposal, which is subject to parliamentary approval, set aside 24.1 trillion won ($19.8 billion) for R&D, up from 20.5 trillion won from 2019."This is the first time in 10 years that South Korea is aiming for a double digit increase in its R&D spending

TechnologyAug. 29, 2019

S. Korea’s fiscal spending to climb 9.3% in 2020 amid uncertainties

 South Korea’s fiscal spending will climb 9.3 percent on-year in 2020, amid the government’s expansionary policy measures in response to growing economic uncertainties such as US-China friction and Japan’s trade curbs, according to officials.The Ministry of Economy and Finance on Thursday laid out next year’s state budget bill and a five-year fiscal road map at a Cabinet meeting, as a preliminary step to parliamentary submission slated for Tuesday. If the budget bill

EconomyAug. 29, 2019

US defense leaders express disappointment at S. Korea-Japan row

The United States' top defense leaders expressed disappointment Wednesday over an ongoing dispute between South Korea and Japan that recently led to Seoul's decision to terminate an intelligence sharing pact with Tokyo.At a joint press conference at the Pentagon, US Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Joe Dunford said they believe it is in the interest of all three countries to work together.But in a departure from previous statements from the Pentagon or the Sta

Foreign AffairsAug. 29, 2019

S. Korea-US alliance to remain firm despite GSOMIA withdrawal: envoy

The South Korea-United States alliance will remain firm despite the planned termination of a military intelligence-sharing agreement between South Korea and Japan, Seoul's top envoy to Washington said Wednesday.Amb. Cho Yoon-je said the US's disappointment at South Korea's decision to withdraw from the General Security of Military Information Agreement is understandable, given that Washington had opposed it. "It's true that the American side delivered its position on wanting the renewal of

Foreign AffairsAug. 29, 2019

Overseas travel ban imposed on minister nominee's family over corruption scandals

The prosecution has imposed an overseas travel ban on certain family members of the embattled Justice Minister nominee Cho Kuk as it investigates corruption allegations involving Cho's family, sources said Wednesday. State prosecutors have applied an exit ban on Cho's relatives and persons implicated in corruption scandals linked to his family's dubious investment in a private equity fund (PEF) and the operation of a private school foundation that his mother runs.But Cho's wife and his mother we

PoliticsAug. 28, 2019

Seoul to spend 5 tln won for parts, materials industries amid trade row with Japan

South Korea plans to inject more than 5 trillion won (US$4.1 billion) into its support of the local parts and material industries by 2022 in a bid to tackle Japan's export curbs against the South, cut dependence on Japanese imports and boost localization, the industry ministry said Wednesday.The move is aimed at stabilizing supplies of parts, materials and equipment, and spurring their localization, as South Korea seeks to reduce heavy reliance on imports of Japanese materials.Under the scheme t

IndustryAug. 28, 2019

S-Oil supports children of fallen firefighters

S-Oil said Wednesday it has given scholarships to children of fallen firefighters from Yongsan Fire Station as part of its corporate social responsibility activities. A total 210 million won ($173,000) was evenly distributed to 70 children, according to S-Oil. S-Oil has presented scholarships to children of fallen firefighters since 2006 under its Hero Firefighter Program. The program is aimed at helping the recipients to overcome emotional trauma and focus on their studies, the firm said.

IndustryAug. 28, 2019

Seoul expresses deep regret over exclusion from Japan’s whitelist

South Korea on Wednesday expressed deep regret over Japan’s removal of the country from its whitelist of trusted trading partners, with deputy national security adviser Kim Hyun-chong saying it was now up to Japan to decide whether the two countries terminate their bilateral intel-sharing deal.At midnight Tuesday, Korea became the first country to be taken off the list, meaning Japanese exporters must now apply for clearance to export a wide range of goods to Korea. Japan now has 26 countr

Foreign AffairsAug. 28, 2019

Korean bank chiefs to join Moon on Myanmar trip

Chiefs of major South Korean commercial banks will join President Moon Jae-in as part of his economic delegation on the Myanmar leg of his trip to three Southeast Asian countries next week, sources said Wednesday.Heads of commercial banks here, Shinhan’s Jin Ok-dong, KB Kookmin’s Hur Yin and Industrial Bank of Korea Chairman Kim Do-jin, will accompany Moon on his visit to Myanmar scheduled for Sept. 3-5, spokespersons for the firms confirmed to The Korea Herald. Moon’s entire t

MarketAug. 28, 2019

Younger smokers face new challenges in going smoke-free

Smokers of the younger generations face challenges disparate from those troubling previous generations, giving rise to the need for renewed countermeasures suited to the contemporary smoking scene, according to health experts. The smoking rate has been on the decline in Korea, with the percentage of male adult smokers – who account for the majority of smoking demographics – hitting a record low of 38.1 percent in 2017. In July, government efforts to promote smoking cessation were app

TechnologyAug. 28, 2019

[Herald Interview] YouTuber showcases power of ‘fair’ review of books

In Korea’s sluggish publishing industry, YouTubers are emerging as new power players through their personal book recommendations, which translate into real sales figures at both offline and online bookstores.As with other product placement deals on YouTube channels, however, book recommendations are rarely delivered free of charge. Publishers have to pay for such advertising. The question is, how much can you trust a YouTuber’s pitch for the book in question?For Pi Eugene, an up-and-

PeopleAug. 28, 2019