Samsung vs. LG TV spat expands to other home appliances

The war of words between Samsung and LG Electronics has expanded from 8K TVs to home appliances, with the former taunting its crosstown rival in online videos.Two updated video clips on Samsung’s YouTube channel feature its lineup of home appliances enabling clothing care, such as the air dresser and laundry dryer. Regarding the steam closet system, the company made an indirect comparison of its Air Dresser and LG Styler, presumably criticizing the technique used to remove dust from clothe

TechnologySept. 23, 2019

[Herald Design Forum 2019] Geomungo electrified

A Muto performance is not merely an unconventional combination of different art forms, but also an unusual spectacle. One of the band’s musicians plays the “geomungo” -- a Korean traditional string instrument -- with a violin bow, while another uses a modular synthesizer to create an exotic harmony with it. There are two large video panels that stand together and function like a folding screen, showing colorful visual works. Numerous laser lights create various geometrical patt

PerformanceSept. 23, 2019

Hanwha promotes young CEOs in major reshuffle

Hanwha Group replaced the heads of its seven subsidiaries on Monday with younger chiefs, signaling a generational shift in the energy-to-chemical empire with 65 trillion won ($54.4 billion) in assets.Introducing the seven new CEOs as leaders for the group’s future growth -- whose expertise and performance are proven -- the nation’s eighth-largest conglomerate said the decision was made to better deal with growing external uncertainties.Kim Youn-chul, who simultaneously led Hanwha&rsq

IndustrySept. 23, 2019

[Feature] Conscientious objectors wait for alternative service as legislators remain idle

The military conscription system in South Korea has been in place for decades. Conscientious objectors’ fight against the system that criminalized them lasted nearly as long, and they chose to go to jail rather than serve in the military because their faith forbids bearing arms. Their decadeslong struggle came to an end in June 2018, when the country’s Constitutional Court made a landmark ruling that would lift the stamp of “guilt” from thousands of conscientious objector

DefenseSept. 23, 2019

[Hydrogen Korea] Doosan’s hydrogen drone pushes the limits

The Korea Herald is publishing a series of articles on South Korea’s latest measures to support the hydrogen economy, a market drive for hydrogen-powered vehicles and the hurdles that stand in the way. This is the eighth installment. -- Ed.YONGIN, Gyeonggi Province -- At first sight, the DS30, a hydrogen-powered drone developed by Doosan Mobility Innovation, a subsidiary of South Korean conglomerate Doosan Group, resembles a giant spider with eight long legs. The 2.6-meter-long and 80-cent

MobilitySept. 23, 2019

[Herald Design Forum 2019] Not to be missed at Herald Design Week: ‘Art Night’ and 'Bro.Colle'

This year’s Herald Design Forum features evening party and design programs where people can listen to insider experience and information from design industry personnel, in addition to lectures delivered by preeminent experts in the design field during the day.Art Night “Art Night” is Herald Design Forum 2019’s evening event that brings together a speech, performance and party.Artist Bae Jae-hyuck will open Art Night with a speech on ecological issues that we face in the e

Arts & DesignSept. 23, 2019

Prosecution raids Justice Minister Cho Kuk’s home in unprecedented move

Prosecutors raided Justice Minister Cho Kuk’s home Monday in the latest move in a monthlong probe into a corruption scandal involving Cho’s family.This makes Cho the first incumbent justice minister -- a post which oversees the prosecution’s personnel and administration -- to have his home raided by prosecutors.The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office sent investigators to Cho’s home in Bangbae-dong, southern Seoul, at around 9 a.m. to secure documents, hard d

Social AffairsSept. 23, 2019

[Diplomatic circuit] Foreign defense attaches visit military facilities

Foreign defense attaches based in South Korea are visiting military facilities as part of a three-day program designed to boost their understanding of the country’s security situation, the Defense Ministry said Monday.During the program organized by the Defense Intelligence Agency, 50 defense attaches and their spouses from 25 countries are scheduled to visit the Navy’s Third Fleet headquarters, the Air Force’s 20th Fighter Wing, and the Army’s armor school located in Sou

DefenseSept. 23, 2019

Celltrion receives positive opinion for marketing Remsima SC in Europe

Celltrion received a positive opinion for marketing its subcutaneous-type Remsima from the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency, the company said Monday. A CHMP positive opinion usually indicates that the company will eventually gain EMA‘s approval, Celltrion said, making vows to dominate the 45 trillion won ($ 37.7 billion)-size TNF-alpha inhibitor market by 2038. Celltrion has applied for a patent for Remsima SC in approximately 130 countries.&n

IndustrySept. 23, 2019

[Herald Interview] Can AI replace radiologists?

Artificial intelligence is here to stay, according to GE Healthcare Chief Medical Officer Mathias Goyen, who highlighted its role in advancing precision medicine.“AI per se will not replace radiologists, but professionals who leverage the power of AI will replace those who don’t,” he told reporters Friday.Goyen was speaking on the sidelines of the 75th Korean Congress of Radiology that took place at Coex exhibition hall in Seoul through Saturday and was joined by his colleague

IndustrySept. 23, 2019

Website about Goryeo Buddhist Paintings in US museums launched

A website carrying information about Buddhist paintings from the Goryeo Kingdom (918-1392) currently held at US museums has been launched.The digital catalogue, “Goryeo Buddhist Painting: A Closer Look,” launched by the Cultural Heritage Administration and the US-based Freer and Sackler Galleries, was revealed to the public Saturday. The website carries information about the 16 Goryeo paintings owned by eight museums in the US: Freer and Sackler Galleries (three), Metropolitan Museum

CultureSept. 23, 2019

[Leonid Bershidsky] Germany’s green new deal doesn’t do much for the climate

The German government’s 54 billion euro ($60 billion) climate deal, approved Friday after about 20 hours of overnight negotiations, is a typical product of the reluctant coalition run by Chancellor Angela Merkel: It achieves a balance of interests and little more. If German voters want a more ambitious plan, and there are indications that they do, they’ll have to wait until after the 2021 election.The package is an exercise in evenhandedness. It’s neutral from the budgetary poi

ViewpointsSept. 23, 2019

[David Ignatius] Crisis of Trump’s own making

It’s a good rule never to start a fight you’re not eager to finish. But the Trump administration and its Arab allies now seem caught in a version of that dilemma with Iran, which is proving to be a tougher adversary than Washington expected. Iran’s alleged attack On Sept. 14 on Saudi oil facilities caught US analysts by surprise. It was a major strike, using a combined force of 25 Iranian ballistic missiles and drones, according to Saudi officials, against assets that were supp

ViewpointsSept. 23, 2019

[Herald Interview] Finding way home in ‘1945’

The Korea National Opera, led by 52-year-old director Koh Sun-woong, will take the stage Friday and Saturday at the Seoul Arts Center with the original opera “1945,” which depicts the lives of ordinary Koreans in 1945, after the peninsula was liberated from Japanese colonial rule.A celebrated figure in the theater scene here, Koh has led various productions, including plays, musicals and the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2018 PyeongChang Paralympics. This will mark his second

PerformanceSept. 23, 2019

[News analysis] Trump’s ‘new method’ on North Korea may indicate nuclear weapon first approach

The mood for dialogue between the US and North Korea has been heightened with US President Donald Trump’s recent comment on the possible employment of a “new method” to break the deadlock in nuclear talks with Pyongyang. A “new method would be very good,” Trump said on Sept. 18, criticizing the maximalist approach maintained by former US national security adviser John Bolton, who advocated the “Libyan model” in denuclearizing the regime.Trump fired Bolto

North KoreaSept. 23, 2019

S. Korea, US to launch defense cost-sharing talks this week

South Korea and the United States will kick off fresh negotiations this week on sharing the cost for the upkeep of American troops here, the foreign ministry said Monday.  The first round of the 11th Special Measures Agreement will take place in Seoul on Tuesday and Wednesday, the ministry said in a release. Chang Won-sam, who led the previous round of negotiations last year, will represent South Korea until his successor is picked, while James DeHart, a former charge d'affaires of the US E

DefenseSept. 23, 2019

Korea’s rental-based consumption expands 448% in 5 years: data

South Korean consumers’ use of subscription-based rental services has grown almost fivefold in the past five years, market data showed Monday.According to online marketplace Gmarket, the number of orders for rental services of products -- such as massage chairs and air purifiers -- via Gmarket increased 448 percent from January to Sept. 16 compared to the same period in 2014.Gmarket, operated by e-Bay Korea, attributed the expanded demand for subscription services to the spending habits of

IndustrySept. 23, 2019

Opposition floor leader denies allegations over her son's birth, nationality

The floor leader of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party denied speculation Monday that she went to the United States to give birth to her son and that he thereby has dual nationality.LKP floor leader Na Kyung-won faces allegations that her son, a Yale University student, was born in the US in 1997 and has dual citizenship. The speculation arose after Justice Minister Cho Kuk has been under public criticism over corruption allegations involving his family, including suspected preferential tre

PoliticsSept. 23, 2019

Hyundai launches unit to boost mobility business in China

Hyundai Motor Group has launched Cradle Beijing seeking strategic partnerships with local firms for future mobility.The automaker’s global innovation center in Beijing is the fifth of its kind, following the centers in Silicon Valley, Seoul, Tel Aviv and Berlin.  Cradle is Hyunda’s open innovation business for partnership with leading firms in future mobility technology and investments in global startups. The carmaker said it expects the unit to be the hub of innovative sol

MobilitySept. 23, 2019