Hong Kong mops up after weekend of violence, braces for more protests

HONG KONG (Reuters) -- Metro stations in Hong Kong resumed regular service on Monday and streets were being cleaned of debris as the city recovered from another night of violent clashes between anti-government protesters and police, with more protests planned this week.Police fired volleys of tear gas at protesters across the territory on Sunday and staged baton charges in flashpoints in downtown Hong Kong and in working class districts. Protesters threw two petrol bombs, which police said

World NewsAug. 12, 2019

Exports dip 22% in first 10 days of Aug.

South Korea's exports dropped 22.1 percent in the first 10 days of August mainly due to decreased shipments of semiconductors, one of the country's key items, customs data showed Monday.The country's exports stood at $11.5 billion in the Aug. 1-10 period, according to the Korea Customs Service.By product, exports of semiconductors and petroleum products fell 34.2 percent and 26.3 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, outbound shipments of wireless communications devices and home appliances jumped 41

EconomyAug. 12, 2019

BTS announces long-term break from music scene after back-to-back album releases

K-pop super stars BTS went on a long-term break to recharge themselves following the band's Billboard-topping back-to-back album releases, its management agency said Monday. "Group BTS will have its first official long-term vacation since its debut," Bit Hit Entertainment said on the band's Twitter account and mobile fan application late Sunday.The break kicked off the same day following the band's performance at the 2019 Lotte Duty Free Family Concert earlier in the day.  "T

PerformanceAug. 12, 2019

S. Korean Hur Mi-jung wins Ladies Scottish Open

South Korean Hur Mi-jung has captured the Ladies Scottish Open in her third LPGA win in five years.The 29-year-old shot a 20-under 264 to win the four-round tournament on Sunday (local time). Hur shot a five-under 66 on the last day to edge out Thailand's Moriya Jutanugarn and South Korean Lee Jeong-eun, who tied for second place, at the Renaissance Club in North Berwick in Scotland.The win was Hur's third career title on the LPGA Tour.She picked up a check for $225,000. (Yonhap)

GolfAug. 12, 2019

Minor earthquake hits near western inter-Korean sea border

A 2.1 magnitude earthquake struck near the western inter-Korean sea border, South Korea's meteorological agency said Sunday.The temblor occurred at around 6:19 p.m. about 5 kilometers west-northwest of South Korea's northernmost island of Baengnyeong, the Korea Meteorological Administration said.The agency said the quake will have caused no damage.(Yonhap)

Social AffairsAug. 11, 2019

Chinese woman found dead on S. Korean resort island of Jeju

A Chinese woman was found dead on the coast of South Korea's southern resort island of Jeju, three days after she went missing, a police official said Sunday.The body of the 36-year-old, identified by her family name Jin, was found on a rock near an open sea fish farm on Jeju, according to Park Mi-ok, a police official handling the case. Jin is believed to have gone missing on Thursday in Seogwipo, the southern part of Jeju island, after arguing with her male friend while camping.Police plan to

Social AffairsAug. 11, 2019

Real estate market tenses up ahead of upcoming price regulations

Tension built up in Seoul’s housing market on Sunday, a day ahead of a scheduled government announcement about details of a price ceiling system for apartment complexes in key bubble-prone areas.The forthcoming actions, intended to stabilize the overheated real estate market and discourage speculation, are set to play out amid uncertain economic conditions aggravated by US-China economic tensions and South Korea-Japan strife.According to major local real estate industry trackers including

EconomyAug. 11, 2019

[Behind the Brand: 3] Brand names that let numbers do the talking

The meticulously planned out stories behind brand names often go unnoticed by consumers.That is the case especially for alphanumeric brands, which combine words and numbers. These brand names may roll off the tongue easily, but oftentimes consumers have very little understanding of why certain numbers have been chosen to represent the brand.Below are five well-known South Korean brands and the stories behind them.8SecondsHow long does a company have to make a first impression? According to cloth

IndustryAug. 11, 2019

[James Stavridis] If Hong Kong avoids a bloody crackdown, it can thank Taiwan

As Hong Kong recovers from a general strike that paralyzed transportation and led to mob violence and tear gas fired on protesters, the Beijing-controlled government’s chief executive, Carrie Lam, is hinting at even stronger action. The Chinese government agency that oversees Hong Kong held a rare press conference Tuesday, announcing support for Lam and accusing the protesters of fomenting a revolution. Most ominously, Chinese authorities have mobilized troops near the border with the main

ViewpointsAug. 11, 2019

[Shuli Ren] Down the rabbit hole with Trump and Xi

In the fable, the tortoise wins the race because the hare lies down to take a nap after bolting into the lead. Slow, dogged persistence triumphs over flighty arrogance. If this were the story of the US-China trade war, it’s easy to see which would be which.Trade wars are good and easy to win, President Donald Trump famously declared on Twitter in March 2018. Since then, US policy toward China has shifted repeatedly as the president bounced from one position to another, alternately offering

ViewpointsAug. 11, 2019

[News Focus] Population slides in 5 major cities in Korea

SEJONG -- The demographic structure is rapidly changing in South Korea, reversing from the situation in the 1970-80s, when more people relocated to Seoul or metropolitan cities such as Busan, Daegu and Gwangju.Government data showed that most of the big cities nationwide saw their population decline over the past five years, following the farming population drops in provincial areas for decades.The nation’s total population came to 51.84 million as of July 2019, inching up 1.1 percent from

Social AffairsAug. 11, 2019

[Graphic News] Exports of cultural contents rise 8.4% in 2018

South Korea’s exports of cultural contents increased 8.4 percent in 2018 from the previous year to $9.55 billion, a government report showed.Last year’s growth came after annual average growth of 16 percent between 2014 and 2017, with exports of $5.27 billion in 2014, $5.66 billion in 2015, $6.08 billion in 2016 and $8.81 billion in 2017, according to the report on trends in the content industry released by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Creative Content Ag

EconomyAug. 11, 2019

In new media landscape, ‘old’ broadcasters struggle to adapt

　As an increasing number of content creators in South Korea use advanced digital technology to establish independent broadcasting platforms, the country’s major broadcasters are suffering financially, data showed Sunday.　According to Rep. Yoon Sang-jin of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party, Korean Broadcasting Systems reported an operating loss of 65.5 billion won ($53.9 million) for the first half of this year, as compared with 53 billion won from a year earlier. 　The decreased opera

IndustryAug. 11, 2019

Sales of German cars rise amid boycott of Japanese products

Amid a nationwide boycott of Japanese goods, including fashion items, household products and cars, sales of Japanese vehicles waned last month, while sales increased for German carmakers, industry data showed Sunday. According to the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association, Japanese automotive companies, such as Toyota, sold a combined 2,674 units of vehicles in July, taking up 13.7 percent of market share, down 6.7 percentage points from the previous month.　This marked the

MobilityAug. 11, 2019

Pyongyang taunts Seoul as ‘fool,’ lambasts over military exercise with US

North Korea has slammed South Korea for the latter’s combined military exercise with the United States, which kicked off Sunday, saying it will not interact with the South until there is a plausible explanation for the “war exercise.”In a Foreign Ministry statement, released a day after it launched what are believed to be short-range ballistic missiles, Pyongyang said its recent launches are just part of the regular process of developing conventional weapons. “Given that

North KoreaAug. 11, 2019

[Newsmaker] Kolmar Korea president resigns, apologizes for controversial video

Yoon Dong-han, president of cosmetics and health care goods manufacturer Kolmar Korea, apologized and resigned Sunday after showing a controversial video praising Japan to employees last week.During a press conference at Kolmar Korea’s headquarters in Seoul, Yoon said he deeply regretted his behavior and would take responsibility by resigning from the top post.“I apologize to our clients for causing harm due to my wrong behavior, and also to customers who trusted Kolmar Korea product

IndustryAug. 11, 2019

Justice minister nominee’s confirmation hearing to be next political battleground

Cho Kuk has been tapped as justice minister nominee two weeks after leaving his post as senior presidential secretary for civil affairs, garnering mixed reactions across the aisle Sunday.Cho, one of President Moon Jae-in’s most trusted aides, has been nominated justice minister in a Cabinet reshuffle announced last week, along with six other nominees to take key posts.Of the seven nominees expected to undergo parliamentary hearings at the end of this month, Cho’s hearing is shaping u

PoliticsAug. 11, 2019

S. Korea's growth potential poised to decline amid steady drop in exports

South Korea's growth potential has dipped to the mid-2 percent range and may further decline due to the fast aging of the population that is beginning to affect its labor force, a local think tank suggested Sunday.According to the Hyundai Research Institute, the country's growth potential has steadily dwindled from 7.3 percent in the early 1990s to 5.6 percent in the late 1990s and 3.2 percent in the 2011-2015 period.The report said the growth potential of Asia's fourth-largest economy has dropp

EconomyAug. 11, 2019

[Herald Interview] Accounting alignment a prerequisite for better inter-Korean business ties

When inter-Korean relations appeared to be improving in 2018, there were expectations that North Korea would open its markets and South Korean companies would have an upper hand due to their cultural similarities.But the on-ground situation is different. What is often overlooked is that doing business in North Korea is not as easy as it seems. The accounting system of the long-secluded area is not up to international rules standards, according to a senior accountant with expertise in inter-Korea

IndustryAug. 11, 2019