Trade war cited as cause for 10,000 layoffs in US in August: report

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- The pace of downsizing at American companies surged last month, with more than 10,000 job cuts blamed on “trade difficulties” alone, according to figures released Thursday.Employers also announced the most layoffs of any August since 2009, the outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas said.Job cuts rose 38 percent over July, with 53,480 positions to be slashed from employer payrolls, led by workforce reductions in health care, which had been a mainst

World BusinessSept. 5, 2019

N. Korea’s state media slams S. Korea for deploying US stealth jets

North Korea’s state media lashed out at South Korea on Thursday for introducing F-35A fighter jets from the United States, saying it proves that Seoul has not given up its ambition to attack the North.“This reckless act demonstrates the war-mongering force in South Korea has not given up is ambition to take a preemptive strike against us,” the Korean Central News Agency said. “The South’s move to build up its armed forces will only justify our military measures tens

North KoreaSept. 5, 2019

Redesigned Galaxy Fold tempts users to explore folding experience

At first look, the unfolded 7.3-inch display of Samsung Galaxy Fold -- which was finally unveiled at a media event held in Seoul on Thursday -- looks neither like a smartphone nor a tablet PC. Samsung Electronics offered tech reporters here a chance to test the redesigned Galaxy Fold after working on defects found in April. The tech giant’s first and the world’s first commercial foldable smartphone will be officially launched Friday. Feeling unsure about how to identify the

TechnologySept. 5, 2019

Defense chief vows to work with patience on N. Korea, urges cooperation of neighboring countries

South Korea’s Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo said Thursday the nation would continue to work with patience to build trust with North Korea for lasting peace, urging multilateral cooperation.Speaking at the 2019 Seoul Defense Dialogue, he appeared to touch on the recent feud with Japan, raising concerns that the competition between countries is intensifying due to their own national interests. The SDD is an annual multilateral consultative forum hosted by South Korea’s Ministry of

DefenseSept. 5, 2019

[IFA 2019] Korean tech titans flex muscle at Europe’s biggest electronics show

BERLIN -- IFA 2019 kicked off Friday at Berlin ExpoCenter City’s 180,000-square-meter venue three times the size of Seoul’s Coex exhibition hall. Some 1,800 consumer electronics companies gathered from across the globe to showcase their latest and most prized products. Over 100 Korean companies are exhibiting at IFA 2019, including Korean tech titans Samsung and LG Electronics.Both Samsung and LG are showcasing flexible screen technologies; Samsung through the de facto virgin introdu

IndustrySept. 5, 2019

[IFA 2019] Galaxy Fold steals thunder at Samsung IFA booth

BERLIN -- Samsung Electronics’ foldable smartphone stole the show at the company’s IFA 2019 booth displaying a number of cutting-edge solutions.IFA is the biggest European consumer electronics show held annually in Berlin. In a massive booth area of 10,072 square meters at City Cube Berlin, Samsung is exhibiting an internet of things “Connected Living” zone, an 8K quantum-dot light-emitting diode TV “QLED 8K” zone, a customized built-in “Bespoke” k

IndustrySept. 5, 2019

William Lim, architect of many things

William Lim wears many hats. He is a Hong Kong-based architect, artist, art collector and educator, though he is best known for having designed the glass building standing on Hong Kong’s Queen’s Road Central.Speaking with The Korea Herald after delivering a lecture on art collecting at Seoul Auction Gangnam Center on Monday, Lim said he is a regular visitor to South Korea.  This time, he went to the historic city of Gyeongju, where he visited Bulguksa, a famous Buddhist temple t

Arts & DesignSept. 5, 2019

[Graphic News] More than 2,300 tigers killed and trafficked this century

　More than 2,300 endangered tigers have been killed and illegally trafficked since the turn of the century, according to a recent report, urging more action to protect the giant cats.　With an average of more than 120 illegally trafficked tigers seized each year -- which amounts to over two each week since 2000 -- conservation group Traffic warned there was little sign of respite for the species.   　In 1900, more than 100,000 tigers were estimated to roam the planet. But that fell to a

World NewsSept. 5, 2019

Seoul denies media reports on GSOMIA, forced labor issues

Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon on Thursday denied news reports that he had suggested an alternative solution to the forced labor issue.A local daily had earlier reported that Lee suggested resolving the issue with funds raised from Korean and Japanese companies, with input from the Korean government. Lee made the suggestion to Takeo Kawamura, a member of Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party who serves as a senior official in the Japan–Korea Parliamentarians’ Union, the report said

Foreign AffairsSept. 5, 2019

[Newsmaker] Main opposition floor leader's leadership shaky

Liberty Korea Party Floor Leader Na Kyung-won’s compromise with the ruling Democratic Party on a parliamentary confirmation hearing for Justice Minister nominee Cho Kuk has stoked discontent among some party members, raising questions about Na’s leadership.Members of the main opposition party who opposed the move said Friday’s hearing would legitimize Cho’s nomination at a time when President Moon Jae-in is already widely expected to appoint Cho as Justice Minister with o

PoliticsSept. 5, 2019

Trump seeks to entice NK to the table

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Washington is not looking for a leadership change in North Korea, amid failure to resume denuclearization talks. While answering a question from reporters about tensions in Iran, Trump brought up North Korea and said the two countries have “tremendous potential,” seemingly urging the regime to return to the denuclearization talks.“Iran can be a great country and North Korea can be a great country,” he said. “They can be

North KoreaSept. 5, 2019

Kia Mohave scores 7,000 preorders, aims to sell 20,000

YEONGJONGDO, Incheon -- Kia Motors’ premium large sport utility vehicle Mohave has returned with a revamped look and high-tech features, along with an aim to sell 20,000 vehicles a year. The face-lifted SUV has already received 7,000 preorders in 11 days, according to Kwon Hyeok-ho, vice president of Kia Motors on Thursday.Styled as an urban vehicle, the Mohave face-lift embodies the carmaker’s future design direction built on its traditional frame body, he said. The number of preord

MobilitySept. 5, 2019

[IFA 2019] LG says ‘anywhere is home’ with AI

BERLIN -- LG Electronics on Thursday shared the company’s vision for an AI-powered future where “anywhere is home.” Park Il-pyung, the company’s president and chief technology officer, spoke at a panel discussion ahead of IFA 2019, outlining LG’s AI vision and saying it went beyond living space, extending also to future mobility and smart cities.“Evolve,” “connect” and “open” are the three pillars of the vision, Park said, explain

IndustrySept. 5, 2019

[Liam Denning] Ohio’s great Chinese power conspiracy theory

An entity dubbing itself “Ohioans for Energy Security” has a warning for the good people of the Buckeye State: The Chinese government is quietly invading our American electric grid; intertwining themselves financially in our energy infrastructure.Before we get into the details of the one-minute ad in which a suitably ominous voice intones those words over much footage of President Xi Jinping, some context: Ohio recently passed legislation to subsidize struggling nuclear and coal-fire

ViewpointsSept. 5, 2019

[David Ignatius] US losing information war with Russia

Richard Stengel, a former Time editor who became the State Department’s undersecretary for public diplomacy, writes that he was once an information “idealist.” He believed that in the marketplace of ideas, the truth would ultimately prevail. Not anymore. “I think we all now know that this is a pipe dream,” writes Stengel in a disturbing memoir of his three years on the communications firing line. “Unfortunately, facts don’t come highlighted in yellow. A

ViewpointsSept. 5, 2019

Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism to kicks off Saturday

The 2019 Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism is set to begin its 65-day run, starting Saturday. Titled “Collective City,” the event explores the interactive relationship between architecture and urbanism through exhibitions, programs and extra activities. Organized by the Seoul Design Foundation, the biennale was inaugurated in 2017. “We hope to suggest an alternative for the future of cities. The biennale is to function as a place where people can start a discourse on

Arts & DesignSept. 5, 2019

[News Focus] Korean firms flock to ‘Asia’s last frontier’ Myanmar

In line with President Moon Jae-in’s tour of Southeast Asia this week, South Korean business leaders and ranking officials visited Myanmar, the reclusive country bordering China -- that is opening up now. Several of them chose to visit Myanmar exclusively –- from Tuesday to Thursday -- skipping Moon’s other destinations such as Thailand and Laos. Eyeing its economic potential and geographical attractiveness, they clinched new deals and partnerships with the country called

EconomySept. 5, 2019

‘If Cyworld had been a global hit, Facebook would have faded’

Startup Accelerators and CEOs, who participated in Start-Up Seoul event’s Policy Forum session on Thursday, called on the government to encourage South Korean startups to go global and expand their presence overseas.“If Cyworld had been a global hit, Facebook could have become redundant,” Korea Accelerator Association chairman Lee Jun-bae said. “But that didn’t happen.”  Hwang Yoon-sik, the CEO of food catering startup Fooding Kitchen also called for more

TechnologySept. 5, 2019

Cho Kuk’s wife at center of controversy

Beleaguered Justice Minister nominee Cho Kuk appears to be sinking further into a quagmire as more allegations concerning his wife and daughter continued to emerge Thursday, with prosecutors accelerating their probe into the allegations. A confirmation hearing for Cho is scheduled Friday. 　Cho’s wife, a professor at Dongyang University, faces allegations that she forged a certificate for their daughter, now 28, under the name of the university’s president without his knowledge in 201

Social AffairsSept. 5, 2019