[Newsmaker] Olympic short track champion Lim Hyo-jun banned for 1 year for sexually harassing male teammate

Olympic short track speed skating champion Lim Hyo-jun has been suspended for one year for sexually harassing a male teammate. The Korea Skating Union reached the decision Thursday evening, saying Lim, who won a gold medal in the men's 1,500m at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, will be banned from all skating-related activities until Aug. 7, 2020.During training on June 17, Lim pulled down the pants of a younger teammate with female skaters present at Jincheon National Training Center in Ji

More SportsAug. 9, 2019

Major reshuffle in Cabinet as Moon enters latter half of presidency

President Moon Jae-in carried out his first Cabinet reshuffle in five months Friday, nominating four new ministers, four minister-level positions, a vice minister and ambassador to the United States.The reshuffle comes as Moon heads toward the second half of his presidency with next year’s general election looming.Moon kept his top diplomatic and national security officials while reshuffling his ministers of justice, science, agriculture, veterans affairs and gender equality, as well as mi

PoliticsAug. 9, 2019

N. Korea warns Seoul will 'pay dearly' for escalating tensions

North Korea blasted South Korea on Thursday for conducting joint military exercises with the United States and deploying high-tech US fighter jets, warning Seoul will "pay dearly" for escalating tensions on the peninsula."The joint military exercises which have been conducted by the South Korean authorities with outsiders century after century are the root cause escalating tension on the Korean peninsula and blocking the development of the inter-Korean relations," the North's

North KoreaAug. 9, 2019

US defense chief arrives in S. Korea

US Defense Secretary Mark Esper arrived in South Korea on Thursday for talks that are expected to focus on a series of requests Washington has been making to Seoul, including a greater financial contribution to the cost of stationing American troops here.Also expected to be on the agenda for Esper's talks with South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo are the US initiative to secure the shipping routes in the Strait of Hormuz and Washington's wish to get a military information-sharing pact

DefenseAug. 8, 2019

Police raid company behind Ronaldo saga

Seoul police on Thursday raided a marketing company behind a controversy surrounding football star Cristiano Ronaldo's absence in a recent match.Seoul Suseo Police Station said they raided the office of TheFasta starting around 10 a.m. Thursday. Police are investigating charges of fraud against TheFasta, which organized an exhibition match between Ronaldo's Juventus and a team of K League All-Stars on July 26. On Monday, police placed one unidentified official involved in the controversy on trav

SoccerAug. 8, 2019

NSC members review agenda for upcoming high-level defense talks with US

South Korea's top national security officials on Thursday prepared for defense ministerial talks with the United States to be held this week.The new Pentagon chief, Mark Esper, is scheduled to arrive in Seoul later in the day. He will hold talks with Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo on Friday in which a host of alliance issues, as well as how to deal with North Korea, are expected to be discussed. In the weekly session of the National Security Council standing committee, participants "thor

DefenseAug. 8, 2019

Heat wave warnings issued nationwide

Following Typhoon Francisco's passage over the Korean peninsula, South Korea has again been gripped by scorching heat, with heat wave warnings issued across the country Thursday.The Korea Meteorological Administration said it issued heat wave warnings for Seoul and parts of surrounding Gyeonggi Province as of 2 p.m.  Almost all other parts of South Korea, including Busan, Daegu, Daejeon and Gwangju, have already been put under heat wave warnings, according to the KMA.Heat wave warnings and

Social AffairsAug. 8, 2019

[Weekender] Come fly with me

Even preteens can enjoy thrill of skydiving within air-blasting tunnel It looked like I wasn’t in Kansas anymore. The ferocious funnel of wind swept me off my feet, out of Seoul, and into Maseong-ri, Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, where I sat inside Fly Station Korea, waiting to experience what is called indoor skydiving.Fly Station Korea, just a five-minute drive away from Everland theme park, is the only place in South Korea that offers indoor skydiving programs, operated every day from 10 a

CultureAug. 8, 2019

Food Safety Ministry orders recall of US avocados due to high cadmium levels

The Food and Drug Safety Ministry said Thursday avocados imported from a California-based agricultural producer have been recalled and suspended from sale due to excess amounts of a toxic chemical.The ministry said harmful levels of cadmium had been detected in avocados from Mission Produce, a US farming service specializing in avocados. Some 35,200 kilograms of Mission Produce avocados were imported here via agricultural corporation Ihwawon headquartered in Seoul’s Songpa district.The gov

Social AffairsAug. 8, 2019

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Gamaek Festival The Gamaek Festival began 2015 with the aim of revitalizing the local economy, securing small business markets, promoting community and contributing to society. Like chimaek, the popular term for fried chicken and beer, gamaek is a portmanteau of two Korean words: “gagae (store)” and “maekju (beer).” It refers to chilling out in the evening with beer at the outdoor tables of small neighborhood pubs or supermarkets. Held in Jeonju, it is open to everyo

TravelAug. 8, 2019

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Exit(Korea)Opened July 31Action, ComedyDirected by Lee Sang-geunYong-nam (Jo Jung-suk) is a young man struggling in the job market with no real marketable skills. At his mother’s 70th birthday party, he runs into Ui-ju (Im Yoon-ah), an old crush from his college rock-climbing club. Then, a terrorist attack in a nearby building forces Yong-nam to act so he can get the family to safety.The Battle: Roar to Victory(Korea)Opened Aug. 7Action, Drama, HistoryDirected by Won Sin-yeonIn Manchuria,

FilmAug. 8, 2019

‘Tazza: One Eyed Jack’ to cap off gambling trilogy with poker

The “Tazza” trilogy, a movie adaptation of the popular gambling comic book series of the same name, will conclude next month with the opening of its third film, “Tazza: One Eyed Jack.”Director Kwon Oh-Kwang and the cast took part in a press conference to promote the film in Seoul on Thursday. Unlike the first two films, which dabbled in the Asian card game hwatu, the third is about poker. The “one-eyed jack” in the title can refer either to the jack of spades

FilmAug. 8, 2019

[David Ignatius] In US-China relations, ‘friction is the new normal’

Where is the United States heading in its confrontation with China, which moved this week from a trade dispute to a currency battle -- with more dangerous tests in Hong Kong and Taiwan looming ominously in the background? Does the US have a strategy in this cascading competition? Do America’s military and diplomatic tools match the scope and subtlety of the challenges ahead? Is America’s growing anxiety about Beijing creating a policy panic that overstates the Chinese threat and unde

ViewpointsAug. 8, 2019

[Noah Smith] America’s workers need labor union comeback

There are two basic ways to improve the economic situation of the middle and lower classes. First, you can use taxes and government spending to shift income down from the top, either via direct transfers or through services like health care. Second, you can change the laws governing markets, with the goal of producing better outcomes for low- and middle-wage workers. These two approaches are sometimes called redistribution and predistribution.Much of the Democratic presidential contest has focus

ViewpointsAug. 8, 2019

[Graphic News] Netflix tops 1.8m users in S. Korea: data

　The number of South Korean users subscribing to the US video-streaming platform Netflix has nearly tripled on-year to surpass the 1.8 million mark, latest industry data showed.　Netflix is estimated to have 1.84 million paid active streaming subscribers as of June, compared with 630,000 users during the same period a year earlier, according to the data compiled by industry tracker WiseApp.　The data showed that some 38 percent of Netflix users in the country are in their 20s, followed by 31 perce

NationalAug. 8, 2019

Kakao’s operating profit surges 47% in Q2

South Korea’s largest mobile messenger app operator Kakao said Thursday its second-quarter operating profit surged 47 percent on-year, as it benefited from new businesses and contents. The company’s operating profit reached 40.5 billion won ($33.4 million) in the April-June period on a consolidated basis, compared to 27.7 billion won a year earlier.As its sales rose 25 percent on-year to reach 733 billion won, Kakao attributed the latest outcome to increased profit from its messenger

TechnologyAug. 8, 2019

Eating my way through Sokcho

SOKCHO, Gangwon Province -- A bustling port city on the east coast with Seoraksan in the backdrop, Sokcho, a three-hour drive from Seoul, is a much-favored summer destination for South Koreans.Defined by its lively beaches, abundant seafood and vibrant city atmosphere, the city is packed with vacationers in summer. Its recent rise as a surfing destination has led to even more visitors. Though Gangwon Province does not have a thriving culinary scene, Sokcho is still home to various delicacies cre

FoodAug. 8, 2019

Grand Hilton Seoul preps for Oktoberfest

Grand Hilton Seoul is gearing up for Oktoberfest. The 14th Grand Hilton Seoul Oktoberfest will be held Sept. 7 at the hotel’s Convention Center, ahead of Oktoberfest, the famed beer festival held in Munich, Germany.General Manager Bernhard Brender, who is from Germany, has hosted the hotel’s event since 2007, inviting more than 1,000 guests each year.  The festival features a German buffet, including homemade sausages, schweinshaxe -- roasted pork knuckle -- and pretzels. This y

CultureAug. 8, 2019

Outdoor movie week begins Friday at Yeouido Hangang Park

“Cinema Week,” featuring free outdoor screenings and talk shows, opens Friday at Yeouido Hangang Park.  The nine-day event will be held from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. during the week and 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends, with free movies to be screened at 8 p.m. each day. A preview screening of American musical drama film “Teen Spirit,” starring American actress Elle Fanning, takes place Friday. The lineup includes Korean film “Marathon” and foreign films &ldqu

Social AffairsAug. 8, 2019