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

Iranian man denied refugee status unlike his son

An Iranian man in his 50s was granted an extension of his "humanitarian stay" in South Korea on Thursday, as the authorities stopped short of endorsing refugee status.The 53-year-old is the father of an Iranian student who obtained refugee status last Oct. The son, aged 16, has the Korean name of Kim Min-hyuk.They landed in South Korea in 2010 and both converted to Catholicism five years later. Muslims who convert to another religion are charged as criminals in Iran and face harsh puni

Social AffairsAug. 8, 2019

Seoul, Washington haven’t started talks for defense cost-sharing deal: Foreign Ministry

South Korea reiterated Thursday that Seoul and Washington will discuss the defense cost-sharing deal in a way that is “fair and reasonable,” but said the negotiations have not started yet, denying a claim to the contrary from US President Donald Trump.On Twitter on Wednesday, Trump wrote as if the new cost-sharing deal were already in place and said South Korea had agreed to a significant increase in its share of the costs for the upkeep of the US troops stationed here.  “

DefenseAug. 8, 2019

SillaJen vows to come back with more data to prove Pexa-Vec efficacy

SillaJen will sturdy rickety investor sentiments with more data as soon as ready, the company told The Korea Herald on Friday, while maintaining that currently it can only offer to say the company has unfazed faith in the efficacy of Pexa-Vec.SillaJen will follow through with the plan to establish a new research and development center in Pangyo, Gyeonggi Province, which will open in September. SillaJen, a viral Korean biotech company whose market value came reached 10 trillion won ($8.3 billion)

IndustryAug. 8, 2019

Japan gives first export approval to South Korea after tightened rules

The South Korean government said Thursday that Japan has allowed high-tech materials to be exported to South Korea in the first approval since the Shinzo Abe administration imposed export curbs in July on three materials crucial for Korea’s chip and display production. Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon said Thursday that Japan had granted its first approval for exporting extreme ultraviolet photoresists to Korea a day earlier. EUV photoresists are one of the three materials that Japan restri

IndustryAug. 8, 2019

Number of 5G subscribers in S. Korea surpasses 2 million

 　Four months after South Korea commercially launched the fifth-generation cellular network, the number of 5G subscribers here has surpassed 2 million as of this week, amid growing competition among major mobile carriers. 　According to industry data, the country’s three major carriers -- SK Telecom, KT, and LG Uplus -- reached combined subscribers of 2.01 million Tuesday, about two months after they topped the 1 million threshold in June. 　Growth is expected to further accelerate when

TechnologyAug. 8, 2019

‘Soul-searching needed for Korea, Japan, over trade row’

A senior US official said Wednesday that South Korea and Japan should do some “soul-searching” about the political decisions that have damaged their ties, and called for calm words from its leaders.Marc Knapper, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia, told a US think tank that it was critical to ensure “productive and constructive relationships” between the US allies in the face of “shared challenges posed by North Korea, Russia and China.” &ldqu

Foreign AffairsAug. 8, 2019

Jeju police round up 30 illegal immigrants

A group of immigrants staying illegally in Jeju City were nabbed Monday, according to police.The Jeju Police Agency and the Jeju Immigration Office said Thursday that they caught 30 Chinese immigrants living in a two-story rental home in Aewol, a neighborhood west of the city, without valid visas. Police said the 21 men and nine women, who ranged in age from their 20s to their 50s, have been staying illegally for as long as four months and working on construction sites or farms.Kim Hang-nyun, th

Social AffairsAug. 8, 2019

S-Oil grants scholarships of W330m to students

South Korea’s leading oil refiner S-Oil held a ceremony Wednesday to award scholarships to students at an orphanage.  The S-Oil Dream Scholarship is an annual donation organized by the company to provide educational opportunities to less-advantaged students.This year, 135 students from Sundukwon Orphanage, as well as a choir group at the center, were provided scholarships totaling 330 million won ($273,000). Since 2016, the company has donated 1.2 billion won to aid 485 students.Of th

IndustryAug. 8, 2019

SHINee, EXO, NCT 127 members to come together in one boy band in Oct.

In collaboration with an affiliate of American entertainment giant Universal Music Group, South Korea's biggest music label SM Entertainment will unveil a new boy band in Oct. that will bring together highly accomplished artists under its wing.Under the joint project with the US-based Capitol Music Group (CMG), home for such famous music acts as Katy Perry and the Beatles, SM will globally launch the seven-member band SuperM, SM said in a press release.  The dream team's lineup is made up o

PerformanceAug. 8, 2019

Asia's biggest K-pop awards MAMA reconsiders Japan, Hong Kong as event venues

The Mnet Asian Music Awards, or MAMA, the biggest annual K-pop awards series held outside of South Korea, is reconsidering Japan and Hong Kong as its destinations for this year's event, according to the event's organizer.Having been among the biggest consumers of K-pop outside of Korea, Japan and Hong Kong have hosted the high-profile K-pop event for the past two years, welcoming in an army of A-list K-pop artists to their cities, including BTS, Wanna One and actors Park Bo-gum and Song Joong-ki

PerformanceAug. 8, 2019

[Newsmaker] Interior Ministry puts brakes on Seoul City plans for Gwanghwamun makeover

The Ministry of Interior and Safety has asked the Seoul Metropolitan Government to put the city’s plans to revamp Gwanghwamun Square on hold.According to the Interior Ministry on Thursday, the ministry told the city government July 30 that a public consensus should precede the plan’s execution. The ministry asked that civic groups be involved in the discussion, citing negative public sentiment over the Seoul city project.The square renewal proposal submitted by Seoul encroaches on th

Social AffairsAug. 8, 2019

Service output down in restructuring-hit region: data

The South Korean industrial city of Ulsan suffered a setback in service output and retail sales in the second quarter due to lingering effects of massive corporate restructuring, data showed Thursday.Service output in Ulsan -- home to shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. and Hyundai Motor Co. -- fell 0.3 percent in the April-June period from a year earlier.Retail sales in the southeastern industrial city declined 1.2 percent, marking the fifth straight quarter that retail sales have fallen.T

IndustryAug. 8, 2019

BOK report hints at possible rate cut in near future

South Korea's central bank again hinted at a possible rate reduction in the near future Thursday, saying the escalating trade dispute between the United States and China, as well as the country's own trade conflict with Japan, may put additional downward pressure on Asia's fourth-largest economy.The Bank of Korea "plans to maintain the easing stance of its monetary policy as upward pressure on price increases is expected to remain weak, while the growth of the local economy remains slow,&qu

MarketAug. 8, 2019

Seoul stocks extend gains, won advances late Thursday morning

Seoul stocks extended gains late Thursday morning although investors remain wary over the worsening US-China trade war and Japan's export curbs. The won gained against the US dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 20.57 points, or 1.1 percent, to 1,930.28 as of 11:20 a.m. The main index shed 6.3 percent in the past six sessions. Japan's trade ministry on Wednesday officially announced the exclusion of South Korea from its "whitelist" of trusted trading partners tha

MarketAug. 8, 2019

Moon says Japan in 'no-winner' game against S. Korea

President Moon Jae-in continued his criticism Thursday of Japan's "no-winner game" against South Korea, especially taking issue with its contradictory attitude toward trade.He was speaking at the outset of a Cheong Wa Dae meeting of the presidential National Economic Advisory Council, its first session in eight months. Moon had two previous council meetings in late 2017 and 2018.But he convened a summertime session to pool wisdom on ways to cope with Tokyo's Seoul-bound export control.

PoliticsAug. 8, 2019

S. Korean Ji So-yun signs extension with Chelsea FC Women

South Korean international stalwart Ji So-yun has agreed to an extension with Chelsea FC Women, committing to stay with the English club until 2022.Chelsea announced on its website on Wednesday (local time) that Ji, who joined the Blues in 2014, will be around for three more seasons.The 28-year-old midfielder has netted 56 goals in 136 appearances for Chelsea FC Women. Ji helped the club to the FA Women's Super League and FA Women's Cup titles in both 2015 and 2018.Last season, Ji scored nine ti

SoccerAug. 8, 2019

US approves $800 m in helicopters for S. Korea

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- The US government has approved the sale of $800 million worth of helicopters to South Korea, the Pentagon announced Wednesday, hours after President Donald Trump said Seoul had agreed to pay more for the US military presence in the country.The Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency said the State Department had approved the sale of 12 MH-60R Multi-Mission Seahawk Helicopters and extensive associated radar, communications and weaponry equipment.The helicopters bolster

DefenseAug. 8, 2019