Top court rules sharing pornography torrent file same as distributing porn

South Korea’s top court ruled that sharing torrent files that contain only metadata about pornographic videos and not the video content itself can be taken as the act of distributing such videos, and is thereby subject to punishment. Torrent files contain metadata for files and folders, and users tend to share and download videos and other files through such torrent files found in directories and widely circulating on the internet. The Supreme Court on Monday upheld a lower court’s r

Social AffairsJuly 29, 2019

Three North Koreans who crossed NLL repatriated

Three North Koreans who crossed into South Korea in the East Sea on Saturday were repatriated to the North, as a daylong investigation uncovered no evidence of espionage activities, the Ministry of Unification said Monday. A wooden boat and the three crew members were transferred to North Korean authorities in the afternoon after the ministry announced that they had departed for the inter-Korean sea border. The government notified the North of the repatriation decision through the inter-Korean l

North KoreaJuly 29, 2019

Consultative group on Japan’s trade curbs to launch this week amid parliamentary stalemate

Five South Korean political parties agreed to launch a consultative body on Japan’s export regulations this week, made up of officials from the government, private and public sectors, officials said Monday.The launch of the group comes as the National Assembly remains plagued by differences over the terms of an extraordinary parliamentary meeting.The development is part of a consensus reached during party leaders’ recent meeting with President Moon Jae-in at Cheong Wa Dae on a commit

PoliticsJuly 29, 2019

Daewoo E&C starts sales of deluxe apartments

Daewoo Engineering & Construction said Monday it will start sales of its new premium apartments located in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province.Gwacheon Prugio Summit is a complex of 32 apartment blocks with seven different apartment floor plans to choose from. Starting from 254 units of 59 square meters, sizes range all the way to 151 square meters.Unlike other similar complexes that have been renovated, the new complex in Gwacheon is designed with luxurious features.Residents will get to enjoy Euro

IndustryJuly 29, 2019

[Herald Interview] Embraer offers Korean budget airlines more profitability with smaller planes

Amid the expanding market size of budget airlines following the South Korean government’s approval of three additional low-cost carriers earlier this year, they have become the most-preferred travel option for Koreans due to their low costs and widespread connectivity. Competition among LCCs is growing intense, with more air carriers stretching their services by introducing larger, long-haul aircrafts as well as premium seats such as Jeju Air’s “New Class.”But accord

IndustryJuly 29, 2019

OB denies reports of AB InBev’s plan to sell stake

South Korea’s Oriental Brewery on Monday denied news reports that its parent Belgian company AB InBev is seeking to sell its majority stake. According to local media reports, AB InBev -- which acquired OB for $5.8 billion in 2014 -- has been contacting local retail conglomerates such as Lotte and Shinsegae, as well as private equity funds via foreign securities companies to sell its stake. The deal could be worth some 9 trillion won ($7.65 billion). But OB has flatly denied such

IndustryJuly 29, 2019

Cristiano Ronaldo’s no-show prompts upset fans to seek legal action

Korean fans disappointed and angered by soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo’s solely bench-warming presence at a friendly match between Juventus FC from Turin, Italy and a team of K League players last week are pursuing a class-action suit against the organizer for failing to meet legal obligations.The 34-year-old star athlete -- whose first visit in 12 years was highly anticipated among fans here-- was benched in the exhibition match last Friday at the World Cup Stadium in western Seo

Social AffairsJuly 29, 2019

TheFasta CEO says Juventus apologized for Ronaldo no-show, still feels betrayed

The CEO of TheFasta, the local agency in charge of the exhibition match between Juventus and South Korean league All-Stars team, said her Italian counterpart had apologized to the agency about Cristiano Ronaldo’s benching.During an interview with local media outlet Sports Seoul, Robin Jang, TheFasta’s CEO, said she was able to reach Juventus’ project manager on Saturday and received an apology. According to the newspaper’s reporting, Jang quoted the manager as s

SoccerJuly 29, 2019

Sweltering heat wave hits Korea

A scorching heat wave began to grip South Korea on Monday after the monsoon season ended, with heat wave advisories issued for most of the country. Showers were expected between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. Tuesday in Seoul and its surrounding area, due to unstable air masses, with daytime high temperatures to stay between 29 degrees Celsius and 35 C. 　As of 11 a.m. Monday, a heat wave advisory had been issued for Seoul, Busan, parts of all the provinces and Jeju Island. Heat wave warnings were also in eff

Social AffairsJuly 29, 2019

Hyundai, Kia sell over 90m vehicles outside S. Korea

South Korea's Hyundai Motor Co. and affiliate Kia Motors Corp. said Monday they have sold over 90 million vehicles in accumulated overseas sales.  As of the end of June, Hyundai and Kia sold a combined 90,189,640 vehicles in global markets except for South Korea. The vehicles sold outside the country were shipped from the carmakers' domestic and overseas plants, according to the data.Helped by robust sales of their SUVs in the United States, the companies expect to sell over 100 million aut

MobilityJuly 29, 2019

Big Hit takes over music label of K-pop girl band GFriend

Big Hit Entertainment, the management agency of K-pop super band BTS, has taken over a medium-sized talent agency that is home to popular girl band GFriend, Big Hit said Monday. "Having recently completed its contract to take over shares of Source Music, Big Hit will integrate (the company) as its subsidiary," Big Hit said in a press release. "Source Music plans to retain its current management to operate with its own color and independence as a music label," it said.  T

PerformanceJuly 29, 2019

Relics of Paleolithic era found in N. Korea's southwest

Paleolithic fossils, stoneware and other remains have been found in North Korea's southwestern region, state media said Monday.Faculty and researchers of Kimilsung University found the remains -- five pieces of stone tools, three pieces of bone tools and 732 pieces of fossil bones -- dating back to the later period of the era near the Ryesong River, according to the Korean Central News Agency. The discovery marked the first time for relics of the Paleolithic age to be found near the Ryesong Rive

CultureJuly 29, 2019

Earth's 2019 resources 'budget' spent by July 29: report

PARIS (AFP) -- Mankind will have used up its allowance of natural resources such as water, soil and clean air for all of 2019 by Monday, a report said.The so-called Earth Overshoot Day has moved up by two months over the past 20 years and this year's date is the earliest ever, the study by the Global Footprint Network said.The equivalent of 1.75 planets would be required to produce enough to meet humanity's needs at current consumption rates. "Earth Overshoot Day falling on July 29 means th

World NewsJuly 29, 2019

Three North Koreans to be returned to North

The three North Koreans who crossed into South Korea in the East Sea will be returned to the North, the Ministry of Unification said Monday. The three North Koreans crossed into South Korean waters late Saturday on a wooden boat. The vessel was detected by South Korean Navy and towed into a military port in Gangwon Province on Sunday. “The government plans to return the North’s wooden boat and the crew across the Northern Limit Line in East Sea this afternoon,” the Unifica

North KoreaJuly 29, 2019

Japan's Abe unlikely to meet S. Korea's Moon at UN in Sept. - Sankei

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is unlikely to meet South Korean President Moon Jae-in during the United Nations general assembly in September, the Sankei newspaper reported, the latest sign of frosty relations between the key US allies.Abe will not hold talks with Moon unless Seoul takes constructive steps over World War-Two era forced labourers and other issues, the Japanese daily said on Monday.Abe will also forgo meeting Moon during other opportunities, including an Association of Southea

Foreign AffairsJuly 29, 2019

[Newsmaker] S. Korean Ko Jin-young wins Evian Championship for 2nd career LPGA major

South Korean Ko Jin-young has captured the Evian Championship for her second career LPGA major title, booking a return to the top of the world rankings in the process.Ko won the fourth major tournament of the 2019 season at 15-under 269 at the par-71 Evian Resort Golf Club in Evian-les-Bains, France, on Sunday, beating three players, including fellow Korean Kim Hyo-joo, by two strokes.Jennifer Kupcho of the United States and Feng Shanshan of China also finished at 13-under.This is Ko's fifth LPG

GolfJuly 29, 2019

S. Korean diplomat under police probe over alleged sexual harassment

A senior South Korean diplomat stationed in Japan is reportedly under police investigation for allegedly molesting a female subordinate employee.The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission has referred the case to the police after receiving a tip on the consul general's alleged sexual harassment, according to a foreign ministry official. "The commission has not revealed details of the incident to the ministry," the official said. The diplomat is known to be currently in South

Foreign AffairsJuly 28, 2019

[Graphic News] Worsening world hunger affects 821 million

　More than 821 million people suffered from hunger worldwide last year, the United Nations reported - the third year in a row that the number has risen.　After decades of decline, malnutrition began to increase in 2015, mainly because of climate change and war. Reversing the trend is one of the 2030 targets of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals that aim to improve the planet and its people.　But getting to a world where no one is suffering from hunger by then remains an “immense ch

World NewsJuly 28, 2019

[Gwangju 2019] FINA calls athletes' podium protests 'unfortunate'

The international swimming governing body on Sunday said athletes' podium protests against a fellow swimmer facing doping allegations at the world championships were "unfortunate."Cornel Marculescu, executive director of FINA, also said FINA is one of the world's leading sports organizations in the fight against doping, trying to dispel notions that it's more concerned about controlling athletes' behavior than the use of performance-enhancing substances in the sport. "We're here t

More SportsJuly 28, 2019

[Gwangju 2019] Chief organizer says Gwangju Worlds have been a success

The top organizer of the 2019 FINA World Championships in South Korea said Sunday that the 17-day aquatics competition have been successful in terms of performances and financial efficiency."After two weeks of an outstanding aquatics show, the 2019 Gwangju World Championships have finished the 17th day of competition," Lee Yong-sup, head of the organizing committee, said in a press conference.He said FINA, the international swimming governing body, recognizes the Gwangju championships

More SportsJuly 28, 2019