[Around the Hotels] Packages and promotions

Summer treats at Grand Hyatt Seoul 　Grand Hyatt Seoul presents summer desserts to beat the heat.Mango coconut bingsu and green tea bingsu are being offered at 38,000 won. They can be ordered at lounge cafe Gallery and all-day buffet restaurant Terrace. The hotel’s bakery Deli presents homemade soft-serve vanilla and chocolate ice cream, with 15 different toppings available at 500 won each. Ice cream served in a cone costs 4,500 won and 9,500 won in a cup. For more information, call Grand H

FoodJuly 19, 2019

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

1. Everland Summer Water Fun Held annually since 2005, Everland’s summer festival is back with a variety of programs, such as water shows, light shows and other fun activities. It is open to visitors of all ages. For more information in Korean, English, Chinese and Japanese, visit www.everland.com. 2. Hangang Summer Festival The Hangang Summer Festival, also called the Hangang Mongttang Festival, is a large-scale riverside cultural event. It consists of about 80 pr

TravelJuly 19, 2019

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Spider-Man: Far From Home(US) Opened July 2Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi Directed by Jon WattsPeter Parker (Tom Holland), aka Spider-Man, is unsure of himself and is torn between wanting a normal life as a high school student and shouldering his responsibilities as a superhero. Peter decides to use a school field trip to Europe to get close to Michelle “MJ” Jones (Zendaya), but troubles follow, as well as a run-in with a mysterious superhero, “Mysterio” Quentin Beck (Jake Gyl

FilmJuly 19, 2019

Man seriously injured after setting fire to his car near Japanese Embassy

A man in his 70s suffered burns all over his body after setting fire to his car as it was parked in front of a building housing the Japanese Embassy in Seoul on Friday, police said.The man maneuvered his car onto the sidewalk in front of the entrance of the building and set fire to the inside of the vehicle around 3:24 a.m. according to police. Inside the car inflammable materials including butane gas were found. The fire was extinguished in 10 minutes and the man, who had suffered severe burns,

Social AffairsJuly 19, 2019

Tracing the footsteps of democratization in Gwangju

GWANGJU, South Jeolla Province -- Geumnam-ro in Gwangju’s Dong-gu district is a street just like any other, bustling with cars and people going on with their lives and whatnot. Walk past Geumnam-ro Park, past the YMCA building, and you will find the Asia Culture Center. Right beside it stands an old battered building once used as the office of the provincial government. You have just traced the footsteps of the citizens who rallied against the paratroopers, armed with tanks and machine gun

TravelJuly 19, 2019

S. Korea may review military info-sharing pact with Japan: Cheong Wa Dae official

A senior Cheong Wa Dae official said Thursday South Korea will review whether to renew a pact with Japan on sharing military information, if needed, according to a politician here."For now, (the government) has a position to maintain it. It can be reconsidered in accordance with (relevant) situations,"Chung Eui-yong, director of Cheong Wa Dae's national security office, was quoted by Rep. Sim Sang-jung, head of the progressive Justice Party, as saying during a closed-door meeting with

PoliticsJuly 18, 2019

Moon, party leaders vow to work together to deal with Japan's economic reprisal

The government and political parties are to establish an emergency cooperation body to respond to Japan’s trade restrictions against South Korea, the parties and the presidential office said Thursday.The agreement, reached at a meeting of President Moon Jae-in and the leaders of five political parties, called on Japan to immediately withdraw the measures and said that any further trade restrictions would threaten the security of Northeast Asia. According to the agreement, the governme

PoliticsJuly 18, 2019

Samsung asks local partners to secure Japanese parts amid export curbs

Samsung Electronics Co. is exploring all possible means to secure stock piles of Japanese materials in preparation for Tokyo expanding its export restrictions, company sources said Thursday.The tech giant has sent letters to its local partners in the production of televisions, consumer electronics and smartphones, urging them to secure various Japanese components by the end of July, or before Aug. 15 at the latest. Japan began applying stricter export rules to South Korea for three key materials

TechnologyJuly 18, 2019

S. Korea to build world's largest floating solar farm

South Korea will build the world's largest floating solar farm in a fresh water lake next to Saemangeum, a reclaimed area on the west coast, the government said Thursday.The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said the project to build a 2.1 gigawatt (GW) solar farm on the lake that spans 30 square kilometers was approved in an electricity committee meeting, with the project estimated to cost 4.6 trillion won (US$3.9 billion). Work on the solar farm is expected to start in the latter half of

IndustryJuly 18, 2019

NK’s warning against joint drills aimed at gaining time for nuke talks: think tank

North Korea’s recent warning that a joint US-South Korea military exercise will hamper denuclearization talks could be an attempt to buy time to prepare for negotiations with the US, a state-run think tank said Thursday.During a press conference, the Institute for National Security Strategy said Pyongyang is likely to take an uncompromising approach in the upcoming negotiations. Talks between the two countries have hit a deadlock after the summit between US President Donald Trump and North

North KoreaJuly 18, 2019

Michelin star-winning chefs go to luxury hotels

With 26 restaurants boasting highly coveted Michelin stars, Seoul’s fine dining scene is definitely on the rise. Streets in posh neighborhoods of Seoul are dotted with eateries serving cuisines from around the world. By comparison, the restaurant scene in hotels seems to have lost its luster. Up until the 2000s, hotel restaurants were where one headed here for the upscale, fine-dining experience. But today, star chefs at independent restaurants are the trendsetters leading the fine-dining

FoodJuly 18, 2019

Half the guilt, double the pleasure

Ice cream and eating healthy have never quite gone hand in hand. But some alternative brands are trying to bridge the seemingly opposite ideas, producing low-calorie ice cream. 　Among them is Halo Top, an ice cream brand based in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 2012, it boasts a “better for you” ice cream.  Created by two former lawyers interested in healthy lifestyles, a pint of Halo Top’s ice cream has 285 to 330 calories, one-fourth that of typical ice cream product

FoodJuly 18, 2019

[Eye plus] Where startup dreams come true

With an aim to nurture startups and create an environment where startups can thrive, Seoul Metropolitan Government established Seoul Startup Hub in 2017. It’s designed as a place where investors, conglomerates, startups and consumers can interact and build networks. Seoul Startup Hub has since become a platform to help Koreans make their dreams of launching startups come true -- from planning to implementing their ideas -- as it provides professional consulting, lectures and prog

Social AffairsJuly 18, 2019

Communal dipping, ‘a wartime eating habit with health consequences’

Chopsticks and spoons digging into the same dish are not an uncommon sight at Korean dining tables.　Bowls of rice are served individually, but “banchan,” or side dishes, and “jjigae,” or stew, are often served communally, meant to be shared.　Sharing stew from the same pot is not considered good table manners here, but many forego the ladle and small bowls that come with the stew, dipping their spoons directly into the pot.　But this seemingly customary practice is not actu

CultureJuly 18, 2019

[Graphic News] Taylor Swift named world’s top-earning celebrity, BTS at No. 43

　Singer Taylor Swift was named the world’s highest-paid entertainer but was closely followed by two members of the wider Kardashian clan - reality star turned cosmetics queen Kylie Jenner and rapper Kanye West. 　The annual Forbes Celebrity 100 list also saw soccer stars Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar among the top 10, along with British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran and 1970s soft rock band The Eagles, which embarked on a new tour in 2018. 　South Korean boy band BTS was at No. 4

WorldJuly 18, 2019

S. Korea’s top financial regulator offers to resign ahead of Cabinet reshuffle

Financial Services Commission Chairman Choi Jong-ku said Thursday he has offered to resign, to give President Moon Jae-in a wider range of options in the upcoming Cabinet reshuffle. “The term of office for a Financial Services Commission chairman is three years, but I have tendered my resignation to give (President Moon) a wider option in the reshuffle under the current situation, where Cheong Wa Dae is considering a Cabinet reshuffle,” Choi told reporters during a briefing held at t

MarketJuly 18, 2019

Penalty doubles for borrowing ID to access state health insurance

Using National Health Insurance information that is not your own to receive medical care will be met with heftier punishment starting October. The National Health Insurance Service said Thursday using another person’s personal information to receive medical services could lead to a maximum penalty of two years in jail or a fine of 20 million won ($16,975) from Oct. 24. This is double the current penalty of a 1-year jail term or 10 million-won fine.The measure is aimed at preventing those w

Social AffairsJuly 18, 2019

[Herald Review] Despite a few flaws, ‘Exit’ a fun, action-packed film with likable characters

As the credits rolled, there was a feeling of deja vu. This was not a Ryu Seung-wan film, yet it was oddly reminiscent of his signature style: likable characters written to be compatible with each actor, unforced humor, clever lines and suspenseful action. Then I discovered director Lee Sang-geun used to work as an assistant director for Ryu.Lee is not a Ryu-wannabe, of course. In his first feature effort, Lee managed to create a film that is both fun and suspenseful, with protagonists that are

FilmJuly 18, 2019

Despite Japan curbs, Samsung presses ahead with production of cutting-edge chips

Samsung Electronics on Thursday announced it was starting the mass production of the world’s fastest mobile DRAM chips for 5G-enabled smartphones, amid prolonging tensions between South Korea and Japan over export restrictions.  Samsung has embarked on mass producing 10-nanometer-class 12-gigabit low-power DDR5, featuring the fastest data processing for mobile devices -- 1.3 times faster than previous mobile memory chips. The Korean tech giant is also planning to start mass producing

TechnologyJuly 18, 2019

Seoul working on visit by Bolton

Seoul and Washington are working on a possible visit to South Korea by US national security adviser John Bolton, a local news outlet reported Thursday. “South Korean and US authorities are consulting over Bolton’s visit to Korea,” Yonhap News Agency quoted an anonymous official with Seoul’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs as saying. According to the report, Bolton’s Seoul visit is being arranged on the occasion of his trip to Japan. Japanese media earlier reported

Foreign AffairsJuly 18, 2019