When I first came across Richard Kim’s “The Martyred” in 1967, I was an intellectually adventurous and emotionally vulnerable college freshman. At the time, I was intrigued and mesmerized by the novels of Albert Camus and Fyodor Dostoevsky. “The Martyred,” too, was a thought-provoking novel that resonates with Camus’s nihilistic existentialism and saturated with a philosophical rigor comparable to Dostoevsky.The story of is set in Pyongyang, the capital city o

ViewpointsJuly 30, 2019

Last spring, a Korean friend used the phrase “things people can still do” in broad conversation about business and current events. Last week, I was reminded of the phrase when I took a ride in a driverless car for the first time. There was a driver, but he was there as a backup in case something went wrong. The car had no steering wheel and the driver had very little to do except start it after the passenger was safely seated. It handled curves and corners better than most drivers an

ViewpointsJuly 30, 2019

   　Ranging from internet companies to manufacturing-focused conglomerates, Korean companies have been rolling out series of blockchain-based business plans. 　The country’s two leading online service providers, Naver and Kakao, have launched their own blockchain ledgers and digital currencies. Samsung Electronics has introduced a blockchain-powered wallet, where users can store cryptocurrencies to purchase apps at its flagship Galaxy S10 phones. 　But, in the eyes of Korea&rs

TechnologyJuly 30, 2019

Long-term heavy smokers aged between 54 and 74 are eligible for National Health Insurance-covered lung cancer screenings, starting from Monday.　The Ministry of Health and Welfare said Tuesday that individuals aged 54-74 with a smoking history of at least 30 pack-years can test for lung cancer under a state health plan every two years. A pack-year is equivalent to tobacco intake of one pack of 20 cigarettes per day over a one-year period. The screening will cost the examinee 10,000 won ($8.5

Social AffairsJuly 30, 2019

SEJONG -- South Korea is one of the few developing countries whose economy expanded sufficiently over the past decades to compete with advanced nations in Europe.Korea achieved the world’s 10th-largest gross domestic product in 2005. It was 28th in 1980, ranked behind Indonesia (21st), Iran (20th) and Saudi Arabia (14th).As exports in sectors such as semiconductors and automobiles greatly contributed to its GDP, there have been predictions that the nation could consistently become one of t

EconomyJuly 30, 2019

Every once in a while we get what I like to call “face-palm movies”: Films with great intentions and worthy causes that are made so poorly that I end up feeling guilty for hating them. “The Battle: Roar to Victory,” a film about one of the most glorious moments in Korea’s history of fighting for independence from Japan, is one that should have sparked nationalistic pride and a sense of victory, but instead is bogged down by a number of questionable directing choices

FilmJuly 30, 2019

South Korea and the United States are in talks over a possible visit to Seoul by new US Defense Secretary Mark Esper as part of his first Asia trip since taking office last week, a government official here said Tuesday.Esper is considering taking a five-nation trip to East Asia next month, which would include stops in South Korea and Japan, the official said, noting that when he visits Seoul has yet to be decided. "I understand that (the two sides) are making the final coordination (over th

Foreign AffairsJuly 30, 2019

“Unleash the mad dogs again” is the go-to phrase pushed by promoters for “Bad Guys: The movie,” as OCN’s popular picaresque crime drama “Bad Guys” is slated to be remade as a film set for a September release.Directed by Son Yong-ho, the upcoming film features many of the original cast reprising their characters, from the muscle-bound simpleton of a gangster Park Woong-cheol to Oh Gu-tak, a police official with a reputation for being relentless and ruthle

FilmJuly 30, 2019

With just a couple of days remaining for Japan’s decision on removing South Korea from its whitelist of trusted trade partners, the Seoul government and businesses are ratcheting up efforts to protect industries that could be potentially hit by the move.The chances are high that Japan could remove Korea from a whitelist of 27 countries that receive preferential trade treatment after Cabinet approval on Friday. If Korea is removed from the whitelist, domestic companies need to get separate

IndustryJuly 30, 2019

South Korean airlines have suspended services or plan to reduce the number of flights on some Japanese routes as outbound travel demand falls amid escalating trade tensions with the neighboring country.  　On July 30, Asiana Airlines said it will reduce the number of flights on the routes to Japanese destinations, such as Fukuoka, Osaka and Okinawa, starting from mid-September.  　Asiana is the latest among local airlines that have decided to readjust flight schedules to Japan as an

IndustryJuly 30, 2019

LS Cable & System announced Tuesday the launch of a series of safety-enhanced “green cables” that are eco-friendly and less vulnerable to fires.The newly developed HFIX+ cables replace existing polyvinyl chloride cables, and are more fire resistant by emitting less toxic gases when exposed to fires, the company said. According to the company, the current standards for fire resistant cables in South Korea are lower than that in other advanced countries. The company said its green

IndustryJuly 30, 2019

Police said Tuesday they are looking into suspicions that singer-actor Park Yoo-chun invited police officers, who were in charge of probing rape allegations against him, home for a meal while under investigation. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency received a tip-off that Park, 33, invited the officers for dinner and drinks at his home in 2016 while he was being investigated by Gangnam Police Station for suspected rape. Four women filed complaints against Park, then a member of boy band JY

Social AffairsJuly 30, 2019

South Korean food company Nongshim said Tuesday it will be releasing its Non-frying Shin Ramyun product in the United States.It is currently in the process of sending out 50,000 boxes of the ramen -- amounting to 1.6 million packs -- to secure a sales network reaching major parts of the US between September and the year’s end.The new product applies air-drying technology to its flagship product, Shin Ramyun noodles, in order to provide a healthier, non-fried alternative to its famous ramen

IndustryJuly 30, 2019

South Korea’s benchmark Kospi is projected to dip below the psychologically important 2,000 mark, if escalating trade tensions with Japan are prolonged, a report released by a local brokerage firm said Tuesday.Amid a lackluster stock market performance, Tokyo is expected to implement the decision to exclude South Korea from its whitelist of trusted export nations on Friday, which would bar Korea from receiving preferential treatment via simplified export procedures. “The local s

MarketJuly 30, 2019

When Kia Motors said its latest compact sport utility vehicle Seltos would be a game-changer in the local SUV market, the company was met with doubts, as the automaker already has three other small SUVs -- the Stoniq, Soul and Niro. But upon the official launch of Seltos this month, and with a single test-drive of Seltos, feelings of doubt immediately changed to pleasant surprise. Driving Seltos on a 65-kilometer route from Wonju, Gangwon Province, to Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, it was c

MobilityJuly 30, 2019

The number of newborns in South Korea fell 9.6 percent in May from a year earlier, government data showed Tuesday, a sign of the continuing low birthrate that has plagued Asia's fourth-largest economy for more than a decade.The data compiled by Statistics Korea showed that 25,300 babies were born in May, compared with 28,000 babies tallied in the same month of 2018. It marks the lowest number of newborns reported for any May since 1981, when the statistics agency started compiling data on newbor

Social AffairsJuly 30, 2019

The number of South Koreans accessing the darknet, a network of encrypted websites that cannot be accessed through search engines, has tripled in 2 1/2 years. Statistics released by Tor Metrics on Monday showed that the average of 5,156 South Korean users per day accessed the darknet at the end of 2016. The figure had jumped to 15,951 users as of July this year. The number of global darknet users nearly doubled from 151,794 to 290,955 during the same period. Tor Metrics is a website evaluating a

TechnologyJuly 30, 2019

Korean American pastor Kim Dong-chul, who was freed from North Korea last year after about 2 1/2 years in detention, said he had been spying for Seoul and Washington, NK News reported Monday.Kim was arrested in the northeastern city of Rason in October 2015, and was sentenced to 10 years of hard labor on charges of espionage and subversive acts against Pyongyang in April 2016. The North Korean state media at the time said Kim confessed in a press conference to collecting Workers’ Party, go

North KoreaJuly 30, 2019