Staatskapelle Dresden to perform in Seoul, joined by Chung Myung-whun, Kim Sun-wook

Conductor Chung Myung-whun and pianist Kim Sun-wook will join the Staatskapelle Dresden during its visit to Korea in September for two concerts in Seoul. 　The orchestra’s visit to Korea is its first in four years.   The Staatskapelle Dresden will go on stage at the Sejong Center on Sept. 27, followed by another concert at the Seoul Arts Center on Sept. 29. While the Sejong Center performance will include Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No.5 and Brahms’ Symphony No. 2, the

PerformanceJuly 31, 2019

[Graphic News] Smuggled drugs down 41% in H1

　Drug smuggling detected by the South Korean authorities dropped sharply in the first half of 2019, customs data showed, although illegal attempts to smuggle drugs continue to rise. 　A total of 86.8 kilograms of drugs were confiscated in the January-June period, down 41 percent from 146.9 kilograms posted a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service.　Despite the on-year decline, the agency said the figure is still the second-highest in a decade. (Yonhap)

NationalJuly 31, 2019

Gwangju police chief vows thorough probe into balcony collapse

Jang Ha-yeon, commissioner of the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency, on Wednesday vowed to thoroughly investigate the collapse of a balcony inside a nightclub in Gwangju that killed two people and injured 25. “We will mobilize all the functions at the police agency to clearly investigate all the suspicions,” Jang said. “We are gathering intelligence to find out whether allegations of cozy ties between the police (and the club) are true.”The balcony at the club next

Social AffairsJuly 31, 2019

Cheong Wa Dae voices deep concern over NK’s missile launch

South Korea’s presidential office on Wednesday expressed deep concerns over North Korea’s latest missile launch, saying North Korea’s actions could damage efforts to establish peace on the Korean Peninsula. North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles near the east coast city of Wonsan, six days after the last missile launch, early Wednesday morning, Seoul’s military said. In response to the missiles, the presidential office also called a National Security Co

North KoreaJuly 31, 2019

Hong Kong’s EMF wraps up after days of e-sports festivities

HONG KONG -- The 2019 E-Sports & Music Festival Hong Kong wrapped up three days of esports competition, cosplay competition to musical performances Sunday. Held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre and organized by the Hong Kong Tourism Board, the third annual gathering of gaming fans in Asia kicked off Friday with thousands of fans flocking to the scene.Game on One look at the entrance of the event was enough to see that this was a special occasion. Brightly colored wigs and fa

CultureJuly 31, 2019

[Kim Myong-sik] Defender of justice or enforcer for power?

A star is born, one too bright to behold without wondering how long it could burn. Yoon Seok-yeol, South Korea’s new prosecutor-general, has already led investigations into “past evils” for two years as head of the Seoul Prosecutors’ Office amid claims that President Moon Jae-in was carrying out a political vendetta. Until the meteoric rise of his career, one rarely seen in the nation’s history of law enforcement, he had moved from one remote provincial prosecutors&

ViewpointsJuly 31, 2019

[John Bernstein] Now or never for these Democratic candidates

It’s time for the Democrats to winnow.Twenty presidential candidates were set to debateTuesday and Wednesday. It’s their second round, and the last with so many candidates split over two nights. After this there’s a break until September, and the Democratic National Committee is making it harder to qualify for the next round. At best, maybe a dozen candidates will still be debating in September, and it’s hard to believe that anyone who can’t qualify can recover to w

ViewpointsJuly 31, 2019

[Trending] Massive donation to female streamer stirs up internet in Korea

A female online broadcast jockey sent the local social media abuzz with chatters about her lucky day. On Monday, she received digital currency worth 120 million won ($101,500) in donation from her fan during a live show.The streamer named Yu Hye-ji is known for her mukbang (eating show) while chatting with viewers on the Korean video-streaming platform Afreeca TV.The massive amount of money she got during a live broadcast instantly became the talk of the town, followed by a number of news media

TelevisionJuly 31, 2019

Officials summoned for Incheon tap water crisis

Police said Wednesday they had called in Incheon city officials for questioning in connection with the reddish tap water problem that has swept through parts of the city over the past few months. The Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency summoned some 10 officials from the Waterworks Headquarters Incheon Metropolitan City as witnesses for suspected dereliction of duty in the wake of contaminated water first detected in Incheon on May 30. They questioned the officials on whether the device meas

Social AffairsJuly 31, 2019

Heavy downpour kills one at construction site

Heavy rainfall on Wednesday morning in Seoul and the surrounding Gyeonggi Province isolated three workers at a rainwater pump construction site, leaving one dead and two missing, with torrential downpours expected to continue through early Thursday morning.  　Yangcheon Fire Station received a report at 8:24 a.m. that three workers -- two from Korea and one from Myanmar -- at the rainwater drainage facility under construction in western Seoul had been isolated. 　One worker, surnamed Koo, was

Social AffairsJuly 31, 2019

US, N. Korean officials meet at DMZ, talks to resume ‘very soon’: reports

North Korea has indicated its willingness to resume talks with the US “very soon” at an undisclosed meeting between high-ranking officials at the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) last week, foreign news outlets reported Wednesday.  Citing unnamed senior officials from the Donald Trump administration, the Associated Press and Reuters reported that the two sides met at the inter-Korean border sometime last week without specifying the date. According to the reports, a high-ranking official

North KoreaJuly 31, 2019

Foreign minister to hold bilateral talks with Japanese counterpart in Bangkok

The top envoys of South Korea and Japan will hold bilateral talks and a three-way meeting with the US in Bangkok this week as the East Asian neighbors struggle to resolve a diplomatic row heightened by trade restrictions imposed by Tokyo, amid concerns that the measures could hurt global semiconductor chip supply chains.Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-hwa will meet Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono on Thursday on the sidelines of gatherings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in B

Foreign AffairsJuly 31, 2019

13% fewer passengers fly to Japan in July

The number of passengers flying from South Korea to Japan significantly decreased this month amid ongoing trade tensions between the two countries, data showed Wednesday. The Transport Ministry data showed that from July 16 to 31, a total of 467,249 passengers departed for Japan from Incheon International Airport, down about 13.4 percent or 72,411 passengers compared with June 16 to 30.  Amid an intensifying nationwide boycott targeting Japanese goods and travel to Japan, Korea’s

IndustryJuly 31, 2019

Samsung BioLogics confirms 3rd consecutive deal with Belgium’s UCB

South Korea’s leading contract manufacturing organization Samsung BioLogics confirmed Wednesday it has signed its third consecutive deal with Belgium’s UCB, a rare case in the industry.On top of two other existing deals with the multinational biopharma firm, Samsung BioLogics will now also produce UCB’s anti-tau candidate to treat progressive supranuclear palsy, currently undergoing clinical trials.The agreement promises Samsung BioLogics a guaranteed fee of 40.3 billion won ($

IndustryJuly 31, 2019

[News Focus] Amid intensifying market volatility, Samsung to face more uncertainties in H2

Samsung Electronics’ operating profits halved in the second quarter on weak chip prices and poor mobile sales, but it is expected to face even more challenges in the second half of the year due to increased uncertainties over trade disputes and the nearing trial to determine the fate of its de facto leader. The South Korean IT giant’s sales slid 4 percent to 56.1 trillion won ($47.4 billion), but its operating profits plunged 55.6 percent on-year to 6.59 trillion won over lower memor

TechnologyJuly 31, 2019

US anti-dumping duties add to pressure on Korean steel firms

South Korean midsized steel companies may face setbacks in the wake of the US move to raise anti-dumping duties on imported oil pipelines, amid global trade uncertainties and price surges in raw materials. According to the steel industry on Wednesday, the US Department of Commerce has imposed anti-dumping tariffs of 38.87 percent on local steel firm Nexteel and 22.7 percent on Seahsteel, effective June 14 for one year. As for other steel companies, the tariff rate was set at 29.89 perc

IndustryJuly 31, 2019

Hungarian swimmer charged with sexual harassment in Gwangju

The prosecution in the southwestern city of Gwangju said Wednesday it has asked the court to summarily fine a Hungarian swimmer 3 million won ($2,542) on charges of sexual harassment.The 22-year-old athlete, who competed in the FINA World Championships in Gwangju, was accused of touching the body of an 18-year-old woman at a club in the city early Sunday.Police said Sunday he admitted to having made physical contact and was banned from leaving the country for the next 10 days.  The swimmer

Social AffairsJuly 31, 2019

[팟캐스트] (311) 호날두 노쇼에 한국팬 집단 소송 / 고유정 체포 영상 유출에 경찰 수사 착수

진행자: 김다솔, Paul Kerry1. Cristiano Ronaldo’s no-show prompts upset fans to seek legal action기사요약: K리그 선발팀(팀 K리그)과 이탈리아 유벤투스의 친선전에서 크리스티아누 호날두(34)가 출전하지 않아 벌어진 이른바 '호날두 노쇼' 파문과 관련해 민사소송이 처음 제기됐다.아이튠즈(아이폰): https://itunes.apple.com/kr/podcast/koliaheleoldeu-paskaeseuteu/id686406253?mt=2팟빵 (안드로이드): http://www.podbbang.com/ch/6638[1] Korean fans disappointed and angered by soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo’s solely bench-warming presence at a friendly match between Juventus FC from Turin,

PodcastJuly 31, 2019