Pompeo says he thinks NK was 'perplexed' by high priority of remains return

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday he thinks North Korea was "perplexed" by the high priority the United States placed on retrieving the remains of American troops from the North.Pompeo made the remark at a national convention of veterans in Orlando, Florida, as he spoke of the Trump administration's commitment to taking care of the American people."I remember sitting in the room negotiating with my counterpart. He's a former senior North Korean general, and I remember

North KoreaJuly 23, 2019

Students released after 8 hours of questioning over protest in Japan consulate

Six South Korean college students who were taken into police custody after staging a protest performance over Japan's export restrictions inside the Japanese Consulate in Busan were all released later that day after eight hours of questioning, according to the Busan Dongbu Police Station on Tuesday.The students, who belong to an activist group named the Busan Youth and Student Action Group, were detained at 2:35 p.m. on Monday for trespassing on the consulate premises and underwent questioning f

Social AffairsJuly 23, 2019

Kim Seo-yeong not dwelling on disappointing result

During her training for the women's 200m individual medley at the world championships, South Korean swimmer Kim Seo-yeong was so confident that she felt she could break her own national record.And that confidence never waned in the warmup at Nambu University Municipal Aquatics Center in Gwangju on Monday. And the 25-year-old carried that self-assurance into the pool in the final.Kim left the water wondering where it had gone. She finished sixth among eight finalists at the FINA World Championshi

More SportsJuly 23, 2019

Trump says there was 'very positive' correspondence recently with N. Korea

US President Donald Trump said Monday there was "very positive" correspondence recently with North Korea and that the two sides will meet for nuclear talks when the communist regime is ready.Trump's remark comes after he and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un held an impromptu meeting at the inter-Korean border on June 30 and agreed to resume working-level talks on the denuclearization of the regime.Asked by reporters if the talks have been scheduled, Trump said, "No, we just have a

North KoreaJuly 23, 2019

Swimmers 'don't trust' Sun as doping row boils over

 GWANGJU, South Korea (AFP) - World championship swimmers slammed China's Sun Yang over lurid doping allegations and said competitors were firmly behind Australia's Mack Horton, who snubbed the Olympic star on the podium.    America's Matt Grevers claimed many competitors "don't trust" Sun, while world record-holder Lilly King revealed athletes "erupted in applause" after Horton refused to join his rival on the podium for photos after the 400 metres f

More SportsJuly 22, 2019

Malfunctioning equipment forces solo re-races in preliminary

Malfunctions with the starting equipment forced two swimmers to race alone in the heats of the men's 100m backstroke at the world championships on Monday.    Simone Sabbioni of Italy and Dylan Carter of Trinidad and Tobago both had their initial races disrupted when the wedge, which allows backstroke swimmers to gain leverage off the wall, gave way.     Sabbioni had to race alone twice, as the wedge failed again in his second attempt. On his third race, Sabbion

More SportsJuly 22, 2019

Embattled defense minister visits Army command, calls for tighter discipline

Defense Minister Jeong Kyeog-doo visited an Army command near Seoul on Monday in the wake of a series of incidents that highlighted lax discipline in the military and prompted opposition parties to demand his resignation.    The Ground Operations Command, located in Yongin, southeast of Seoul, was the first destination of his tours to key armed services headquarters this week, which will also take him to the Navy, the Air Force and the Marine Corps operations commands. &

DefenseJuly 22, 2019

Indonesia seeks reduction in share of expenses in joint fighter jet project

Indonesia is seeking a reduction of its share of expenses in the fighter jet development project with South Korea, as it is running about 300 billion won ($254 million) in arrears. According to Indonesian news reports, Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Politics and Security Wiranto reiterated the need to renegotiate the deal for the Korean Fighter Experimental, citing the government’s lack of budget.Korea and Indonesia have been working together to develop a new fighter jet for t

DefenseJuly 22, 2019

[Graphic News] Face value of damaged currency rises in H1

　The face value of damaged banknotes and coins in South Korea rose in the first half of the year, data from the central bank showed. 　A total of 2.27 trillion won ($1.92 billion) worth of damaged bills and coins were discarded by the Bank of Korea in the first half, up 42.5 billion won from six months ago. 　The central bank spent 48.3 billion won replacing the damaged banknotes over the six-month period. (Yonhap)

NationalJuly 22, 2019

[Herald Interview] Royal Salute goes younger with modern twist to lineup

It is no easy decision for a brand to abandon its original concept and transform a product lineup, especially when it comes to a luxury whisky.Royal Salute, whose distillery dates back to 1801, is best known for being the only scotch whisky in the world with a lineup that begins from 21 years of maturity. The Royal Salute 21 Year Old was launched in 1953 to commemorate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, named after the traditional 21-gun salute.Making a twist to its rich heritage, the br

IndustryJuly 22, 2019

[News briefs] Koreans expelled from US involved in illegal drug trade

Twenty-two drug dealers who smuggled marijuana into South Korea by mobilizing Koreans deported from the US and selling them here have been apprehended, the police said Monday. The suspected drug dealers brought in 3.4 kilograms of marijuana from the US into Korea and sold 1.5 kilograms of it between March and September 2018 in Seoul, Incheon and the surrounding areas.A couple -- surnamed Shim and Kwon -- used those holding US-Korean dual citizenships as well as Koreans who were expelled fro

Social AffairsJuly 22, 2019

S. Koreans use social media more for entertainment than communication: survey

More South Koreans are utilizing social media for sources of entertainment contents than as a means of communications with friends, according to a report released by DMC Media on Monday.According to the survey conducted on 1,000 people here aged between 20 and 60 over the last month, “viewing casually entertaining contents,” selected by 64 percent of the respondents, was the most popular reason for using social media. Other popular reasons for visiting social media platforms included

TechnologyJuly 22, 2019

[Herald interview] 10-year-old Jeju Museum of Art prepares for next decade under new director

With the Jeju Museum of Art celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, Director Choi Jeong-ju, who was appointed in October, is looking to ensure transparency in the museum’s management and to offer quality programs. “The Jeju Museum of Art, which took off as a cultural platform for local artists and citizens, has taken firm roots here over the last 10 years. I think now is the time to prepare for the next 10 years,” Choi said in an email interview with The Korea Herald. 

Arts & DesignJuly 22, 2019

[Trudy Rubin] A free press can never be taken for granted

Earlier this month, President Trump addressed a group of so-called “digital leaders” invited to a social media summit at the White House.The guests included far right social media activists linked to white nationalists who spew out racist and anti-Muslim messages. They included individuals who produce fake videos, use hoaxes to smear Democratic candidates, and disseminate dangerous conspiracy theories. Only at the last minute was the welcome mat withdrawn from cartoonist Ben Garrison

ViewpointsJuly 22, 2019

[Andrew Sheng] Bastille Day and global populist uprising

July 14 is celebrated in France as Bastille Day, on which day 230 years ago, French peasants stormed the Bastille prison in Paris and sparked off the French Revolution. Thus began the populist movement that overturned the Ancien Regime (old order) of absolute monarchy and replaced it with the popular creed of liberty, equality and fraternity. There is a popular story that when Henry Kissinger asked the late Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai in 1972 what was his view of the French Revolution, he said it

ViewpointsJuly 22, 2019

China says Hong Kong protests 'absolutely intolerable'

BEIJING (AFP) -- China reacted furiously on Monday to anti-government protesters vandalising the walls of the Beijing representative's office in Hong Kong and defacing the national emblem, branding their actions "absolutely intolerable".Thousands of masked pro-democracy demonstrators briefly occupied the road outside the office in the semi-autonomous city Sunday night and targeted the building with eggs, projectiles, laser lights and graffiti in a stark rebuke to Beijing's rule. Hong K

World NewsJuly 22, 2019

6 youths detained for protest performance at Japanese Consulate in Busan

Six South Korean youths were taken into police custody on Monday after staging a protest performance over Japan's export restrictions inside the Japanese Consulate in central Busan, police said.The six, who are presumed to be college students, were all detained at around 2:35 p.m. while displaying placards condemning Japan's export curbs for South Korea and shouting slogans, such as "Japan must apologize," they said.The protesters dashed out of the consulate's library before holding th

Social AffairsJuly 22, 2019

S. Korea gears up for financial market contingency plan amid Japan factor

In response to the escalating economic conflict between South Korea and Japan, financial authorities here are establishing a contingency plan in case Tokyo expands its trade restrictions to the financial sector, officials said Monday.The preemptive gesture came out of concern about the apparent dependency of local financial companies on Japanese lenders, which have been offering a low interest rate for years. The total amount of Japanese money circulating in Korea’s financial market was es

EconomyJuly 22, 2019

LG to release Arabic-speaking AI TVs in Middle East

LG Electronics said Monday the company will launch the latest models of its artificial intelligence TVs with Arabic language options in the Middle East market this month, starting with Saudi Arabia. The LG TVs will be the world’s first to offer Arabic as a language option for the AI platform voice controls. The Korean company is releasing organic light-emitting diode TVs and liquid crystal display-based NanoCell TVs in the Middle East market, both equipped with LG’s AI platform LG Th

TechnologyJuly 22, 2019