Fair to introduce Korean books to Vietnam

The Publication Industry Promotion Agency of Korea (KPIPA) is hosting a book fair Tuesday and Wednesday in Hanoi, Vietnam.The outreach event aims to promote Korean books, publishers and publishing content in the Southeast Asian country. Prior to the event, participating agencies were required to send information to local buyers and set the date for business-matching talks, in an effort to improve the quality of talks and increase the possibility of deals being signed. Around 24 Vietnamese p

BooksJuly 22, 2019

Cannes-winning 'Parasite' tops 10 m admissions in S. Korea

"Parasite," the winner of the Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival, has surpassed 10 million admissions in local theaters, data showed Monday.The comedy-thriller film by Bong Joon-ho drew 10,000,249 moviegoers as of Sunday, the 53rd day of its run, according to the data from the Korean Film Council.It became the 26th film that reached the 10 million milestone in ticket sales in South Korea. This year alone, four films have achieved the feat: "Extreme Job," "Ave

FilmJuly 22, 2019

Violinist Sarah Chang to hold solo recital tour in winter

Violinist Sarah Chang will embark on a six-city tour across Korea in December, marking her first solo recitals here in seven years. The 39-year-old Korean American musician, also known as Chang Young-joo, will perform in Daegu on Dec. 17, followed by Ulsan; Anyang, Gyeonggi Province; Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province; Donghae, Gangwon Province; and Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. The tour will wrap up with a recital at the Seoul Arts Center on Dec. 29. Chang performed at a concert at the Seoul

PerformanceJuly 22, 2019

37 malatang restaurants fail health inspections in June: ministry

Thirty-seven restaurants specializing in malatang, a type of Chinese street food, failed health inspections in June, the Food and Drug Safety Ministry said Monday.The ministry conducted health inspections at 63 malatang restaurants from June 3 to July 5 and found 37 to be in violation of the food sanitation law. Of the inspected food-service establishments, six were not registered as businesses, 13 used ingredients of unidentified origins and 10 failed to meet food hygiene standards. Other viola

Social AffairsJuly 22, 2019

Former ambassador to Ethiopia convicted of rape

South Korea’s former Ambassador to Ethiopia Kim Mun-hwan, 55, was sentenced to jail on Monday for raping an employee of a Ministry of Foreign Affairs agency.The Supreme Court on Monday confirmed the appellate court’s one-year sentence for the ex-ambassador for abusing his authority. Kim was indicted in August 2017 on charges of raping a staff member of the Korea International Cooperation Agency at his residence in Ethiopia in 2015. He was also suspected of molesting two embassy offic

Social AffairsJuly 22, 2019

Seoul leaves various possibilities open over Hormuz Strait issue: ministry

South Korea is closely monitoring the situation in waters off Iran, including the US' possible request for its troops dispatch to the region, the defense ministry said Monday. The United States has been asking its allies to join a military coalition to ensure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran."So far, we have not received any official requests from the US side over the possible dispatch of our troops," Col. Roh Jae-cheo

Foreign AffairsJuly 22, 2019

4 men face further probe over alleged ridicule of sex slavery victims

Police have sent prosecutors papers on four South Korean men, requesting their indictment for allegedly spitting on a statue of a girl symbolizing victims of Japan's wartime sex slavery, investigative sources said Monday.According to the police, the four men in their 20s and 30s spat and shook their hips in front of the statue in a public square in Ansan, southwest of Seoul, at around midnight on July 6. The installation is one of several statues erected across the country to commemorate South K

Social AffairsJuly 22, 2019

Senior trade official to represent Korea at WTO over dispute with Japan

Amid escalating trade tension between South Korea and Japan, the Trade Ministry here said Monday its senior official would participate in the World Trade Organization’s General Council on Tuesday to better respond at the scene due to the gravity of the issue. Kim Seung-ho, deputy minister for multilateral and legal affairs, will participate in the general council, the highest decision-making body, in Geneva. The council is slated to discuss the two nations’ trade dispute at its meeti

IndustryJuly 22, 2019

Former top justice Yang released on bail

Former Supreme Court Chief Justice Yang Sung-tae was released on bail Monday after 179 days of detention over his role in a judiciary power abuse scandal.The Seoul Central District Court approved Yang's release on a bail of 300 million won ($255,000), attaching strict conditions that he stays in his residence in Seongnam, south of Seoul, and neither meets nor communicates with people related to his charges. He was also ordered to obtain court approval before traveling for longer than three days

PoliticsJuly 22, 2019

Uniqlo apologizes for remarks that angered S. Korean consumers

Fast Retailing Co., which owns Japanese fashion brand Uniqlo, on Monday issued an apology for remarks by its executive that have drawn criticism from South Korean consumers amid ongoing trade friction between Tokyo and Seoul.On July 11, Takeshi Okazaki, CFO of the Tokyo-based fast fashion brand, said during an earnings press call that the impact of the current boycott by South Korean customers of Japanese goods will not last long.In a statement released both in Korean and Japanese, Uniqlo apolog

IndustryJuly 22, 2019

Korea's exports set to decline for 8th straight month in July

South Korea's exports are likely to extend their slump to an eighth month in July, driven by a decline in outbound shipments of semiconductors and petrochemical goods, data showed on Monday.  The country's exports fell 13.6 percent in the first 20 days of July from a year earlier to $28.3 billion, according to the data compiled by the Korea Customs Service. Average daily exports -- which reflect working days -- declined 16.2 percent on-year to $1.71 billion.  If the trend continue

EconomyJuly 22, 2019

Newly registered pet dogs up 40% in 2018

The number of newly registered pet dogs in South Korea rose nearly 40 percent in 2018 from a year earlier, the country's animal quarantine agency said Monday.Around 147,000 new dogs were registered to the state-run Animal Protection Management System last year, compared with the newly registered 105,000 pet dogs a year earlier, according to the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency. Since 2014, all pet owners are obligated to register their dogs to the system. As of 2018, the accumulated number of

Social AffairsJuly 22, 2019

Korean War veterans to visit S. Korea this week

A group of international soldiers who fought in the 1950-53 Korean War under the UN flag will visit South Korea this week as part of a program to express appreciation for their service, Seoul's veterans ministry said Monday.A total of 107 war veterans and their family members from 16 countries, including the United States and Australia, are scheduled to make a six-day trip starting Tuesday, according to the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs.During the visit, they plan to tour major secur

Foreign AffairsJuly 22, 2019

[Video] Views of South Koreans on boycotting Japanese products

People in Korea have shown mixed reactions to deepening boycotts of Japanese products prompted by Tokyo’s sudden export controls of high-tech materials to South Korea. In a Realmeter survey of 506 respondents, 54.6 percent were in support of the boycott campaign. On Thursday, “NoNo Japan,” an online community displaying consumer brands and products originating from Japan, was temporarily inaccessible due to heavy traffic.“I’m aware that many are boycotting Japanese

Foreign AffairsJuly 22, 2019

Parliamentary panel set to adopt resolution against Japan's export curbs

The parliamentary foreign affairs committee on Monday adopted a parliamentary resolution calling on Japan to withdraw its curbs on exports to South Korea of key high-tech materials.In a bipartisan effort to tackle Japan's export restrictions, rival parties passed the resolution by consensus at a meeting of the panel.The committee originally planned to adopt it at the Friday meeting, but its move was scuttled as rival parties failed to fix the date for a parliamentary plenary session. But it stil

PoliticsJuly 22, 2019

Song-Song couple divorces without division of property: Song Hye-kyo’s agency

Actors Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo have finalized their divorce, as the court approved the divorce settlement Monday.The settlement comes one month after Song Joong-ki filed for divorce from Song Hye-kyo at the Seoul Family Court. According to Song Hye-kyo’s agency UAA, there will be no division of property or settlement money.The two tied the knot in October 2017 after meeting as the co-stars of hit TV drama series “Descendants of the Sun” in 2016.By Im Eun-byel (silverstar

PeopleJuly 22, 2019

Renault Samsung adds KT’s voice assistant tech to new QM6

Automaker Renault Samsung said Monday it has partnered with telecom firm KT to provide Easy Link, a “vehicle infotainment” system utilizing voice assistant technology.Easy Link is a new in-vehicle system that provides a combination of information and entertainment to car users. It will be equipped on the upgraded QM6, the company’s most popular midsized sport utility vehicle model that was unveiled in June. According to Renault Samsung, with a simple call to Giga Genie, KT&rsqu

MobilityJuly 22, 2019

Tears flow as water polo players head into uncertain future

After losing their last game of the world championships on Monday, South Korean women's water polo players shared teary hugs.No, they weren't consoling each other because they lost to Cuba 30-0 to finish in last place in the 16-team tournament at the FINA World Championships. They were sad that they now had to go their separate ways -- most of them back to school -- because, as it stands, the national women's team will cease to exist. There are no professional or semi-pro clubs that these buddin

More SportsJuly 22, 2019

[Newsmaker] Korean ship attacked by pirates near Singapore Strait

A South Korean freighter was attacked by pirates near the Singapore Strait on Monday, government officials in Busan said.The pirates armed with guns and knives assaulted sailors of the South Korean-registered vessel, the 44,132-ton CK Bluebell, in the sea about 100 miles from the entrance of the strait at 4:25 a.m. before making off with $13,000 in cash, according to the officials at the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.No casualties were reported from the attack, they said, noting the

Social AffairsJuly 22, 2019

Song Hye-kyo, Song Joong-ki’s divorce final: court

Song Hye-kyo and Song Joong-ki’s divorce was finalized at a Seoul court Monday.The two settled their divorce at a closed-door hearing held at 10 a.m. Monday at Seoul Family Court. The hearing lasted for about 20 minutes, a court official said. Their divorce was granted 26 days after the petition was filed June 26. Both cited irreconcilable differences as the reason. Korean law allows a marriage to be dissolved without a trial on the condition of mutual consent.The divorce settlement did no

PeopleJuly 22, 2019