[Newsmaker] Singer-actor Park Yoo-chun given suspended sentence for drug use

A local court sentenced Park Yoo-chun, an actor and former member of boy band JYJ, to 10 months in prison on Tuesday, suspended two years, for using an illegal drug.Suwon District Court in the city of Suwon, south of Seoul, also ordered the 32-year-old disgraced entertainer to pay a fine of 1.4 million won (around $1,203) and issued probation and treatment orders for him."Drug-related crimes should be harshly punished due to severe addiction and harmful effects on individuals and society,&q

Social AffairsJuly 2, 2019

Riot police clear away protests from Hong Kong legislature

Hundreds of protesters swarmed into Hong Kong's legislature Monday night, defacing portraits of lawmakers and spray-painting pro-democracy slogans in the chamber before vacating it as riot police cleared surrounding streets with tear gas and then moved inside.The three-hour occupation, which ended early Tuesday, came on the 22nd anniversary of the former British colony's return to China, a city holiday, and reflected mounting frustration with Hong Kong's leader for not responding to protesters'

InternationalJuly 2, 2019

US voices commitment to stronger ties with S. Korea, Japan

The United States remains committed to strengthening cooperation with South Korea and Japan to face common challenges, the State Department said Monday in response to escalating tensions between the Asian neighbors. This week Japan announced toughened controls on high-tech exports to South Korea amid an ongoing dispute over Korean court rulings against Japanese firms.The courts ordered Japanese companies to compensate South Korean workers for their forced labor during Tokyo's 1910-45 colonial ru

InternationalJuly 2, 2019

BTS launches fan community on mobile application

Roaring K-pop boy band BTS launched Monday an official mobile application channel to connect with fans around the world.The septet announced the opening of BTS Weverse, an official fan community based on the application Weverse. Through the channel, BTS will communicate with fans using text messages as well as video clips and photos, according to Big Hit Entertainment.The app will provide exclusive content featuring BTS. Posting its first video clip on BTS Weverse, the BTS members said &quo

PerformanceJuly 1, 2019

[Graphic News] DMZ: World’s last Cold War frontier

Where is it? 　　The 4-kilometer-wide DMZ runs for 250 kilometers across the Korean Peninsula, around 50 kilometers north of Seoul and 200 kilometers south of Pyongyang. 　At its center is the Military Demarcation Line, where the front line was located when the cease-fire stopping Korean War hostilities was signed in 1953. Under the agreement, both sides agreed to pull back their forces 2,000 meters.What is it? 　　A barrier separating North and South Korea, heavy weaponry is banned within the DMZ. P

North KoreaJuly 1, 2019

Baskin Robbins hit by claims of sexualizing 11-year-old

Baskin Robbins is at the center of heated debate concerning its latest promotional video, which features an 11-year-old model. As the ad came under fire, the ice cream chain took it down from the internet and apologized Saturday. The video, released Friday, features kid model Ella Gross advertising the new flavor “Pink Star.” She wears a sleeveless pink dress and savors the ice cream in various poses. Within a day of the release, heated debate erupted online as to whether the ad was

Social AffairsJuly 1, 2019

[Herald Review] ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’ may not be epic, but it’s a delightful teen flick

How do you follow up after “Avengers: Endgame,” the pinnacle of a multibillion-dollar movie franchise built up over 11 years and 22 films that was epic, flamboyant, dramatic and even nostalgic? You don’t try to top it -- you build on the new world with a charming and relatable hero.Jon Watt’s “Spider-Man: Far From Home” is a delightful teenage coming-of-age tale with great characters, good humor and an upgrade in action, serving both as a wistful epilogue to t

FilmJuly 1, 2019

Ahn Eun-me turns museum space into dance stage

Ahn Eun-me is a one-of-a-kind Korean contemporary dancer. Even then, not many would expect to see her in an art museum. “It is strange to look back on my own past 30 years,” Ahn said during a press conference held Wednesday at the SeMA’s main branch in Seosomun-dong, Seoul, where a solo exhibition of her work is underwayTitled “Known Future,” the show comprises installations, video works, sounds, archive materials and performances.A statue of Ahn, painted in glitter

Arts & DesignJuly 1, 2019

[Jared Dillian] High tax states are practicing financial destruction

It is clearer than ever that the US Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 made high tax states less competitive with low tax states. But instead of using this moment to reflect on how taxes influence behavior, politicians in places such as Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and Illinois are inexplicably doubling-down by threatening to raise taxes on their citizens even more. Until politicians start to understand the benefits of economic incentives and an equitable tax system, expect these high-tax states

ViewpointsJuly 1, 2019

Korea eyes WTO suit over Japan’s move against Korean chips

South Korean government will sternly deal with Japan’s move to restrict exports of high-tech materials to Korean chip and display makers, and is considering filing a lawsuit with the World Trade Organization against the neighboring country, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced Monday.  “The government will seek stern measures including legal measures in terms of international and domestic laws, including filing a complaint with the WTO.” said Trade Min

IndustryJuly 1, 2019

[Daron Acemoglu, James A Robinson] Istanbul shows how democracy is won

 When the Turkish High Election Council, dominated by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s appointees, annulled Istanbul’s all-important municipal election on May 6, the world was right to be concerned. But now that another vote has been held, it is Erdogan who should be worried.This year’s local elections -- originally held March 31 -- have been widely regarded as a referendum on Erdogan’s authoritarian rule. With  the revote in Istanbul, the full results are now i

ViewpointsJuly 1, 2019

[News Focus] Baby boomers make waves in job market

SEJONG -- They were the backbone of the country’s social and economic development in the 1980s and 1990s, and many of them are still working in core posts in the public and private sector.But now South Korea’s baby boomer generation -- born between 1955 and 1963 -- are having to deal with a retirement that many are not ready to accept.As some employers have a mandatory retirement age 60 or earlier, boomers have been leaving their main jobs since 2010, with knock-on effects on the job

Social AffairsJuly 1, 2019

[Feature] Patients alienated as mental illness falls through cracks in system

Is it safe to live with people with mental disorders? This is the question many South Koreans are asking after a series of highly publicized crimes committed by people with psychological conditions.In a country where mental illness has long been stigmatized and patients removed from the community, reports of traffic accidents and crimes committed by those with mental illness are viewed with great alarm.But mental health groups and advocates question whether the mental health information is even

Social AffairsJuly 1, 2019

Watchdog to wrap up multitrillion won KIKO dispute review

South Korea’s financial market watchdog is set to wrap up its long-stalled arbitration over the disputed sales of currency-option contracts within the month, and is likely to suggest a compensation rate of 20-30 percent on the product by banks.The dispute arbitration committee of the Financial Supervisory Service will hold its final meeting as early as next Tuesday to confirm its recommendations on the damage compensation for the so-called KIKO case, officials said Monday.The given arbitra

MarketJuly 1, 2019

Hanwha introduces new electronic detonator HiTronic II

South Korea’s Hanwha Corp. announced Monday it has introduced an advanced version of its electronic detonator, called “HiTronic II,” with an aim to increase the firm’s global market share to 25 percent by 2024. 　Hanwha said in a press release that the company had succeeded in developing HiTronic II, an improved version of its predecessor, HiTronic I. Hitting the market in 2015. Hitronic I is the country’s first electronic detonator developed by a local defense firm.

TechnologyJuly 1, 2019

[Newsmaker] South Korea wrestles with finalizing 2020 minimum wage

As interested parties struggle to decide next year’s minimum wage, the Korea Employers Federation said Monday that various economic indicators show the rapid increase in minimum hourly wage has taken a toll on companies, laborers and the government.Discussion at the Minimum Wage Commission has been stalled since members representing management left the meeting after the commission voted down a proposal to change the minimum wage by industry.“The recent sharp rise in minimum hourly wa

Social AffairsJuly 1, 2019

[Analysis] What’s next for S. Korea after Trump-Kim meeting?

With US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un agreeing to return to the negotiating table, South Korea’s behind-the-scenes diplomacy is expected to continue to ensure that the nuclear talks get back on track. Breaking a four-month stalemate was a near-impromptu meeting in the truce village of Panmunjom, inside the Demilitarized Zone that separates the two Koreas on Sunday, which came after Trump tweeted an invitation to Kim on Saturday from Japan where he was attending

North KoreaJuly 1, 2019

South Korean party leaders praise Trump-Kim meeting

South Korea's top politicians on Monday hailed the latest meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for providing a crucial momentum for advancing the stalled nuclear talks and peninsula peace efforts.Trump and Kim agreed Sunday to restart working-level nuclear negotiations in a few weeks during their impromptu meeting in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that divides the two Koreas. Trump became the first sitting US president to step into the North and invited Kim

PoliticsJuly 1, 2019

Samyang’s bestselling spicy chicken ramen sales top W1tr

South Korean food manufacturer Samyang Foods said Monday that its bestselling instant noodle Buldak Spicy Chicken Ramen recorded accumulated sales of 1 trillion won ($863 million), seven years after its launch. According to the company, the sales of its spicy chicken ramen brand shot up from 100 billion won in 2016 to 282 billion won as of last year.  Following the successful hit of the brand, the company developed and launched Carbo Buldak Spicy Chicken Ramen, which set another record

IndustryJuly 1, 2019