Seoul considering extending tax benefits on eco-friendly cars: finance minister

South Korea is considering extending a temporary tax cut on purchases of all-electric and hydrogen fuel-cell electric cars, the finance minister saidTuesday, in the latest move to help eco-friendly cars expand their presence here.Since 2017, the government has waived a 5 percent special excise tax on purchases of all-electric and hydrogen fuel-cell electric cars. The temporary tax cut is set to end in December this year. Hong Nam-ki, the minister of economy and finance, said that the govern

MobilityJune 25, 2019

No summit between S. Korea, Japan at G-20: Cheong Wa Dae

South Korean President Moon Jae-in won't meet bilaterally with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the Group of 20 summit this week, a Cheong Wa Dae official said Tuesday amid a drawn-out spat between the neighboring countries over their shared history.South Korea is "always" ready for such a separate summit, but Japan doesn't seem to be, the official told reporters in a briefing on Moon's schedule for the two-day G-20 session to open in Osaka, Japan, on Friday.It is Cheong Wa Dae's

Foreign AffairsJune 25, 2019

[Newsmaker] Parties to push ahead with National Assembly extraordinary session as agreed, minus Liberty Party

The ruling and minor opposition parties on Tuesday reaffirmed convening the June extraordinary parliamentary session as planned and put the National Assembly back to work amid the main opposition party’s last minute withdrawal.“Liberty Korea Party has turned away from coexistence and chose to take the arrogant, self-righteous and destructive path. They have betrayed the public’s calls for normalization of the National Assembly,” said Lee In-young, floor leader of the ruli

PoliticsJune 25, 2019

Seungri referred to prosecutors on embezzlement, sex crime, prostitution charges, among others: police

Seungri, formerly of boy band Big Bang, has been referred to prosecutors in the latest development in the Burning Sun probe, police said Tuesday. Burning Sun, a now-closed club in Gangnam, Seoul, is alleged to have been host to a range of criminal activities, including sex crimes, drug dealing and prostitution. The singer and entrepreneur was heavily involved in the club’s management. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, charges Seungri faces concern embezzlement, destruction

Social AffairsJune 25, 2019

[Graphic News] S. Korean brands again sweep J.D. Power’s US initial quality survey

　South Korean brands again demonstrated the best initial quality among 32 automotive brands sold in the United States, according to an annual ranking by researcher J.D. Power, with about half of the domestic brands better than average and all European brands below average. 　Genesis, Kia and Hyundai, all part of Hyundai Motor Group, were the top three brands in the 2019 US Initial Quality Study, which measures problems in the first 90 days of vehicle ownership. 　Ford Motor ranked fourth followed

MobilityJune 25, 2019

‘Berlin Portraits’: Kim Ok-sun spotlights Korean nurses who began new lives in Germany

Portraits are not the most favored of items for art collectors. Not many people want strangers’ photos hanging on their walls. But artist Kim Ok-sun continues to take photographs of people because she is drawn to them. Atelier Hermes in Seoul is holding a solo exhibition of Kim’s works under the title “Berlin Portraits,” featuring some 25 large portraits of Korean nurses who went to work in West Germany in the 1960s and ’70s and settled there, starting new lives. Th

Arts & DesignJune 25, 2019

153 caught drunk driving nationwide on first day of toughened DUI law

Police caught 153 people for drunk driving nationwide between midnight Monday and 8 a.m. Tuesday, when the toughened drunk driving law came into effect, according to the National Police Agency. Of the 153 drunk drivers, 57 had their licenses suspended and 93 had their licenses revoked. Three refused to have their blood-alcohol levels checked, police said. The revised law stipulates a lower blood-alcohol level limit for drivers and stricter punishments for those driving under the influence.Previo

Social AffairsJune 25, 2019

Washington confirms no Trump-Kim meeting on trip to Seoul

US President Donald Trump has no plans to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during his trip to South Korea, a White House official confirmed Monday. In response to questions from the media about the possibility of Trump meeting Kim later this week, a senior White House official said “there are no plans for the meeting that you just mentioned,” adding that the purpose of the trip is for Trump to meet South Korean President Moon Jae-in.  The answer from the White House echoes t

North KoreaJune 25, 2019

[Kim Seong-kon] In the name of harmony and unity

Jealousy is a universal phenomenon. For example, a star player in a sports team can easily become an object of jealousy for other players. So, too, can a famous movie star whose popularity is sensational or one who has received an important award at an international film festival. Likewise, a celebrity writer whose book becomes a bestseller or a scholar who achieves international acclaim can evoke jealousy among colleagues, even when his fame makes his whole country glitter. Such a phenomenon ca

ViewpointsJune 25, 2019

[Lee Jae-min] What went wrong? It’s time to look at the military’s security posture

The poor police officer who got the call may have scoffed, thinking it was a prank. Imagine the caller saying something like this: “I have just talked to four people claiming to have come from the North. They are standing on the quay.” Then imagine the startled police officers rushing to the scene. Recent media photos of South Korean police officers talking to the crew of a North Korean boat that apparently strayed into South Korean waters captured exactly this bizarre encounter. The

ViewpointsJune 25, 2019

‘Autobiography of Death,’ about deaths of people who are still alive, takes poetry prize

With her poetry collection “Autobiography of Death,” Kim Hye-soon brought Asian women’s voices to the forefront of the international literary scene by winning the 2019 International Griffin Poetry Prize earlier this month.It marked the first time the Canadian prize, founded in 2000, had ever gone to two Asian women -- Kim shared the honor with Choi Don-mee, who translated the book into English.  Kim and Choi were not expecting the prize. “At the ceremony, the transla

BooksJune 25, 2019

[News focus] North Korea, historical issues hang over Moon as he heads to G-20 Summit

For President Moon Jae-in, the G-20 Summit -- set to be held in Osaka, Japan, later this week -- will be an opportunity to further his agenda on dealing with North Korea and to strengthen and mend ties with G-20 countries.Moon has a number of bilateral summit talks scheduled on the sidelines of the event, including meetings with leaders of Canada, China, Indonesia and Russia.  The meetings with Chinese and Russian leaders come at a critical point, as Moon hopes to establish permanent peace

Foreign AffairsJune 25, 2019

Samsung heir prepares for meeting with Saudi prince

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong is preparing for a meeting with the crown prince of Saudi Arabia by checking out Samsung affiliates’ projects in the Middle East, the company said Tuesday. Lee, as the de facto leader of the biggest conglomerate in South Korea, is expected to attend a luncheon hosted by President Moon Jae-in for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at Cheong Wa Dae on Wednesday.  The Samsung heir on Monday held meetings with the heads of Samsung Engineering a

IndustryJune 25, 2019

BOK chief takes prudence over ‘rate cut’ possibility

The chief of South Korea’s central bank on Tuesday underscored that the prolonged low inflation trend does not necessarily indicate an imminent cut of the nation’s key interest rate, while leaving the door open to “necessary measures.”The monetary policymaker’s defensive remark came amid recently mounting market speculations that the central bank is likely to soon take further easing actions to deal with aggravating external conditions, mostly caused by th

EconomyJune 25, 2019

[News Focus] Korea’s agricultural products to tap America after Paris

SEJONG -- South Korea is sparing no efforts to promote its agricultural products globally, including Korean traditional dishes, beverages and alcoholic drinks.According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, “K-food Fair” held in Paris earlier this month drew wide attention from European consumers and retailers.“Twenty-one Korean producers participated in the fair in France and signed export contracts worth $17 million (19.6 billion won),” said a ministry

EconomyJune 25, 2019

Naver plans superaccurate map for self-driving

South Korea's internet giant Naver said Tuesday it will develop a superaccurate map for autonomous driving by the year’s end, as it seeks to gain an upper hand in the futuristic technology. 　The company’s research and development subsidiary Naver Labs announced its plans to create a virtual Seoul map with 10 centimeter-level accuracy. It pledged to build a digital layout of streets 2,000 kilometers long by acquiring geographic data via aerial and land devices. 　Naver is one of few Ko

TechnologyJune 25, 2019

Top prosecutor apologizes for prosecution’s past misdeeds

Prosecutor General Moon Moo-il on Tuesday apologized for the prosecution’s past abuses of power and human rights violations in connection with politically sensitive investigations, vowing to make the law enforcement body transparent and politically neutral. In a news conference, Moon said he “repents” the prosecution’s past failures to do its duty to protect people’s basic rights and fairly exercise its investigative powers. 　Moon admitted that the prosecution

Social AffairsJune 25, 2019

Is video games tax coming down the pike?

The World Health Organization’s adoption of the classification of gaming disorder as a clinical condition has cast ripples across the worldwide gaming industry since May.The pushback continued in Seoul on Tuesday, with a committee opposing the disorder’s domestic adoption hosting an emergency press conference to criticize the tens of billions of won in government budget thus far assigned to research aimed to “prove” the side effects of video gaming. They accused the gover

IndustryJune 25, 2019

SsangYong pioneers ‘open top SUV’ with Rexton Sports series

SsangYong Motor seeks to conventionalize the use of pickup trucks in South Korea by introducing its Rexton Sports series as “open top SUVs,” the carmaker said Tuesday.Both the Rexton Sports and the new Rexton Sports Khan introduced in January boast most features of the company’s flagship SUV model G4 Rexton, but also include a large deck space designed for drivers who enjoy outdoor activities and recreational sports. By introducing the series as an open top SUV, the company hop

MobilityJune 25, 2019