With mega fan base, stars take over YouTube

For the past few months, YouTube has been a popular platform for celebrities seeking more opportunities to promote themselves. But recently, big players have been emerging on the platform, seeking “communication” with fans -- and they have been setting new records. Chef and restaurant tycoon Paik Jong-won started the YouTube channel Paik’s Cuisine on June 11, and has already gathered more than 1 million subscribers.  “I started the YouTube channel after seeing my mot

TelevisionJune 21, 2019

Government under fire over suspected attempts to play down NK boat incident

Controversy over an incident involving a North Korean boat has continued following the revelation that a Cheong Wa Dae official attended closed-door press briefings at the Ministry of National Defense. Both Cheong Wa Dae and the Defense Ministry have been under fire over suspicions that attempts were made to play down the incident in which the military failed to detect a North Korean boat that crossed the inter-Korean maritime border and reached a coastal city in South Korea on Saturday.  A

North KoreaJune 21, 2019

Xi heads back home after state visit in N. Korea

Chinese President Xi Jinping left North Korea on Friday after a landmark two-day state visit to the neighboring ally, highlighting their strong alliance amid trade and nuclear tensions with the United States.Xi's plane left Pyongyang's Sunan International Airport in the afternoon, China's CCTV reported without providing details. He arrived in Pyongyang early Thursday, becoming the first Chinese head of state to visit the North in 14 years.Xi and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un held summit talks

North KoreaJune 21, 2019

Moon to meet Chinese, Russian leaders at G-20

President Moon Jae-in will hold summit meetings with leaders of Canada, China, Indonesia and Russia on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit next week, Cheong Wa Dae said Friday. According to Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Ko Min-jung, the four summit meetings have been confirmed and the presidential office will announce further meetings if they are arranged.  Moon is set to visit Japan on a three-day schedule from Thursday, a day ahead of the G-20 Summit. “President Moon will stress the need

Foreign AffairsJune 21, 2019

Man Booker-winning writer asks ‘After YouTube, can it be paper books?’

It is often thought that novelists are prejudiced by their love for the printed word. Writer Han Kang, the 2016 winner of the Man Booker International prize for her novel “The Vegetarian,” is among the prejudiced. On Wednesday, Han shared her love for literature and printed books in a special lecture at the 2019 Seoul International Book Fair held at Coex in southern Seoul. Literature critic Kang Ji-hee hosted the event. “I sometimes wonder, what will be the next thing afte

PeopleJune 21, 2019

Reddish tap water also reported in Seoul

Reddish tap water was detected in apartment complexes in Seoul on Friday, amid growing concerns over contaminated water after reddish water was first reported in Incheon in late May. As of Friday afternoon, the Seoul Metropolitan Government recommended some 1,300 households and an elementary school in Mulle-dong in southwestern Seoul stop using tap water. The municipality has fingered aged water pipes as the cause of the murky water. Results of a detailed analysis are expected to come out in abo

Social AffairsJune 21, 2019

Moon to meet with China, Russia leaders at G-20 summit

President Moon Jae-in will hold summits with the leaders of China and Russia on the sidelines of the summit of major Group of 20 countries set for Japan next week, the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Friday.Moon will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the fringe of the Group of 20 summit slated for Osaka on June 28-29. Moon will embark on a three-day trip Thursday.He will also hold summits with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Indonesi

PoliticsJune 21, 2019

Delta Air Lines acquires 4.3% of Korean Air

US air carrier Delta Air Lines announced Thursday that it has acquired 4.3 percent of the shares of Hanjin KAL, the holding company of Korea’s largest air carrier Korean Air, in an apparent move to defend its joint venture and the ownership family’s management. Delta Air Lines said its indirect investment in the Korean air carrier demonstrates its commitment to the success of their joint venture and to customer benefits. It said it also aims to increase its equity stake to

IndustryJune 21, 2019

Vietnam to slap anti-dumping duties on S. Korean pre-coated metal products

Vietnam will impose anti-dumping duties on pre-coated metal products from South Korea, industry sources said Friday. According to the source, Vietnam's trade ministry will temporarily levy stiff import duties on the products from three South Korean companies starting Tuesday.Posco, South Korea's top steelmaker, will be subject to 19.25 percent anti-dumping duties, while Dongkuk Steel Mill Co. and Dongbu Steel Co. will face 18.08 percent and 4.46 percent tariffs, respectively.  Such tariff r

IndustryJune 21, 2019

Minister hopes summits lead to resumption of nuclear talks

Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul said Friday he expects a series of summit meetings taking place in the region to serve as an opportunity to advance the stalled nuclear negotiations between North Korea and the United States. Kim made the remark during a meeting with lawmakers in Seoul, saying that eyes are on the results of this week's summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Chinese President Xi Jinping as their previous meetings have played "meaningful roles" every time t

North KoreaJune 21, 2019

Kim, Xi agree to strengthen ties for regional peace, stability: KCNA

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Chinese President Xi Jinping have agreed to strengthen relations between the two countries for regional peace and stability, the North's official news agency said Friday.The two leaders reached the agreement during summit talks held in Pyongyang on Thursday after exchanging wide-ranging views on important international and regional issues, including the Korean Peninsula situation, the Korean Central News Agency reported.The two leaders "assessed that it i

North KoreaJune 21, 2019

Xi expected to demonstrate strong alliance with N. Korea on last day of state visit

Chinese President Xi Jinping was to pay a visit Friday to a monument in Pyongyang symbolizing the friendship between the two countries on the second and last day of a state visit to the neighboring ally. After a visit to the Friendship Tower commemorating China's participation in the Korean War in support of the North, Xi is expected to have a lunch meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un before heading home later in the day.The two leaders held summit talks on Thursday, at which Xi said Ch

North KoreaJune 21, 2019

Kia debuts in India with new compact SUV Seltos

Kia Motors entered the Indian market on Thursday with the unveiling of its compact sport utility vehicle Seltos. “Seltos is Kia Motors’ new global model, and we are very delighted to introduce Seltos for the first time here in India, a rising market for the automotive industry,” said Kia Motors President Park Han-woo during a ceremony at Gurgaon’s A Dot Convention Center in India on Thursday.  According to the automaker, Seltos stands out with its full light-emi

MobilityJune 21, 2019

[Newsmaker] Korean travel columnist murdered in the Philippines

A well-known Korean travel columnist was found shot to death near Manila on Sunday morning, according to the Korean Embassy in the Philippines and the Korean police.A passerby made a local police report after finding Joo Young-wook, 58, dead in a forest by a road in Antipolo, a city east of Manila, at around 7:15 a.m. June 16. Joo had a bullet wound on his forehead; his mouth was covered, and his hands were tied behind him with duct tape. Local police found his hotel room key and confirmed it wa

Social AffairsJune 21, 2019

FTC chief named top policy aide to president

Kim Sang-jo, chairman of the Fair Trade Commission, was on Friday named as the new chief of staff to the president for policy.He will replace Kim Soo-hyun, who has held the post since November last year. “(Kim Sang-jo) has made significant contributions to establishing a fair economy as the administration’s first FTC chairman,” Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Ko Min-jung said. Kim Sang-jo has served as FTA chairman since June 2017. He has built a career as an economics scholar

PoliticsJune 21, 2019

S. Korea's ICT exports down for 7th straight month in May

South Korean exports of information and communication technology products fell for the seventh straight month in May on weak demand for semiconductors, mobile phones and displays, data showed Friday.Total outbound shipments reached $14.3 billion last month, a plunge of 22.6 percent from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Science and ICT. Exports of semiconductors, one of the country's key export items, nose-dived 30 percent on-year to a little over $7.6 billion, ma

EconomyJune 21, 2019

[Graphic News] Messi sports world’s highest earner

Lionel Messi was the world’s highest-paid athlete in 2018, Forbes reported June 11. The soccer star raked in $127 million in the year via salary and endorsement deals.That put Messi ahead of longtime rival Cristiano Ronaldo, the Juventus and Portugal star who was second with earnings of $109 million.Brazil and Paris Saint-Germain striker Neymar came in third with earnings of $105 million, completing the sweep for soccer players of the top three positions on the list. (AFP)

World NewsJune 21, 2019

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Toy Story 4(US)Opened June 20Animation, Adventure, Comedy Directed by Josh Cooley When Bonnie’s (Madeleine McGraw) beloved new craft-project-turned-toy, Forky (Tony Hale), declares himself “trash” and not a toy, Woody (Tom Hanks) takes it upon himself to show Forky why he should embrace being a toy. But when Bonnie takes the whole gang on her family’s road trip excursion, Woody ends up on an unexpected detour that includes a reunion with his long-lost friend Bo Peep (Anni

FilmJune 21, 2019

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

1. Busan International Magic FestivalThe Busan International Magic Festival kicks off next Tuesday at Haeundae Beach with a grand opening ceremony. A magic contest and a gala magic show are among the events on offer during the festival, which runs until June 30 at the Busan Cinema Center, areas of Gunam-ro in Haeundae and the Busan Community Media Center.The minimum age for participants is 36 months.For more information in Korean, English, Japanese or Chinese, call the travel hotline at 1330. Th

TravelJune 21, 2019

[Weekender] A game of chicken

Ask South Koreans how they unwind after a long day at work, and many will say chimaek -- deep-fried chicken paired with cold beer. Neither of the two originated here, but the combination has become so popular that chicken bars are almost ubiquitous in Korea now. From an economic point of view, however, the trend may be overdone. According to Statistics Korea and a study by the KB Financial Group Economic Research Institute, there were nearly 87,000 chicken eateries as of February this year. That

FoodJune 21, 2019