[David Ignatius] Trump disdains postwar architecture

President Trump spoke the right words in commemorating the 75th anniversary of D-Day, but did he mean them? So far, his presidency has been about defying the postwar order that was based on shared values and global partnership, rather than cementing its legacy. Trump spoke here Thursday at what he rightly described as “freedom’s altar,” the burial site for nearly 10,000 Americans who died in the 1944 invasion of Normandy and in subsequent battles that ultimately led to Nazi Ger

ViewpointsJune 9, 2019

[George Soros] Europe’s silent majority speaks out

Last month’s elections to the European Parliament produced better results than one could have expected, and for a simple reason: The silent pro-European majority has spoken. What they said is that they want to preserve the values on which the European Union was founded, but that they also want radical changes in the way the EU functions. Their main concern is climate change. This favors the pro-European parties, especially the Greens. The anti-European parties, which cannot be expected

ViewpointsJune 9, 2019

‘Is it mine if I add some yellow?’ -- B. D. Graft makes his mark

It all started as a young college student’s escapism. For Brian de Graft, making collages was a form of recreation, something to take his mind off his studies. His hobby went viral online and now he makes a living out of it. Graft is an Amsterdam-based German artist who has become popular for the yellow collages on his Instagram page. The Instagram influencer-artist is holding an exhibition at a space owned by local fashion brand Mutemuse, located near Seoul Forest in Seongdong-gu, S

Arts & DesignJune 9, 2019

Man detained in brother’s stabbing death

A man accused of stabbing his brother to death in broad daylight said Sunday that he had no intention of killing him. The 51-year-old suspect, whose name has not been made public, told reporters waiting outside the Incheon Samsan Police Station that he had not planned to kill his older brother at a coffee shop on Friday. The suspect is accused of jabbing his 58-year-old brother in the stomach with a sharp weapon several times on Friday. According to the shop owner, who had called the police, the

Social AffairsJune 9, 2019

[Sky’s the Limit] Big buyer NHIS signals real estate market trend shift

The Korea Herald is publishing a series of articles and videos about some of the most expensive and fascinating landmark office buildings in Seoul. -- Ed.The real estate market for office buildings, which involves multibillion-won units even for average transactions, tends to be defined by lump-sum landmark deals. Investor attention is usually fixed on the most expensive item on the market, the tallest building in the city or country, or the most commercially active complex.But when the seller o

IndustryJune 9, 2019

BTS concert north of Paris draws fans from all over Europe

Tens of thousands of fans traveled from all over Europe to Saint Denis, just north of Paris, where the K-pop boy band BTS performed for the second night on Saturday.Following the band's concerts at Wembley Stadium last weekend, the septet came to rock France on Friday and Saturday, their last stop in Europe under the ongoing "Love Yourself: Speak Yourself" world tour.  Hours ahead of the Saturday concert at Stade de France, which accommodates up to 80,000 spectators, excited fans

PerformanceJune 9, 2019

Downside risks continuing amid heightened uncertainty: Cheong Wa Dae

South Korea's economy is positioned to face heightened downside risks as the trade dispute between the United States and China escalates, hurting global trade and manufacturing activity, a senior presidential secretary said Sunday."I think we cannot rule out the possibility of the downside risks being drawn out as external uncertainties have increased further than what we expected," Yoon Jong-won, senior secretary for economic affairs, told reporters. "The global economy is on a d

EconomyJune 9, 2019

Google’s Stadia to launch in November, excluding Korea

Google’s plan of launching cloud-based game streaming platform Stadia in November but to exclude Asia disappointed Korean gamers Sunday, with some raising doubts as to the success of the newest service. Stadia, touted by Google as the “new generation game platform powered by the best of Google,” will launch in just 14 North American and European countries in November. Google’s Vice President for Product John Justice said the company is “working hard to expand Stadia

IndustryJune 9, 2019

S. Korean tech giants feeling edgy over US-China trade disputes

South Korea’s tech giants including Samsung Electronics and SK hynix are increasingly on edge over the ongoing economic brinkmanship between the United States and China, in light of a reported warning from Beijing not to cooperate with the Trump administration’s China ban, according to industry sources Sunday. “We will need to step up monitoring on the issue,” said an official from one of the major companies based in Seoul. “Companies here will watch the situation c

TechnologyJune 9, 2019

Posco to invest W20b in smart factories for SMEs

South Korea’s largest steelmaker Posco plans to support small steel companies to build their smart factories, investing 20 billion won ($16.9 million) over the next five years, according to the company on Sunday. A total of 30 billion won in investment -- including 10 billion won from the Ministry of SMEs and Startups -- will be injected to help around 500 selected companies, Posco said.  Through the project, companies willing to build smart factories will be provided with up to 100 m

IndustryJune 9, 2019

Toss needs new investors to reapply for 3rd internet bank: FSC

Weeks following the Korean financial regulator’s rejection of its request to set up the nation’s third and fourth internet-only banks, Toss Bank may have to draw up a fresh list of strategic investors to get a second shot. The Financial Services Commission on Sunday pointed out issues with Toss Bank’s shareholding structure and lack of a feasible plan to raise capital as key reasons behind its decision to reject the application.  In a shocking turn of events, the FSC on Ma

MarketJune 9, 2019

Steel industry beset by tougher environmental regulations

South Korea’s increasingly stringent environmental regulations are hobbling its steel industry, already beset by falling sales and rising raw material prices. Last week, three regional governments representing South Chungcheong Province, North Gyeongsang Province and South Jeolla Province insisted that local steel companies Posco and Hyundai Steel halt their steel mills for 10 days over violations of the Clean Air Conservation Act.  The provincial governments said Posco’s steel

IndustryJune 9, 2019

Parts of Jeju murder victim likely found in Incheon: Police

Body parts that may belong to a man who was murdered by his ex-wife were found in Incheon, the police said Sunday. According to Jeju Dongbu Police Station, bone parts believed to be those of the suspected murder victim were found June 5 at a waste recycling company in Incheon’s Seou-gu district.The police said they collected the remains to run tests that may aid investigation. But because his body had been incinerated, precise identification will be difficult, they added.The murder suspect

Social AffairsJune 9, 2019

Doctors resist bill requiring camera in operating rooms

A bill that requires surveillance cameras at hospital operating rooms, aimed at preventing malpractice, is facing resistance from doctors’ associations around the country.On May 21, lawmaker Ahn Gyu-back of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea co-submitted a bill proposing the installation of closed-circuit cameras and the management in hospital operating rooms for a second time, after the same bill was discarded May 15 a day after its proposal, as five of the drafters withdrew support.In

Social AffairsJune 9, 2019

Toughened DUI law to come into effect June 25

The legal limit for drivers’ blood-alcohol level will be reduced from the current 0.05 percent to 0.03 percent starting June 25. According to the Korean National Police Agency on Sunday, the number of drivers whose blood-alcohol level was measured between 0.03-0.05 percent has been on the rise for the past four consecutive months, from February’s 941 to March’s 1,124 and April’s 1,213 to May’s 1,296.Under the current law, drivers with a blood-alcohol level of 0

Social AffairsJune 9, 2019

Nursery accused of scrapping CCTV after child abuse report

A nursery is suspected of discarding a closed-circuit television memory device after it was reported for child abuse, police said Sunday.According to Seoul Gwanak Police Station, a nursery in Gwanak-gu is under investigation for suspicions of child abuse.The parents of the young victims told police their 2-year-old and 3-year-old started coming home with bruises in April, police said. They reported the nursery to the Gwanak-gu Office on May 23.Following the report, the district office notified t

Social AffairsJune 9, 2019

'Parasite' likely to be remade into US drama series

Following the previous globally acclaimed film "Snowpiercer," director Bong Joon-ho's latest, Cannes-winning "Parasite" is presumed to become his second flick to be dramatized in the United States.Winning the top Palme d'Or prize at this year's Cannes Film Festival, the film was sold to film distributors in 192 foreign countries, becoming the most exported South Korean film title ever. With its piercing depiction of economic class division universally appealing to internation

FilmJune 9, 2019

[Newsmaker] Images of mother drinking while baby was dying spark fury

Shocking images of a teenage mother who drank for days while her baby daughter was allegedly left to die at home are touching off a firestorm of criticism on the internet. Pictures and postings on social media were revealed showing the 18-year-old mother out drinking with friends while her 7-month-old daughter was believed to be starving to death. The mother posted images of herself drinking every day between May 25 and 28, while her baby was allegedly home alone in Incheon. Her social medi

Social AffairsJune 9, 2019

Confirmed S. Korean death toll rises to 19 from Hungary boat sinking

A joint South Korean-Hungarian team identified a body found in the Danube River a day earlier to be a South Korean female Sunday, bringing the confirmed death toll from the tragic boat sinking in Hungary last month to 19.The Hableany tour boat was carrying 33 Korean tourists and two Hungarian crew members when it capsized and sank in the Danube River on May 29 after being hit by a larger Swiss cruise ship from behind.  Seven South Koreans were rescued right after the accident and seven othe

Social AffairsJune 9, 2019