Outdoor music festivals to rule summer

As the mercury rises, outdoor festivals offer a way to cool down with music. This year’s festival list is long and broad, encompassing diverse genres of music. The second edition of DMZ Peace Train Music Festival 2019 takes place Friday to Sunday. The festival, promoting peace, features local and foreign musicians performing near the Demilitarized Zone.  Pivoting around the border city of Cheorwon, Gangwon Province, stages will be set up at iconic locations such as the Goseokjeong Pav

PerformanceJune 3, 2019

[Newsmaker] Haney boasts prediction of Lee’s victory -- while misspelling her name

Golf professional and former coach of Tiger Woods, Hank Haney defended his earlier controversial remark on Korean golfers, saying Lee Jeong-eun’s LPGA victory proved his earlier prediction, which he described as “based on statistics and facts.”In tweets that have drawn wide coverage in Korea, Haney referred to Lee, who captured the US Women’s Open for her maiden LPGA victory Sunday, as proof that his comments were not entirely sarcastic.  “My prediction that a

GolfJune 3, 2019

N. Korea yet to respond to S. Korea's offer to work together to fight African swine fever

North Korea has not responded to South Korea's offer to work together to stem the spread of African swine fever after Pyongyang recently confirmed the outbreak of the highly contagious animal disease, the unification ministry said Monday.Last month, North Korea reported to the World Organization for Animal Health the outbreak of African swine fever at a farm in its northern region bordering China. On Friday, the South proposed through an inter-Korean liaison office in the North's border city of

North KoreaJune 3, 2019

Samsung to focus on its core amid rising uncertainties

Sometimes, in the world of business, the best defense is a good offense, and it seems like Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong wanted to share this message with a handful of key figures at the South Korean tech giant to fend off rising challenges to its business. Lee held a meeting with five heads of Samsung’s major divisions over the weekend to discuss its business strategy amid a weak memory chip market and intensifying trade conflict between the United States and China. 

TechnologyJune 3, 2019

Top aide to NK leader appears in public despite rumors of purge

A top aide to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un watched an art troupe's performance together with the leader, Pyongyang's state media reported Monday, belying rumors that he was purged for the leader's embarrassing no-deal summit with US President Donald Trump.Kim Yong-chol, who served as Pyongyang's chief interlocutor and counterpart of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, attended Sunday's performance by amateur art groups made up of the wives of military officers, together with leader Kim and oth

North KoreaJune 3, 2019

'Parasite' smashes S. Korean box office

The Cannes-crowned "Parasite" smashed the weekend box office in South Korea, surpassing a cumulative 3 million admissions on the fourth day of its run, data showed Monday.Released Thursday, the flick sold 2.78 million tickets from Friday to Sunday for a total of 3.36 million, according to the data from the Korean Film Council. Directed by Bong Joon-ho and starring Song Kang-ho, the family satire won the Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival, becoming the first South Korean tit

FilmJune 3, 2019

S. Korean Lee Jeong-eun wins US Women's Open for 1st LPGA title

South Korean rookie Lee Jeong-eun has captured the US Women's Open for her maiden LPGA victory.Lee rallied to take the oldest major championship in women's golf on Sunday at Country Club of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina, becoming the 19th player in history to win her first LPGA title at the American national tournament. Lee finished at six-under 278 to beat three golfers, including fellow South Korean Ryu So-yeon, by two strokes and took home US$1 million, the largest winner's check i

GolfJune 3, 2019

Kakao, Netmarble, 3 others submit final bid for Nexon: sources

    Kakao Corp., Netmarble Corp., and three private equity firms submitted final bids for the parent of South Korean gaming firm Nexon, in possibly one of the biggest gaming deals worldwide, financial sources said Sunday.   In an auction that closed on May 31, mobile messaging app Kakao, Korea's No. 2 game company Netmarble and private equity firms KKR & Co., Bain Capital and MBK Partners submitted final bids to acquire a 98.64 percent stake in Nexon's holding compan

TechnologyJune 2, 2019

S. Korea to urge Hungary to swiftly determine cause of deadly boat sinking

South Korea will ask Hungary to swiftly determine the cause of a deadly boat sinking and those responsible, a senior diplomat said Sunday, as search operations continued after the sinking that left 26 Koreans dead or missing.Second Vice Foreign Minister Lee Tae-ho made the remark during a government disaster management meeting, noting that the captain of a cruise ship, which collided with the sightseeing boat and caused it to sink, has been arrested on charges of negligence and carelessness. &qu

NationalJune 2, 2019

[Graphic News] China produces 95% of world’s rare earths

　China produces more than 95 percent of the world’s rare earths, and the US relies on China for more than 80 percent of its imports.　In 2018, Beijing increased rare earths mining by 15,000 tons, while the US produced just 15,000 tons in total. China holds 44 million tons of the elements in its reserves, while the US has just 1.4 million tons.　Rare earth elements are used in a wide range of consumer products, such as iPhones, electric car motors, military jet engines, satellites and lasers.

WorldJune 2, 2019

Lotte Liquor increases price of alcoholic beverages

Liquor prices are continuing to increase across South Korea, the latest being those from Lotte Liquor, industry sources said Saturday.Starting this month, prices of liquor from Lotte Chilsung Beverage’s distiller unit will increase by up to 10 percent.Soju brand Chum-Churum, Chungha rice wine and Kloud beer are among the tipples to see a change in price, Lotte Liquor said. The company explained that while they tried to reduce consumer burden by maintaining the price, an eventual increase w

IndustryJune 2, 2019

Asiana Airlines holds Star Alliance CEO meeting in Seoul

Asiana Airlines on Saturday hosted a meeting of CEOs from Star Alliance member carriers for the first time in Seoul, to strengthen efforts in elevating the brand value of the world’s largest global airline alliance. The gathering was held on the sidelines of the International Air Transport Association’s annual general meeting in the capital city. Asiana Airlines, South Korea’s second-largest air carrier, has been a member of the alliance since 2003. It has jointly operated mile

IndustryJune 2, 2019

[David Ignatius] America is at war, in cyberspace

One of the least-discussed but perhaps most consequential comments by special counsel Robert Mueller in his appearance before reporters this week was his blunt counterintelligence assessment: “Russian intelligence officers, who are part of the Russian military, launched a concerted attack on our political system.” Here’s why this judgment is so important: The US military, backed by Mueller’s findings and those of the intelligence community, has responded by developing a t

ViewpointsJune 2, 2019

[Hal Brands] Today’s US-China clash began at Tiananmen Square

Tuesday marks the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre. It was an event that profoundly shaped not only modern China, but also the US-China relationship.It is the odd anniversary that will pass virtually unobserved in the place where it had the greatest impact. Each year, around the anniversary, the government mobilizes an army of censors and trolls to stamp out any discussion of Tiananmen online.Yet for the world outside China, revisiting the Tiananmen Square massacre is crucial fo

ViewpointsJune 2, 2019

Q&As from BTS’ press conference at Wembley

LONDON -- BTS on Saturday (UK time) delivered a historic performance at Wembley Stadium, becoming the first South Korean band to headline London’s iconic venue.Ahead of the show, the seven bandmates -- RM, J-Hope, Jin, Suga, Jimin, Jungkook and V -- met with reporters to answer questions about their Wembley debut, their ongoing stadium world tour, the band’s collaborative projects and their thoughts on being called “the Beatles of the 21st century.”Following is a transcri

PerformanceJune 2, 2019

BTS performs at historic sold-out Wembley concert

LONDON -- BTS on Saturday (local time) made history as the first Korean band to perform at the iconic Wembley Stadium, the largest concert stage in the UK, where legendary acts like Queen, Michael Jackson, The Rolling Stones, Beyonce and Adele have headlined. The first of two sold-out concerts was attended by 60,000 fans, who sang-along, chanted, screamed and danced throughout the performance that lasted for 150 minutes. The group performed 24 tunes, including those from its “Love You

PerformanceJune 2, 2019

[News Focus] National debt up W56 trillion since late 2017: Assembly data

SEJONG -- Compared with past governments, the Moon Jae-in administration has been actively increasing public expenditure to benefit jobless people in their 20s and early 30s.However, many have cast doubt on the efficacy of its strategy of pouring dozens of trillions of won in taxpayer money into job creation over the past two years since May 2017.This year, the incumbent government is struggling to prevent the economic growth rate from falling sharply by proposing a supplementary budget bill, dr

EconomyJune 2, 2019

Search continues for missing victims in Hungary boat sinking

The search for 21 missing passengers of a sightseeing boat that sank in Hungary continued Sunday as recovery efforts remained hampered by high waters, strong currents and poor underwater visibility. Upon returning from Hungary on Sunday, South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said the full-scale underwater search operation could begin Monday, as the Danube River’s water levels were expected to fall and currents to be slower. “We will see the river conditions and dispatch divers

Foreign AffairsJune 2, 2019

Pianists, young and old, mesmerize Seoul fans

Two piano virtuosos, one young and the other more mature, struck a chord with Seoul audiences over the weekend. Yuhki Kuramoto and Sunwoo Yekwon wrapped up their nationwide tour of Korea, presenting the last edition of their tours in Seoul on Friday and Saturday, respectively. On Saturday at the Seoul Arts Center, Sunwoo, 30, stirred the audience with five encores: Robert Schumann’s “Traumerei” (Dreaming), Johannes Brahms’ Intermezzo in A Major, Schumann’s “Wi

PerformanceJune 2, 2019