Ballerina Kim Joo-won unveils tango-ballet piece

Ballerina Kim Joo-won will introduce her new work “Tango Ballet 3 Minutes: Su Tiempo” at the Sejong Center July 11-14. Kim’s latest piece follows “Marguerite and Armand,” staged in 2013.  The tango-style ballet, choreographed by Rye Hoi-woong, tells a love story in just about three minutes. Starring alongside Kim are Korean National Ballet principal dancer Lee Young-cheol and former KNB ballerino Kang Jun-ha.La Ventana, led by accordion player Jeong Tae-ho, wil

PerformanceMay 28, 2019

Samsung Galaxy Fold launch likely to be delayed again

Samsung Electronics seems to be taking more time than expected to fix flaws in the main display of its first foldable smartphone Galaxy Fold, according to industry sources Tuesday. It has been more than one month since the South Korean tech giant officially announced the postponement of the foldable device’s launch in the United States, but it keeps maintaining that a new schedule will be announced in “coming weeks.” Some telecom officials say that the launch is likely to take

TechnologyMay 28, 2019

[Herald Interview] Regulation, resistance put Korea‘s ability to compete in future mobility in question

LEIPZIG, Germany -- Korea is a leader in information technology, which has led its economic growth for the last decade, but when it comes to mobility services -- often touted as the center of a paradigm shift in the “fourth industrial revolution” -- the country faces uncertainty. “It is clear that the world is going through a paradigm shift from manufacturing to mobility services in connection with development of autonomous driving,” said Lee Jae-ho, director of the digit

MobilityMay 28, 2019

[Kim Seong-kon] New world order without the US

In his internationally acclaimed dystopian novel “Nineteen Eighty-four,” George Orwell portrayed the world as divided into three regions: Oceania, Eurasia and Eastasia. According to Orwell, Oceania was composed of the United Kingdom and the United States, and Eurasia, which constituted the rest of Europe and Central Asia, was controlled by the Soviet Union. As for Eastasia, Orwell did not mention a specific country that either represented or ruled the region. Yet, at the time he was

ViewpointsMay 28, 2019

[Lee Jae-min] Korea caught in the middle again

The intensifying US-China confrontation has just taken a new twist. Reportedly, Washington is asking Seoul to join its anti-Huawei alliance. The reason is security concerns posed by the Chinese IT giant. This latest development puts South Korea in a difficult spot again. Korea is confronted with what it dreads most: choosing sides in a decisive manner.It is one thing to worry about the G2 confrontation and its overall economic impact. It is quite another to be forced to choose sides openly and o

ViewpointsMay 28, 2019

K-drama ‘Sign’ to get Japanese remake

Korean television series “Sign” is slated to get a Japanese remake, broadcaster SBS which aired the popular drama said Tuesday.A Japanese adaptation of the series about forensic doctors will be aired on TV Asahi starting June, with Nao Omori as the lead star.  “Sign,” which aired from Jan. 6 to March 10, 2011, featured Park Shin-yang as a hot-tempered genius forensic doctor and Kim Ah-joong as a warm-hearted rookie, pairing up to uncover the truth concealed by those

TelevisionMay 28, 2019

[Newsmaker] Controversy brews over meeting of NIS chief, Moon's confidant

A dinner meeting between National Intelligence Service Director Suh Hoon and Yang Jung-chul, the head of a think tank run by the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, has stirred up controversy over the spy agency’s involvement in politics. The four-hour meeting between the two prominent figures last week took the spotlight Tuesday, with the main opposition Liberty Korea Party visiting the spy agency in protest.“It was not a private consultation, but a dinner with longtime acquaintances.

PoliticsMay 28, 2019

Google Korea launches online language culture campaign with Sunfull Foundation

Google Korea and Sunfull Foundation said Tuesday they would work together to help improve online culture by promoting the National Sunfull Youth Internet Peace Campaign aimed at preventing malicious online comments and hate speech. Google sponsors the Sunfull Youth Supporters project, which involves 100 clubs from elementary, middle, high schools and universities across the country. The project is to support the training and dispatch of professional online language improvement instructors to sch

PeopleMay 28, 2019

[News Focus] Unemployment-benefit payment surges 58% during Moon’s term

The number of South Koreans applying for unemployment benefit (also dubbed job seekers’ allowance) have rapidly increased in the wake of widespread small business closures and rising jobless rates.According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the unemployment rate as of April 2019 came to 4.4 percent, higher than the 3.8 percent recorded both in April 2014 and April 2009. According to the Korea Employment Information Service, the government’s monthly payment of unemployment

Social AffairsMay 28, 2019

Bitcoin extends rally amid economic uncertainties, entry of tech firms

 　As Bitcoin continued to extend its rally in South Korea with the price topping 10 million won ($8,400) for the first time since last year, analysts are scrambling to figure out what caused the world’s biggest cryptocurrency to suddenly recover. 　According to Seoul-based cryptocurrency exchange Upbit, Bitcoin was priced at 10.4 million won per coin as of 2 p.m. on Tuesday. The figure was 0.3 percent up from the previous day when it recovered to the 10-million-won range for the first

TechnologyMay 28, 2019

Seoul’s housing price hike stable among major cities: government

In an apparent move to advocate the incumbent government’s real estate measures, the Land Ministry said Tuesday that Seoul’s housing prices had grown at a stable rate for the past five years, compared to fluctuations observed in real estate transaction prices in other major cities. Seoul saw an average 18.9 percent rate fluctuation in its housing price from 2014 to 2018, according to the data, which was released as part of a seminar co-hosted by the ministry and the state-run Ko

EconomyMay 28, 2019

BMW Korea teases all-new BMW 1 Series

BMW Korea revealed Tuesday the return of BMW 1-Series that it said will provide customers a smooth ride with ultimate efficiency.The local branch of the German luxury carmaker said it would showcase its third-generation BMW 1-Series at the #NextGen event, to be held in Munich BMW Welt on June 25-27.The premium compact hatchback has undergone a design upgrade as well as technological advances that will enhance user experience, it said.The interior will boast a driver-centered design with more spa

MobilityMay 28, 2019

[News focus] Trump’s take on NK hints at gaps with aides, Japan

US President Donald Trump appears to be taking a different tack on North Korea from his advisers and also from Japan, sending mixed signals about US-North Korea relations and dialogue prospects. Speaking before and after his summit with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo on Monday, Trump reiterated his views on North Korea’s recent provocations and on its leader, Kim Jong-un. “I think he’s very much -- I talk to him a lot about it, and he’s very much into th

North KoreaMay 28, 2019

1MDB scandal financier allegedly attended YG head’s dinner parties with prostitutes

A third-generation scion of a conglomerate “played an important role” at dinner gatherings involving sexual services arranged by YG Entertainment head Yang Hyun-suk for foreign investors, according to an investigative TV program reporter Tuesday. 　 The MBC program “Straight” which aired late Monday alleged that Yang hosted dinner parties and procured prostitutes for two wealthy investors -- Low Taek Jho, a Malaysian fugitive sought by the authorities in Malaysia, Singapor

Social AffairsMay 28, 2019

Hyundai Motor delivers Nexo to Malaysia’s energy supplier

Hyundai Motor’s hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle Nexo has been delivered to a Malaysian public energy company, the automaker said Tuesday, as part of its plan to expand into the Southeast Asian market with its eco-friendly model.  According to Hyundai Motor, two Nexo cars have been delivered to Sarawak Energy Berhad, a state-run energy supplier, during the opening ceremony for Southeast Asia’s first hydrogen charging station. The ceremony was attended by officials includ

MobilityMay 28, 2019

Music in PyeongChang to tell ‘A Different Story’

Music in PyeongChang (MPyC), also known as the Great Mountains Music Festival, has revamped its concerts and program, with the aim of becoming a leading music festival here. The program for this season was announced by festival artistic director and pianist Son Yeol-eum and Gangwon Art & Culture Foundation Chairman Kim Sung-hwan during a press conference Tuesday in Seoul.Now in its 16th year, the event was originally launched to promote the PyeongChang Olympics. It is held twice a year, in s

PerformanceMay 28, 2019

Prime minister promises ‘soft landing’ for gaming disorder in Korea

The Office for Government Policy Coordination under the prime minister said Tuesday that it will form a consultative group to help respond to the World Health Organization’s adoption of game addiction as an official disease. The announcement follows discord between the Culture Ministry, which opposes the WHO decision, and the Welfare Ministry, which stands by it. “Through this consultative group we will minimize the concerns from game industry and seek reasonable ways to settle a hea

IndustryMay 28, 2019