Court rejects arrest warrant for Samsung BioLogics CEO

A Seoul court on Saturday rejected an arrest warrant for the head of Samsung BioLogics Co., who is under suspicion of abetting the destruction of evidence related to an accounting scandal.The Seoul Central District Court said "there is room for dispute" over Samsung BioLogics CEO Kim Tae-han's supposed role in destroying evidence of the company's alleged window dressing in 2015.   The court, however, approved arrest warrants for two vice presidents of Samsung Electronics Co.,

IndustryMay 25, 2019

Lotte Group inks deals to sell 2 financial units

Lotte Group signed deals to sell off its credit card unit and non-life insurer as part of efforts to meet regulatory requirements, with the combined value of the transactions roughly 1.7 trillion won ($1.43 billion), industry sources said Friday. According to the sources, retail-focused Lotte Group agreed to sell 80 percent of Lotte Card Co. to a Woori Bank-MBK Partners consortium for 1.3 trillion won. Woori Bank will own some 20 percent in the credit card firm, while the private equity fund wil

IndustryMay 24, 2019

Leak of Moon’s phone chat with Trump stokes controversy

Controversy is growing after the government revealed that a diplomat had leaked to an opposition lawmaker details of the May 7 telephone conversation between President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump. During a press conference on May 9, Rep. Khang Hyo-shang of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party disclosed what the two leaders had said on the phone, including Moon’s invitation to Trump to visit Korea.The presidential office and the Foreign Ministry here said Thursday that a 54

PoliticsMay 24, 2019

S. Korean stocks retreat, won dips amid US’ threat to slap duties

South Korean stocks fell Friday, while the won closed higher against the US dollar, hours after Washington’s remarks that it is considering to impose anti-subsidy duties on nations that undervalue their currencies against the greenback. The announcement, which came amid an intensifying US-China trade dispute, put Korea at risk of higher tariffs, alongside the world’s second-largest economy China, Japan, India, Germany, and Switzerland.  The benchmark Kospi closed 14.28 points, o

MarketMay 24, 2019

Govt. is making military brain-dead: main opposition leader

The chief of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party, Hwang Kyo-ahn criticized the liberal government’s conciliatory policy toward North Korea on Thursday, claiming it making the military “brain-dead.”“Even when politicians speak of peace, the military should prevent weakening of its defense posture,” Hwang said in the party’s supreme council meeting held in Goseong, Gangwon Province.  As part of a political campaign promoting people’s livelihood, t

PoliticsMay 24, 2019

S. Korea to stage new civilian-military exercise next week

South Korea plans to launch a new civilian-military exercise next week to better brace for various contingencies, the defense and interior ministries said Friday, the latest in a series of reorganizations of defense drills to support peace efforts with North Korea.The inaugural Ulchi Taegeuk exercise will take place from May 27-30 involving around 480,000 civilians, government officials and armed service members from about 4,000 government and related agencies, the ministries said. Replacing the

DefenseMay 24, 2019

US commander says Pyongyang’s recent missile launches ‘routine military activities’

Gen. Robert Abrams, the top commander of the combined forces here, said the recent launches of short-range missiles by North Korea were part of routine military exercises and that the security situation on the Korean Peninsula has not changed. During a symposium in Honolulu on Wednesday, Abrams said joint military exercises between South Korea and the US were suspended in consideration of diplomatic efforts made by the two governments with North Korea. Abrams serves as the commander of the Unite

DefenseMay 24, 2019

Posco begins collective bargaining with union

Posco, South Korea's top steelmaker, said Friday it has started this year's collective bargaining with its union.The union has made various requests to the management, including a base pay increase and an extension of the retirement age. Posco currently has two labor unions, but the one affiliated with the Federation of Korean Trade Union is recognized as the representing union with more than 6,600 members after receiving approval from the National Labor Relations Commission last December. 

IndustryMay 24, 2019

Unification minister hopes better inter-Korean ties lead to resumption of nuclear talks

Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul said Friday that he will work hard to advance inter-Korean relations so as to resume the stalled denuclearization talks between the United States and North Korea."We will do our best to steadily improve inter-Korean relations in a way that will lead to the resumption of North Korea-US talks at an early date," Kim said at a forum in Seoul. "Despite the lull since the Hanoi summit, North Korea and the US still maintain the principle of resolving th

North KoreaMay 24, 2019

Moon meets farmers planting rice in Gyeongju

President Moon Jae-in visited a southeastern rural village Friday to encourage farmers who were busy planting rice. He briefly planted rice himself and attended the test operation of an agricultural drone and a self-driving rice-planting device in Oksan village in Gyeongju, 371 kilometers southeast of Seoul, according to his office, Cheong Wa Dae."Given the reality of rural areas suffering difficulties from the aging population and labor shortages, there's a desperate need to develop and sp

EconomyMay 24, 2019

[Newsmaker] One Navy officer dead, four injured in accident involving destroyer docked at port

One Navy officer was killed and four others were injured Friday in an accident involving a destroyer that returned home after a mission in waters off Somalia.The accident occurred at 10:15 a.m. at a naval base in the southern port city of Jinhae when a rope used to connect the 4,400-ton Choi Young destroyer to the dock snapped with a bang for an unknown reason, according to officials. A welcoming ceremony was being held at the time at the port to mark the safe return of the vessel that had been

Social AffairsMay 24, 2019

Diageo Korea introduces fully paid family leave for employees

Diageo Korea, the South Korean unit of the liquor maker, said Friday it will offer fully paid family leave for employees from July. This is in line with the headquarters’ global family leave policy, introduced as part of efforts to become a leading employer in the area of gender equality in the workplace and to create a more inclusive corporate culture, according to the company.  Both female and male employees will benefit from paid family leave of up to 26 weeks and four weeks.&

IndustryMay 24, 2019

Taiwan holds first gay marriages in historic day for Asia

TAIPEI (AFP) -- Taiwan made history on Friday with Asia's first legal gay weddings as same-sex couples tied the knot in jubilant and emotional scenes, the culmination of a three-decade fight for equality.The weddings, which came a week after lawmakers took the unprecedented decision to legalise gay marriage despite staunch conservative opposition, places Taiwan at the vanguard of the burgeoning gay rights movement in Asia.Some dozen couples were among the first to arrive at a government office i

World NewsMay 24, 2019

Samsung BioLogics CEO attends arrest-warrant hearing in accounting scandal

A local court was to hold a hearing on Friday to decide whether to issue an arrest warrant for the head of contract drug manufacturer Samsung BioLogics on charges of abetting destruction of evidence in the company's accounting scandal.Kim Tae-han, the first CEO-level suspect grilled by prosecutors in the escalating accounting scandal implicating the Samsung Group company and its affiliate, Samsung Bioepis, was to attend the hearing at the Seoul Central District Court in the morning. Kim is accus

Social AffairsMay 24, 2019

[Around the Hotels] Packages and promotions

Avocado afternoon at Grand InterContinental Seoul ParnasLobby Lounge at Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas presents the Avocado Royal High Tea Set.The set offers avocado cream dacquoise; avocado scones with clotted cream; avocado brownies; brioche sandwich with roasted avocado; roasted avocado stuffed with mushroom, spinach and chicken; and avocado salad with harissa shrimp. Guests can choose either coffee or tea to accompany the food. The set costs 75,000 won person. It is available from 2 p.m

FoodMay 24, 2019

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil(Korea)Opened May 15Crime, ActionDirected by Lee Won-taeA notorious gangster Jang Dong-soo (Ma Dong-seok) narrowly survives a random attack by a serial killer, and sets out to bring justice to his attacker in his own way: by brutally murdering him. At the same time, a cop Jung Tae-suk (Kim Mu-yeol) seeks to arrest the killer. The two men join forces to form the most unorthodox and perilous team, which will break down the moment they locate Kang.Miss & Mrs. Cop

FilmMay 24, 2019

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Everland Rose FestivalLaunched in 1985, the long-running Everland Rose Festival opens every year in May. This year it continues until June 16. With a 20,000-square-meter rose garden, visitors can see various kinds of flowers while enjoying the amusement park.It is held inside Everland, South Korea’s largest theme park in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, and is open to visitors of all ages.To find out more about the event, including admission fees and how to get there, visit the homepage at everl

TravelMay 24, 2019

[Eye Plus] Green magic blooms in heart of Seoul

Farming in the densely populated city of Seoul is nothing new. Many urban farmers make use of vacant spaces on top of apartment buildings, schools and public buildings to grow vegetables. Some rent privately owned spaces to start their own green experiments. As of 2017, Seoul had 170 hectares of these farms, about the size of 238 soccer fields combined. In 2011, the figure was 29 hectares. The Seoul Metropolitan Government is a key backer of this growing urban farming trend.Earlier this year, it

IndustryMay 24, 2019

[Herald Interview] Chef puts faith in gimbap

For chef Kim Rock-hun, gimbap is the perfect meal for the times. A roll of rice, vegetables and other ingredients wrapped tightly in a seaweed laver sheet, gimbap is tasty and healthy. Typically served in bite-sized slices, it is convenient to pack and eat on the move. “It is ‘slow fast food,’ filled with healthy ingredients. Can there be a better meal?” Kim, 49, said during an interview at his cooking studio in Dogok-dong, southern Seoul.  The only problem, a

FoodMay 24, 2019

[Weekender] Border-area tourism on the rise

One of the last vestiges of the Cold War, the Demilitarized Zone is often described as the world’s most heavily fortified border. But it is also a tourist magnet, attracting 1.2 million visitors annually. From the bustling metropolis of Seoul, tour buses take hundreds of foreign and local tourists to security-related tourism spots on a daily basis -- from Imjingak, a family-friendly theme park that serves as a starting point for border-area tourism, to the historic truce village of Panmunj

TravelMay 24, 2019