The ruling and opposition parties paid tribute on Saturday to the victims of a bloody crackdown on a pro-democracy uprising in the southwestern city of Gwangju in 1980 in a rare show of bipartisanship. The nation marked the 39th anniversary of the landmark movement that the then military-backed government of Chun Doo-hwan clamped down on with the use of force that resulted in hundreds of deaths. Some civic group members protest the arrival of Hwang Kyo-ahn, the leader of the main opposition Libe

PoliticsMay 18, 2019

LG Electronics' first 5G smartphone, the V50 ThinQ, was well-received in its first week on sale in South Korea, thanks to carriers' high subsidies and promotional events, according to industry sources Saturday.LG's V50 went on sale on May 10 priced at 1.2 million ($1,000), becoming the second 5G smartphone in South Korea following the 5G version of Samsung's Galaxy S10 released last month.  A model holds up an LG V50 ThinQ at a shop in Seoul on May 10 2019. (Yonhap)Over 100,000 V50s were sold in

IndustryMay 18, 2019

President Moon Jae-in called Saturday for the cessation of wasteful political strife over the 1980 pro-democracy uprising in Gwangju, saying South Korea still owes a huge debt to people there.Attending the 39th anniversary of the bloody movement against the then military junta led by Chun Doo-hwan, he again offered an apology, as the country's sitting president, for the homicides.  President Moon Jae-in holds the hands of a participant in the 1980 pro-democracy uprising during an anniversary cer

PoliticsMay 18, 2019

South Korea is analyzing whether the country was granted an auto tariff relief from Washington or not, as its decision to delay the steep tariffs did not clearly mention it, Seoul's senior official said Saturday.On Friday (US time), US President Donald Trump said he will put off the decision to impose tariffs of up to 25 percent on imported autos and parts by up to six months as negotiations get under way with Japan and the European Union. (Yonhap)Washington earlier vowed to review levying dutie

IndustryMay 18, 2019

South Korean shares will likely continue facing downward pressure next week due to lingering effects of the trade dispute between the United States and China but largely remain range-bound, with some positive factors also expected, analysts said Saturday.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) closed at 2,055.80 on Friday, down 52.6 points, or 2.5 percent, from a week earlier. South Korean stocks got off to a weak start this week as the US announced an increase in its import tari

MarketMay 18, 2019

US President Donald Trump on Friday delayed a decision on whether to impose tariffs on imported cars and parts by six months.Trump said in a proclamation that he is directing the US.Trade Representative to pursue negotiations on cars imported from the European Union and Japan in that period. (AfP-Yonhap)Trump was expected to decide by Saturday whether to go ahead with imposing tariffs of up to 25 percent on imported autos and parts on national security grounds.He said in the proclamation that he

World BusinessMay 17, 2019

Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul met with Christian pastors from major churches Friday to exchange views on humanitarian assistance to North Korea.The meeting came as North Korea is suffering food shortages, having apparently been hit by global sanctions and years of unfavorable weather conditions.The participants raised the need for the government to push for humanitarian assistance to Pyongyang as North Koreans are facing a food crisis at a time when inter-Korean ties remain strained, accord

North KoreaMay 17, 2019

The Korea Crafts & Design Foundation is holding the nationwide festival “Craft Week 2019,” with a goal to encourage interest in local crafts. The 10-day festival, in its second edition this year, aims to allow the public to enjoy crafts in daily life. It is being held from Friday to May 26. “Craft week is about spreading craft culture that everyone can experience in daily life. The festival is being held through voluntary participation. (Through the event) we hope that craft culture can settle s

Arts & DesignMay 17, 2019

Prosecutors indicted Park Yoo-chun, actor and former member of boy band JYJ, on charges of using drugs on Friday.The 32-year-old Park is alleged to have purchased 1.5 grams of methamphetamine earlier this year and used the drug together with the granddaughter of the founder of a dairy producer.Last summer, he is suspected of having taken the drug alone at his home in southern Seoul. (Yonhap)The now-jailed Park earlier confessed that he has used drugs since last summer and began to use the banned

Social AffairsMay 17, 2019

South Korea's finance minister has called China a competitor but also said there is ample room for expanding bilateral economic cooperation with its larger neighbor.  "China is an economic partner and a well-intentioned competitor," Hong Nam-ki, the minister of economy and finance, said in a recent interview with global credit appraiser Fitch Ratings posted on its website.  Competition between South Korea and China has been intensifying in recent years as the world's second-largest economy has b

Diplomatic CircuitMay 17, 2019

South Korea and Switzerland held a bilateral policy consultation meeting in Seoul on Friday to discuss security on the Korean peninsula and in Europe, as well as bilateral cooperation, Seoul's foreign ministry said.Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and Pascale Baeriswyl, state secretary at the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, held the fifth such meeting, a key bilateral diplomatic channel on issues of mutual concern.Cho called for Switzerland's continued support for Seoul's policy of bu

Diplomatic CircuitMay 17, 2019

South Korea decided Friday to donate $8 million to international agencies for aid projects in North Korea and allow a group of businesspeople to visit a shuttered joint industrial complex in the communist nation.  The decisions came as Seoul has been trying to keep the peace process with the North alive despite the North's firing of missiles and projectiles earlier this month. Seoul is also formulating plans to send food aid to the impoverished North.   "The government decided to approve the bus

North KoreaMay 17, 2019

Marking the 100th anniversary of its founding, Save the Children has launched a global campaign reminding people that wars take a severe toll on children. As part of the campaign, the Korea chapter of the children’s charity is holding a photo exhibition at Cheonggye Plaza in downtown Seoul from Friday to Tuesday under the theme of “Stop the War on Children.”Portraits of children at refugee camps in Lebanon, Bangladesh (Save the Children)The photos were taken by award-winning documentary photogra

Social AffairsMay 17, 2019

Actor So Ji-sub has been dating a former TV broadcaster for a year, the actor's agency said Friday.The 41-year old actor has been in a good relationship with Cho Eun-jung since they first met on the set of an SBS TV entertainment news program, the agency, 51k, said.Cho, 25, was an onscreen reporter of the show when So appeared on it to promote his latest film, "Be With You," in March last year. She debuted on the small screen as a presenter for the popular online game "League of Legends" on cabl

TelevisionMay 17, 2019

A memorial service was held in Gwangju on Friday to remember the victims of a 1980 pro-democracy uprising in the southwestern city.Hundreds of bereaved family members and relatives attended the memorial service held at the May 18th National Cemetery in Gwangju, about 330 kilometers south of Seoul, on the eve of the 39th anniversary of the 1980 Gwangju Democratization Movement. (Yonhap)At the traditional Korean memorial service, Gwangju Mayor Lee Yong-seop and other local dignitaries delivered ad

Social AffairsMay 17, 2019

Rescue efforts by the United Arab Emirates and the Eastern-Libya army played a crucial role in freeing a Korean national held captive for 315 days in western Libya, an official at Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said Friday. The 62-year-old Korean hostage, surnamed Joo, and three Filipinos were taken hostage by militants last year while working as civil engineers at a desalination plant in western Libya. The ministry official cited a statement from the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International

Foreign AffairsMay 17, 2019

South Korea's unification ministry said Friday that it will allow a group of businesspeople to visit a joint industrial complex in North Korea for the first time since its shutdown in 2016.About 200 businesspeople, who used to operate their plants in the North's border town of Kaesong, had earlier asked for approval of their travel plans in their ninth attempt to visit the complex to check the condition of the equipment they left behind when it was closed. (Yonhap)Up until Friday, the government

North KoreaMay 17, 2019

The pending sale of Lotte Group’s credit card unit, Lotte Card, appears uncertain, as an executive of its preferred bidder, Hahn & Co., faces an investigation over alleged tax irregularities -- a development that could preclude the private equity firm from completing the acquisition. Further complicating the situation, Lotte Card’s labor union has strongly opposed the idea of a takeover by a profit-driven PEF due to concerns of employment stability, pledging group acti

MarketMay 17, 2019