HHIC Holdings kicks off sale of 3 energy subsidiaries

[THE INVESTOR] Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Holdings on July 13 began the process of selling three energy-related subsidiaries. The companies -- Daeryun Power, Byeollae Energy and Daeryun E&S -- are to be sold as a bundle, and the sale will be conducted by Mirae Asset Daewoo. Hanjin Heavy's Subic ShipyardHHIC Holdings and Daeryun E&S each hold 29.17 percent and 50 percent in Daeryun Power and Byeollae Energy, respectively. Daeryun E&S, a gas supplier, is 100 percent owned by HHIC Hol

IndustryJuly 14, 2016

Korea to tighten asbestos controls

The government is set to strengthen the management of buildings with asbestos during their dismantling and reconstruction process to minimize health risks from exposure to the material. Asbestos were widely used in 1970s to build slate roofs, interior materials, soundproof walls and insulators at low costs. It is defined as a carcinogen by the World Health Organization, as exposure to worn out asbestos materials can cause diseases such as lung cancer and mesothelioma.The revised Asbestos Safety

Social AffairsJuly 14, 2016

Court upholds ruling against sergeant for sexually harassing superior

A Seoul appeals court on Thursday upheld a lower court’s decision to order disciplinary action against a male sergeant for sexually harassing his female superior in 2014. The sergeant had claimed the decision was unfair and asked the disciplinary order to be revoked. The case is one of the relatively rare sexual harassment cases in Korea in which the victim was harassed by someone of a lower rank at work. The victim, an army captain and one of the sergeant’s superiors at his unit, filed a compla

Social AffairsJuly 14, 2016

Xiaomi CEO discusses chip partnership with Samsung in Seoul

[THE INVESTOR] Xiaomi founder and chief executive Lei June on July 14 held a meeting with Samsung Electronics executives, including Jeon Young-hyun, the company’s memory chip division chief, at the headquarters in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province. According to industry sources, the CEO discussed ways to use Samsung’s high-density memory chips for its premium smartphones, including the upcoming Mi Note 2 phablet. Xiaomi founder and chief executive Lei JuneXiaomi, dubbed as “China’s Apple,” topped the Chi

TechnologyJuly 14, 2016

Government takes on THAAD health rumors

The Defense Ministry on Thursday addressed ongoing rumors that the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system would pose a health threat, by publicly measuring the signals near other similar operational radars to show its limited impact. President Park Geun-hye speaks during the NSC meeting at Cheong Wa Dae on Thursday. (Cheong Wa Dae)Upon Wednesday’s announcement that THAAD will be deployed in Seongju-gun, North Gyeongsang Province, residents and county officials from the smal

DefenseJuly 14, 2016

CrucialTec to supply fingerprint module to Huawei’s Honor 8

[THE INVESTOR] Korean fingerprint module maker CrucialTec said on July 14 it will supply its mobile fingerprint module, BTP, to Huawei’s upcoming new smartphone Honor 8. The Honor 8 features a 5.2-inch curved glass display, a 12 mega pixel dual camera, and is powered by an in-house octa-core Kirin 950 processor. The pricing and launch date have not been disclosed. Huawei’s Honor 8CrucialTec has supplied BTP to Huawei’s premium lineup, including the Mate 8 and the P9, and the latest mid-range Hon

TechnologyJuly 14, 2016

China’s anti-dumping tariffs on Taekwang unrelated to THAAD: Foreign Ministry

[THE INVESTOR] The Korean government has denied that China’s decision to slap a 4.1 percent anti-dumping tariff on acryl fabrics produced by Taekwang Industrial was in retaliation for its proposal to deploy an advanced anti-missile system here.“The measure is unrelated to Seoul’s decision to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense or THAAD system,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on July 14. China’s Trade Minister began reviewing anti-dumping measures for acryl fabrics produced in So

IndustryJuly 14, 2016

[Ravindra Kumar] Has the poison done its work in India?

This is the second in a new series of columns on global affairs which will be written by top editors from members of the Asia News Network and published in newspapers across the region. --Ed. This week and in the midst of news of far greater moment from around Asia, India is being asked to focus its energies on the latest instalment of a long-running soap opera that ought either to have ended or been taken off the air a few years ago. This episode has left hanging a question that those writing t

ViewpointsJuly 14, 2016

Line, Kakao ignite Korea’s character market boom

South Koreans have recently been in a frenzy over characters created by two rival mobile messenger apps -- whether it is Line’s blank-faced bear named Brown or Kakao’s Muzi, who looks like a rabbit but is actually a radish in a costume.　Eyeing new market potential, Line Corp. and Kakao Corp. have brought their signature characters -- initially introduced as virtual stickers used on the messengers apps -- into the physical world where they have been reborn as character merchandise. Though Line, a

TechnologyJuly 14, 2016

[Robert B. Reich] A guide to upcoming conventions

I’ll save you the guesswork. On July 21, Donald Trump will become the Republican nominee for president of the United States. On July 28, Hillary Clinton will become the Democratic nominee.Trump’s pending coronation won’t please elected Republicans who put the nation’s welfare above party loyalty. Nor will it please demonstrators who in all likelihood will storm around parts of downtown Cleveland to protest the nomination of someone who has gone out of his way to denigrate Latinos, blacks, Muslim

ViewpointsJuly 14, 2016