Most Popular
-
1
Seoul, Tokyo reboot joint maritime resource talks after 40-year freeze
-
2
Host of Miss Korea apologizes for 'inappropriate question' about deepfake
-
3
Korea to face another massive shortfall in tax revenue
-
4
Global drama stars gather for 2024 Seoul International Drama Awards
-
5
[Contribution] Turkmenistan celebrates the 33rd anniversary of its Independence
-
6
SK hynix outpaces Samsung, Micron with more powerful AI chips
-
7
Power of nostalgia brings K-pop legends back together
-
8
North Korea unveiling uranium enrichment site a US election-conscious move: NIS
-
9
[Photo news] Faker Mercedes
-
10
'Shaman says president will die,' caller warns
-
Muti returns to La Scala stage for 1st time in 11 years
MILAN (AP) -- Riccardo Muti received two standing ovations upon his return to La Scala’s stage Sunday after an 11-year absence, not to conduct this time but to discuss his nearly two decades as music director at the fabled opera house. “Welcome home,” someone shouted from the upper tiers. Muti’s last appearance in 2005 was to conduct the Vienna Philharmonic in a benefit concert just weeks after abruptly stepping down after 19 years as music director amid backstage turmoil. “What I can say is t
PerformanceJune 6, 2016
-
[Editorial] How’s life?
You probably don’t need statistics or scientific research to see how hard life in this society is. There are nonstop incidents and controversies that illustrate the difficulties and adversities faced by contemporary Koreans. Young people fed up with the shortage of decent jobs kill themselves, people frustrated with life wield knives at strangers and couples have no qualms about abusing -- and even murdering --their children. Korean workers have one of the world’s longest workweeks, the gap betw
EditorialJune 6, 2016
-
Life of Lee Jung-seob at a glance
The Korean War was no obstacle for the legendary artist Lee Jung-seob (1916-1956) in his pursuit of art. While fleeing from the plight of war, he sketched and painted optimistic images of children playing with chickens and crabs. He and other contemporary artists pledged to create art and hold exhibitions in the devastation of the three-year war that has technically not ended, with an armistice agreement having brought a temporary truce on the peninsula. “Such life is hard to imagine when you
PerformanceJune 6, 2016
-
[Editorial] Korea-Cuba relations
Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se’s landmark visit to Cuba, with which South Korea lacks official ties, is timely for several reasons. First, Yun’s participation in the summit of Association of Caribbean States countries will certainly help South Korea foster closer relations with the region, which has remained low in its foreign policy agenda. The ACS, founded in 1995, now comprises 25 countries in the region, and Yun joined the gathering as an observer, a status South Korea has been given since 19
EditorialJune 6, 2016
-
N. Korea accuse S. Korean Navy of violating its sea border
North Korea's state-run media accused the South Korean Navy of violating its sea border Monday amid heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) monitored in Seoul said warships from the South violated its waters in the Yellow Sea around 4:30 a.m. on Sunday. It claimed that South Korea pushed 19 fishing boats into waters Pyongyang claims at its own. The news wire said that the move was aimed at triggering a response from the North that could be used by Se
Diplomatic CircuitJune 6, 2016
-
Seoul, Washington discussing location of THAAD deployment
South Korea and the United States are discussing the possible location of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system that could be deployed in the country to deter North Korea's ever growing missile threats, military sources said Monday. According to sources, the possible candidates for the base of the THAAD system includes U.S. military bases in the southern city of Daegu or Pyeongtaek, some 70 kilometers south of Seoul. The interceptor missile systems and their related sensors
Diplomatic CircuitJune 6, 2016
-
Sydney Film Fest to spotlight Korean films
Sydney Film Festival, which kicks off Wednesday, will this year host a new program spotlighting “off-mainstream” contemporary Korean cinema, the festival organizers announced Monday. Titled “Korea on the Verge: Social Faultlines in Korean Cinema,” the program will screen five films by Korean directors. “Alice in Earnestland,” director Ahn Gooc-jin’s first feature and winner of the best Korean feature prize at last year’s Jeonju International Film Festival, is a political satire portraying a wom
FilmJune 6, 2016
-
[Lee Chang-hoon] Franco-Korean relations in the 19th century
This is the first of a three-part contribution on diplomatic relations between Korea and France, which marked the 130th anniversary of its establishment this year. – Ed. On June 4, 1886, in Seoul, Korea and France concluded the Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation. The year 2016 marks the 130th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Korea and France. Despite this, Korean and French do not quite know each other. Although recently due to the Korean wave, the Fre
ViewpointsJune 6, 2016
-
[Joshua Card] Korea should guard against pressures of globalism
After reading an article titled “Syrian Refugees Stuck in Limbo at Seoul Airport” (courtesy of Paula Hancocks and KJ Kwon of CNN International), I could not help but chuckle. I took note of how it was written to paint a picture of a humanitarian crisis, inflicting subtle yet direct blame on Korea, for not addressing the needs of those in question -- those who have been given food, but only eat bread because of their religious faith. I have seen this journalist tactic used all too often, trying t
ViewpointsJune 6, 2016
-
What the Fed should do next
If the Federal Reserve was looking for reasons not to raise interest rates when its policymaking committee meets later this month, it now has two. Today’s new and surprisingly weak U.S. employment numbers, added to investor anxiety about a possible British exit from the European Union, make a plausible case for leaving short-term interest rates unchanged.That would be a mistake. The Fed needs to step back and consider. A British exit and volatile U.S. jobs numbers notwithstanding, the balance of
ViewpointsJune 6, 2016
-
[Michael Froman] Windmills fueled by winds of world trade
When the winds of change blow, a Chinese proverb says, some people build walls and others build windmills. Given the tremendous environmental challenges the world faces, it’s not enough just to build windmills. We need to develop a range of innovative environmental technologies, and we need to break down barriers to trading them worldwide.Global trade in wind turbines, water filters and other environmental goods amounts to nearly $1 trillion annually, and it’s growing fast. But high tariffs acro
ViewpointsJune 6, 2016
-
Taiwan needs more nuclear power transparency
Nuclear power plants in Taiwan are still a controversial issue, yet to have more transparency and caution toward it should be a consensus.It may be debatable whether nuclear power is a safe form of energy, but there is no question that nuclear power plants must be managed with extreme caution.A nuclear meltdown has always been a nightmarish possibility haunting what supporters argue is a clean form of energy -- at least cleaner than coal-fired electricity in terms of carbon emissions.The public’
ViewpointsJune 6, 2016
-
[Karen Fingerman] Boomerang children trend not all bad
It may come as a surprise to today’s children to learn that fairy-tale princesses like Sleeping Beauty are more likely to end up living with their parents than with Prince Charming. The Pew Foundation recently reported that for the first time in more than 100 years, young adults ages 18 to 34 in the U.S. are more likely to reside with their parents than with romantic partners.Though this situation is new, it’s not necessarily a bad thing.Clearly the economy plays a role. In 1960, when it was eas
ViewpointsJune 6, 2016
-
28% of new recruits with bachelors’ degree quit within 1 year: survey
A recent survey showed that 1 out of every 4 new employees with a bachelors’ degree or higher quits within a year.Such early exits are three times more common at companies with less than 300 employees than at larger businesses.The results were shown in the survey conducted on 306 businesses nationwide by the Korea’s Employers’ Federation on their employment status as of this year. The departure ratio among new recruits who have graduated from college came at 27.7 percent, 2.5 percentage points h
Social AffairsJune 6, 2016
-
Korea pushed to balance trade with U.S.
Concerns are rising here over what is deemed as increasing U.S. pressure on Korea to do more to alter its trade practices and business environment.The pressure, which is expected to escalate further in the lead-up to and beyond the U.S. presidential election in November, seems related mainly to the growing trade imbalance between the two sides. Korea’s trade surplus with the U.S. jumped to $28.3 billion last year from $15.2 billion in 2012, when a bilateral free trade agreement came into force,
June 6, 2016
-
Samsung SDI in talks with Tesla over battery supply
Samsung SDI, a battery business arm of Samsung Group, is reportedly in talks with U.S. electric car manufacturer Tesla Motors over a battery supply deal, according to news reports.Freights containing 120 tons of Samsung SDI battery cells arrived at the Oakland port in April and recently at Tesla’s factory in California, the reports said. The batteries, called the Samsung SDI 18650, are cylindrical ones measuring 18 millimeters in diameter and 65 mm in height.The quantity, which is excessive if
TechnologyJune 6, 2016
-
Samsung SDS may face lawsuit over split-off
A group of investors are planning to take collective action against information technology solutions developer Samsung SDS in protest over the firm’s plan to divide its businesses.The group of investors said it would pay a visit to the head office of Samsung SDS in Seoul on Tuesday in a bid to express their objection to the company’s plan to split its solutions business for logistics and merge it with Samsung C&T, the construction and trading business arm of Samsung Group.The headquarters of Sam
TechnologyJune 6, 2016
-
Ministry moves on subcontract workers' safety
The South Korean government will propose a revision bill to ensure the safety of subcontract workers and enforce stronger preventive measures for industrial accidents, a ministry said Monday. The Ministry of Employment and Labor said they are preparing to propose a revision to the current Industrial Safety and Health Act to better protect subcontract workers from safety accidents. Members of a union group for part-time workers protest near Guui Station in Seoul on Saturday, calling for workers’
Social AffairsJune 6, 2016
-
POSCO most popular stock among foreign investors
Korean steelmaking giant POSCO was the most popular stock this year for foreign investors, market data showed Monday, amid improving sentiments helped by its better-than-expected earnings. According to financial data provider FnGuide, foreign investors bought a net 475.8 billion won ($407.3 million) worth of POSCO stocks on the Seoul bourse during the January-May period. This was the largest portion of foreign net buying, which came to about 3.39 trillion won in the period.Shares in the steelmak
IndustryJune 6, 2016
-
Kakao CEO Rim increases share acquisition
Rim Ji-hoon, chief executive of Kakao, the developer of Korea’s most-used mobile messenger, has recently been buying company stocks on the market in an apparent move to boost his leverage over the firm, according to news reports that cited investment banking sources.Last week, Rim acquired 1,522 shares of the company listed on the tech-heavy KOSDAQ at 98,800 won ($84.60) per share, with his equity ownership in Kakao now amounting to 4,264 shares. He previously bought 2,742 shares at between 100,
IndustryJune 6, 2016