Most Popular
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Psy's touch or new trend in music? P Nation’s solo stars lose their shine
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Yoon warns North Korea against nuclear attack attempt
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Seoul to hold grand military parade on Tuesday, disrupting major city routes
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81-year-old model awarded ‘best dressed’ in Miss Universe Korea
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Shut up and dance
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Seoul mayor suggests shift in immigration policy
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NewJeans fans corner Hybe amid PR backlash, looming National Assembly audit
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'Smart pill'? ADHD treatment prescriptions spike this year
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Israel targets Palestinian group in first strike on Beirut center
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Brit pop legend Oasis to perform in Seoul next year
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Asia Culture Center to serve as ‘test bed’ for original content
GWANGJU ― If you exit the subway station connected to the Asia Culture Center in Gwangju thinking that the multicultural complex will be similar in scale to the Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul, you should think again. Asia Culture Center in Gwangju (Culture Ministry)With its five interconnected buildings based on different yet synergistic and convergent themes, the Asia Culture Center strikes awe in visitors, who marvel at the architecture and the interior maze of exhibition and performance
CultureDec. 27, 2015
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Park at the vanguard of cultural diplomacy
The strains of “Arirang,” Korea’s unofficial national anthem, filled the air as President Park Geun-hye smiled at the National Marionette Theatre in Prague early this month, followed by Czech folk song “Humoresques.“Titled “In the Attic,” the puppet show was the product of collaboration between the two countries’ artists ― traditional Korean pansori piece “Sugungga” formed the central music and story line under the command of a Korean director, while the rabbit and turtle marionettes playing the
Foreign AffairsDec. 27, 2015
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Korea, Japan strive to narrow gap on sex slavery
Seoul and Tokyo are inching toward a compromise on Japan’s wartime sexual enslavement of Korean women by holding a director-general-level meeting on Sunday, a day before the ministers were set to sit down for talks. Japese Foreign Ministry`s Director-General of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau Kimihiro Ishikane walks into the building of Seoul`s Foreign Ministry on Sunday. (Yonhap)The 12th round of working-level talks were held for two hours to settle one of the thorniest issues that has lo
Foreign AffairsDec. 27, 2015
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[Newsmaker] Mirae Asset to shake up brokerage industry
In South Korea where many family-run conglomerates hold the whip hand over much of the economy, the self-made billionaire Park Hyeon-joo’s bold step to create the country’s biggest brokerage has come into the spotlight after his successful bid to acquire KDB Daewoo Securities. Mirae Asset Financial Group chairman Park Hyeon-joo. (Yonhap)When a consortium of Mirae Asset Securities and Mirae Asset Global Investments was chosen as the preferred bidder to take over the country’s second-largest broke
Dec. 27, 2015
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Media watchdog restricts foreign language use in TV ads
South Korea’s state-appointed media monitoring agency said Sunday that it has set out specific guidelines to restrict the use of foreign languages in TV commercials. According to the guidelines for the nation’s broadcasters by the Korea Communications Standards Commission, TV advertisements are now banned from containing foreign languages or songs for more than 15 seconds -- half of the 30-second time slot. The regulation covers the narrative of product slogans, company names and catchphrases s
Social AffairsDec. 27, 2015
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1 in 4 young graduates not in work or education: report
One in four young Koreans with a bachelor’s degree is not pursuing education, employment or training, the third highest rate among OECD members, a report showed Sunday.According to the National Assembly Research Service’s interim report on education, 24.4 percent of those aged 15-29 who held bachelor’s degree in Korea as of 2012 were grouped as “NEET,” referring to those who are not pursuing any official educational or employment activities.This was double the OECD average of 12.9 percent and th
Social AffairsDec. 27, 2015
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After FTC probe, Samsung to sell off shares
South Korea’s antitrust watchdog on Sunday said that the recent merger of Samsung affiliates has tightened cross-shareholdings among group companies, ordering its battery unit to reduce its stake in the holding company. “The number of cross-shareholding links may have been reduced to seven from 10 following the merger of Samsung C&T with Cheil Industries (on Sept. 1),” the Fair Trade Commission said in a statement. “But we have found the ties have been further strengthened.”The current antitrust
TechnologyDec. 27, 2015
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[Joseph R. Mason] Ending U.S. oil export ban good but not enough
Congress passed legislation lifting the 1970s-era ban on crude oil exports. While it is great that Congress ended this outdated policy, there is more work to do to realize America’s full energy potential. Under current policies, the government continues to keep federal lands off limits to energy production. Earlier this year, the administration proposed a wilderness plan for Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to starve the Alaska pipeline, while others want to deny Americans their energy resources
ViewpointsDec. 27, 2015
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[Photo News] Innovation for disabled
TechnologyDec. 27, 2015
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[Rachel Marsden] Christmas in Moscow with Putin
Walking around downtown Moscow at Christmastime in the wake of a press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin, I was struck by a distinct feeling of deja vu from my Canadian childhood. Not since then had I heard so much English-language Christmas music infusing the cold, crisp air, or seen so many decorations everywhere that include crosses and religious symbols as well as secular reminders of the season. There is no “war on Christmas” here. Russia is moving in the opposite direction f
ViewpointsDec. 27, 2015
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[Editorial] Public sector debt
Korea’s public sector debt is continuing to grow at a fast pace, as welfare expenditures have increased sharply without a corresponding increase in the government’s tax income. As debt-financed welfare expansion is unsustainable, the government needs to find a remedy before the problem gets worse. A tally released by the Ministry of Strategy and Finance shows Korea’s public sector debt reached 957.3 trillion won in 2014, amounting to 64.5 percent of the country’s gross domestic product.Of the to
EditorialDec. 27, 2015
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[Editorial] Sex slave issue
The foreign ministers of Korea and Japan are to meet today to resolve the long-standing issue of the Korean women who were forced to serve as sex slaves for the Imperial Japanese Army.The meeting raises expectations for a breakthrough as Japan appears more willing to resolve the knotty problem than before. It was arranged after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe instructed Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida on Dec. 24 to travel to Seoul to wrap up the drawn-out talks over the issue by the end of the
EditorialDec. 27, 2015
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[Leonid Bershidsky] Berlin right to flout Russia sanctions
Germany has rallied Europe in support of Ukraine-related sanctions against Russia, but has been less diligent in their implementation. German leaders back these ineffectual measures primarily to humor the U.S. and are rightly unwilling to suffer too much for them. In a recent speech to her CDU party, which ended with a nine-minute standing ovation, Chancellor Angela Merkel said of the sanctions: It was the right reaction, no matter how much we’d like to keep a good relationship with Russia. We m
ViewpointsDec. 27, 2015
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[Howard Davies] Political consequences of financial crises
I may not be the only finance professor who, when setting essay topics for his or her students, has resorted to a question along the following lines: “In your view, was the global financial crisis caused primarily by too much government intervention in financial markets, or by too little?” When confronted with this either/or question, my most recent class split three ways. Roughly a third, mesmerized by the meretricious appeal of the Efficient Market Hypothesis, argued that governments were the
ViewpointsDec. 27, 2015
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Handset-makers feel sting of enhanced competition
Samsung and LG, the nation’s top two smartphone-makers, are feeling the pinch of enhanced competition on their home turf, a market that used to be called a “tomb” for foreign handset-makers. Despite being squeezed between Apple’s iPhone and cheaper phones from Chinese runners-up in the global market, the two Korean tech giants have long enjoyed dominant market positions at home. But more recently foreign brands are fast gobbling up their market shares, forcing Samsung and LG to turn to less prof
TechnologyDec. 27, 2015
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Independence Hall wins presidential accolade
The Independence Hall of Korea has received a presidential accolade for its contribution to promoting patriotism and national symbols. “This prize recognizes the museum’s diverse programs using national symbols and its contribution to attracting interest in national symbols and promoting the understanding of national symbols,” the museum said in a press release. A Korean flag decoration marks the 70th anniversary of Korea’s independence from Japan. (IHK)The state-run museum, which pays tribute
CultureDec. 27, 2015
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[Photo News] SK chairman partakes in year-end charity efforts
YEAR-END CHARITY — SK Group chairman Chey Tae-won and group executives deliver meal boxes to underprivileged children in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, Friday. (SK Group)
IndustryDec. 27, 2015
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Oil price fall spells uncertainty for Korean refiners
Korean refiners -- among the major beneficiaries of a prolonged drop in oil prices this year -- are facing an uncertain profit outlook as the recent price decline is expected to have driven up their inventory-based losses. The country’s major oil refiners are forecast to see their net operating profits exceed 5 trillion won ($4.4 billion) this year, thanks to high refining margins linked to low crude import prices and heightened global demand for oil products. At the same time, industry watchers
IndustryDec. 27, 2015
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Renault Samsung debuts facelifted QM3
Renault Samsung Motors said it had released the 2016 QM3, facilitated with the Euro 6 engine that has dramatically reduced greenhouse gas emissions. From its enhanced gas mileage of 17.7 kilometers per liter to advanced programs including the auto stop and start system, the best-selling compact sports utility car has some of the best features in the market. And the price is still relatively low, starting from 22.3 million won ($19,000) by the end of the year, adjusted for the individual tax disc
MobilityDec. 27, 2015