Evicted guest burns down inn; 3 killed

Police said Sunday they will request an arrest warrant for a 48-year-old man accused of starting a fire at an inn after he had recently been kicked out, an incident that has left three guests dead. The suspect is believed to have set fire to the three-story building in Sangdang-gu of Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, at 1:46 a.m. on Saturday, according to the Sangdang Police Station. A long-term guest at the establishment, he was evicted a day earlier by the innkeeper when he failed to pay h

Social AffairsSept. 22, 2024

[Photo News] Daewoo E&C, Sudop Praha join forces

Daewoo Engineering & Construction Chairman Jung Won-ju (center) participates in a business cooperation ceremony on Friday in the Czech Republic, with Martin Chrastil (right), CEO of Sudop Praha, and Cho Seung-il (left), executive director of Daewoo E&C's plant division. The partnership, established during South Korean President Yoon Seok Yeol's visit with an economic delegation, focuses on designing and licensing temporary and auxiliary facilities for the new nuclear power plan

IndustrySept. 22, 2024

[Advertorial] Eximbank joins hands with Czech state funds

The Seoul-headquartered, state-run Export-Import Bank of Korea said Sunday it has teamed up with Czech state financial institutions in an effort to help Korean companies expand business on Czech soil and beyond. Eximbank Chairman and CEO Yoon Hee-sung and Korea Trade Insurance Corp. Chairman Jang Yeong-jin have signed an agreement with their Czech counterparts at National Development Bank, Czech Export Bank, Export Guarantee and Insurance Corp. to pursue bilateral financial cooperation, accordin

IndustrySept. 22, 2024

Quad leaders slam North Korean missile threats, reaffirm goal of denuclearization

The leaders of the US, Japan, Australia and India on Saturday condemned North Korea’s ballistic missile launches and nuclear pursuits, while reaffirming their commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. “We condemn North Korea’s destabilizing ballistic missile launches and its continued pursuit of nuclear weapons in violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions,” the leaders said in a statement issued at the end of the summit. “We reaffirm ou

PoliticsSept. 22, 2024

Samsung, SK hynix market caps plummet W117tr amid semiconductor uncertainty

Concerns surrounding the semiconductor industry have led to a nearly 120 trillion won ($90 billion) decline in the market capitalization of South Korea's two leading makers of memory chips, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, over the past month, according to data released on Sunday. According to the Korea Exchange, the country's sole bourse operator, the two companies’ market value has shrunk by a total of 117.18 trillion won despite market watchers’ evaluations that the dec

IndustrySept. 22, 2024

1 in 5 households to have breadwinner over 80 in 30 years

While South Korea is on track to become a "super-aged society" by 2025, with over 20 percent of the population aged 65 years or older, one in five households in South Korea will have a breadwinner aged 80 or older, recent data showed. Future household projections for the period of 2022 to 2052 by Statistics Korea revealed Sunday that the number of households with a primary caregiver aged 80 or older is expected to increase from 1.194 million in 2022 to 4.876 million in 2052, markin

Social AffairsSept. 22, 2024

[Herald Interview] US election may unleash growth for Korea: Laffer

With the upcoming US presidential election scheduled for November, South Korea stands to benefit significantly if the new administration brings a change in economic policy, according to Arthur B. Laffer, founder and chairman of Laffer Associates. "A return to pro-growth economic policies in the US is a prerequisite for widespread global economic growth, much as we saw during the Reagan era, where nations around the world cut tax rates after seeing US success," Laffer said during an ema

EconomySept. 22, 2024

New Fifty Fifty off to strong start

Recently rebooted K-pop girl group Fifty Fifty, with four new members after last year’s legal dispute between their agency, Attrakt, and the original members, is off to a promising start with the new mini album “Love Tune,” which released Friday. The album, available in both "Love" and "Tune" versions, features six tracks, including lead single “SOS” and the prereleased “Starry Night.” Other tracks include "Push Your Love,"

K-popSept. 22, 2024

[Photo news] LG Uplus' Gangnam pop-up unveils iPhone 16

LG Uplus, South Korea’s telecom carrier, hosts a pop-up event for Apple’s latest iPhone 16 at its six-story flagship store in Gangnam, southern Seoul. The event, continuing to Sept. 29, allows visitors to try the iPhone 16 and other Apple products. Social media influencers are also able to unbox their new iPhones and preview LG’s upcoming AI-driven call recording service, ixi-O, which is expected to offer features like call recording and content summarization when it launches n

IndustrySept. 22, 2024

Yoon's Prague visit sets stage for W24tr nuclear power plant deal

President Yoon Suk Yeol returned to Seoul on Sunday following a three-day official trip to the Czech Republic, setting the stage for a South Korean consortium to finalize a nuclear energy deal worth 24 trillion won ($18 billion) in the central European country next year. Laying the groundwork for further discussions and procedures before the final signing of the contract, hopefully in March 2025, Yoon, Czech President Petr Pavel and Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala "reaffirmed their commitme

PoliticsSept. 22, 2024

[Herald Interview] Kentaro Sakaguchi says cultural differences shape 'What Comes After Love'

Japanese heartthrob Kentaro Sakaguchi said he thought the cultural distinctions in how people express affection, played a crucial role in his Korean debut series "What Comes After Love." The six-part Coupang Play original series portrays the romance between Choi Hong (Lee Se-young) and Aoki Jungo (Sakaguchi), who unexpectedly reunite five years after their breakup. The series is based on the novel of the same name, co-authored by Korean novelist Gong Ji-yeong and Japanese writer Tsuji

TelevisionSept. 22, 2024

[Herald Review] Olivia Rodrigo thrills Korean fans with endless energy

American singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo captivated the audience with her boundless energy for the first time in South Korea. As part of the Guts World Tour, she held concerts on Friday and Saturday at Jamsil Indoor Stadium in Songpa-gu, Seoul, drawing a total of 15,000. Wearing a sparkling silver two-piece outfit, the 21-year-old opened the show by performing a series of hit songs, including “Bad Idea Right?,” “Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl” and “Vampire.” S

PerformanceSept. 22, 2024

Hyundai Motor chief visits Czech plant to boost EV offerings in Europe

Hyundai Motor Group's Executive Chairman Chung Euisun visited the company’s Czech manufacturing plant last Thursday to assess Hyundai’s European operations as part of a state trip with South Korean President Yoon Seok Yeol. During the trip, Hyundai Motor Group also signed several memorandums of understanding with Czech companies and universities to collaborate on future mobility initiatives, including hydrogen energy and advanced automotive technologies. This was part of a large

MobilitySept. 22, 2024

Doctors defend colleague accused of blacklisting non-strikers

Several doctors in the ongoing medical strike against government reform defended a trainee doctor who is currently under criminal investigation for making and distributing a blacklist of physicians not participating in the prolonged walkout. Lim Hyun-taek, president of the Korea Medical Association, said called Jeong "a victim" of the government. "Both the doctor who has been arrested and put behind bars, and everyone who was harmed after being on the list, are victims of the go

Social AffairsSept. 22, 2024

Arrival of fall calls for more outdoor festivals

Festival goers can finally enjoy the diverse cultural programs offered at Seoul's outdoor festivals without worrying about the heat, after the latest autumn rain cooled nationwide high temperatures that lasted well into the Chuseok holidays, a major mid-autumn harvest festival. Seoul Children’s Grand Park, a popular theme park located in Gwangjin-gu, eastern Seoul, is scheduled to hold outdoor screenings of family movies at its Four Seasons Garden. “The Sound of Music” (19

TravelSept. 22, 2024

HD Hyundai Marine Solution secures $37m LNG carrier system order from Middle East

HD Hyundai Marine Solution, the ship maintenance unit of HD Hyundai, said Sunday that it has signed a contract with a Middle Eastern shipping company to supply shaft generator systems worth $37 million for 17 LNG carriers. The systems will be delivered sequentially until 2028. The shaft generator system generates electricity by utilizing part of the rotational power from the ship’s main engine. Compared to medium-sized engines traditionally used as power sources, the main engines used fo

IndustrySept. 22, 2024

[KH Explains] Can smart chargers ease tensions over EV fires?

Electric vehicle owners in South Korea’s crowded apartment complexes are beginning to feel like social outcasts. “In my apartment, EV users are sometimes treated like criminals,” said Lee Ho-deok, an EV owner living in a large apartment complex in Seoul’s Mapo district, when describing the tense atmosphere. In a city where over 85 percent of the population lives in multi-unit housing, apartment residents already contend with longstanding issues like noise between floors.

MobilitySept. 22, 2024

Torrential rainfall forces 1,500 to evacuate, causes widespread damage to homes, roads

Over three days of relentless downpours, 1,500 people across the nation were forced to evacuate as heavy rains wreaked havoc on homes, roads and infrastructure. Heavy rain from Thursday afternoon to Saturday began from Jeju Island and along the southern coast, before spreading across the nation. Along the southern and western coasts, heavy rain fell at a rate of about 100 millimeters per hour, while southern regions and the North and South Chungcheong provinces experienced 50-80 millimeters pe

Social AffairsSept. 22, 2024

Assembly to review disputed appointment of national soccer team coach

The controversy-ridden appointment of men's national soccer team head coach Hong Myung-bo will be reviewed by the National Assembly on Tuesday morning, during the sports committee's assessment of the current issues in the sports circles. Hong, Korea Football Association chief Chung Mong-gyu, and KFA Technical Director Lee Lim-saeng who headed the coaching selection, were chosen to be witnesses in the questioning by the members of the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee. The

SoccerSept. 22, 2024

Honorary degree given to late student who donated money she saved up while fighting cancer

Cha Su-hyeon, a former student of Daegu University who passed away due to cancer, received an honorary degree from her school Friday in appreciation of her donating 6 million won to be used as a scholarship fund for fellow students. Daegu University on Friday held a ceremony in honor of Cha, who was 22, to deliver her father Cha Min-su the honorary diploma from the department of biological education where she had attended. Six students of the same department each received 1 million won in schola

PeopleSept. 22, 2024