Trump touts tariff extension on S. Korean pickup trucks as policy feat

Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump on Monday praised a tariff extension on South Korean pickup trucks as a key economic policy feat during his presidency, claiming that absent it, South Korea and China would be "destroying us." Trump made the remarks during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, referring to the extension of 25 percent import tariffs on South Korean pickup trucks until 2041 -- an outcome of the South Korea-US free trade agreement (FTA) revisio

Foreign AffairsAug. 20, 2024

Seoul shares open sharply higher on Wall Street gains

South Korean stocks opened sharply higher on Tuesday on overnight gains on Wall Street. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index shot up 26.07 points, or 0.97 percent, to 2,700.43 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 0.58 percent higher, with the S&P 500 advancing 0.97 percent. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite finished 1.39 percent higher as well. The Wall Street gains were powered by eased concerns about a potential recession in the Un

MarketAug. 20, 2024

N. Korean soldier defects to S. Korea: military

A North Korean soldier crossed the border into South Korea early Tuesday in the latest defection amid Seoul's propaganda campaign in response to Pyongyang's s repeated launches of trash-carrying balloons. The South Korean military detected the soldier from north of the Military Demarcation Line within the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas in the eastern section of the border and conducted an operation to help him arrive in the South. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) con

North KoreaAug. 20, 2024

US to stand by S. Korea, other allies against N. Korean threats: 2024 Democratic platform

The United States will stand by South Korea and other allies to counter North Korean provocations, the Democratic Party's 2024 policy platform has showed, reiterating the party's commitment to cementing regional alliances for stronger deterrence. The party released the platform Sunday, the eve of the four-day Democratic National Convention, where Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, are to be celebrated as the Democratic nominees for president and

Foreign AffairsAug. 20, 2024

[Graphic News] Mpox cases rise as WHO declares global health emergency

Over 18,700 suspected or confirmed cases of mpox have been reported across Africa as of Saturday, according to the African Union’s health agency. The cases span three strains of the virus, including the new and deadlier Clade 1b, which led the World Health Organization to declare an international health emergency. So far, more than 3,100 confirmed cases have been reported from 12 African Union member states, resulting in 541 deaths - a fatality rate of about 2.9 percent, the Africa Cente

World NewsAug. 20, 2024

[Jan-Werner Mueller] Populism‘s lost summer

Think back to late June and early July. The French far right was favored to win a snap parliamentary election. Trumpist judges in the United States were conveniently resolving the legal woes of the former president, who seemed to be gliding to victory after President Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance. And while Britain was getting a Labor government, a new anti-immigration party led by the chief Brexiteer, Nigel Farage, had made unprecedented gains. Faced with it all, pundits warne

ViewpointsAug. 20, 2024

[Grace Kao] K-pop’s pursuit on the US Billboard charts

I eagerly waited until midnight on August 20, 2020, for the debut of BTS’ “Dynamite” on YouTube. The music video was released at midnight in my time zone -- Eastern Standard Time -- on a Thursday night. Why didn’t it debut at midnight in Korea? The reason is very simple. New singles are released at 12 midnight Thursday night (or technically Friday morning) Eastern Standard Time because the weekly Billboard Hot 100 chart begins its count of weekly sales and streams startin

ViewpointsAug. 20, 2024

PM urges proactive measures as typhoon approaches Korean Peninsula

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Monday instructed officials to closely monitor Typhoon Jongdari, which is anticipated to begin impacting the Korean Peninsula starting the next day. He urged officials to conduct thorough inspections, and proactively secure seashores and other vulnerable areas to "prevent any casualties." Additionally, he instructed them to take measures to protect fishing infrastructure, buildings and other structures from strong winds. He also highlighted the importance

Social AffairsAug. 19, 2024

Ahn Ae-soon to explore minimalism in traditional dance with National Dance Company

Choreographer Ahn Ae-soon, a leading figure in contemporary dance in South Korea, is set to premiere her latest work with the National Dance Company of Korea later this month. The company will present "Hang PlusMinus" at the Haeoreum Grand Theater from Aug. 29 to Sept. 1, in their first joint production. "Hang PlusMinus" draws from the royal court dance "Chunaengmu,” the only solo dance among court dances, which captures the minimalistic essence, according to Ahn.

PerformanceAug. 19, 2024

Political tensions to rise as rival parties' leaders start new term

The newly elected leaders of the rival parties will hold their first bilateral meeting next week, drawing national attention to the turbulent political climate as both are viewed as potential candidates for the 2027 presidential election. The announcement was made a day after Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Lee Jae-myung clinched his second term with a record-high 85.4 percent of the votes from registered party members Sunday. He will meet the recently elected ruling People Power Party Chair and

PoliticsAug. 19, 2024

Busan Biennale sheds light on pirate utopias, Buddhist enlightenment

Busan Biennale 2024 kicked off Saturday in the port city, moving up the opening date from its regular fall opening as part of the Culture Ministry’s Korean Art Week centering around the upcoming Frieze Seoul. Curated by two artistic directors -- Vera Mey and Philippe Pirotte -- the biennial took the theme of “Seeing in the Dark.” The curators drew upon the idea of pirate utopias as early forms of autonomous societies that served as a refuge for the socially or politically exile

Arts & DesignAug. 19, 2024

Rapper San E under police investigation for alleged pedestrian assault

Rapper San E is under police investigation for allegedly assaulting a pedestrian. The Seoul Mapo Police Station said it started an official investigation of San E last Saturday on charges of aggravated assault. The 39-year-old rapper is accused of assaulting a pedestrian with a mobile phone and other objects at a park in Mapo-gu, Seoul, at around 8:30 p.m. July 28. San E reportedly told the alleged victim, “Walk your bike properly,” before the alleged assault. The alleged victim clai

PeopleAug. 19, 2024

Seoul Tourism Organization to host lectures on K-culture trends

The Seoul Tourism Organization is hosting special lectures titled "K-Culture Trends in the World" at Seoul Tourism Plaza in Seoul on Sept. 28. The global standing of K-pop, trends in contemporary Korean art, and Korean webtoons and web novels will be discussed in three separate lectures by experts in the respective fields -- Kim Jae-heun, a culture reporter at The Korea Herald; Jason Haam, founder of Jason Haam Gallery and Cheon Beom-sick, well-known webtoon creator. The lectures are f

CultureAug. 19, 2024

Ministry extends labor protections to YouTube production staff injured during shoot

South Korea's Ministry of Labor and Employment has recognized a YouTube production staff member injured during a video shoot as an "employee" and thus eligible for industrial accident insurance coverage, in a decision that could potentially pave the way for extended labor protections for gig workers in the content industry. According to local reports Monday, the ministry's decision came on Aug. 8 with regard to the case filed by Lim Dong-seok, a man in his 20s who had worked

Social AffairsAug. 19, 2024

[Herald Review] Lee Isaac Chung serves up 90s rom-com, meteorological mayhem in ‘Twisters’

This summer Korean American movie director Lee Isaac Chung brings us “Twisters,” an entertaining disaster flick inspired by the 1996 summer blockbuster "Twister." Chung, the director of “Minari,” chose not to make “Twisters” a direct sequel, but its plot mirrors the original, incorporating an old-fashioned rom-com revolving around tornado chasers, and even Dorothy, a technology designed to study tornadoes. While paying homage to the original 1990s bl

FilmAug. 19, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] SHINee’s Taemin sings ‘eternity’ with new solo album

Taemin of SHINee put out his fifth solo EP “Eternal” Monday exuding calmness and confidence. The album validates how the artist will be himself whatever he does and wherever he is. He had his hands on the whole process of putting it together, from the album concept to the music video production. It is fronted by two focus tracks: “Sexy In The Air,” a statement to his unwavering identity, and “Horizon,” an upbeat dance tune describing his attempt to push bounda

K-popAug. 19, 2024

[Herald Interview] Chat with your favorite webtoon character

The line between fiction and reality is becoming increasingly blurred. The AI planning team at Naver Webtoon has rolled out an official AI chatbot service, which lets users chat with fictional characters. Character Chat is a chatbot service available on the Naver Webtoon app which leverages Naver's AI language model, HyperClova X, to facilitate conversations with characters from webtoons. Users can interact with four popular webtoon characters of their choice, including Ki Sang-ho from &quo

CultureAug. 19, 2024

Buyout firms build appetite for waste managers in Korea

Overseas private equity firms are increasingly eyeing to acquire a stake in waste management companies here, in an attempt to expand their footprint in the environmental sector. Swedish investment company EQT announced Friday that it is set to acquire the local plastic recycler KJ Environment and its affiliates through a stock purchase agreement. EQT is a Stockholm-based buyout firm with 246 billion euros ($272 billion) in total assets under management. The deal, reportedly worth around 1 trilli

IndustryAug. 19, 2024

[KH Explains] Why Korean metro operators are selling station names

South Korea's subway operators are raising billions of won by selling station co-naming rights to corporations, allowing them to place their names alongside the well-known station names, to make up for substantial operating losses. Seoul Metro, the operator of Subway Line Nos. 1 through 9 within the capital, announced Aug. 12 that it had sold the co-naming rights for several subway stations, including Seongsu Station, Gangnam Station, Yeouinaru Station and Sangbong Station, through a biddin

IndustryAug. 19, 2024