Warmest winter, smallest snowfall on record in Korea

South Korea had its warmest January and the least recorded snowfall, with the average temperature standing at 2.8 degrees Celsius, the weather agency said Tuesday. The average temperature in January was 3.8 C higher than the 30-year average temperatures, with an average daytime high of 7.7 C and low of minus 1.1 C, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. 　 There were no days in January when the daytime low plummeted below minus 12, considered for the cold weather advisory, and w

Social AffairsFeb. 4, 2020

Military draft notice sent to disgraced K-pop star Seungri

Seungri, a former member of K-pop boy band BIGBANG, has been sent a notification of his mandatory military service, while he has been on trial on charges of gambling and arranging prostitution, the military manpower agency said Tuesday. Last month, the prosecution indicted the scandal-ridden celebrity without physical detention on charges of gambling overseas and breaching the foreign exchange transaction act, as well as the act on the punishment of arranging commercial sex acts. "As in

Social AffairsFeb. 4, 2020

Nexon Korea tentatively agrees on 6.8% salary hike

Nexon Korea set a precedent in the domestic gaming industry Monday by revealing the average 6.8 percent wage hike it agreed upon with the labor union, saying the disclosure would prompt a “constructive future.” The company’s labor union, Starting Point, said it had reached a tentative agreement with the management last week to raise the average wage for 2020. This is the first time a South Korean game company has made public its wage hike rate. Its subsidiary Nexon GT&rsquo

IndustryFeb. 4, 2020

Cold wave alerts expanded across Korea

Cold wave alerts were issued in most parts of South Korea on Tuesday, with the wind chill expected to plunge to as low as minus 22 degrees Celsius on Wednesday.　 The Korea Meteorological Administration said Tuesday that cold wave advisories would take effect starting 10 p.m. in Seoul, the Incheon island of Gangwhado, and several cities in Gyeonggi Province and South Chungcheong Province. They are to be in place starting 11 p.m. in North Chungcheong and North Jeolla provinces. 　 For mountainou

Social AffairsFeb. 4, 2020

[Kim Seong-kon] “Star Wars”: In the name of peace and justice

When I saw “Star Wars: Episode IV, A New Hope,” the first of its series, in 1977, I was mesmerized. The fabulous galactic imagination of George Lucas led me on a true adventure through a vast, unknown universe. Since I was a huge fan of science fiction and fantasy already, this futuristic movie enthralled me, as it magically transported me to a fantastic future land. There was another reason why I liked the movie. When I watched the original Star Wars trilogy, Korea was still under

ViewpointsFeb. 4, 2020

[Andrew Gilmour] Preventing climate change is a human rights issue

Every society in the world is going to pay a price for global warming. But it’s the poorest countries and communities who will suffer the most from rising seas and burning lands -- and likely also from any drastic measures taken to prevent climate change. The environmental crisis is closely linked to the humanitarian one, and requires the joint action of climate and human rights activists. They’d seem to be natural allies. They both regard (with good reason) today’s situation

ViewpointsFeb. 4, 2020

[Newsmaker] Candidates turn to social media to woo voters amid coronavirus crisis

The coronavirus is forcing general election candidates to find ways to reach voters apart from street canvassing, with many turning to social media. 　 Campaign rally events often involve face-to-face conversations, handshakes and canvassing trucks with loudspeakers blaring music at places with a large flow of people and dense crowds. But fears over the contagious disease are driving candidates to run online campaigns. The ruling Democratic Party of Korea has suggested party leaders suspend ele

PoliticsFeb. 4, 2020

BOK board members see slow but clear signs of improvement: minutes

A majority of South Korea's monetary policy board members apparently see gradual but definite signs of improvements in economic conditions surrounding the country, minutes from their latest rate-setting meeting showed Tuesday, possibly indicating the board may stand pat on rate cuts for some time. "The local economy continues to face an overall slump but is showing signs of improvement in certain sectors," one of the board's seven members told the meeting held Jan. 17, according to t

EconomyFeb. 4, 2020

China envoy urges Seoul to follow WHO advice on virus response

New Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Xing Haiming on Tuesday called on Seoul to follow the World Health Organization’s recommendations on handling the new coronavirus, as Korea began barring entry of noncitizens who have visited China’s virus-hit Hubei province. “I will not assess (Seoul’s measure). … But an international and scientific method would be to follow the WHO’s recommendation,” said Xing in a press conference at the Chinese Embassy in cen

Diplomatic CircuitFeb. 4, 2020

Patent applications for masks rise amid health concerns

Patent applications for masks have increased notably in recent years, according to South Korea’s patent administrator, reflecting growing concerns about microfine dust and epidemics, such as the new coronavirus outbreak. The number of patent applications here for antibacterial face masks came to an annual average of 68 during the 2014-2018 period, almost double the figure for the previous five years, the Korean Intellectual Property Office said Tuesday in a release. The individual ann

MarketFeb. 4, 2020

Kumho Art Hall introduces four rising stars of 2020

The Kumho Asiana Cultural Foundation released a list on Tuesday of four artists it calls the rising stars of 2020, along with a recital schedule through April. Since 2004, the Kumho Asiana Cultural Foundation has supported young, talented classical musicians in South Korea through the Kumho Rising Star series, selecting some 60 gifted musicians, including today’s hottest names such as violinists Kim Da-mi and Yang In-mo, and pianists Kim Da-sol, Kim Sun-wook and Sunwoo Yekwon.   Thi

PerformanceFeb. 4, 2020

Entry ban, rigorous screening in place at airports

INCHEON/SEOUL -- At 12:34 a.m. Tuesday, Korean Air Flight 854 arrived at Incheon International Airport, the main gateway to South Korea, carrying 110 passengers from Beijing.   The flight was the first to touchdown here from China since sweeping restrictions on arrivals from the country took effect, as Seoul ramps up measures to keep the new coronavirus at bay. Some 110 more flights from the virus-hit country, carrying about 10,000, were to arrive on the same day, mostly through Inch

Foreign AffairsFeb. 4, 2020

Moon calls for economic measures to contain virus fallout

President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday called for economic measures to be drawn up and implemented swiftly to minimize the fallout from the coronavirus outbreak, saying the government must prepare for the worst. “Preparing against the worst-case scenario in which the situation becomes protracted, measures to minimize the impact on and damage to our economy must be drawn up quickly,” Moon said at Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting. The weekly Cabinet meeting focused on the government’

Social AffairsFeb. 4, 2020

Hanjin family sides with son in sibling power struggle

As the power struggle between two siblings of Hanjin Group’s controlling family continues ahead of the upcoming shareholders meeting, their mother and sister, who are major stakeholders, said they backed the brother of the two. In a statement Tuesday, Lee Myung-hee, the mother of the siblings and their youngest sister Hyun-min expressed support for Hanjin Group Chairman Cho Won-tae over his sister Cho Hyun-ah, the former vice president of the airline. “Lee Myung-hee and Cho Hyun-m

MobilityFeb. 4, 2020

[Photo News] 7-Eleven opens stores for foodies

Customers visit Food Dream, a food store launched by convenience store chain 7-Eleven in July 2019.  Compared with conventional stores, Food Dream has recorded double the sales in the food category since its launch, 7-Eleven said Tuesday. (khnews@heraldcorp.com)

IndustryFeb. 4, 2020

S. Korean commercial real estate to prolong boom in 2020: CBRE

Investment in South Korean commercial real estate will remain upbeat this year, with total transactions exceeding 10 trillion won ($8.4 billion), according to leading US-based commercial real estate service provider CBRE on Tuesday. This anticipated yearly figure falls lower than the record-high 16 trillion won seen in 2019, but was on a par with the country’s five-year average. “Record-low interest rates and global economic instability are leading individual investors to focus

MarketFeb. 4, 2020

[Monitor] South Korea’s debt-GDP ratio rises at 2nd-fastest pace

Household debt in South Korea equaled 95.1 percent of the country’s gross domestic product as of the third quarter last year, up 3.9 percentage points from a year earlier, data from the Institute of International Finance showed earlier this week. The debt-to-GDP ratio was growing at the second fastest pace among the surveyed 33 countries and eurozone, the data also showed. Corporate debt totaled 101.6 percent of the GDP, rising by 6.3 percentage points from the previous year. It was the

IndustryFeb. 4, 2020

1339 ready to help foreigners with virus queries

Health authorities are increasing efforts to help protect foreigners here amid the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told The Korea Herald that language services are being provided via the centers’ hotline 1339 for patients and suspected patients of foreign nationalities. The KCDC call service will soon have a voice message in English and has made available a three-way call with interpreters to accommodate callers who do not speak Korean.

Social AffairsFeb. 4, 2020

More than 76 percent of non-Koreans have positive image of Korea: KOCIS

The Korean Culture and Information Service on Tuesday released the results of a survey showing that 76.7 percent of non-Koreans have a positive image of South Korea. The survey involved 8,000 people in 16 countries, including South Korea, from July 18 to Aug. 22 last year. KOCIS began the annual survey in 2018 to assess South Korea’s image among global citizens. In the first survey, 80.3 percent of non-Koreans said they had a positive image of South Korea. The latest survey also showe

CultureFeb. 4, 2020