US again flies surveillance aircraft over S. Korea: aviation tracker

The United States flew another surveillance aircraft over the Korean Peninsula, an aviation tracker said Monday, the latest in a series of flights to monitor North Korea amid growing concerns Pyongyang could launch long-range missiles.The US Air Force RC-135W Rivet Joint was spotted flying over the peninsula at 31,000 feet, Aircraft Spots said without specifying the exact time of the operation.The same type of surveillance aircraft made a flight over the peninsula over the weekend, the aviation

DefenseDec. 23, 2019

Korea's exports down 2% in first 20 days of December

South Korea's exports fell 2 percent in the first 20 days of December mainly due to decreased shipments of semiconductors and ships, customs data showed Monday. The country's exports stood at $30.4 billion in the Dec. 1-20 period, compared with $31.06 billion in the same period last year, according to the Korea Customs Service.By product, exports of semiconductors and ships fell 16.7 percent and 51.2 percent, respectively.  In contrast, outbound shipments of passenger cars and wireless equi

EconomyDec. 23, 2019

S. Korea brings in first Global Hawk unmanned aircraft

South Korea brought in its first advanced high-altitude unmanned aircraft, Global Hawk, on Monday in a move expected to boost the country's surveillance capabilities against North Korea, officials said.The RQ-4 Block 30 Global Hawk Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) arrived at an Air Force base in Sacheon on the southern tip of the Korean Peninsula earlier in the day. It is the first of a total of four units that South Korea is purchasing from the United States under a 2011 deal. The three others w

DefenseDec. 23, 2019

No. of workers underemployed on steady rise: BOK

The number of South Koreans overqualified for their current jobs has reached a record high of over 30 percent this year, a central bank report showed Monday, suggesting overeducation may be adding to the country's overall costs and that the nation may also be running out of quality jobs.According to the report from the Bank of Korea (BOK), the number of people underemployed has breached the 30 percent mark for the very first time this year. "Underemployment occurs when a worker has higher a

EconomyDec. 23, 2019

Moon set for China trip to meet Xi, Abe and join trilateral summit

South Korean President Moon Jae-in headed to China on Monday for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, seeking to strengthen partnerships on the Korea peace process and address various other issues.Moon is due in Beijing for a summit with Xi on his way to the southwestern city of Chengdu to participate in an annual trilateral summit among the three Northeast Asian countries.It would be their first talks in half a year following the previous session held

Foreign AffairsDec. 23, 2019

Seoul, Beijing, Tokyo agree to accelerate trilateral FTA talks

Top trade officials from South Korea, China and Japan agreed Sunday to accelerate their trilateral free trade talks and ramp up efforts to conclude a mega Asia-Pacific trade deal, Seoul's trade ministry said.South Korea's Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Sung Yun-mo met China's Commerce Minister Zhong Shan and Japan's Economy and Trade Minister Hiroshi Kajiyama for talks in Beijing on how to accelerate regional free trade negotiations, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.T

Dec. 22, 2019

[Graphic News] India leads world in pollution-linked deaths: study

　India leads the world in pollution-linked deaths followed by China and Nigeria, according to a report that estimated the global impact of contaminants in the air, water and workplace.　The report by the Global Alliance on Health and Pollution found pollution to be the largest environmental cause of premature death on the planet, causing 15 percent of all deaths, amounting to some 8.3 million people.　Among the 10 countries with the most pollution deaths in 2017, the latest year for which data was

World NewsDec. 22, 2019

North Korea beefs up self-defense capabilities in military reorganization

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un presided over a meeting of the top military decision-making body to accelerate the development of self-defense capabilities ahead of key events that will decide its national strategy, its state media reported Sunday. Discussions on ways to bolster its military capabilities through organizational restructuring and personnel reshuffle were highlighted during the third expanded meeting of the seventh central military commission of the ruling Workers’ Party. Det

North KoreaDec. 22, 2019

[News Focus] Korea clings to record-low rate despite unfavorable indices

SEJONG -- South Korea’s benchmark interest rate ranged between 3 percent and 5.25 percent per annum from 2000 to 2008.Though the monetary policy committee of the Bank of Korea cut the key rate to 2 percent in 2009 in the wake of the 2008-09 global financial crisis, the figure went into normalization in the early 2010s to reach 3.25 percent during the 2011-2012 period.Most analysts shared the view that the Korean economy had been resilient to negative external factors on the back of its rob

MarketDec. 22, 2019

[James Gibney] An impeached Trump can’t be trusted on NK

President Donald Trump’s all-but-certain acquittal in his impending Senate impeachment trial will likely embolden him in all sorts of ways, some more frightening than others. One deal he will be sorely tempted to make, after three years of erratic and mostly unproductive diplomacy, is to accommodate his “friend” Kim Jong-un and ease sanctions on North Korea. It will be up to the US Congress to stop him.“If I weren’t president, you’d be at war with North Korea,

ViewpointsDec. 22, 2019

[Jeffrey Frankel] Six tax-based ways to tackle US inequality

Three years ago, Donald Trump’s victory in the United States’ presidential election triggered a search for explanations of what is still a shocking outcome. One immediately came to dominate: His Democratic opponents had been insufficiently aware of the problem of income inequality, or had neglected to propose effective solutions.That is presumably the logic behind the radical proposals to tackle inequality coming from some of the leading candidates for the 2020 Democratic presidentia

ViewpointsDec. 22, 2019

[Feature] Should men be vaccinated to prevent cervical cancer in women?

Although not many realize it, men should also be vaccinated to prevent female cervical cancer as the virus can be easily transmitted, according to health experts.“By changing of sexual partners, men can transfer the HPV virus from other women. If the governmental budget allows, it’s ideal for the national immunization program to include males in the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination before they experience sex to reduce the risk of female cervical cancer,” said Lee Jae-kwan

IndustryDec. 22, 2019

Year in review: The biggest K-pop news of the year

To say the least, the year 2019 was a tumultuous one. Ups and downs, tears of joy and sorrow dominated the headlines. 　Here are some of the major stories that dominated K-pop news. 　1. Plight of YG Entertainment　At the beginning of the year, it seemed like K-pop powerhouse YG Entertainment would have a solid 2019. YG’s girl group Blackpink was enjoying growing popularity around the world, while the label’s crown jewel Big Bang was gearing up for a possible comeback when all the

K-popDec. 22, 2019

Nexon touts V4 as watershed in MMORPG market

Nexon said Sunday its latest mobile role-playing game V4 will be a turning point in the market with increasing fans of the seamless combating experience enjoying duets on its unique server system. Standing for “Victory For,” V4 is a classic MMORPG with characters whose looks can be customized. Since its launch in November, the game has topped game rankings by revenue. On Nov. 9, it rose to become the bestselling app on Apple’s App Store, and as of Sunday, it was in third place

TechnologyDec. 22, 2019

Korean tech giants to showcase advanced AI for life at CES 2020

South Korean tech companies said Sunday they are gearing up for the Consumer Electronics Show 2020 in Las Vegas slated for January, making all-out efforts to showcase how far their artificial intelligence technologies have advanced with the ability to make life much easier. LG Electronics is putting its AI platform ThinQ at the forefront of its exhibition at the event with a plan to introduce a seamless lifestyle with the help of advanced solutions making users feel homey anywhere. Under the mai

TechnologyDec. 22, 2019

[Monitor] BTS Seoul concerts generate W1tr of economic effects: study

Large-scale concerts held by Korean boy band BTS held in October has generated nearly 1 trillion won of economic impact, a study by Korea University Business School showed.The three concerts held at the Seoul Olympic Stadium appear to have created around 922.9 billion won of both direct and indirect economic effects, equivalent to the annual revenue generated by six typical medium-sized companies in Korea. Direct economic effect was calculated with ticket sales, costs for the venue and live broa

EconomyDec. 22, 2019

Police investigate protest at National Assembly premises

Police are investigating whether the chairman and floor leader of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party and the chairman of the minor conservative Our Republican Party encouraged conservative protesters to stage a mass rally in front of the National Assembly a week ago. On Dec. 16, around 2,000 demonstrators surrounded the National Assembly, demanding the parliament drop contentious fast-tracked bills on new election rules and prosecution reforms. The protesters refused to disperse, and some

Social AffairsDec. 22, 2019

Think tank proposes child porn sting operations

The National Assembly Research Service, the legislature’s think tank, proposed that the country’s law enforcement system adopt sting operations to combat child pornography.　 In a report published Wednesday, the think tank argued that undercover operations could effectively deal with perpetrators on the dark web, an area of the internet that users can enter using special software and maintain anonymity. Sting operations could help reduce the extensive harm caused by child pornograph

Social AffairsDec. 22, 2019

Unidentified human remains found in Gwangju

The bones of some 80 people, 40 of them unidentified, were found Thursday at a former prison site in Gwangju, rekindling suspicions that victims of the 1980 military crackdown on democratic protests were buried en masse there by authorities.A foundation established in memory of the democratic movement, which took place from May 18-27, 1980, has suggested the unidentified human remains may belong to hundreds of protesters who went missing.In total, 448 missing person reports related to the G

Social AffairsDec. 22, 2019