US always open to talks with N. Korea: Esper

The United States is always open to talks with North Korea, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said, amid growing concern that the communist nation could restart testing of long-range missiles or nuclear weapons amid stalled talks with Washington.Esper made the remarks during an interview with Fox News aired Sunday (Washington time) when asked what the US would do if North Korea resumes nuclear testing, following a recent statement from the North's UN ambassador that denuclearization is off the negoti

North KoreaDec. 9, 2019

US flies spy plane over S. Korea's capital areas: aviation tracker

The United States flew a surveillance plane over South Korea's capital areas, an aviation tracker said Monday, amid heightened tensions in the wake of North Korea's announcement it conducted a "very important test" at its satellite launch site.The US RC-135W Rivet Joint was spotted flying over the Korean Peninsula at 31,000 feet, Aircraft Spots said on its Twitter account without specifying the exact time of the operation.The latest flight came after North Korea said it carried out &qu

DefenseDec. 9, 2019

EV models reach over 40% of Hyundai, Kia eco-friendly car sales

Electricfied models reached over 40 percent of Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Motors Corp.'s environmentally friendly vehicle sales in the January-October period, an automobile association said Monday. In the first 10 months, Hyundai and Kia sold a combined 291,237 eco-friendly models in global markets, according to the data from the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association.Among them, plug-in hybrid electric, all-electric and hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicles rose to account for 40.8 percent, o

IndustryDec. 9, 2019

Disney's 'Frozen 2' becomes biggest animation hit in S. Korea

Walt Disney's "Frozen 2" continued its bullish mode in the South Korea box office over the weekend to become the most successful animated film in the country's history, data showed Monday.Released Nov. 21, "Frozen 2" had attracted a cumulative 10.7 million moviegoers as of Sunday, slightly surpassing the 10.3 million tallied by its prequel "Frozen" in 2014, according to the data by the Korean Film Council. It became the most-viewed animated film in South Korea, rele

FilmDec. 9, 2019

S. Korea to up national information budget to W5.1tr in 2019

South Korea's budget for national information will rise to over 5.1 trillion won ($4.3 billion) in 2019 to promote the building of a hyperconnected society, the government said Monday.The budget to be spent for 55 state central administrative agencies represents an 11.5 percent increase from 4.6 trillion won earmarked for this year, according to the Ministry of Science and ICT. A hyperconnected society is a key element of the fourth industrial revolution where everything, including people, is li

EconomyDec. 9, 2019

[Herald Interview] ‘Koreans are like the Latin people of Asia’

A fitness instructor who challenged the notion that workouts are supposed to be painful and boring, now runs a successful global fitness brand that focuses on making people healthy and happy. Colombia-born Beto Perez, 49, created Zumba, the calorie-burning fitness dance, by “accident.” One day, he forgot to bring music to an aerobics class and had to improvise with a Latin American dance music cassette in his car. That was the beginning of Zumba. Later, he moved to Miami, Florida, an

PeopleDec. 9, 2019

'Benson,' 'Star Trek' actor Rene Auberjonois has died at 79

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Rene Auberjonois, a prolific actor best known for his roles on the television shows "Benson'' and "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' and his part in the 1970 film "M.A.S.H.'' playing Father Mulcahy, has died. He was 79. The actor died Sunday at his home in Los Angeles of metastatic lung cancer, his son Remy-Luc Auberjonois told The Associated Press.Rene Auberjonois worked constantly as a character actor in several golden ages, from the dynamic theater of the 1960s t

PeopleDec. 9, 2019

Trump warns N. Korea could lose 'everything' with hostile acts

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump said Sunday that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un could lose "everything" if he acts in a hostile manner, sending a clear warning to the regime to refrain from provocations such as nuclear and missile tests.Trump sent the tweet as the two countries have exchanged heated rhetoric over their stalled negotiations on dismantling Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program.Earlier Sunday, North Korea said it had conducted an unexplained "very important te

North KoreaDec. 9, 2019

[Graphic News] Air New Zealand named world’s best airline 2020

　Air New Zealand has dethroned Singapore Airlines to reclaim the title of world’s best airline for the sixth time. 　AirlineRatings.com released the latest edition of its annual ranking, which is based on 12 criteria including fleet age, passenger reviews, profitability, investment rating, product offerings and staff relations. 　This year, the flagship carrier of New Zealand took top honors, nudging Singapore Airlines into second place, followed by All Nippon Airways, Qantas and Cathay Paci

World BusinessDec. 8, 2019

Half of Hyundai, Kia cars sold in US are SUVs

More than a half of new cars manufactured by South Korean carmakers Hyundai and Kia sold in US were sport utility vehicles, reaching the highest mark since they launched operations in the world’s second-largest auto market, the companies said Sunday. Of the 1.2 million vehicles Hyundai and its smaller affiliate Kia sold as of November, 668,328 units or 55.4 percent of the total were SUV, from 30.9 percent in 2013. The number of SUVs sold by November already has surpassed the figure for las

MobilityDec. 8, 2019

Wael Shawky reconstructs Arab history through art

Imagine a Middle Eastern man walking bare feet on the streets of Mecca in the 1970s, who soon takes out his keys and drives away in a Cadillac. This interesting juxtaposition of a Bedouin city and the influx of Western influence was a common scene in Mecca at the time, when Wael Shawky was a child in the city. His experiences in Mecca have influenced him a great deal, said Shawky, whose artistic efforts are mainly invested in grappling with the history of Arab world to better understand its

Arts & DesignDec. 8, 2019

Korean investors turn to real estate, less interested in stock market

Korean investors have been turning their attention toward the real estate market, reflected in an increase in mortgage lending, while cash flows in the equity market have been overall stagnant, recent data showed. According to data released by the Bank of Korea last month, the outstanding balance of mortgage loans held by banks and other financial institutions here came to a combined 830.3 trillion won ($700.5 billion) as of September. The latest data is a noteworthy jump from the corresponding

MarketDec. 8, 2019

[Slawomir Sierakowski] Macron needs prudence, restraint to achieve goal

You can be talented, handsome, rhetorically skilled, and politically brave, and yet suffer for it. In the long run, prudence and restraint are crucial ingredients of successful leadership, and it is precisely these two qualities that, up to now, French President Emmanuel Macron appears to lack.Macron wants to lead the European Union into the 21st century. But he will succeed only if he does not go too far. If he overplays his hand, he will open himself up to a challenge from some other rising po

ViewpointsDec. 8, 2019

[Newsmaker] Centrist third party on course to split

Minor opposition Bareunmirae Party, formed in February last year to challenge the bipartisan establishment, is on the verge of splitting.The party’s meeting for “nonpartisan initiative” has launched a committee to prepare for the formation of a new party with “a centrist reform agenda.”Heading the committee is Rep. Ha Tae-keung, a conservative politician who helped integrate factions supporting two former third-party presidential candidates, Ahn Cheol-soo and Yoo Se

PoliticsDec. 8, 2019

Filipino Korean children celebrate 70th anniversary of S. Korea-Philippines ties

Filipino Korean children staged a musical Sunday commemorating the 70th anniversary of bilateral relations between South Korea and the Philippines.Performed bilingually in Korean and Tagalog, the musical was an adaptation of Korean folktale “Heungbu and Nolbu” dating back to the late Joseon era. The show staged at CJ Azit Auditorium in Jongno, central Seoul, was directed by Cherish Maningat, a Filipina stage actress based in Korea, and choreographed by Park Eun-hee.“We hav

Social AffairsDec. 8, 2019

Korean Chinese still largest group of foreign residents in S. Korea

Korean Chinese make up the largest group of registered foreign residents in the country, especially in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, the latest official data showed Sunday.Meanwhile, in Daejeon and on Jeju Island, Chinese people without Korean ancestry accounted for the biggest number of registered residents.According to the Korea Immigration Service, of 1,274,775 registered foreigners here, which counts foreign residents on long-term visas, but not F-4 visa holders, Chinese nationals of Korean e

Social AffairsDec. 8, 2019

[News Focus] LG Chem, GM deal ups ante in EV battery competition

The Friday announcement for a joint venture between South Korean battery maker LG Chem and US carmaker General Motors has upped the ante in the global competition to secure lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles, according to industry sources on Sunday. The 2.7 trillion won ($2.3 billion) joint venture for an EV battery factory with production capacity of over 30 gigawatt hours per year in Lordstown, Ohio, was clinched amid GM’s ongoing transition from combustion engine cars to electr

TechnologyDec. 8, 2019

Speaker to put election, prosecution reform bills to vote this week

The National Assembly will vote on fiercely contested fast-tracked bills -- including election and prosecution reforms -- during its plenary session Monday and Tuesday. But the bills could come to a vote Wednesday, when the parliament convenes a special session, as the main opposition Liberty Korea Party is keen to stage a filibuster to block voting. On Friday, the floor leaders of the three parties – the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, Liberty Korea Party and minor conservative Bareu

PoliticsDec. 8, 2019