NK leader visits Samjiyon ahead of year-end deadline for nuke talks with Washington

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un celebrated the completion of a newly-built urban township near the birthplace of his late father, state media reported Tuesday, in a visit that could suggest a major policy announcement is forthcoming.Kim attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony of the Township of Samjiyon County on Monday, the official Korean Central News Agency reported. KCNA photos showed Kim and top aides cutting a red ribbon to open the "the ideal town for the people" near the birthplace

North KoreaDec. 3, 2019

US threatens 100% tariffs on French goods over digital tax

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States on Monday threatened to impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on $2.4 billion in French goods in retaliation for a digital services tax it says is discriminatory.French sparkling wine, yogurt and Roquefort cheese are on the list of goods that could be targeted as soon as mid-January after a report from the US Trade Representative's office found the tax penalizes American tech companies such as Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon.The decision "sends a clear

World NewsDec. 3, 2019

Lionel Messi wins Ballon d'Or for sixth time

PARIS (AFP) -- Lionel Messi won a record sixth men's Ballon d'Or award at a ceremony in Paris on Monday, beating Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk to take the honours.Now aged 32, it is Messi's first Ballon d'Or since 2015 and his sixth overall as he moves one ahead of his old rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who finished third in the voting.Messi, who attended the ceremony at the Chatelet Theatre in the French capital with his wife and children, succeeds Luka Modric, the Real Madrid and Croatia midfie

SoccerDec. 3, 2019

Son Heung-min becomes top Asian finisher in Ballon d'Or voting

South Korean football star Son Heung-min has become the top Asian finisher in voting for the prestigious Ballon d'Or Award.In a ceremony held in Paris on Monday (local time), Son, the South Korean men's national captain and attacking ace for Tottenham Hotspur, came in 22nd place among 30 nominees in balloting for the annual award recognizing the world's best football player. FC Barcelona icon Lionel Messi bagged his record sixth Ballon d'Or to break a tie with Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo. Pr

SoccerDec. 3, 2019

Korean economy grows 0.4% in Q3

The South Korean economy expanded 0.4 percent from three months earlier in the third quarter as earlier estimated, the Bank of Korea said in its latest revision released Tuesday.The third quarter growth estimate remained unchanged from preliminary figures released in late October despite slight upward revisions to consumer spending and overall exports as a large drop in construction investment offset the gains, it said.Domestic spending grew 0.2 percent from three months earlier in the July-Sept

EconomyDec. 3, 2019

S. Korean heroes at FIFA U-20 World Cup recognized with Asian football awards

Heroes for the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup runners-up, South Korea, were feted at the annual Asian football awards ceremony on Monday.Chung Jung-yong, former head coach of the U-20 national team, was named the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Coach of the Year at the AFC Awards in Hong Kong, for guiding the upstart South Korea to the final at the world's premier youth tournament in June. South Korea fell to Ukraine 3-1 in the final in Poland, but it was still the country's highest finish at a FIF

SoccerDec. 2, 2019

JTI Korea clinches deal with labor union after years of conflict

JTI Korea said Monday that it has signed an agreement with the labor union to resolve disputes that have been festering for over three years. The tobacco maker said the negotiations were conducted in a “sincere” manner. Its new General Manager Jose Luis Amador took an active role in listening to employees’ concerns over job security and the working conditions of the sales team. The key agreements include increasing wages by 2021 and funding the education of the employ

IndustryDec. 2, 2019

[Diplomatic circuit] New Zealand Trade Minister emphasizes strong bilateral trade

South Korea and New Zealand have strong bilateral trade relations five years into the free trade agreement, said New Zealand Minister for Trade and Export Growth David Parker, according to the New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Korea, also called the Kiwi Chamber. Parker delivered a keynote speech titled “Korea and New Zealand -- A Modern Partnership for Challenging Times” at the 2019 Year End Grand Hui on Nov 25. A “hui” is a traditional Maori social gathering.Parker emp

Diplomatic CircuitDec. 2, 2019

[Diplomatic circuit] Pacific Alliance member countries hold film festival

Pacific Alliance member countries in Seoul are set to open the first Pacific Alliance Film Festival in Seoul next week to promote their culture, society and history, embassies said Monday.The Embassies of Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru in collaboration with the Korea Film Archive are to hold the festival from Dec. 10-15, offering eight films across genres, including documentary, drama, comedy and suspense. The eight films are: Chilean documentary “This Is the Way I Like It II,” Col

Diplomatic CircuitDec. 2, 2019

K League MVP faces uncertain future as loan from Japan expires

The reigning K League 1 MVP Kim Bo-kyung is entering an offseason of uncertainty, as his loan deal from Japanese club Kashiwa Reysol to Ulsan Hyundai FC expired with the season's conclusion last weekend.After accepting the trophy for the top individual award in South Korean pro football on Monday, Kim said nothing has been determined about his immediate future. "I know I've reached a point where I have to make a decision," the 30-year-old midfielder said. "As important as my own o

SoccerDec. 2, 2019

Title-winning bench boss earns top coaching award in K League

Jose Morais, who guided Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors to their third consecutive K League 1 championship, was named the top head coach in South Korean professional football on Monday.  Morais received the Coach of the Year award at the annual K League Awards ceremony in Seoul, about 24 hours after Jeonbuk clinched their record-tying seventh title. Morais won 32.67 points, converted from votes cast by media, fellow head coaches and club captains. Pohang Steelers' Kim Gi-dong was the runner-up with

SoccerDec. 2, 2019

[Graphic News] More countries affected by terrorism even as deaths fall: index

　The number of global deaths from terrorism fell 15.2 percent in 2018, even as the number of countries affected by extremist violence continued to grow, the 2019 Global Terrorism Index showed.　From a high of 33,555 deaths in 2014, when the Islamic State group lured tens of thousands of jihadists to the Middle East, the number of terrorism deaths has more than halved to 15,952 in 2018, the index published by the Sydney-based Institute for Economics & Peace showed.　Afghanistan topped the list

World NewsDec. 2, 2019

Prosecutors raid police station over 2018 election-meddling claims

Prosecutors on Monday raided the Seocho Police Station, which was looking into the death of an investigator found dead Sunday amid a power abuse scandal. They seized his cellphone and other belongings. The investigator worked for Baek Won-woo, a former presidential secretary who is now under suspicion of power abuse. Baek had allegedly run an independent team to instigate a probe into an incumbent Ulsan mayor running for reelection in 2018. A longtime friend of President Moon Jae-in won that e

PoliticsDec. 2, 2019

US video art pioneer’s show opens in Korea

Suwon IPark Museum of Art is holding a solo exhibition dedicated to Gary Hill, a US-based artist considered one of the pioneers of video art, titled “Gary Hill: Momentombs.” The exhibition in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, features 24 works from the 1970s to date.Hill gained recognition in the art scene in the 1970s and 1980s, when he began to produce video installations that incorporated sound and text. The artist, who often explores issues connected with the physicality of language, the

Arts & DesignDec. 2, 2019

Kakao Bank further cements status as No. 1 internet bank

Kakao Bank, South Korea's second internet-only bank, said Monday that it swung to a net profit in the first nine months of 2019 from a year earlier, further distancing itself from its only rival, K-Bank, in terms of profitability.The bank posted a net profit of 15.4 billion won ($13 million) in the January-September period, shifting from a net loss of 15.9 billion won a year earlier, according to data posted on the website of the Korea Federation of Banks.The bank posted a net profit of 6.6 bill

MarketDec. 2, 2019

More foldable devices expected to hit market in 2020

New variants of foldable smartphones are expected to hit the market next year, expanding the foldable segment upon rising demand for larger screens, according to industry sources Monday. At least two new foldable models are likely to be launched by Samsung Electronics next year, while there are rumors that LG Electronics could debut its first foldable phone. One of the new Samsung foldable phones will be a clamshell-type device that folds vertically, while the other is likely to be an upgraded v

TechnologyDec. 2, 2019

Holding nuke talks this month will affect N. Korea’s policymaking for next year: Minister

Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul on Monday urged the US and North Korea to hold a working-level meeting before the end of the month, as such a meeting could have far-reaching influence on Pyongyang’s strategic direction for next year. How North Korea will spend this month will be reflected in regime leader Kim Jong-un’s 2020 New Year’s address, a key indicator of the North’s policies. Once a new strategic direction is set by the ruler, it cannot be altered by lower

North KoreaDec. 2, 2019

Zion.T will unveil new song on his YouTube channel

South Korean singer-songwriter Zion.T will unveil his new song “Nothing Today” on Tuesday by uploading the piece on his YouTube channel, without distributing it on major music streaming services. The reason for his unprecedented decision is not known. However, in a response to an online comment asking whether the song would be distributed on music sites, he replied, “in the manner that has no winners or losers” -- implying that he wanted to avoid the ranking system of the

PerformanceDec. 2, 2019

[Jeffrey Frankel ] The case for old-fashioned tariff cuts

The “bicycle theory” used to be a metaphor for international trade policy. Just as standing still on a bicycle is not an option -- one must keep moving forward or else fall over -- so it was said that trade negotiators must engage in successive rounds of liberalization. Otherwise, global openness would gradually succumb to protectionist interests.I don’t know whether the theory was right. In fact, had governments stood still on trade policy over the last three years, the world

ViewpointsDec. 2, 2019

[Jeffrey D. Sachs] How World Bank arbitrators mugged Pakistan

Wall Street hedge funds and lawyers have turned an arcane procedure of international treaties into a money machine, at the cost of the world’s poorest people. The latest shakedown is a $5.9 billion award against Pakistan’s government in favor of two global mining companies -- Antofagasta PLC of Chile and Barrick Gold Corporation of Canada -- for a project that was never approved by Pakistan and never carried out.Here are the facts.In 1993, a US-incorporated mining company, BHP, enter

ViewpointsDec. 2, 2019