[Herald Review] ‘Fukuoka’ tells multilayered story in dreamlike narrative

Watching a Zhang Lu film is like being led through a labyrinth, with each of the director’s choices sparking thoughts, and ending up with more questions than answers.“Fukuoka,” the story of a pair of estranged friends, two middle-aged men journeying both physically and metaphysically, looks at various aspects of life and the world itself in a new context.The story begins when used-book seller Je-moon (Yoon Je-moon) from Seoul is talked into traveling to Fukuoka by So-dam (Park

PerformanceDec. 1, 2019

Exiled uncle of Kim Jong-un back in N. Korea: NIS

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s exiled uncle has been recalled to his home country after having spent decades as an envoy in Europe, according to reports Sunday. Lawmakers of South Korea’s parliamentary intelligence committee and National Intelligence Service chief Suh Hoon reportedly confirmed that Kim Pyong-il, North Korea’s top envoy to the Czech Republic, has returned to Pyongyang. The NIS had said early last month that Pyong-il would be replaced and return to North Korea

North KoreaDec. 1, 2019

Middle school students rescue dog from meat trade

A group of middle school students rescued a dog from a dog meat dealer, a dog rescue group said Saturday.Save Korean Dogs, a dog rescue team here, said Sunday that 15-year-old Kim Jae-seo and five of her friends attending Ewoo Middle School in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, saved the dog last month from a woman who sold dogs for meat purposes.According to the group, the children found the dog bound with a short rope inside a metal cage on the street in front of their school. The dog was being kept

Social AffairsDec. 1, 2019

[Chung Jae-suk] Remaking cultural heritage signs

When I arrive at a cultural heritage site, I linger at the entrance to carefully read the information sign. I formed this habit long before I became the lead administrator of the Cultural Heritage Administration. And I believe most people follow the same routine. As such, the signs are no less than silent guides to our heritage. The passage of time, however, has rendered the signs less and less effective. They were erected decades ago, when Chinese-based technical terms were the norm. Today, Kor

ViewpointsDec. 1, 2019

[Leonid Bershidsky] Malta proves oligarchs aren’t all Eastern European

The government crisis in Malta, one of the smallest European Union members, shows that oligarchs who purchase political influence -- and who may do just about anything, including commit murder, to avoid being caught -- aren’t just a postcommunist phenomenon. The crisis comes two years after the investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was murdered in a car-bombing. Earlier this month, a suspected middleman in the killing was arrested on unrelated charges and offered up information o

ViewpointsDec. 1, 2019

[Newsmaker] Police to beef up traffic safety in school zones

The National Police Agency on Sunday announced measures to step up traffic safety near schools, effective Monday.According to police, around 620 traffic police officers will be relocated to school zones during rush hour. They will be deployed in areas prone to accidents, including places without surveillance cameras and where sidewalks and roads are not separated. Police will phase in limiting the maximum travel speed to 30 kilometers per hour in all school zones. Currently, cars can travel

Social AffairsDec. 1, 2019

S. Korea confirms 34th wild boar infected with African swine fever

A wild boar found dead near the border with North Korea has tested positive for African swine fever, authorities said Sunday, bringing the number of such cases to 34 in South Korea.The wild boar was caught by a joint team of soldiers and civilian hunters in Paju, northwest of Seoul, earlier this week, the National Institute of Environmental Research said.On Saturday, the institute also confirmed another wild boar infected with the deadly animal disease in a nearby county. Since the country's fir

Social AffairsDec. 1, 2019

RB CEO offers 'heartfelt' apology to victims in humidifier sanitizer scandal

The head of British hygiene product maker Reckitt Benckiser Group plc has offered a "heartfelt" apology over a toxic humidifier disinfectant scandal involving the company's South Korean unit, affirming his priority to address the "unprecedented" tragedy.Laxman Narasimhan, Reckitt Benckiser's chief executive officer, made the apology in a letter that he sent on Friday to a South Korean independent commission for social disaster investigation after a meeting with its members in

Social AffairsDec. 1, 2019

[News Focus] Outlook for Korean economy remains grim

SEJONG -- South Korea has yet to see any positive signals of an economic revival although the government predicted it would bounce back in the second half of the year.The financial woes of companies are continuing while the stock market is lackluster. In addition, another round of the US dollar’s strong position is aggravating the situation.Korea saw its exports fall by 10.3 percent during the Jan. 1-Nov. 20 period, on year, according to the Korea Customs Service. The nation’s outbou

EconomyDec. 1, 2019

[News Focus] Is Vietnam an attractive place for Samsung chip plant?

Is Vietnam a good place for chipmakers to consider building a high-tech plant? In light of a request by the Vietnamese head of state to Samsung Electronics, the world’s largest chipmaker, many in South Korea are asking whether it is a viable business move.In a private meeting held in Seoul on Thursday, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc asked Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong to consider building a chip manufacturing facility there. The Korean tech giant already has pr

TechnologyDec. 1, 2019

China introduces mandatory face scans for phone users

BEIJING (AFP) -- China will require telecom operators to collect face scans when registering new phone users at offline outlets starting Sunday, according to the country's information technology authority, as Beijing continues to tighten cyberspace controls.In September, China's industry and information technology ministry issued a notice on "safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of citizens online", which laid out rules for enforcing real-name registration.The notice said t

World BusinessDec. 1, 2019

[Herald Interview] ‘Still traumatized’: 1980s murder convict on trying to clear name

CHEONGJU, North Chungcheong Province – He was 22 years old when the police came for him. Now 53, after spending 19 1/2 years in prison for the rape and murder of a child and another 10 years as paroled ex-con, he is to undergo a retrial to clear his name in one of Korea’s most notorious crimes.At a home for ex-prisoners in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, the man, who asked to be identified only by his surname Yun, told The Korea Herald on Saturday that police brutality had forc

Social AffairsDec. 1, 2019

S. Korea to formally launch open banking service this month

Commercial banks in South Korea plan to formally launch an open banking service later this month, in a move to boost convenience and lower transaction costs for their customers, the country's financial watchdog said Sunday. The service, which enables bank customers to use virtually all banking services of any bank here with just one smartphone application, will be formally launched on Dec. 18, the Financial Services Commission said in a statement. Since launching a trial operation of the se

MarketDec. 1, 2019

China imports $100m worth of South Korean instant noodles

China’s imports of South Korean instant noodles jumped fivefold last year compared to 2014, industry data showed Sunday.According to the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), China imported $100 million (118 billion won) worth of Korean instant noodles last year, up from $15.1 million in 2014. Among all instant noodles imported by China, 50 percent came from Korea -- 40.2 billion packs -- in the January-September period, followed by Taiwan.About 280 million packs of instant

IndustryDec. 1, 2019

Hyundai E&C, Daewoo E&C’s Hillstate Prugio Suwon goes on sale

South Korean builders Hyundai Engineering and Construction and Daewoo Engineering and Construction began sales of a mega-scale apartment complex in Gyo-dong, Paldal-gu, in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, this month. According to the firms on Sunday, 33 15-story apartment buildings with three basement floors, which can house up to 2,586 households, have been built in Suwon’s 115-6 redevelopment district. Of them, 1,550 apartment units ranging from 39 to 98 square meters go on sale from Decem

IndustryDec. 1, 2019

[From the Scene] SK Energy to complete vacuum residue desulfurization in Jan.

ULSAN -- SK Energy, an affiliate of SK Innovation, is set to complete the construction of its vacuum residue desulfurization facility in January, in time for the implementation of tighter environmental regulations. In response to heightening environmental concerns and growing harmful emissions from ships, the International Maritime Organization has ruled that from January ships will have to use fuel with a maximum of 0.5 percent sulfur content, down from the current 3.5 percent.In line with the

IndustryDec. 1, 2019

Posco to support socially responsible firms via preferential bidding system

South Korean steel firm Posco said Sunday that it would offer incentives to socially responsible firms from Monday as part of its own efforts to contribute to society. Socially responsible firms refer to companies that are recognized as such under the laws established to encourage entrepreneurial activities by people with disabilities, promote social enterprises and cooperatives and support businesses owned by women.Under Posco’s new system of giving preference to social enterprises a

IndustryDec. 1, 2019

Samsung Electronics ranks 2nd in global applications of 5G patents

Samsung Electronics Co., the world's largest maker of smartphones, ranked second in global applications of 5G-related patents, according to a recent report Sunday. Samsung made 2,846 5G patent applications to global organizations, with China's Huawei leading the pack with 3,325 patent applications, according to the report by German market research firm IPlytics. South Korean tech giant LG Electronics Inc. came in third place with 2,463 patent applications, the report showed. Other telecom equipm

IndustryDec. 1, 2019

Sluggish exports, consumption cast shadow on economy

While the government is likely to further lower its economic growth forecast for this year, the latest statistics are not bright, with exports extending the downtrend for 12 consecutive months and consumption hitting a six-year low, data showed Sunday.South Korea’s exports amounted to $44.1 billion in November, shedding 14.3 percent from a year earlier, extending the downtrend, Imports fell 13 percent during the same period to $40.7 billion, shrinking for the seventh consecutive month, acc

EconomyDec. 1, 2019