PM asks Koreans to use less power in winter

Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon on Thursday asked Koreans to reduce their power usage in winter, to help the country maintain a stable power supply and sufficient reserves. “Most countries recommend room temperatures be kept between 18 and 20 degrees Celsius,” Lee said during a meeting at the government complex in Sejong on Thursday morning.“But there are people who wear shorts indoors during the winter, and they need to reduce power use by lowering their room temperatures a little.

PoliticsNov. 28, 2019

Banks' lending rates drop sharply in Oct.

Lending rates on fresh loans extended by banks in South Korea sharply fell from a month earlier in October, central bank data showed Thursday, an apparent outcome of two recent rate cuts.The average interest rate on all new loans extended by banks in the month came to 3.2 percent, down 0.11 percentage point from the month before, according to preliminary data from the Bank of Korea.The rate on all outstanding loans came to 3.45 percent, also down 6 basis points from 3.51 percent in September. Th

MarketNov. 28, 2019

‘Forbidden Dream,’ tale of relationship between legendary king and inventor

Sejong the Great, the fourth king of the Joseon era, was a man of science -- as popularly demonstrated by his depiction in the “Civilization” video game series. Jang Yeong-sil was an engineer and inventor, who made his mark in history with countless inventions during Sejong’s reign that showed the technological advancement of his country.Upcoming historical drama “Forbidden Dream” highlights the relationship between the two geniuses of the 15th century in a creative

FilmNov. 28, 2019

Vice minister to visit Kaesong liaison office, no weekly meeting planned

Vice Unification Minister Suh Ho will visit the inter-Korean liaison office in North Korea's border town of Kaesong this week, though there will be no meeting with his North Korean counterpart, a ministry official said Thursday.Suh's trip to the office on Friday comes at a time when inter-Korean relations remain stalled, with Pyongyang threatening to end their joint tour program to Mount Kumgang on the North's east coast.  But the vice minister, who serves as the South Korean head of the of

North KoreaNov. 28, 2019

China threatens 'countermeasures' after Trump signs Hong Kong bill

BEIJING (AFP) -- China warned Thursday that it was ready to take "firm countermeasures" against the United States after President Donald Trump signed a law supporting pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong."The nature of this is extremely abominable, and harbours absolutely sinister intentions," the foreign ministry said in a statement, without specifying what measures Beijing might take.Trump signed the law on Wednesday, after it received almost unanimous US congressional sup

World NewsNov. 28, 2019

S. Korea to cut operation of coal-powered plants over winter

South Korea said Thursday it will suspend the operation of coal-powered plants over the winter to reduce fine dust emissions.Eight to 15 coal power plants will suspend operations from Sunday to Feb. 29, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Other plants will be instructed to maintain their power output at 80 percent of capacity depending on demand. Through such efforts, South Korea is expected to reduce the emission of fine dust by 44 percent compared to a year earlier over th

IndustryNov. 28, 2019

S. Korea to decide on anti-dumping tariff on Japanese steel plates

South Korea's trade commission said Thursday it will soon decide whether to extend the existing anti-dumping tariff on stainless steel plates imported from Japan, which was first imposed in 2011.Currently, Seoul slaps an anti-dumping tariff rate of 13.17 percent on imported Japanese steel plates, according to the Korea Trade Commission. South Korea previously extended the measure once in 2016, which will run through December. The tariff mainly targets those from Japan's Nippon Steel Stainless St

EconomyNov. 28, 2019

[Newsmaker] Supreme Court orders retrial of former President Park in NIS fund case

The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered a retrial of former President Park Geun-hye for acceptance of off-the-books funds from the National Intelligence Service, saying her acquittals by lower courts on bribery and state fund loss charges should be reversed.The top court instructed the Seoul High Court to retry Park's case, raising legal questions about the appellate court's decision in July to reduce her prison sentence in the NIS fund scandal by one year to five years.Besides the commutation of

Social AffairsNov. 28, 2019

Hong Kong expresses 'extreme regret' over US law backing protests

HONG KONG (AFP) -- Hong Kong's government on Thursday expressed "extreme regret" after US President Donald Trump signed legislation backing pro-democracy protests, accusing Washington of "interfering" in the city's domestic affairs. "The two acts are obviously interfering in Hong Kong's internal affairs," a government official said in a statement, warning the move would "send the wrong message to the protesters". (AFP)

World NewsNov. 28, 2019

US flies three spy planes over S. Korea after NK coastal gun firing

Three US reconnaissance aircraft flew over the Korean Peninsula in succession for two days this week in an apparent sign of ramped-up surveillance of North Korea following its test-firing of coastal artillery. A plane believed to be an EP-3E of the US Navy, was spotted in skies above the Korean Peninsula at an altitude of 7,010 meters, Aircraft Spots, an aviation tracker, said on its Twitter account.  The aviation tracker said earlier it detected two US Air Force spy planes -- the RC-135V a

DefenseNov. 28, 2019

Foreign visitors to local duty-free stores top 1.8m in Oct.

The number of foreigners visiting local duty-free shops surpassed 1.8 million last month, hitting the highest monthly mark since late 2016, industry data showed Thursday.Statistics provided by the Korean Duty Free Association said more than 1.8 million foreigners visited duty-free stores in the country in October, the highest number since China's apparent retaliation against Seoul over the deployment of a US missile defense shield here. The number of foreign shoppers at the duty-free stores reac

IndustryNov. 28, 2019

S. Korea has spent 90.7 % of extra budget

South Korea has used almost 91 percent of this year's extra budget, to boost economic growth and support the parts and materials sector, the finance ministry said Thursday.The implementation of 5.3 trillion won ($4.5 billion) is equal to 90.7 percent of the 5.8 trillion-won extra budget, according to the ministry.In August, South Korea's parliament passed the extra budget to counter downside economic risks and cope with Japanese restrictions on exports to South Korea of high-tech materials, amon

EconomyNov. 28, 2019

Samsung to supply PC CPUs to Intel: sources

Samsung Electronics Co. has agreed to supply central processing units for computers to Intel Corp. to help address the US chipmaker's chip supply issues, industry sources said Thursday. Intel has been struggling to meet demand for 14-nanometer chips for PCs since late 2018 and recently issued an apology to its customers for shipment delays. According to semiconductor industry sources, Intel has chosen Samsung to be its third-party foundry to ramp up its 14-nm production capacity as part of

IndustryNov. 28, 2019

Opposition leader conscious again after hospitalization over hunger strike

The chief of South Korea's main opposition party regained consciousness Thursday after he was taken to a hospital a day earlier following eight days of hunger strike, officials said.Liberty Korea Party chairman Hwang Kyo-ahn lost consciousness on Wednesday night while fasting in protest of controversial bills on election reform and a corruption probe unit.He was immediately sent to Severance Hospital in west Seoul, according to party officials."His vital signs such as breathing and pulse ha

PoliticsNov. 28, 2019

Pentagon budget estimate suggests why Trump seeks $5b from S. Korea

WASHINGTON -- The US Defense Department has estimated it will cost nearly $4.5 billion to station troops in South Korea in fiscal year 2020, suggesting why President Donald Trump reportedly seeks $5 billion from Seoul next year.According to the Pentagon's budget estimate drawn up in March, the total payment toward military personnel, operations, maintenance and family housing in South Korea amounts to $4.46 billion in the fiscal year ending on Sept. 30, 2020.In fiscal year 2019, the number was $

Foreign AffairsNov. 28, 2019

Trump signs law supporting Hong Kong protesters

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- President Donald Trump signed a law Wednesday supporting pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong, likely angering Beijing just as Washington was hoping to ease the long-running US-China trade war.Trump had seemed reluctant to sign the bill but with almost unanimous US congressional support for the measure, he had little political room to maneuver.In a statement, Trump spoke of "respect" for Chinese President Xi Jinping and said he hoped the "leaders and represent

World NewsNov. 28, 2019

[Photo News] CICI hosts winter welcoming gathering

Corea Image Communication Institute (CICI) hosted the “CICI-Korea CQ Winter Welcoming Gathering” at the Intercontinental Seoul Coex, in southern Seoul on Tuesday. At the event, Korea CQ Cooperation Award went to Hungarian Ambassador Mozes Csoma (third row, sixth left) and his spouse Sunmi Nam (first row, second left). Korea CQ Friendship Award was given to James Park, director of BIO Plastic Surgery (second row, fourth right). Around 50 guests, including Kuwaiti Ambassador

PeopleNov. 28, 2019

Opposition leader sent to hospital after 8 days of hunger strike

Opposition leader Hwang Kyo-ahn was sent to hospital Wednesday night after eight days of hunger strike to stop President Moon Jae-in's push to pass some reform policies through the National Assembly, Hwang's officials said.Hwang, chairman of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party, started the hunger protest eight days ago in a tent set up in front of the presidential office in central Seoul.His party has objected the reform bills that were placed on a fast-track.  (khnews@heraldcorp.com)&n

PoliticsNov. 27, 2019

W58b worth of cryptocurrency stolen from S. Korean exchange

About 58 billion won ($49.3 million) worth of cryptocurrency was stolen on Wednesday from Upbit, a South Korean exchange, in a cyberattack, the exchange's operator said.The company, Dunamu Inc., said deposit and withdrawal services were immediately halted after the finding. "At 1:06 p.m., 342,000 Ethereum worth 58 billion won, were transferred from the Upbit Ethereum Hot Wallet to an unknown wallet," it said in a statement posted on the website of its exchange under the name of its CEO

MarketNov. 27, 2019

EXO taps into inner darkness with ‘Obsession’

It’s been one of EXO’s most prolific years, as it has seen both individual and duo projects from its members, some of them promoting as part of S.M. Entertainment’s supergroup SuperM. And the K-pop juggernaut has capped a packed year by putting out its long-awaited “Obsession” album, fronted by new obsession-worthy single of the same title. Thumping with urban synth and bass, “Obsession” is an edgy hip-hop dance track that marks a stylish shift from the

K-popNov. 27, 2019