Korea's current account surplus hits 11-month high in Sept.

South Korea's current account surplus reached an 11-month high in September, although its amount narrowed from a year earlier due to slowing exports, central bank data showed Wednesday.The country's current account surplus reached $7.48 billion in September, compared with a surplus of $11.01 billion a year earlier, according to the preliminary data from the Bank of Korea.The figure represents a surplus for five months in a row. The current account is the biggest measure of cross-border trade.The

EconomyNov. 6, 2019

S. Korean coach Park Hang-seo signs extension with Vietnamese nat'l football team

Park Hang-seo, South Korean coach for the Vietnamese men's national football team, has signed a lucrative extension to stay with the upstart program, Park's agency said Tuesday.DJ Management said financial details of the deal, reportedly the largest handed out to a Vietnam men's national football boss, will be announced during a press conference with the Vietnam Football Federation on Thursday.Park's current deal was to expire in January 2020. Vietnamese media reported that Park will stay on for

SoccerNov. 5, 2019

Speaker Moon proposes new idea for resolving Japan's wartime forced labor issue

South Korea's parliamentary speaker on Tuesday proposed to Japan that companies and ordinary people of the two nations voluntarily create a fund to resolve a dispute over Tokyo's wartime forced labor.National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang made the proposal at a special lecture in Japan as he is visiting Tokyo as part of parliamentary diplomacy to mend frayed ties between Seoul and Tokyo, highlighted by a trade spat and the history issue.His idea came as Japan has rejected Seoul's so-called one-

Foreign AffairsNov. 5, 2019

Top US official for Asia arrives in Seoul, expected to discuss GSOMIA

David Stilwell, US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, arrived in Seoul late Tuesday for talks with Korean officials on their bilateral alliance and ongoing regional affairs. He is on a tour of Asia.Stilwell is expected to hold a series of meetings with government officials here and to pay a courtesy call on Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, according to Foreign Ministry officials. One of the top issues the two allies are expected to discuss is the ongoing row be

Foreign AffairsNov. 5, 2019

S. Korean captain feeling heat not to repeat disaster at home

Kim Hyun-soo wasn't on the team at the time, but he clearly remembers how South Korea faltered in the group stage of the 2017 World Baseball Classic on home soil, unable to get past the opening phase despite playing all three games in Seoul.More than two years later, South Korea is back at the scene, Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, with even more at stake. The dome will host all Group C games for the Premier12, an international tournament doubling as the Olympic qualifying tournament for the Americas

BaseballNov. 5, 2019

One more body retreived at East Sea chopper crash site

Rescue workers on Tuesday retreived another body believed to be one of the missing people who were on board an ambulance chopper that crashed into the East Sea five days ago, the local Coast Guard said.The retrieval came after a remotely operated vehicle of the Navy's submarine rescue ship Cheonghaejin located a body from the site where the chopper went down late Monday night, according to the Korea Coast Guard East Regional Headquarters.The body could not be brought to the surface immediately d

Social AffairsNov. 5, 2019

[Graphic News] 130 million children under 5 have died since 2000

　More than 15,000 children under the age of 5 die every day in the developing world, with huge disparities in death rates between countries, according to a detailed assessment of childhood mortality.　From 2000 to the end of 2017, 123 million newborns, infants and toddlers perished in 99 low- and middle-income countries, which account for more than 90 percent of under-5 deaths, the study found.　Globally, under-5 mortality has declined by almost half since 2000, from nearly 10 million to 5.4 milli

World NewsNov. 5, 2019

K-pop power couple HyunA and Dawn release music together, shatter idol stereotypes

In a rare move for K-pop, power couple HyunA and Dawn are releasing new singles simultaneously.HyunA is returning to the music scene Tuesday nearly after two years with “Flower Shower” crossing between Moombahton, pop and dance. Dawn, a former Pentagon member who recently changed his name from E’Dawn, is releasing his self-penned track “Money.”The two made headlines for going public with their relationship last year, defying the industry norm in which idols’ l

K-popNov. 5, 2019

19th century Korean Buddhist painting returns home

A 19th century Korean Buddhist painting has returned home after being lost more than half a century ago. On Tuesday, the Jogye Order, South Korea’s largest Buddhist sect, displayed the painting at the Memorial Hall of Korean Buddhist History and Culture. The large-sized 1891 painting by Joseon-era Buddhist monk-painter the Ven. Minkyu, titled “Guardian Deities of Beomeosa Temple,” depicts multiple guardian deities. The piece, originally owned by Beomeosa, a Buddhist temple

CultureNov. 5, 2019

LG Electronics sues Chinese TV maker Hisense over patent violation

LG Electronics said Tuesday it has filed a lawsuit against Hisense with a US court, accusing the Chinese TV maker of infringing four of its patents.The South Korean tech giant claims that most of the Hisense TV models being sold in the US use as many as four of its patented technologies. They include those that improve user interface and speed up data transmission based on Wi-Fi.In the suit filed with the District Court of California, LG demanded Hisense stop using its patented technologies and

TechnologyNov. 5, 2019

[Kim Seong-kon] The Ottoman Empire’s fatal mistake

The Ottoman Empire, which was founded in the late 13th century and thrived for more than 600 years, resembled the Roman Empire in the sense that it was a vast imperial enterprise that encompassed three regions: Western Asia, Southeast Europe and North Africa. Although it was a Muslim country, the Ottoman Empire embraced diverse religions and cultures such as Islam, Christianity and Judaism, which coexisted peacefully.As Rhie Won-bok writes in his graphic narrative “The Ottoman Empire and T

ViewpointsNov. 5, 2019

[Robert J. Fouser] Political turmoil spreads around the world

As the second decade of the third millennium draws to a close, the world seems to be entering an uncertain period of increased political turmoil. From Hong Kong to Barcelona, from Seoul to Santiago, millions of demonstrators have poured into the streets to demand change. Democracies in Europe and North America have become highly polarized.On the surface, the issues that stirred the protests are local, such as the controversy over former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk. Likewise, in Santiago, Chile,

ViewpointsNov. 5, 2019

Private fund market shrinks for third consecutive month: data

The number of private funds in South Korea has fallen sharply over the past three months amid controversies over derivative-linked funds and a liquidity crisis at a major company, data compiled by a market operator showed Tuesday.According to the Korea Financial Investment Association, the number of private funds -- including private equity funds and hedge funds -- in the country tallied 11,177 as of the end of October, down 302 from three months earlier.October marked the third consecutive mont

MarketNov. 5, 2019

[ASEAN-Korea summit] 2019 ASEAN school tour program

Some 30 students of Shindong Middle School participated in the ASEAN school tour program at the ASEAN-Korea Center in Seoul, Tuesday. The ASEAN-Korea Center, a certificated education partner of the Education Ministry, offers an education program on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, international cooperation and jobs at international organizations.  (Photo: ASEAN-Korea Centre)

Social AffairsNov. 5, 2019

[News Focus] What RCEP deal means to South Korea

The trade megadeal among 15 Asia-Pacific countries can be expected to provide South Korean exporters with new opportunities to enter fast-growing and promising markets in Southeast Asia and lay the foundation for a future trade bloc consisting of Korea, Japan and China, according to experts. After seven years of negotiations, the leaders of 15 nations reached agreement on Monday on all 20 chapters of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and expressed their willingness to sign it in 20

IndustryNov. 5, 2019

Seoul indie film festival stresses growing role of female creators

The 45th Seoul Independent Film Festival touted “shift” as the slogan for this year’s event, stressing important changes in the film scene, such as the growing contributions of female filmmakers.“Since last year, the working environments of female filmmakers have improved greatly, as did the demand for their work. I expect such changes to affect the Korean film industry as a whole,” said festival director Kim Dong-hyun, during a press conference Tuesday. She noted t

FilmNov. 5, 2019

[News Focus] 1 in 5 young Koreans de facto out of work

SEJONG -- The Moon administration has claimed that the number of jobless Koreans aged between 15 and 29 was 313,000 as of September, meaning youth unemployment rate fell from above 10 percent to 7.3 percent.This might suggest to some that at least 9 out of 10 Koreans in that age group are employed despite the tough hiring conditions in the job market.But most employment researchers say the figure doesn’t reflect the reality facing jobseekers, raising the necessity of putting more focus on

Social AffairsNov. 5, 2019

National Assembly introduces resolution to declare end to Korean War

Seventy-one members of the National Assembly on Tuesday rolled out a resolution calling for a formal end to the 1950-53 Korean War. Sponsored by Rep. Kim Kyung-hyup of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, the motion calls on the two Koreas, US and China to declare a formal end to the Korean War and to start discussing signing a peace treaty. “We need the resolution to facilitate denuclearization and help usher in peace in the Korean Peninsula,” said Kim, head of the parl

PoliticsNov. 5, 2019

[Global Finance Awards] The Korea Herald invites applications for 3rd financial sector awards

The Korea Herald is looking for domestic financial firms that are seeking to play a leading role in global markets.As South Korea’s No. 1 English daily newspaper, The Korea Herald has established the Global Finance Awards to give wider publicity to financial firms who have shown outstanding performance and further promote their global competitiveness. For a fair and thorough evaluation, a judging committee consisting of renowned industry experts will screen candidate companies and the

MarketNov. 5, 2019