South Korea’s exports decline for 11 straight months

South Korea’s exports have declined for the 11th consecutive month due mainly to a slowdown in demand for chips and the weak global economy, data showed Friday. According to the Trade Ministry, the nation’s exports stood at $46.7 billion last month, down 14.7 percent on-year, the biggest decline this year. Exports have fallen since December last year, and the decline has been double-digit for five months since June this year. By product, exports of chips shrank 32.1 percent, whi

IndustryNov. 1, 2019

[Eye Plus] Silver grass waving on royal tomb of King Taejo

It’s unusual: tall silver grass covering the burial site of a king. Geonwolleng, the royal tomb of the founding King Taejo of the Joseon era (reign 1382-1398), is probably the only place in the world where one can take a glimpse into the past and enjoy the spectacular sight of silver grass waving in the autumn wind at the same time.It was his last wish, according to historians, that King Taejo wanted to have his tomb covered by silver glass brought from his home town Hamheung, now a part o

TravelNov. 1, 2019

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Terminator: Dark Fate(US)Opened Oct. 30Action, Sci-fiDirected by Tim MillerMore than two decades have passed since Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) prevented Judgment Day. Dani Ramos (Natalia Reyes) is living a simple life in Mexico City when a highly advanced and deadly new Terminator -- a Rev-9 (Gabriel Luna) -- travels back through time to hunt and kill her. Dani must join forces with Grace (Mackenzie Davis), an enhanced super-soldier from the future, and Sarah Connor.Kim Ji-young, Born 1982(Kor

FilmNov. 1, 2019

Dive into diversity of Vietnamese cuisine

With restaurants in practically every city district, it’s fair to say that Vietnamese food has a firm foothold in South Korea. But while the restaurants are many, the options are not, with most serving the same dozen dishes, half of them pho. So when faced with the abundant options here, it’s hard to know where to start.An invitation from Paradise Vietnam and its Viet Deli group of restaurants gave The Korea Herald a chance to taste what Vietnam had to offer, revealing a world of fre

FoodNov. 1, 2019

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and packages

Italian beer night at Park Hyatt SeoulPark Hyatt Seoul’s Italian restaurant Cornerstone presents the Italian Craft Beer Flights promotion, featuring three varieties of beer from craft beer brewery Barley.On offer are Barley’s signature beers Friska, Macca Meda and Tuvi Tuvi, made from a unique blend of fruits and herbs. Served with a selection of four pairing dishes -- sausage with grilled vegetables, potato fries with truffle oil and assorted Italian antipasti, grilled chicken and p

FoodNov. 1, 2019

[Weekender] What to wear for winter fashion

Ultra-long down parkas were the king of winter coats here in the past few years, but a warmer winter looks set to bring new styles. According to industry insiders and fashion experts, we will be seeing a lot of fleece jackets and short puffers instead. Fleece is all the rage Fleece, shearling, sherpa or pile, whatever they are called, those warm, snuggly jackets that were once ridiculed as “dad fashion” are the hottest item in the local fashion scene right now.  At Discov

Arts & DesignNov. 1, 2019

[Travel Bits] Festivals and sights across Korea

Chrysanthemum Exhibition of the Garden of Morning CalmVisitors to the chrysanthemum festival can enjoy the blazing fall foliage of nearby Chungnyeongsan and the golden waves created by the pine trees, as well as the myriad fully bloomed chrysanthemums covering just about every corner of the 330,000-square-meter outdoor garden. The festival runs through Nov. 24 and is open to visitors of all ages.For more information in Korean, English, Japanese or Chinese, visit http://www.morningcalm.co.kr.Seou

TravelNov. 1, 2019

[Weekender] The lure of leggings

Fashionable women in Korea, like their peers elsewhere, are in love with leggings -- and they don’t just wear them to the gym. Leggings’ ascent to casual wear, as described by the dictionary-defined term athleisure, has been a global phenomenon. Seoul, never too far behind a global fad, is fast catching up. Yet, in this country, where revealing, skin-tight and outlandish clothes were once almost certain to invite stares of disapproval, the propriety of leggings as streetwear is a con

Arts & DesignNov. 1, 2019

N. Korea says it successfully tested super-large multiple rocket launcher

North Korea's official news agency said Friday that the country successfully tested a super-large multiple rocket launcher the previous day, adding that it verified the "perfection" of the weapons system.On Thursday, South Korea's military said that the North fired two short-range projectiles from a western region toward the East Sea, saying that both flew about 370 kilometers with a maximum altitude of around 90 km."The Academy of Defense Science of the Democratic People's Republ

North KoreaNov. 1, 2019

No behind-the-scenes talks under way between US, NK: ambassador

The United States and North Korea do not appear to have had behind-the-scenes discussions since their working-level denuclearization negotiations ended without an agreement in Sweden earlier this month, South Korea's ambassador to the US said Thursday.Lee Soo-hyuck made the remark after meeting with US Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun, Washington's chief envoy to the talks with Pyongyang, for the first time since taking up his post last week.Lee also said Biegun expressed hi

North KoreaNov. 1, 2019

US envoy for NK tapped as No. 2 State Dept. official

US President Donald Trump on Thursday nominated the top US negotiator on North Korea's nuclear weapons program to be deputy secretary of state, the White House said.The nomination of US Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun comes after Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan was picked to be Washington's next ambassador to Russia. His nomination requires Senate confirmation.In a tweet, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that Biegun has been and will continue to be an "effec

North KoreaNov. 1, 2019

[Newsmaker] Rescuers find crashed chopper, body of presumed victim near Dokdo

Rescue workers on Friday located the wrecked chopper that crashed near the Dokdo islets in the East Sea the previous night and found a body believed to be of one of seven missing people.The chopper belonging to the National Fire Agency fell at around 11:30 p.m., Thursday, a few minutes after it took off from Dokdo. An injured person from a fishing boat, a friend and five rescue officials were reportedly on board. "Three Korea Coast Guard divers who were searching in seas 600 meters sou

Social AffairsNov. 1, 2019

Fine dust advisory issued for Seoul, Gyeonggi Province

A fine dust advisory was issued for Seoul and surrounding Gyeonggi Province late on Thursday.In Seoul, the advisory for PM 10, or particulate matter smaller than 10 micrometers in diameter, was issued at 8:00 p.m., according to the Seoul metropolitan government. A fine dust advisory is issued when the PM 10 concentration in the atmosphere stays above 150 micrograms per square meter for longer than two hours.In Gyeonggi Province, eight cities and counties, mostly in northern parts of the pro

Social AffairsOct. 31, 2019

S. Korea's NSC expresses 'strong concern' over N. Korea's projectile launch

South Korea's National Security Council expressed "strong concern" Thursday over North Korea's latest firing of two unidentified projectiles.The presidential NSC's standing committee had a session and analyzed the background and intention behind the North's launch earlier in the day, Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Ko Min-jung said. In the meeting, presided over by Chung Eui-yong, head of Cheong Wa Dae's national security office, its members reviewed the "overall" security conditi

North KoreaOct. 31, 2019

BTS joins lineup of 2019 MAMA in Nagoya

K-pop supergroup BTS has joined the lineup of the 2019 Mnet Asian Music Awards scheduled for December in Japan's Nagoya, the music channel said Thursday.Mnet Japan disclosed the news through its Twitter account as it released information on ticket sales.The 2019 MAMA is scheduled to be a one-day event on Dec. 4 at the 30,000-seat Nagoya Dome.BTS has taken home the top MAMA prize for three years in a row through last year.Besides BTS, the 2019 MAMA lineup also includes GOT7, Monsta X, SEVENTEEN,

PerformanceOct. 31, 2019

Kim's condolence message signals no shift in Pyongyang's stance toward cross-border ties

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's surprise condolence message over the death of President Moon Jae-in's mother does not signal any meaningful shift in Pyongyang's tough attitude toward Seoul, a belief accentuated by the regime's latest projectile launches, experts said Thursday.Kim sent the message through the truce village of Panmunjom on Wednesday afternoon, less than a day after Moon's mother, Kang Han-ok, passed away at the age of 92. He expressed his "deep condolence" over her dea

North KoreaOct. 31, 2019

Finance minister voices regret over indictment of ride-hailing executives

South Korea's finance minister on Thursday expressed regret over a recent indictment of executives at the operator of rental van-hailing service Tada.On Monday, prosecutors indicted Lee Jae-woong, chief executive of car-sharing app SoCar, and Park Jae-uk, CEO of SoCar's subsidiary Value Creators & Company, calling the app-based ride-hailing business illegal."It's regrettable that (prosecutors) brought the issue to the court before win-win solutions could fully work," Finance Minist

IndustryOct. 31, 2019

[Graphic News] Website defacements rise in 2019

　The number of website defacements in South Korea has increased in 2019 from a year earlier, an opposition lawmaker said.　Rep. Shin Yong-hyeon of the minor opposition Bareunmirae Party said webpage-related hackings, including the stealing of confidential information and injection of malicious code, numbered 501 cases as of August, compared with 567 for the whole of 2018.　The lawmaker cited findings submitted by the Korea Internet & Security Agency for a parliamentary audit.　She said the numb

NationalOct. 31, 2019

[Herald Interview] ‘Cave’ recalls Thai soccer team rescue – with those actually there

　BUSAN -- “The Cave” debuted at the Busan International Film Festival on Oct. 5, becoming the first feature film released to portray the awe-inspiring events that had taken place just some 15 months prior in Chiang Rai, Thailand. 　The world watched on and was ultimately uplifted by the story of a soccer team of a dozen teenage boys and their 25-year-old coach surviving in a flooded cave for 18 days, before all were rescued alive and well through a complicated scuba relay extraction.&

FilmOct. 31, 2019

[News Focus] Unemployment benefits snowball in food, lodging, tourism

SEJONG -- The volume of unemployment benefit payments to the jobless has nearly doubled over the past four years.Though there were some people who exploited the state-led payout system via shady securing of beneficiary eligibility, data indicated that a growing number of people have been forced to leave their workplaces in the wake of an economic slowdown in recent years.South Korea saw the monthly payouts of unemployment benefits reach 691.6 billion won ($592.8 million) in September 2019, compa

Social AffairsOct. 31, 2019