Samsung heir’s bribery retrial begins

Samsung Group’s de facto chief Lee Jae-yong’s retrial began Friday at a high court, after the top court ordered a review of his bribery sentence in connection with a corruption scandal that led to the ouster of former President Park Geun-hye in 2017. Grim-faced, Lee, vice chairman of Samsung Electronics, appeared before the appeals court at 9:29 a.m. to attend the first hearing, 627 days after he was released from prison when an appeals court suspended his sentence. In August, t

Social AffairsOct. 25, 2019

S. Korea to abandon developing nation status in future WTO talks

　The South Korean government decided Friday that it would not seek special treatment reserved for developing countries in future negotiations at the World Trade Organization. The decision followed allegations from US President Donald Trump that some countries were unfairly taking advantage of developing nation status. 　During a nationally televised address in the morning, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said the government would no longer seek developing nation privileges

IndustryOct. 25, 2019

Will iPhone 11 overcome lack of 5G?

US smartphone vendor Apple on Friday started rolling out the 11th edition iPhone that only supports the 4G Long Term Evolution network, unlike its archrival Samsung Electronics that is pushing for 5G models in its own turf. The iPhone 11 went on sale in the Korean market via the country’s three mobile carriers, which all held promotional events for those who had made preorders.  Three different models of the iPhone 11 are available in Korea: iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro

TechnologyOct. 25, 2019

Prosecutors probe former liberal politician Rhyu Si-min

The prosecution embarked on an investigation into writer and YouTuber Rhyu Si-min for allegedly spreading false information during his YouTube show.According to the Seoul Western District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday, a civic group filed a complaint with the prosecution on Tuesday against the former lawmaker on several charges, including libel and obstruction of official duties.The group -- its name roughly translatable to the committee on the measures for the people’s livelihood --

Social AffairsOct. 25, 2019

Prosecution to reinvestigate 'burger patty' scandal involving McDonald's

The prosecution has decided to reinvestigate the local unit of McDonald's over allegations that undercooked burgers sold at its restaurants caused illness among some customers, officials said Friday. Reversing its 2018 decision to drop the related charges, state prosecutors said they will resume the probe into the so-called burger patty scandal over a complaint filed by groups of consumer rights activists in January.Public uproar over the scandal began in July 2017, when the mother of a 5-year-o

Social AffairsOct. 25, 2019

LG Chem obtains first quarterly surplus from battery biz this year

LG Chem, South Korea’s leading lithium-ion battery maker, obtained the first quarterly surplus from its battery unit in 2019, despite a series of fires involving the firm’s energy storage systems, according to the company on Friday. Of the total of 380.3 billion won ($323.92 million) in operating profit for the July to September period, the company’s battery unit reported a 71.2 billion won operating profit, representing a swing back into surplus territory for the first time th

TechnologyOct. 25, 2019

Fire kills man in 30s in Yeongdeungpo

A man died from a fire at an apartment-and-store complex in the western Seoul on Friday morning.At 5:15 a.m. Friday, Yeongdeungpo Fire Station responded to a fire at the basement floor of a five-story building in Dangsan-dong, according to the fire authorities. The fire was completely extinguished at around 6 a.m.A man in his 30s was discovered unconscious by the fire fighters near the back door on the first basement floor, but he died on his way to the hospital, the fire agency said. No other i

Social AffairsOct. 25, 2019

E-mart, GS25 remove liquid e-cigs from shelves

Following the South Korean government’s “strong warning” on the use of liquid-type e-cigarettes over health concerns Wednesday, the country’s major retailers are moving to suspend sales of the related products.The country’s largest discount chain E-Mart said Thursday it has decided to remove flavored liquid e-cigarettes including Viento’s Ice mango, Water melon and five different flavors, as well as Relx’s Mung Bean ice and Fruits, from its 74 E-Mart, Pi

IndustryOct. 25, 2019

US golfer Gillman gets 1st hole-in-one at LPGA event in S. Korea

Standing on the tee at the 180-yard, par-3 13th hole during the second round of the BMW Ladies Championship on Friday, all Kristen Gillman wanted to do was hit a high shot into the wind and let the ball land softly on the green. It didn't just drop on the green. The ball went into the hole for the American's golfer's first ace ever.And with that hole-in-one, the 22-year-old American LPGA golfer also won a luxury, BMW 7 Series sedan."I was in between my 5- and 4-hybrid, and I was like, 'I'm

GolfOct. 25, 2019

Highlights from BTS’ ‘Love Yourself: Speak Yourself’ stadium tour

BTS’ “Love Yourself: Speak Yourself” world tour has come to an end with the grand finale in Seoul on Tuesday. Starting from sunny California, the colossal stadium tour took the septet to ten cities across the US, Brazil, the UK, France, Japan, Saudi Arabia and finally to the band’s home ground of Korea from May to October. With the latest concert series, BTS broke records at each of the venues, selling out tickets at breakneck pace. It only took 2 1/2 hours

K-popOct. 25, 2019

Hyundai E&C Q3 net soars 72% on increased orders

Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co. said Friday its third-quarter net profit soared 72 percent from a year earlier on increased orders.Net profit for the three months that ended Sept. 30 jumped to 218.2 billion won ($186 million) from 126.6 billion won a year earlier, the company said in a statement. "In the past five to six years, Hyundai E&C has focused on improving profitability and selectively participated in bids to win projects overseas. It began to pay off this year,"

EconomyOct. 25, 2019

Dodgers' Ryu Hyun-jin misses out on awards voted by peers

Los Angeles Dodgers' South Korean pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin has come up short of winning a pair of awards voted by fellow players.The Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) announced Thursday (US Eastern Time) that Ryu finished second in the National League (NL) Outstanding Pitcher category, behind Jacob deGrom of the New York Mets, as part of MLBPA's Players Choice Awards. Ryu finished third in the NL Comeback Player category, trailing Josh Donaldson of the Atlanta Braves and Sonny Gray o

BaseballOct. 25, 2019

Asiana to halt San Francisco route for 45 days from March next year

Asiana Airlines Inc. will suspend the Incheon-San Francisco route for 45 days from March 1 following a Seoul court's ruling over its deadly crash landing in the US city five years ago, the transport ministry said Friday. Last week, the Supreme Court upheld the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's 45-day suspension order on the San Francisco route in penalty for the accident.Flights on the route will be halted from March 1 through April 14, the ministry said in a statement.The 45-day

EconomyOct. 25, 2019

Suncheon Peace Declaration adopted at Suncheon Peace Forum

International peace experts gathered in Suncheon, a South Jeolla Province city about 415 kilometers south of Seoul, this week to attend the 2019 Suncheon Peace Forum, municipal officials said Friday.  After wrapping up the forum at the Suncheon Bay International Wetland Center on Thursday, Suncheon Mayor Heo Seok announced the Suncheon Peace Declaration calling for the world to support a peace process under way on the Korean Peninsula, they said.   Key forum participants incl

Social AffairsOct. 25, 2019

Seoul's trade terms further deteriorate in Sept.

South Korea's trade terms continued to worsen in September amid a steady decline in exports, central bank data showed Friday.The terms of trade index for products came to 91.8 in the month, down 4 percent from the same month last year, according to preliminary data from the Bank of Korea (BOK). The reading marks 22 consecutive months of on-year decline in the index.The trade terms index measures the amount of imports a country can purchase for each unit of exports. A reading below 100 means

EconomyOct. 25, 2019

Bus crash into passenger car kills 1 high school student in Seoul

A school bus carrying 12 high school students crashed into a passenger car at an intersection in Seoul's Songpa Ward on Friday, killing at least one and leaving 11 others injured, police said. In the accident that occurred around 7:26 a.m., the bus traveled in the opposite lane before colliding into a sport utility vehicle that was waiting for a traffic signal.The injured students, including two in serious condition, were transferred to a nearby hospital. One of the critically injured students,

Social AffairsOct. 25, 2019

Farmers protest Seoul's decision to abandon developing country status

South Korean farmers held a rally in Seoul on Friday demanding the government withdraw the decision to abandon its developing country status in the World Trade Organization (WTO).Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki announced the plan earlier in the day, which farmers fear will force the country to scrap subsidies and tariffs that protect its agricultural industry in future negotiations."If we give up the developing country status, we will have to cut the agricultural subsidies by half, and the Uni

Social AffairsOct. 25, 2019

N. Korea offers to discuss removal of facilities on Mt. Kumgang

North Korea has offered to discuss in writing with South Korea its decision to remove the South-built facilities at its Mount Kumgang tourist resort, the unification ministry said Friday.The offer came days after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ordered the removal of all South Korea-constructed buildings through an "agreement with the relevant unit of the south side," stressing the North should not rely on the South for a now-suspended joint tour program to the scenic mountain."No

North KoreaOct. 25, 2019

Moon calls for 'drastic' change in college entrance exam system

President Moon Jae-in stressed the need Friday to overhaul South Korea's education system, especially in relation to the controversial admission policies of local universities, reaffirming his commitment to addressing one of the toughest social issues here. Promoting fairness has emerged as a key task for the latter half of Moon's five-year presidency.Fierce public criticism of his pick of Cho Kuk as justice minister has served as a catalyst for this. Cho's family has faced intense prosecut

PoliticsOct. 25, 2019

Ministry says safety should be guaranteed to allow for individuals' trips to Mount Kumgang

North Korea must first guarantee the safety of visitors if it wants South Korea to allow its citizens to travel across the border to the North's scenic Mount Kumgang, the unification ministry said Friday. On Thursday, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said that individual visits to the North's mountain are not subject to UN sanctions and that it is up to the unification ministry handling inter-Korean affairs as whether to approve them or not.Her remarks came a day after North Korea's state media r

North KoreaOct. 25, 2019