North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has ordered the pulling down of facilities built by South Korea at the Kumgangsan tourist resort, amid stalled inter-Korean diplomacy. 　According to the North’s official newspaper Rodong Sinmun and the Korean Central News Agency on Wednesday, the North Korean leader visited Kosong Port, Haegumgang Hotel, the House of Culture, Kumgangsan Hotel, Kumgangsan Okryu Restaurant, Kumgang Pension Town, Kuryong Village, Onchon Village, Family Hotel, Onjong Pavilion No

North KoreaOct. 23, 2019

South Korea’s telecom giants are making a foray into the global market with fifth-generation wireless network technology in a push to discover business opportunities beyond the domestic market. SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus are accelerating their efforts to enhance 5G partnerships with mobile vendors around the world -- for example, by exporting network equipment and developing 5G-based content. Since launching 5G services in April, achieving a world first, the mobile carriers are taking adv

TechnologyOct. 23, 2019

Amid its ongoing world tour, Day6 came out with the fully packed album “The Book of Us: Entropy,” which deals with various aspects of human relations. The prolific act’s third full-length album, which follows the July single “Time of Our Life,” features 11 tracks including lead track “Sweet Chaos.” Looking nervous after their first live performance of “Sweet Chaos” at their first-ever press showcase, held in Seoul on Tuesday, the band members

K-popOct. 23, 2019

Seoul's taxi drivers urged parliament to make a new law to ban a rapidly growing ride-hailing service called Tada during a massive rally in front of the National Assembly in Yeouido Wednesday.According to the Seoul Taxi Association, about 15,000 taxi drivers attended the outdoor rally to protest against the business expansion plan of Tada, an app-based van-hailing service operated by mobility startup Value Creators & Company, and to call for parliamentary efforts to block the service.The tax

Social AffairsOct. 23, 2019

Audi unveiled its bestselling premium business sedan A6’s fully changed version in South Korea on Wednesday.The all-wheel drive New Audi A6 comes in two trims: New Audi 45 TFSI Quattro and New Audi 45 TFSI Quattro Premium. Both models run on 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbocharger engines and use the seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch transmission, producing 252 horsepower and a maximum 37.7 kilogram-meters torque. Audi said it has applied its new Audi design language, upgrading A6 with sportin

MobilityOct. 23, 2019

South Korean tobacco manufacturer KT&G has received the top corporate governance award, the firm said Wednesday. This year’s corporate governance evaluation was reviewed by Korea Corporate Governance Service covering some 924 listed companies and financial firms. KT&G said it received top grades in the KCGS’ ESG evaluation for two consecutive years, which includes social responsibility, environmentally responsible management and governance, recognized for the high l

IndustryOct. 23, 2019

The South Korean government on Wednesday issued a “strong warning” on the use of liquid-type e-cigarettes over health concerns, drawing public attention to the different popular brands available here. There are three types of e-cigarettes sold in Korea: heat-not-burn, liquid, and a hybrid version which combines the first two types. Korea’s e-cigarette brands account for 13.5 percent of its tobacco market by sales as of June, according to government data. The total tobacco

IndustryOct. 23, 2019

Hyundai Mobis, a top-tier auto parts maker in South Korea, will invest $50 million in Velodyne, a leading lidar company based in California, to achieve its aim of mass producing level 3 autonomous driving lidar system in two years, the company said Wednesday.By forging the partnership, the two will collaborate on new lidar system supply by integrating Velodyne’s latest lidar sensors with Hyundai Mobis’ cognitive software, it said in a statement.Velodyne, founded by a US inventor Davi

MobilityOct. 23, 2019

Posco’s chief visited Argentina to check on the ongoing construction of a demonstration plant that extracts lithium collected from a local salt lake last week, the company said Wednesday.Stressing the importance of the steelmaker’s operation in the South American country for its sustainable growth, Posco Chairman Choi Jeong-woo encouraged workers to complete the project safety and maintain the sound partnership with the community, the firm said.In an intermediate survey of lithium re

MobilityOct. 23, 2019

As defense cost-sharing negotiations between South Korea and the United States were to take place Wednesday, US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper highlighted the importance of allies sharing the burden for maintaining US forces in their countries.“I’ve said since I took office, the importance of burden-sharing from all of our allies and partners, whether it’s host nation support in Japan, whether it’s increased GDP from our European allies, the key is to help share the burd

DefenseOct. 23, 2019

South Korean oil refiner S-Oil announced Wednesday it has made it on this year’s Dow Jones Sustainability Indices and has been awarded the 2019 Outstanding Companies Award handed out by the Korea Corporate Governance Service.Both DJSI and KCGS measure corporate sustainability across economic, social and environmental aspects.According to S-Oil, a total of 318 global firms were included in the 2019 DJSI World Index, and S-Oil was one of the 19 Korean firms listed. It is also the only oil re

IndustryOct. 23, 2019

Pro: “Terminator: Dark Fate” is the best in the “Terminator” franchise other than the first two films, which were both amazing.Con: That’s not saying much considering what followed those two magnificent flicks.The upcoming sci-fi action film by Tim Miller packs good action, a solid message and ample story for quite some fun. The problem is that it rehashes the old formula that has been done before and better, which results in it being neither fresh nor very impressi

FilmOct. 23, 2019

The government on Wednesday warned against using liquid e-cigarettes, or e-liquids, until health perils associated with them are better understood.“The Health and Welfare Ministry strongly recommends discontinuing the use of liquid e-cigarettes until the link between lung injuries and liquid e-cigarettes is clearly identified,” said Health Minister Park Neung-hoo in a press briefing Wednesday morning.“Teenagers and those with respiratory diseases, in particular, should stop usi

TechnologyOct. 23, 2019

South Korea is hosting an international renewable energy conference this week to discuss the global climate crisis and measures to expand renewable energy use with around 3,500 participants from 108 nations. The International Renewable Energy Conference, which kicked off Wednesday in Seoul, is a biannual energy forum. The three-day event is being attended by government officials from 59 countries, including the US, Germany and China, international organizations, including the International Renew

IndustryOct. 23, 2019

South Korea’s two major carriers Korean Air and Asiana Airlines have received a combined 2.1 billion won ($1.79 million) from selling airline miles to commercial lenders in the past four years, Financial Supervisory Service data showed Wednesday. The data comes amid criticisms of local airlines bagging profits from mileage deals with financial institutions, despite some clients’ complaints of strict conditions and terms surrounding the use of the miles. Calls for transparency in the

MarketOct. 23, 2019

A South Korean business tycoon accused of sexually assaulting two women was arrested early Wednesday upon his return from the United States two years after the probe began.  Kim Jun-ki, 74, former chairman of DB Group, is suspected of sexually assaulting his personal secretary multiple times between February and July in 2017. She filed a complaint later in the year.He was also accused in early 2018 of raping a housemaid in his vacation home multiple times between February 2016 and January 2

Social AffairsOct. 23, 2019

Kent Rolf Magnus Harstedt, special envoy of the Swedish government to North Korea, said Wednesday morning that Sweden will suggest fresh working-level talks between Pyongyang and Washington after last month’s meeting ended without an agreement.“Now we are ready to issue invitation for them to come again. Of course it needs to happen when they are ready. But from our side we will definitely try to convince them to move on in the process to the next step,” Harstedt said at a pres

North KoreaOct. 23, 2019

The prosecution announced its decision Wednesday to permit a stay of execution on health grounds for ailing Lotte Group founder Shin Kyuk-ho, who would otherwise have had to serve time in prison. The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a lower court ruling sentencing him to three years in prison and a fine of 3 billion won ($2.55 million) for dereliction of duty and embezzlement.  After the court’s decision, Shin’s lawyer requested the stay of execution, citing the 97-year-old&rsqu

Social AffairsOct. 23, 2019

Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon said on Wednesday that he expects to promote dialogue with Tokyo through his meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday.Lee arrived in Tokyo on Tuesday for a three-day trip to attend the Japanese emperor’s enthronement ceremony and mend ties between Korea and Japan which have dipped to their lowest level in years over wartime history and trade restrictions. “The goal is to create an atmosphere to promote dialogue as much as possible. &helli

Foreign AffairsOct. 23, 2019