Moon in Bangkok for ASEAN-hosted summits

BANGKOK -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in flew into Thailand on Sunday for back-to-back annual regional summits driven by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, as he is preparing to greet the leaders of the ASEAN member states in Busan late this month.Soon after arrival, he attended a "gala dinner" hosted by Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. Moon is scheduled to join the ASEAN Plus Three summit and the East Asian Summit session in Bangkok, both slated for Monday.The even

Foreign AffairsNov. 3, 2019

[News Focus] Population of 7 major cities falls 117,000 in a year

SEJONG -- South Korea’s major cities are undergoing a demographic change, an apparent shift from the steady expansion they saw between the 1960s and the early 2000s.Statistics showed that the combined population of seven major cities, including Seoul, has continued to fall in recent years and months. This net decline in the number of residents may be due to the outflow of people to new residential towns.According to the Ministry of Interior and Safety, the total population came to 51.85 mi

Social AffairsNov. 3, 2019

2 bodies from crashed Dokdo chopper retrieved

Two bodies recovered from the wrecked chopper that fell near the Dokdo islets in the East Sea on Thursday were returned to land Sunday morning and the chopper fuselage was completely lifted later that day, the maritime police said.The two bodies, which were retrieved at around 9 p.m. the previous night, were transported via helicopter at 7:55 a.m. on Sunday to a Navy base on the island Ulleungdo, the Korea Coast Guard said. One of the bodies is believed to be that of a fire officer, based on the

Social AffairsNov. 3, 2019

[Graphic News] Third of S. Koreans prescribed narcotics in past year: data

　A third of South Koreans were given prescription narcotics in the past year, as more people received comprehensive medical checkups, government data showed.　More than 17.8 million people received drugs like propofol and zolpidem, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said, citing some 107 million pieces of data collected from July 2018 through June this year.　The drug safety agency said pain killers, sedatives and anti-anxiety drugs were the most common types prescribed by doctors, with women ma

TechnologyNov. 3, 2019

South Korea asks for US action on its ongoing row with Japan

South Korea has asked the United States to intervene to resolve the ongoing row with Japan.Deputy Foreign Minister Yoon Soon-gu and David Stilwell, the US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, discussed ongoing issues affecting the South Korea-US alliance and the trilateral relationship with Japan, both ministries said Saturday.In the talks held on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit in Thailand, the two senior officials pledged to maintain close coordination to ensu

Foreign AffairsNov. 3, 2019

Machine Visions: Trevor Paglen’s exhibition querying how machine sees the world

The recent rise of machine and computer vision systems not just allow machines to actually see things, but also automatically and seamlessly collects and interprets images for various purposes. An upcoming Seoul exhibition will delve into such technologies and the potential they may hold in understanding today’s world.“Throughout history, images have needed somebody to look at and interpret them. But, that’s changing now. With things like computer visions, we can now build mach

Arts & DesignNov. 3, 2019

[Eduardo Levy Yeyati] Argentina’s narrow path to common ground

Sunday’s victory in Argentina’s presidential elections was both impressive and underwhelming. True, Peronist challenger Alberto Fernandez soundly beat President Mauricio Macri. But not only did Fernandez fail to match his running mate Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner’s record 54 percent of the vote when she won the presidency in 2011; Macri also bounced back from his disastrous August primary performance, his party scored wins in important cities and provinces and he retained his

ViewpointsNov. 3, 2019

Budget airlines upgrade in-flight services, diversify routes

Amid fierce competition, Korean low-cost carriers are seeking to attract more passengers by upgrading their in-flight services and diversifying routes. They had previously focused on no-frills cheap flights without meals and entertainment. But in early October, Air Seoul -- under the country’s No. 2 full-service carrier Asiana Airlines -- began offering in-flight movies, a first for a low-cost carrier here. The LCC operates the Airbus 321-200, which has personal screens for each seat, unli

IndustryNov. 3, 2019

[Contribution] World is changing faster than chaebol

My father fought in the Korean War. Six decades later, it was the last foreign country he visited before he died. His love for the country, something he passed on to me, was so strong that he planned the visit knowing it was his last. It is with this heavy heart that I write my points below -- not as a criticism but as a warning. Change is coming. After the Korean War, the concept of chaebol -- a family-run business conglomerate structure -- was born. They are so successful that today, five chae

EconomyNov. 3, 2019

N. Korea boasts of Mt. Kumgang's beauty after Kim's message on removal of S. Korean facilities

North Korea boasted of the beauty of the scenic spots on Mount Kumgang on the east coast in a rare posting on its tourism website on Sunday, days after leader Kim Jong-un ordered the removal of all South Korean facilities established there for the joint tour program. The posting by an apparent state-controlled travel agency highlighted the importance of preservation of the ecological environment in the scenic spots when it comes to protecting and maintaining the sites. "Mount Kumgang, which

North KoreaNov. 3, 2019

SDI meets US safety standard for ESS fire prevention test

South Korea’s Samsung SDI has become the first Lithium-ion battery manufacturer to meet the safety standard for fire prevention test developed by a US certification firm, the battery maker said Sunday. According to the company, Samsung SDI last month fulfilled the rack-level safety standard of UL 9540A’s fire prevention test for Energy Storage System. The evaluation system was developed by the US-based safety certification company UL. Samsung SDI stressed it had gained UL recognition

IndustryNov. 3, 2019

[Newsmaker] Permission sought to hold queer festival in South Gyeongsang Province on Nov. 30

A queer festival organizing committee in South Gyeongsang Province filed for a permit to hold the festival, an event advocating equality for sexual minorities, in Changwon on Nov. 30, police said Sunday. If permission is granted, it will be the festival’s first run in the largely conservative province.The committee sought to hold the festival in the public square in front of Changwon City Hall, estimating that almost 4,000 people would gather there.A conservative civic group also requ

Social AffairsNov. 3, 2019

[Herald Interview] Kotra aims to give Korean AI players more Silicon Valley exposure

SAN JOSE, California -- Many South Korean entrepreneurs with top-notch capabilities in the field of artificial intelligence should prepare themselves for Silicon Valley, California, home to many disruptive unicorn startups and global technology firms, said an official of state-run Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (Kotra) last week.It is not enough for startups with outstanding technologies to only have exceptional talent, they also need networking skills to attract investments from ventur

TechnologyNov. 3, 2019

[From the Scene] Foreign startups, investors in Silicon Valley fear tightened US rules amid trade dispute

SUNNYVALE, California -- Sunnyvale, the once sleepy orchard turned suburb city in the heart of Silicon Valley, is a relatively new home to major US tech giants, as they gobbled up vast expanses of office space here in recent years. Bordered by San Jose to the north, Mountain View to the northwest and Cupertino to the south, Sunnyvale is also becoming a home to Korean startups and venture capital firms in search of local partners, customers and promising technologies. Unlike the bright prospects

TechnologyNov. 3, 2019

KT to build high-tech rescue center in Himalayas

South Korean mobile carrier KT is planning to establish a high-tech rescue center on a popular trekking course in the Himalayas to ensure the safety of those trekking the mountainous region in Nepal. According to the Nepal government and KT last week, the telecom firm’s information and communications technology rescue center will be built at Machhapuchhre Base Camp. The mountain campsite is located at the midpoint of 8,091-meter Annapurna mountain.Mountain climbers and rescue workers have

TechnologyNov. 3, 2019

Saudi regulator says approves Aramco share offering

RIYADH (AFP) -- Saudi regulators on Sunday approved state energy giant Aramco's request to make its stock market debut, firing the starting gun on the highly anticipated offering which could be the world's largest.The Capital Markets Authority did not give any details of the Initial Public Offering but it is expected to begin trading in mid-December.The markets regulator "has issued its resolution approving the Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco)... application for the registration and

World BusinessNov. 3, 2019

S. Korea marks one of the sharpest falls in potential growth rate: OECD

South Korea logged one of the sharpest falls in its potential growth rate over the past two years among advanced economies, data showed Sunday.The country’s potential economic output was estimated at 2.7 percent for this year, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.Potential output refers to the maximum growth that a given economy may achieve over the medium to long term without stroking inflation.The latest figure, though slightly higher than the 2.5-2.6 pe

EconomyNov. 3, 2019

[Feature] Sulli’s death sparks soul-searching on misogynistic culture, journalism ethics

When 25-year-old Korean singer and actress Sulli was found dead at her home last month, it was described as “murder by fingertips.”　Sulli, whose real name was Choi Jin-ri, had long been the target of online vitriol for defying the country’s social norms -- from wearing a shirt without a bra in public and being candid about her romantic relationships to livestreaming a drinking session with friends. 　The former member of top Korean girl group f(x) also came under attack from onl

Social AffairsNov. 3, 2019

TIMF announces 2019 pianist winners

The Tongyeong International Music Foundation announced the winners of the 2019 Isang Yun Competition on Saturday, with pianist Lim Yun-chan taking the top honors.The annual competition, held in homage to the late contemporary music composer Yun I-sang, alternates annually among cello, piano and violin. This year’s competition was for pianists, with violinists slated to compete next year. After a final round in the competition Saturday, Lim was announced as the first prize winner, foll

PerformanceNov. 3, 2019