Korea's exports down for 10th month on trade rows, chips

South Korea's exports sank 11.7 percent in September from a year earlier, extending their slump to a 10th consecutive month, data showed Tuesday, hurt by still weak prices of semiconductors and the yearlong trade row between the United States and China. Outbound shipments reached $44.7 billion last month, compared with the $50.6 billion tallied a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.Imports fell 5.6 percent on-year last month to $38.7 billion

EconomyOct. 1, 2019

US rules out redeployment of nukes to S. Korea

A senior US defense official on Monday ruled out the possibility of redeploying nuclear weapons to South Korea to counter North Korea's nuclear threat.Undersecretary of Defense for Policy John Rood made the remark at a forum in Washington as conservative groups in South Korea have renewed calls for the country's own nuclear armament. "We have no current plans to return nuclear weapons to the Korean Peninsula, those that were withdrawn a couple of decades ago, and that's not under discussion

DefenseOct. 1, 2019

Unleashed from Trump, Bolton says N. Korea still seeks nukes

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- John Bolton warned Monday that North Korea had not truly chosen to give up nuclear weapons in the hawk's first public appearance since he left as President Donald Trump's national security advisor.At a think-tank conference on North Korea, Bolton said he could now "speak in unvarnished terms" about the "grave threat" posed by the regime of Kim Jong-un, who has courted Trump."It seems to be clear that the DPRK has not made a strategic decision to give

North KoreaOct. 1, 2019

Kim vows to 'always stand by' China in message to Xi

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un vowed to "always stand by" China in a message sent to President Xi Jinping on the occasion of China's founding anniversary, Pyongyang's state media said Tuesday."Our party, government and people fully support the Chinese party, government and people in their struggle to defend the stability and the core interests of the country and achieve sustained development, and will always stand by them on the path of defending and glorifying socialism," K

North KoreaOct. 1, 2019

International lawyers urge Seoul to repatriate N. Korean waitresses

A committee of international lawyers has concluded that a dozen North Korean restaurant workers who arrived in South Korea in April 2016 were victims of an abduction, and called for their repatriation to Pyongyang.The fact-finding committee on Monday released the final report on its probe into the high-profile “mass defection” case after conducting investigations in both Koreas. The committee, formed in May, comprises International Association of Democratic Lawyers’ repres

North KoreaSept. 30, 2019

S. Korean parliament adopts resolution against use of imperial

South Korea's National Assembly adopted a resolution Monday urging Japan to ban the use of its imperial-era flag during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The statement calls on the Tokyo Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games to ban spectators from carrying the Rising Sun Flag or wearing uniforms that feature its image at the Games. Koreans view the flag as a symbol of Japan's militarism in the first half of the 20th century.The resolution, approved in a 196-3 vote, also calls on t

PoliticsSept. 30, 2019

Another suspected African swine fever case reported in

Another suspected case of African swine fever was reported south of Seoul on Monday, amid continued quarantine efforts to contain the spread of the virus.  The report was made in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, about 42.5 kilometers south of the capital. If confirmed, it will be the tenth case since Sept. 17, when the country's first-ever outbreak of African swine fever was confirmed, and will be the first to occur south of Seoul. The test result is expected to be released early Tuesday. 

Social AffairsSept. 30, 2019

[Graphic News] Rights abuses at military barracks on rise over past 5 years: data

　The number of violations of rights cases involving soldiers has been on a steady increase over the past five years, according to government data.　A total of 253 complaints were filed by service personnel with the National Human Rights Commission last year, up from 153 in 2015 and 199 in 2016, though down from 278 in 2017, showed data compiled by the commission and released by Rep. Choi Jae-sung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea.　As of end-July, 367 such cases had been reported for 2019, i

DefenseSept. 30, 2019

MAMA stirs controversy with decision to hold this year's event in Japan

CJ ENM is generating a bit of controversy over its choice of Japan as the sole destination for this year's Mnet Asian Music Awards despite unprecedented trade and diplomatic rows between Seoul and Tokyo.A week earlier, the media and entertainment unit of the conglomerate CJ unveiled Nagoya as the city to host the biggest K-pop award event in Asia, set for Dec. 4 at the 30,000-seat Nagoya Dome.This marks the third year in a row a Japanese city will be hosting MAMA after CJ held the award show as

PerformanceSept. 30, 2019

[Diplomatic circuit] Argentine Embassy seeks to enhance cultural ties with Korea

The Embassy of Argentina here held an opening ceremony for the Sala Mirtha Legrand hall and the launch of El Ciclo de Cine Argentino 2019 on Thursday, with an aim to strengthen cultural ties between Argentina and South Korea. “Films are a bridge connecting the two countries culturally. Just as diplomatic relations expand into trade and politics, films will also help form friendly ties. This is why we have decided to screen Argentinian movies,” Argentine Ambassador to South Korea Alfr

Diplomatic CircuitSept. 30, 2019

[Diplomatic circuit] EU ambassador to South Korea receives Austria’s presidential award

European Union Ambassador to South Korea Michael Reiterer received the Grand Decoration of Honor in Silver with Star for Services to the Republic of Austria in recognition for his service to his mother country, the related embassies said.“I am deeply honored that the President of the Republic of Austria conferred this high distinction upon me -- a recognition of my nearly four decades of work as a diplomat with assignments on three continents. ... I take this as an encouragement to continu

Diplomatic CircuitSept. 30, 2019

Samsung launches highest-end display lineup in Korea

Samsung Electronics on Monday opened a shop for its highest-end display lineup The Wall in the southern part of Seoul, rolling out the first modular displays. The world’s top TV manufacturer is showcasing the 146-inch The Wall Luxury packaged with Danish audio brand ODEPort’s Steinway Lyngdorf audio system Model O at the ODE shop in the Gangnam district.  It is the third showcase venue for the latest display technology by Samsung, following the first located in the Harrods depar

TechnologySept. 30, 2019

[Diplomatic circuit] Experts from Korea, Kazakhstan shed light on denuclearization

Defense and nuclear experts from South Korea and Kazakhstan shed light on Kazakhstan’s denuclearization process in the 1990s as a reference for North Korea’s denuclearization, experts said.“North Korea’s denuclearization negotiation seemed to have hit a phase of stagnation, but recently there are signs of hope of reviving the talks,” said Lee Geun, president of the Korea Foundation, in the opening remarks at the second Korea-Kazakhstan Denuclearization Forum in cent

Diplomatic CircuitSept. 30, 2019

ICDM refuses to intervene in Korean firms’ spat

The International Committee of Display Metrology has refused to intervene in the ongoing spat between Samsung and LG Electronics over the technical superiority of their respective 8K TV technologies, according to industry sources Monday. US-based ICDM is an organization of top display metrologists and specialists of related sciences whose goal is to produce standards for measurement and evaluation of displays in a uniform and consistent manner. Regarding the use of contrast modulation -- the lev

TechnologySept. 30, 2019

[Diplomatic circuit] French Ambassador to present Etoile du Cinema awards to actress Bae Doona, ‘Parasite’ producer

French Ambassador to South Korea Philippe Lefort will present Etoile du Cinema awards to Korean actress Bae Doona and Kwak Sin-ae, producer of the award-winning film “Parasite,” in Busan this week, the embassy said.From Saturday to Sunday, Lefort will be attending the 2019 Busan International Film Festival, set to kick off Thursday.The trip marks Lefort’s first visit to Busan since he took the post here last year, the embassy said.In Busan, Lefort will also attend the screening

Diplomatic CircuitSept. 30, 2019

[Jonathan Bernstein] Is that the sound of Trump’s spell over Republicans breaking?

The fate of President Donald Trump rests with Republicans. So the hearing in the House of Representatives on Thursday about a whistleblower’s allegation of impropriety involving Trump’s interaction with the president of Ukraine provided a good chance to see what GOP lawmakers are thinking.　The answer is: They’re all over the place. And that’s bad news for the White House.There are plenty of good questions about how Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee grilled the

ViewpointsSept. 30, 2019

[Daniel Moss] Where you eat your bento box now matters for Japan

Japan’s consumption-tax hike doesn’t look like it’s going to sink the economy, as a similar increase did five years ago. That’s the good news.　The bad news is that the bump, to 10 percent from 8 percent, is still happening at an inauspicious time. While a recession isn’t in the cards for Japan, the last thing any major economy needs is a fiscal brake.Twice Prime Minister Shinzo Abe shied away from the increase. No wonder: A jump in the tax was widely blamed for a re

ViewpointsSept. 30, 2019

[Herald Design Forum] Daan Roosegaarde envisions ‘Landscapes of the Future’

Over the last few years, an aesthetically refined seven-meter-tall air purifier in Beijing became viral in Korea, which shares the Chinese capital’s troubles with smog and fine dust.  That Instagrammable “Smog Free Tower” by Dutch artist and innovator Daan Roosegaarde did not just suck up air pollution: It also transformed particulate matter into jewelry and then into rings, which people could buy. Roosegaarde is an artist who has been utilizing technologies to raise aware

Arts & DesignSept. 30, 2019

[Herald Design Forum 2019] Mobility coping with future environment

Discussions about future mobility often involve technologies such as artificial intelligence and autonomous driving and innovations surrounding electronic vehicles. Alexander Mankowsky from Daimlers research unit takes part in such discussions. He looks ahead and keeps track of technological developments aimed at bringing new vehicles that fit future environments.Mankowsky will join Herald Design Forum 2019 to deliver a speech on future mobility and the vehicles of the future that he has been lo

Arts & DesignSept. 30, 2019