[Herald Design Forum 2019] ‘Treat plastic as precious material’

Dave Hakkens, a Dutch designer who launched Precious Plastic, a global network that invites hundreds of people from all over the world to work on solving issues related to plastic waste, is due to speak Oct. 10 at the Grand Hyatt Seoul as part of the Herald Design Forum 2019Hakkens’ goal is quite simple: Make things more sustainable. “The projects I have done have been often related to reducing waste or changing the way we do things so they are more efficient and better for the envir

Arts & DesignSept. 30, 2019

Hyundai appoints ex-NASA aeronautics expert to lead mobility biz

Hyundai Motor Group said Monday that it had appointed Dr. Shin Jai-won, former associate administrator of the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration, as vice president of its newly established urban air mobility division. In his new role, he will lead the development of air mobility technologies for the group. The automaker said Shin would propel forward the group’s efforts to advance into the urban air mobility market, based on his expertise in airframe, engine and aviation

MobilitySept. 30, 2019

Pulmuone’s kimchi tops market share in US

South Korean food manufacturer Pulmuone said Monday that its packaged ready-made kimchi has secured the largest market share in the US.According to Nielsen research data, Pulmuone had a market share of 40.4 percent as of August. In September last year, the South Korean firm tapped the US market under the brand called Nasoya, the top US tofu manufacturer which is owned by Pulmuone Foods USA. The company said its No. 1 position was due to its partnership with 3,900 Walmart stores, 1,100 Kroge

IndustrySept. 30, 2019

Government reviews allowing South Koreans to tour JSA in small groups

South Korean nationals will be able to tour the Joint Security Area in the Demilitarized Zone bordering North Korea in small groups, authorities said Monday.According to an official from the Ministry of Unification, the ministry and other concerned government bodies have begun reviewing a plan to allow small groups of South Korean tourists from the first half of next year. Currently, South Korean nationals wishing to visit the area must apply in groups of more than 30 and fewer than 45. While t

DefenseSept. 30, 2019

Moon reaffirms prosecution reform with collective responsibility

South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in on Monday stressed the need for prosecution reform again, calling on the Ministry of Justice and the prosecutors’ office to cooperate with each other.  Speaking at an official briefing, Moon said that the two organizations must cooperate and fulfill the people’s expectations. At the briefing session, attended by Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, the president also asked Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl to quickly draw up reform plans. Moon s

PoliticsSept. 30, 2019

South Korea strengthening taxation of YouTubers

The government is moving to strengthen taxation of high-income influencers and content creators on social networking services, including YouTubers, to prevent tax evasion, according to documents submitted to lawmakers on Monday.  According to Rep. Kang Byung-won of the Democratic Party of Korea, the Finance Ministry has been collecting foreign exchange receipts exceeding $10,000 per person from the Bank of Korea, and using the data for tax reports and investigation of high-income influencer

IndustrySept. 30, 2019

[Herald Review] Seoul Forest carried away by jazz music

Over the weekend, jazz music took over Seoul Forest, a park in eastern Seoul. The third Seoul Forest Jazz Festival took place Saturday and Sunday, and one of the highlights was a performance by the legendary jazz vocalist Park Sung-yeon. Park paved the way for jazz musicians in South Korea with Janus, the first jazz-only club in the country.    At 76, Park appeared onstage in a wheelchair but her voice was as powerful as ever, with soulful touches that gave the songs a sorrowful y

PerformanceSept. 30, 2019

[From the Scene] How 5G connects Korea’s most isolated town to world

　DAESEONG-DONG, Demilitarized Zone -- Tucked in the middle of the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone dividing the two Koreas, Daeseong-dong is perhaps the most isolated town in South Korea since the end of the Korean War. 　There are no supermarkets, shops or hospitals for medical treatment. There are also no restaurants or hair salons. The village does not even show up on navigation systems. 　While Daeseong-dong residents are far removed from the rest of South Korea, 197 people living there ha

TechnologySept. 30, 2019

[Newsmaker] Up to 27 coal power plants to be shut down December to March to curb pollution

A national anti-fine dust body suggested Monday that the government enforce stronger measures to curb hazardous particulate pollution, such as by shutting down coal power plants and restricting old diesel vehicles from December to March next year. 　The National Council on Climate and Air Quality suggested a seasonal dust management system, under which a crackdown on illegal emissions is toughened, up to 27 coal power plants are shut down in spring and over 1 million aged diesel vehicles are rest

Social AffairsSept. 30, 2019

Allergan announcess compensation plan for breast implant patients

Allergan Korea on Monday rolled out compensation plans for patients treated with its breast implants, but fell short of expectations.The pharmaceutical firm’s rough-textured Natrelle Biocell Textured Breast Implants were red-flagged by the US Food and Drug Administration in July for having a sixfold risk of causing breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) -- a rare cancer of the immune system. Allergan has globally recalled all its products. The first Korean diag

IndustrySept. 30, 2019

Cho Kuk reiterates determination for prosecution reform

Justice Minister Cho Kuk reiterated his determination to reform the prosecution as a new 16-member prosecution reform committee tasked with drawing up measures to overhaul the powerful law enforcement body was launched Monday. Mentioning the candlelight vigil held Saturday supporting Cho and the reform of the prosecution, he said that the public’s aspirations for reforming the judiciary is stronger than ever. “Koreans are questioning who are the owners of this country once again by c

Social AffairsSept. 30, 2019

KDB makes 4th attempt to sell off insurance unit

Korea Development Bank said Monday that it has begun the sale procedure for KDB Life Insurance, aiming to select a preferred bidder within the year and complete the sale by early next year.This marks the fourth attempt for the state-run bank to put its insurance unit on the market in a midterm restructuring move.KDB put up the public notice of sale on Monday, selecting Credit Suisse and Samil PricewaterhouseCoopers as deal supervisors and Lee & Ko as the legal adviser. Performing the du

MarketSept. 30, 2019

[News brief] Seoul to restrict traffic in Jamsil on Friday for sporting event

Traffic in parts of southern Seoul will be restricted Friday for the 100th National Sports Festival slated to open that day, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Parts of the road surrounding the Jamsil Olympic Main Stadium -- where the opening ceremony for the festival will take place from 5:30 p.m. to 8:35 p.m. -- will be blocked. The city expects more than 60,000 people to visit the venue for the event. In addition, some 300,000 people are expected to gather at the Hangang Park in

Social AffairsSept. 30, 2019

S. Korea sees key industrial indexes rise in August

South Korea saw its production, consumption and investment rise last month, on the back of the launch of Samsung’s flagship smartphones and increased imports of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, government data showed Monday.This marked the first time in five months that all three industrial indexes climbed simultaneously but also came amid stalled exports and mounting external uncertainties.According to monthly industrial figures compiled by Statistics Korea, the industrial productio

EconomySept. 30, 2019

KEB Hana most sanctioned Korean bank overseas in last 5 years

Among South Korean banks, KEB Hana Bank received the most sanctions or penalty fines by overseas financial regulators in the last five years, data compiled and released by a lawmaker showed Monday. According to the data released by a Bareunmirae Party lawmaker, foreign governments imposed sanctions or penalties on overseas branches or subsidiaries of local lenders from January 2015 to June this year on 59 occasions. Of the banks, KEB Hana -- one of the big four commercial banks here -- was invol

MarketSept. 30, 2019

[Photo News] 2019 KGCCI Innovation Awards

INNOVATION AWARDS -- Korean four-dimensional radar technology firm Bitsensing CEO Lee Jae-eun (center) poses for a photo with Manfred Martin, a professor at RWTH Aachen University, at the fifth KGCCI Innovation Awards ceremony held at the Sebitseom floating islands in Seoul on Friday. During the event, Bitsensing and three other companies, including 42 Maru, BASF Korea and Henkel Korea, received innovation awards in the presence of high-ranking executives from the Korean-German business communit

IndustrySept. 30, 2019

FT Island's Lee Hong-gi enlists in Army

Lee Hong-gi, a member of K-pop boy band FT Island, temporarily left the music scene to join the Army on Monday.The 30-year-old started his mandatory military service at a boot camp of the Army's 21st Division in Yanggu, Gangwon Province, as an active duty soldier."I am really grateful (to the fans) and will be back safely," Lee told journalists and fans who came to the site of his enlistment.  "I will be safeguarding my voice as I promised. ... We will meet again someday,&quo

PerformanceSept. 30, 2019

[News brief] DUI offences rising among police

The number of South Korean police officers punished for drunk driving have increased over the last five years, data released Monday by the National Assembly’s Public Administration and Security Committee showed. According to the National Police Agency data, 349 officers have received disciplinary measures due to DUI -related irregularities from 2014 until this August. The number has increased every year, with 65 officers being punished in 2015, 69 in 2016, 86 in 2017 and 88 in 2018. So far

Social AffairsSept. 30, 2019

Director says ‘Kim Ji-young, Born 1982’ a story that ‘must be told’

A book dealing with the hotly debated topic of gender equality has been made into a film, challenging the audience to ponder the issue of discrimination as the controversial source material did upon its 2016 release.“As a mother of two, a daughter and someone living in this society, there were a lot of parts (in the book) that I could relate to,” said director Kim Do-yeong of “Kim Ji-young, Born 1982,” her first feature film.“Since the book had presented several top

FilmSept. 30, 2019

Nissan to maintain Korean operations despite headwinds

Nissan Motor said Monday it will continue its operations in South Korea amid trade tensions between the two Asian neighbors, despite headwinds like a boycott of Japanese products.The Japanese carmaker’s commitment to South Korea follows market rumors that it will pull out of the market here as its sales have been hit hard by the escalating trade tensions between Seoul and Tokyo.  “We make it clear that we will maintain our business operations in the ‘strategically importan

MobilitySept. 30, 2019