[From the Scene] Samsung SDI demonstrates fire-safe ESS

ULSAN -- In a dark chamber with thick concrete walls at Samsung SDI’s battery manufacturing site in Ulsan on Wednesday, two officials confidently demonstrated the safety of its new energy storage system in the event of a fire. They deliberately made a hole in two ESS modules -- an older version and a new model equipped with fire blockers and insulators -- by banging a nail into them to induce spontaneous combustion. After about three minutes, there was a bang and a sizable flame in the old

TechnologyOct. 24, 2019

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Everland ‘Horror Club: Fear the Night’ festival Everland theme park is presenting the horror-themed party “Horror Club: Fear the Night” on each Saturday of October.The event, held as part of its annual zombie-themed festival “Blood City,” will feature DJs like Bequz and Cream, along with performances by rock band Devil’s Rock.Around 100 staff are dressed as zombies, clowns and monsters, creating a Halloween vibe. Photo spots are set up throughout the par

TravelOct. 24, 2019

With wife in custody, ex-justice minister to face questioning

Former Justice Minister Cho Kuk will likely face the prosecution in the coming weeks for questioning over corruption allegations involving his family. His wife, Chung Kyung-shim, was arrested early Thursday morning. Prosecutors suspect Cho was complicit in his wife’s alleged crimes, or at least was aware of them. But they are unlikely to file an arrest warrant for Cho, since the court’s usual practice is to allow only one member of an accused couple to be detained. Meanwhile,

PoliticsOct. 24, 2019

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil(US)Opened Oct. 17Adventure, Family, Fantasy Directed by Joachim Ronning Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) and her goddaughter Aurora (Elle Fanning) begin to question the complex family ties that bind them as they are pulled in different directions by impending nuptials, unexpected allies, and dark new forces at play. Their relationship has flourished, yet the hatred between man and the fairies still exists.Joker(US)Opened Oct. 2Drama, Mystery, Suspense Directed by Todd Phi

FilmOct. 24, 2019

TV star Lee Eliajah debuts on big screen as lead in ‘My Bossy Girl’

Actress Lee Elijah is a well-known name to fans of Korean TV, but her acting chops have been limited to the small screen. Yet director Lee Jang-hee cast Lee Elijah as lead character Hye-jin in the upcoming romantic comedy “My Bossy Girl.” “There is a certain excitement and tension that comes from the word ‘first.’ Since this is my first (movie role), I just focused on having fun, doing the best I can to make a great film,” Lee Elijah said during a press confer

FilmOct. 24, 2019

[Jeffrey D. Sachs] Why rich cities rebel

Three of the world’s more affluent cities have erupted in protests and unrest this year. Paris has faced waves of protests and rioting since November 2018, soon after French President Emmanuel Macron raised fuel taxes. Hong Kong has been in upheaval since March, after Chief Executive Carrie Lam proposed a law to allow extradition to the Chinese mainland. And Santiago exploded in rioting this month after President Sebastian Pinera ordered an increase in metro prices. Each protest has its di

ViewpointsOct. 24, 2019

[ASEAN-Korea Summit] S. Korea, ASEAN culture ministers vow to expand cooperation in culture

Culture ministers of South Korea and 10 Southeast Asian nations on Thursday vowed to promote cultural diversity and discover creative content for future generations in the regions.The joint statement was issued on the final day of the two-day culture ministers meeting of South Korea and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations held in the southwestern city of Gwangju.“The South Korean and ASEAN culture ministers will cooperate in promoting diversity of cultural expression and discovering

CultureOct. 24, 2019

Lee, Abe agree on need to improve ties, but basic stance remains unchanged

Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met in Tokyo on Thursday and agreed that the deterioration of bilateral relations cannot be allowed to continue.“I interpret (the situation) as being that the sporadic, undisclosed talks between the two sides are becoming official,” Lee was quoted as saying by a local news agency after the meeting. “I have hopes that (the talks) can speed up a little.” Earlier in the day, Cho Sei-young, the first vice

Foreign AffairsOct. 24, 2019

Moon calls for stronger ties with Spain

President Moon Jae-in on Thursday called for stronger cooperation between Korea and Spain, saying that Korea hopes to emulate Spain as a bridge that connects the ocean to the continent. Speaking at the Korea-Spain business forum held in Seoul on the occasion of a state visit by Spain’s King Philip VI, Moon highlighted similarities between the two countries and the opportunity for cooperation.  “As Korea and Spain are the gate and hub where a continent and an ocean meet, there ar

Foreign AffairsOct. 24, 2019

Some 400 Korean artifacts on show in Poland, first in Eastern Europe

The exhibition “Splendor and Finesse: Spirit and Substance in Korean Art” is a special one for Yang Seung-mee, the National Museum of Korea curator who put it together. This is the first large-scale exhibition of Korean art in Eastern Europe.The exhibition, which opened at the National Museum in Warsaw on Oct. 11 and runs until Jan. 12, features 391 artifacts from five stages of Korean history: prehistory, the Three Kingdoms (57 BC-AD 668), Unified Silla (668-918), Goryeo (918-1392)

CultureOct. 24, 2019

S. Korea’s economy slows down in Q3

South Korea extended its run of positive growth in the third quarter but that growth was slower than expected, jeopardizing the country’s annual growth target, central bank data showed Thursday.The country’s quarterly real gross domestic product for the July-September period climbed 2 percent from a year earlier and 0.4 percent from a quarter earlier, according to preliminary data from the Bank of Korea.This latest figure was largely seen as disappointing, especially considering the

EconomyOct. 24, 2019

74th United Nations Day celebrated in Busan by Korean War veterans

In celebration of the 74th United Nations Day, which falls on Thursday, a large ceremony was held in Busan, South Korea's biggest port city, with the attendance of international Korean War veterans and diplomats from the participating nations in the 1950-53 war. The ceremony has been held annually in Busan, 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul, to commemorate the founding of the United Nations in 1945 and remember UN soldiers killed in the Korean War. October 24 has been celebrated as UN Day s

PoliticsOct. 24, 2019

[Newsmaker] Several wild boars sighted in southeastern Seoul

Several sightings of wild boars were reported in the Gangdong and Songpa districts of Seoul between Wednesday and Thursday morning, the local fire station said.Songpa Fire Station said it received the first call around 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday about two baby boars near Asan Medical Center. The boars could not be found when firefighters arrived on the scene. Five more boar sightings were reported over the night within the vicinity of Gangdong and Songpa through 7:20 a.m. Thursday. At around mi

Social AffairsOct. 24, 2019

[Newsmaker] CJ scion gets suspended sentence for drug charges

The heir apparent to South Korean food and entertainment conglomerate CJ was released Thursday after receiving a suspended sentence on drug charges.The Incheon District Court handed Lee Sun-ho, the eldest son of group chairman Lee Jay-hyun, a three-year prison term, suspended for four years. The court did not sentence Lee to probation or drug treatment."Drugs, including marijuana, pose severe harm to society due to their addictive and hallucinogenic nature," Judge Song Hyun-kyung said.

Social AffairsOct. 24, 2019

Minister: N. Korea frustrated with standstill on inter-Korean project

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said Thursday that North Korea seemed disappointed that the inter-Korean tourism project had not resumed, commenting on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s orders to tear down the South’s facilities at the Kumgangsan tourist resort. In response to the report on Wednesday saying Kim had ordered the removal of “all the unpleasant-looking facilities of the south side” and wanted to “build new modern service facilities our own way,” t

North KoreaOct. 24, 2019

KRX launches platform for cross-border M&A deals

The nation’s sole stock bourse operator said Thursday that is has launched an online platform to support merger and acquisition deals of South Korean firms overseas. According to the Korea Exchange, the platform aims to connect local firms with materials and parts firms in ASEAN and other economies. The new system will provide smoother transactions in the M&A deal-making process. It will provide a list of overseas candidates reviewed by global M&A advisors, including New York-based

MarketOct. 24, 2019

KB Kookmin CEO likely to serve second term

KB Financial Group said Thursday that the current CEO of its commercial banking unit, Hur Yin, has been tapped as a contender for the lender’s chief executive position for a second term, strongly hinting that the incumbent chief will remain in his role. Hur’s current and first term is set to expire later this year. But he is widely expected to remain KB Kookmin Bank CEO for another year, having drawn praise for his leadership after the financial group separated the roles of group cha

MarketOct. 24, 2019

Posco’s Q3 profit down 32 percent

Korean steel giant Posco saw its operating profit drop 32 percent in the third quarter from a year prior over rising raw material costs, the company said Thursday.Its operating profit marked 1.04 trillion won ($887 million), with sales falling 2.6 percent to 15.9 trillion won, it said. Its net profit halved to 496.8 billion won in the July-September period, from a net profit of 1.05 trillion won a year earlier. The earnings reflected rising material costs, dragging operating profit down 8.5 perc

IndustryOct. 24, 2019

NCSoft looks forward to rosy Q4 with Lineage2M

South Korean video game developer NCSoft expects rosy fourth-quarter earnings following the launch of its new high-end mobile game Lineage2M. Lineage2M’s advance sign-ups have surpassed 5 million in 32 days, setting a record as the fastest rate among every other games in the domestic market. The previous title was held by Lineage M, at 53 days. Lineage M, also by NCSoft, had recorded 5.5 million early sign-ups, the biggest volume on record.  NCSoft predicts Lineage2M will renew this r

IndustryOct. 24, 2019