Glide in style through Halong Bay’s spectacular scenery

HALONG BAY, Vietnam -- It’s an iconic Southeast Asian destination. With thousands of limestone islands jutting spectacularly from the sea, the scenery unfolds here like a fantastical Chinese painting. It’s no wonder it has been listed as a World Heritage Site.There are hotels in the area, but the only option if you want to see Halong Bay and do it justice is by boat.While day tours are popular, overnight cruises are a growing option, offering more time to relax and enjoy the scenery.

TravelOct. 23, 2019

S. Korea, ASEAN discuss cooperation in culture, tourism

South Korea and 10 Southeast Asian nations on Wednesday began a two-day meeting to promote exchanges in culture, arts and tourism. Culture ministers and senior officials from South Korea and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations attended the event in the southwestern city of Gwangju.It came one month before a leaders' summit to be held Nov.25-26 in the southeastern port city of Busan to mark the 30th anniversary of establishing a dialogue partnership between the two sides. "Through thi

Foreign AffairsOct. 23, 2019

Police to bolster security following US envoy residence break-in

South Korean police on Wednesday announced measures to step up security at foreign ambassador residences here following a break-in of the US ambassador's home.The move by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency includes providing clubs and capsaicin sprays to officers guarding embassies and ambassador residences.The police also affirmed that officers have been given orders to swiftly arrest people attempting to break into diplomatic compounds regardless of their sex. Regarding the US ambassador res

Social AffairsOct. 23, 2019

Infielder apologizes for controversial trash talk during Korean Series game

Kiwoom Heroes infielder Song Sung-mun has apologized for crossing the line with expletive-laden trash talk directed at opposing players from the Doosan Bears during Game 1 of the Korean Series from Tuesday.In a video clip posted on a portal site and since taken down, Song, 23, was heard wishing injury on Doosan players, saying things like, "He just blew out his elbow!" and "He's going to have surgery on his hamstring today and he'll be out for two years!"The video went viral

BaseballOct. 23, 2019

[Graphic News] Son Heung-min nominated for 2019 Ballon d‘Or

　South Korean soccer sensation Son Heung-min has been shortlisted for the 2019 Ballon d’Or award.　France Football announced the 30 candidates, which include Lionel Messi, Cristian Ronaldo and Virgil van Dijk but not Neymar. The awards ceremony will take place on Dec. 2 in Paris.　Son is the third Korean to be named on the list, following Seol Ki-hyeon (2002) and Park Ji-sung (2005). Seol and Park were among lists of 50 nominees. The French magazine cut down the number to 30 in 2008.

SoccerOct. 23, 2019

Continuing the ancient royal Kim heritage in Paris, fashion-wise

Though South Korean designers have been making a splash in the global fashion scene for some time now, an extra splash of “playful elegance” was added this season.During the recent Paris Fashion Week, fashion label Kimhekim presented the “Me” collection. From the brand name, readers might guess that a Korean designer is behind the label. The designer calls himself Kiminte Kimhekim. His legal name, Kim In-te, is the first name he uses and his last name reflects his fa

Arts & DesignOct. 23, 2019

Asiana offers job experience to teenage students

Asiana Airlines said Wednesday that it will offer job experience opportunities to teenagers at the education donation exhibition taking place from Wednesday to Saturday at Kintex in Ilsan. The eighth annual event hosted by the Education Ministry invites some 150,000 teenagers to experience different job and career opportunities, with some 120 companies participating.  Asiana has been taking part in the exhibition for eight consecutive years, hoping to nurture talent in the aviation ind

IndustryOct. 23, 2019

Winner shows artistic and personal growth in ‘Cross’

Winner is showcasing growth both artistically and personally in its third EP “Cross.”The album, released Wednesday, comes only five months after EP “WE,” as the group delivers on the promise to fans that they would release two records within this year.As the title subtly suggests, the group sings together but also separately on the album packed with crossover tracks. “The album mostly consists of crossover tracks with multiple meanings. We wanted to move away from o

K-popOct. 23, 2019

Samsung BioLogics posts 136.6% increase in revenue for Q3

Samsung BioLogics has turned to black in the third quarter as per its latest earnings report Wednesday.The company officially posted revenue of 184.8 billion won ($157.6 million), 23.6 billion won operating profit and 44.1 billion won net profit in the third quarter. The revenue was a 136.6 percent increase from the second quarter. BioLogics cited the performance was due to a slowdown in its first and second plants and newly recognized profits from the third plant. A slowdown is a necessary bien

IndustryOct. 23, 2019

Court holds brokerage employees 50% liable for ‘fat finger’ scandal

South Korea’s local court has decided that the employees of Samsung Securities involved in the “fat finger” scandal in which nonexistent stocks were issued, should pay compensation for about half of the damage they caused the company.The Seoul Central District Court has recently ruled that the 13 employees of the local brokerage must compensate $4.7 billion won ($4 million) of the losses they caused the company by selling nonexistent stocks, officials said Wednesday.The company

EconomyOct. 23, 2019

Korean literature prize goes to Albanian writer

Albanian novelist Ismail Kadare is the winner of the 2019 Pak Kyong-ni Prize, in recognition of a lifetime of socially relevant writing that delves into the historical experiences of the Albanian people.The writer, 83, has been one of the most influential literary figures in Europe since his debut in the 1960s. In 2005 he became the first winner of the Man Booker International Prize for the full body of his work. He is also an often-mentioned nominee for the Nobel literature prize.  The Par

PeopleOct. 23, 2019

Oxford University study contradicts WHO on gaming disorder

A fresh study at Oxford University suggests that obsessive gaming may be an expression of underlying psychosocial frustration rather than an evil in itself, contradicting the World Health Organization’s recent decision to identify it as a mental illness.According to a recent research paper by professor Andrew K. Przybylski at the Oxford Internet Institute, moderate use of screen time can be good for one’s health.“In the absence of compelling evidence linking digital screen enga

IndustryOct. 23, 2019

Samsung updates software of Galaxy S10, Note 10 over fingerprint flaw

Samsung Electronics Co. said Wednesday it has released a software patch to fix a bug in the ultrasound-based fingerprint scanner on Galaxy S10 and Note 10 smartphones. Samsung has faced a backlash after some users discovered that anyone's fingerprint could unlock S10 and Note 10 series devices covered with a silicone-based screen, raising security issues over the latest smartphones. "We apologize for causing inconvenience to customers with the fingerprint recognition issues," Samsung s

TechnologyOct. 23, 2019

HLB trading suspended after 2-day 40% spike

Authorities suspended the trading of biotech HLB’s stocks on Wednesday to offset a sudden 40 percent jump over two days on the back of hyped expectations for a new cancer drug.HLB will have a pre-new drug application meeting for Rivoceranib with the US’ Food and Drug Administration on Friday, by Korean time.HLB stock ended Tuesday 7.75 percent higher at 180,800 won ($154) after hitting a new 52-week high of 209,700 won during intraday trading, edging out Celltrion Healthcare.On the p

IndustryOct. 23, 2019

[Kim Myong-sik] Growing concern over faltering Korea-US alliance

Concerns are growing here over the future of the seven-decade-old military alliance between the Republic of Korea and the United States that is apparently weakening. Signs causing such concerns are abundant.Annual joint exercises of the allied forces, some involving trans-Pacific deployment of troops from the continental US to any part of the Korean Peninsula, have been reduced in scale and duration or outright cancelled. US President Trump called them “provocative” and “waste

ViewpointsOct. 23, 2019

[Arvind Subramanian] The battle of fading hegemons

Almost a decade ago, China bulls like Martin Jacques and I predicted the rise of the People’s Republic at the expense of a declining United States. Today, with the two superpowers unabashedly jostling for hegemony -- their trade war being just one sign of this -- it is time for a fresh assessment.　It is tempting to view the US-China rivalry as just another superpower transition in a long line going back to the classical shift of power from Athens to Sparta. But this case is different.Tradi

ViewpointsOct. 23, 2019

North Korean leader orders to remove South Korean facilities from tourist resort

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

S. Korea mobile carriers attack global market with 5G technology

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

Day6 returns with ‘Sweet Chaos’ amid ongoing world tour

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