Taxi drivers call for ban on Tada ride-hailing service

Seoul's taxi drivers urged parliament to make a new law to ban a rapidly growing ride-hailing service called Tada during a massive rally in front of the National Assembly in Yeouido Wednesday.According to the Seoul Taxi Association, about 15,000 taxi drivers attended the outdoor rally to protest against the business expansion plan of Tada, an app-based van-hailing service operated by mobility startup Value Creators & Company, and to call for parliamentary efforts to block the service.The tax

Social AffairsOct. 23, 2019

Fully changed 8th generation New Audi A6 unveiled in Korea

Audi unveiled its bestselling premium business sedan A6’s fully changed version in South Korea on Wednesday.The all-wheel drive New Audi A6 comes in two trims: New Audi 45 TFSI Quattro and New Audi 45 TFSI Quattro Premium. Both models run on 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbocharger engines and use the seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch transmission, producing 252 horsepower and a maximum 37.7 kilogram-meters torque. Audi said it has applied its new Audi design language, upgrading A6 with sportin

MobilityOct. 23, 2019

KT&G wins top corporate governance award

South Korean tobacco manufacturer KT&G has received the top corporate governance award, the firm said Wednesday. This year’s corporate governance evaluation was reviewed by Korea Corporate Governance Service covering some 924 listed companies and financial firms. KT&G said it received top grades in the KCGS’ ESG evaluation for two consecutive years, which includes social responsibility, environmentally responsible management and governance, recognized for the high l

IndustryOct. 23, 2019

What kinds of liquid-type e-cigs are sold in Korea?

The South Korean government on Wednesday issued a “strong warning” on the use of liquid-type e-cigarettes over health concerns, drawing public attention to the different popular brands available here. There are three types of e-cigarettes sold in Korea: heat-not-burn, liquid, and a hybrid version which combines the first two types. Korea’s e-cigarette brands account for 13.5 percent of its tobacco market by sales as of June, according to government data. The total tobacco

IndustryOct. 23, 2019

Hyundai Mobis invests $50m in Velodyne for lidar development

Hyundai Mobis, a top-tier auto parts maker in South Korea, will invest $50 million in Velodyne, a leading lidar company based in California, to achieve its aim of mass producing level 3 autonomous driving lidar system in two years, the company said Wednesday.By forging the partnership, the two will collaborate on new lidar system supply by integrating Velodyne’s latest lidar sensors with Hyundai Mobis’ cognitive software, it said in a statement.Velodyne, founded by a US inventor Davi

MobilityOct. 23, 2019

Posco chief visits Argentina to inspect lithium mining site

Posco’s chief visited Argentina to check on the ongoing construction of a demonstration plant that extracts lithium collected from a local salt lake last week, the company said Wednesday.Stressing the importance of the steelmaker’s operation in the South American country for its sustainable growth, Posco Chairman Choi Jeong-woo encouraged workers to complete the project safety and maintain the sound partnership with the community, the firm said.In an intermediate survey of lithium re

MobilityOct. 23, 2019

Allies should contribute more for US troops defending their land, says US defense secretary

As defense cost-sharing negotiations between South Korea and the United States were to take place Wednesday, US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper highlighted the importance of allies sharing the burden for maintaining US forces in their countries.“I’ve said since I took office, the importance of burden-sharing from all of our allies and partners, whether it’s host nation support in Japan, whether it’s increased GDP from our European allies, the key is to help share the burd

DefenseOct. 23, 2019

S-Oil recognized for sustainable management

South Korean oil refiner S-Oil announced Wednesday it has made it on this year’s Dow Jones Sustainability Indices and has been awarded the 2019 Outstanding Companies Award handed out by the Korea Corporate Governance Service.Both DJSI and KCGS measure corporate sustainability across economic, social and environmental aspects.According to S-Oil, a total of 318 global firms were included in the 2019 DJSI World Index, and S-Oil was one of the 19 Korean firms listed. It is also the only oil re

IndustryOct. 23, 2019

[Herald Review] Old formula a double-edged sword for ‘Terminator: Dark Fate’

Pro: “Terminator: Dark Fate” is the best in the “Terminator” franchise other than the first two films, which were both amazing.Con: That’s not saying much considering what followed those two magnificent flicks.The upcoming sci-fi action film by Tim Miller packs good action, a solid message and ample story for quite some fun. The problem is that it rehashes the old formula that has been done before and better, which results in it being neither fresh nor very impressi

FilmOct. 23, 2019

[Newsmaker] Government issues ‘grave warning’ against liquid e-cigarettes

The government on Wednesday warned against using liquid e-cigarettes, or e-liquids, until health perils associated with them are better understood.“The Health and Welfare Ministry strongly recommends discontinuing the use of liquid e-cigarettes until the link between lung injuries and liquid e-cigarettes is clearly identified,” said Health Minister Park Neung-hoo in a press briefing Wednesday morning.“Teenagers and those with respiratory diseases, in particular, should stop usi

TechnologyOct. 23, 2019

South Korea hosts renewable energy conference

South Korea is hosting an international renewable energy conference this week to discuss the global climate crisis and measures to expand renewable energy use with around 3,500 participants from 108 nations. The International Renewable Energy Conference, which kicked off Wednesday in Seoul, is a biannual energy forum. The three-day event is being attended by government officials from 59 countries, including the US, Germany and China, international organizations, including the International Renew

IndustryOct. 23, 2019

Korean Air, Asiana bagged W2b from airline miles deal with commercial banks

South Korea’s two major carriers Korean Air and Asiana Airlines have received a combined 2.1 billion won ($1.79 million) from selling airline miles to commercial lenders in the past four years, Financial Supervisory Service data showed Wednesday. The data comes amid criticisms of local airlines bagging profits from mileage deals with financial institutions, despite some clients’ complaints of strict conditions and terms surrounding the use of the miles. Calls for transparency in the

MarketOct. 23, 2019

Former conglomerate chairman arrested on suspicion of sexual assaults

A South Korean business tycoon accused of sexually assaulting two women was arrested early Wednesday upon his return from the United States two years after the probe began.  Kim Jun-ki, 74, former chairman of DB Group, is suspected of sexually assaulting his personal secretary multiple times between February and July in 2017. She filed a complaint later in the year.He was also accused in early 2018 of raping a housemaid in his vacation home multiple times between February 2016 and January 2

Social AffairsOct. 23, 2019

Sweden to invite Pyongyang, US back to denuke negotiation table

Kent Rolf Magnus Harstedt, special envoy of the Swedish government to North Korea, said Wednesday morning that Sweden will suggest fresh working-level talks between Pyongyang and Washington after last month’s meeting ended without an agreement.“Now we are ready to issue invitation for them to come again. Of course it needs to happen when they are ready. But from our side we will definitely try to convince them to move on in the process to the next step,” Harstedt said at a pres

North KoreaOct. 23, 2019

Lotte founder spared jail

The prosecution announced its decision Wednesday to permit a stay of execution on health grounds for ailing Lotte Group founder Shin Kyuk-ho, who would otherwise have had to serve time in prison. The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a lower court ruling sentencing him to three years in prison and a fine of 3 billion won ($2.55 million) for dereliction of duty and embezzlement.  After the court’s decision, Shin’s lawyer requested the stay of execution, citing the 97-year-old&rsqu

Social AffairsOct. 23, 2019

PM seeks to promote dialogue with Tokyo

Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon said on Wednesday that he expects to promote dialogue with Tokyo through his meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday.Lee arrived in Tokyo on Tuesday for a three-day trip to attend the Japanese emperor’s enthronement ceremony and mend ties between Korea and Japan which have dipped to their lowest level in years over wartime history and trade restrictions. “The goal is to create an atmosphere to promote dialogue as much as possible. &helli

Foreign AffairsOct. 23, 2019

SuperM's debut album comes down to 11th on Billboard 200

K-pop band SuperM's debut album edged down to 11th on the Billboard 200 albums chart this week, after debuting at No. 1, chart results showed Wednesday. The album, "SuperM: The 1st Mini Album," topped the chart for the week of Oct. 19, making the septet the second-ever K-pop artists to conquer the chart following BTS. This week marks the second week in a row that the album has ranked high on the chart. The septet was formed in a high-profile collaboration project between South Korea's

PerformanceOct. 23, 2019

Upcoming BTS concerts in Seoul to be broadcast live

Global K-pop superband BTS' upcoming concerts in Seoul will be broadcast live in movie theaters in six Asian countries, the band's management agency said Wednesday.With three days of concerts in the band's home country, set for Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday, BTS will wrap up its latest globe-trotting concert tour, "Love Yourself: Speak Yourself." The Saturday concert will be broadcast on V Live, the live broadcasting service of the biggest South Korean internet portal, Naver, according

PerformanceOct. 23, 2019

Taiwan seeks Hong Kong help on murder suspect who triggered protests

TAIPEI (AFP) - Taiwan said Tuesday it had asked Hong Kong for help in collecting a murder suspect who has agreed to return to the island to face trial for killing his girlfriend in a case which inadvertently triggered massive democracy protests.The surprise announcement came just hours after Taipei had said it was Hong Kong's responsibility to put him on trial.Chan Tong-kai, 20, is wanted in Taiwan for the murder of his pregnant girlfriend during a holiday the two Hong Kongers took there in Febr

World NewsOct. 23, 2019

Ex-justice minister’s wife faces court hearing on arrest warrant

Chung Kyung-shim, former Justice Minister Cho Kuk’s wife, appeared at the Seoul Central District Court on Wednesday for a hearing on her arrest. She attended the hearing with her attorney. Chung faces 11 charges, including fabricating a document to support her daughter’s university application, obstructing business, insider trading, embezzlement and withholding evidence. She has denied them. Chung submitted what appeared to be a medical diagnosis to the prosecution during the previ

PoliticsOct. 23, 2019