Hyodo, fried chicken contender with plenty up its sleeve

Korean fried chicken can be easily found most anywhere in Seoul. So when Kim San -- who was racking up experience at a Michelin-starred restaurant at the time -- was offered a chance to take a stab at an already saturated, highly competitive market, one might wonder why he didn’t hesitate. Perhaps it was because he had been waiting for a moment like this, building up experience at prominent restaurants known for their cerebral eats, all the while dreaming of taking his skills and parlaying

FoodSept. 20, 2019

[Weekender] Top repurposed spaces in Seoul

Seoul is keen on repurposing and reinventing city infrastructure, embracing adaptive reuse as an innovative way of unlocking the hidden potential in old buildings, warehouses and factories. According to real estate consultancy Cushman & Wakefield, this trend of transforming old industrial factories and warehouses into new, hip cultural spaces is still very much popular for developers and consumers alike in Seoul, and is spreading to other aged pockets of the city. Here are some of the inspir

Arts & DesignSept. 20, 2019

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

1. Everland’s ‘Blood City’ Halloween festivalEverland theme park is holding the latest edition of its zombie-themed Halloween festival “Blood City” until Nov. 17.Parts of the park feature a horror theme, with around 100 staff dressed as zombies, clowns and monsters. Performances and photo spots are available, including at the recently unveiled Raptor Ranger attraction. Some of the most popular attractions, including the T-Express, have a horror theme as well.For mor

TravelSept. 20, 2019

[Weekender] Bank branches reinvented

As banking goes mobile, retail banks are trying to figure out what to do with their increasingly empty branches. One idea is to give customers more reasons to stop by, like a cup of Paul Bassett coffee, a Krispy Kreme doughnut or a chance to browse through some new books. Woori Bank, one of South Korea’s three major retail banks along with Kookmin and Shinhan, was the first to sublet space in its branch to a retail business in 2016, opening up a corner of its branch in Seoul’s Ichon-

CultureSept. 20, 2019

S. Korea named illegal fishing country by US

The United States made a preliminary decision on Thursday to designate South Korea as a country that engages in illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, calling on Asia's fourth-largest economy to adopt tougher regulations.In a biennial report to Congress, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said it is identifying South Korea for "failing to apply sufficient sanctions to deter its vessels from engaging in fishing activities that violate conservation and management me

PoliticsSept. 20, 2019

Trump says 'new method' may be good for NK talks

US President Donald Trump has suggested that a "new method" could help break the impasse in denuclearization negotiations with North Korea.Trump made the remark to reporters Wednesday as he criticized former National Security Adviser John Bolton for advocating the "Libyan model" in talks with the North. The Libya model calls for North Korea to unilaterally dismantle its nuclear weapons program before receiving any concessions in return and has incurred the wrath of Pyongyang,

North KoreaSept. 20, 2019

OECD cuts growth outlook for S. Korea to 2.1 percent

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on Thursday slashed its growth outlook for South Korea's economy this year to 2.1 percent amid a slowdown in global trade.The OECD's interim outlook represented a drop from its previous forecast of 2.4 percent in May. It said the South Korean economy would grow 2.3 percent in 2020, also slower than its previous forecast of 2.5 percent.Growth in South Korea "has moderated by more than expected this year, in part due to persiste

EconomySept. 19, 2019

GM Korea union to launch partial strikes over wages

Unionized workers at GM Korea Co. will stage partial strikes as wage negotiations stalled, the union said Thursday.GM Korea's union will strike for eight hours on Friday and then for six hours per day from Sept. 24-27 and will decide afterwards whether to continue strikes, the union said in a statement."We had a meeting with company officials, including President and CEO Kaher Kazem, but the company only said they will make efforts to accept our demands without giving any concrete time fram

MobilitySept. 19, 2019

[Graphic News] S. Korean beer imports from Japan plunge 97%

　South Korean imports of Japanese beer slumped almost to zero last month in the face of a consumer boycott sparked by a bitter trade and historical dispute between Seoul and Tokyo, data showed.　Japanese companies shipped $223,000 worth of beer to South Korea in August, figures from the Korea Trade Statistics Promotion Institute showed - down 97 percent from $7.57 million last year.　Before the trade spat Japanese beer had long been South Koreans' favorite alternative to their country’s own

BusinessSept. 19, 2019

S. Korea’s top nuclear envoy calls for flexibility in upcoming US-NK negotiations

South Korea’s top nuclear negotiator on Thursday called on the US and North Korea to take a flexible approach to achieve substantial progress ahead of their upcoming denuclearization talks. “To keep the dialogue momentum (between the US and North Korea) alive and make substantial progress, they have to take a flexible approach,” Lee Do-hoon, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told reporters at Incheon Airpo

Foreign AffairsSept. 19, 2019

S. Korea, Japan to hold working-level talks

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry announced Thursday that an official handling Asia-Pacific affairs will visit Japan to meet his counterpart amid mounting tensions between the two countries. Kim Jung-han, director general for Asian and Pacific Affairs at Seoul’s Foreign Ministry, will meet Shigeki Takizaki to discuss matters of mutual interest, the ministry said in a press release.  This is Kim’s first one-on-one meeting with Takizaki, who replaced Kenji Kanasugi as head of J

Foreign AffairsSept. 19, 2019

[News Focus] Look into Samsung-LG 8K TV spat

The war of words between Samsung and LG Electronics over the picture quality of their 8K TVs, undermining each other’s technological prowess, has baffled South Korean consumers.In their latest spat, the most often used term is CM, or contrast modulation, the level of distinction between the luminance of white and black colors on a screen. A higher CM leads to a clearer distinction between the colors, producing sharper images.LG first raised the issue at IFA -- the world‘s leading tra

TechnologySept. 19, 2019

Kaan show attracts Pattaya visitors

Pattaya on the eastern coast of the Gulf of Thailand may be better known for its nightlife and water sports. But the city also offers the Kaan show, a theatrical experience that combines live-action and cinema, stage performance and advanced technologies. The 60-minute show is inspired by classic Thai literature. It features more than 90 actors performing magic supported by production staff with international experience, advanced technologies and a state-of-the-art audiovisual system. 

CultureSept. 19, 2019

Posco backs startups in Pohang, Gwangyang

South Korean steelmaker Posco said Thursday it has launched a startup committee to foster companies in the cities of Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, and Gwangyang, South Jeolla Province, and to enhance communication among startups, regional governments and agencies. The committee, which comprises 197 startups, is supported by 17 regional governments and organizations, including the Research Institute of Industrial Science & Technology, Postech and Techno Parks. It plans to periodical

IndustrySept. 19, 2019

SNU professor to head Korea Foundation

Lee Geun, a professor at Seoul National University, was named president of the Korea Foundation, a nonprofit public diplomacy organization under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thursday. He replaces Lee Si-hyung, and his three-year term is renewable once. The new president served as a professor of International Relations at the Graduate School of International Studies. He was also vice president and dean of the SNU Office of International Affairs, in addition to being a policy adviser

Foreign AffairsSept. 19, 2019

[REVIEW] Seventeen’s ‘Ode to You’ rattles Seoul with unwavering love for fans

Over the last few years, fans have learned that Seventeen always goes above and beyond when it comes to them. In a familiar scene at K-pop concerts, when Seventeen said “jump,” the crowds jumped. When it requested screams, they offered frenzied roars. But that’s not all that made the 3 1/2 hour concert one of the best shows of this year so far. Kicking off Seventeen’s “Ode to You” world tour, the concert took place at the KSPO Dome in Seoul on Aug. 31, the sec

K-popSept. 19, 2019

[Newsmaker] Gwanghwamun restructuring put on hold in face of strong opposition

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Thursday its plan to restructure Gwanghwamun Square would be put on hold to gather public opinion in the wake of opposition from the relevant ministry and some civic groups. However, the government still plans to restructure the current square, which has been compared to an isolated, gigantic traffic island, but it will revisit the current blueprint and take more time to draw up a final scheme to reflect public opinion, Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon said.&ldquo

Social AffairsSept. 19, 2019

Seoul to host international legal conference next week

The International Bar Association Annual Conference is slated to start Monday at Coex in southern Seoul.Around 6,000 lawyers from 131 countries will attend the six-day legal forum, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government. During the 264 sessions, speakers will address barriers to diversity in the legal profession, including sexual harassment and bullying. The sessions will also provide a forum to discuss finding solutions to a variety of problems facing modern society, such as the refugee

Social AffairsSept. 19, 2019

[David Ignatius] What will come of HK's protests?

As tens of thousands of protesters marched down Hennessy Road toward government headquarters Sunday afternoon, chanting pro-democracy slogans and waving American flags, it was an exuberant celebration of this territory’s yearning for freedom.The protesters seemed mindless of the danger: Men and women, young and old, ninja-clad teenagers and moms with their kids, all joined in the 15th straight weekend of protest. A doctor at a local hospital, a 56-year-old schoolteacher and a 19-year-old g

ViewpointsSept. 19, 2019