SK Global Chemical showcases eco-friendly materials at K Show 2019

SK Global Chemical said Wednesday it is participating in a plastic and rubber trade fair in Germany to promote its packaging and automotive materials globally.According to the chemical affiliate of energy giant SK Innovation, it is taking part in this year’s K Show in Germany’s western city of Dusseldorf from Wednesday to Oct. 23.  The firm’s two key businesses are being promoted via separate booths with different themes: one-stop packaging solutions and eco-friendly, ultr

IndustryOct. 16, 2019

Crew from North Korean ship fall overboard near Japan: NHK

TOKYO (Reuters) -- Crew of a suspected North Korean ship fell overboard in the East Sea near Noto Peninsula, Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported on Wednesday, citing government sources.It was not clear if the broadcaster was referring to a member of the crew, more than one member of the crew or the vessel's entire crew. No further details were available in the NHK report. Japan's Coast Guard could not immediately confirm the report when contacted by Reuters.This month, Japan rescued about 6

North KoreaOct. 16, 2019

Defense minister meets with US Pacific Air Forces commander

Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo and US Pacific Air Forces commander Gen. Charles Brown agreed Wednesday to boost cooperation between the two countries' air forces for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, the defense ministry said Wednesday.The meeting took place in Seoul as Brown was in South Korea to attend the Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition underway at Seoul Airport in Seongnam, south of Seoul, from Tuesday to Sunday."Minister Jeong and Commander Brown s

DefenseOct. 16, 2019

[Herald Review] ‘Rambo’ series wheezes to an exhausted end in ‘Last Blood’

Old soldiers never die; they simply fade away. And old heroes die hard, leaving a bitter taste in our mouths.I always thought of the “Rambo” franchise as one of those series that went downhill after the iconic first film, and “Rambo: Last Blood” -- which seems to be the last one -- does nothing to change that. While the ’80s action by one of my childhood heroes was somewhat satisfying, it became routine a few scenes in.The film picks up where the events of the previ

FilmOct. 16, 2019

[팟캐스트] (322) 조국 이슈로 묻힌 국정감사, 빌보드 정상에 오른 슈퍼엠

진행자: 윤민식, Paul Kerry1. Cho Kuk’s resignation dominates parliamentary audit of Justice Ministry기사요약: 조국 법무부 장관의 사퇴에도 불구하고 그를 둘러싼 여야간의 정쟁은 계속되고 있다. 장관이 빠진 국정감사 기간에 야권은 그를 향한 비난 공세를 이어갔으며, 여당은 이를 "정치공세"로 규정했다.아이튠즈(아이폰): https://itunes.apple.com/kr/podcast/koliaheleoldeu-paskaeseuteu/id686406253?mt=2팟빵 (안드로이드): http://www.podbbang.com/ch/6638[1] The parliamentary audit of the Justice Ministry, held Tuesday without the minister, was dominated by political wrangling over Justice Minist

PodcastOct. 16, 2019

[Newsmaker] KBS reporters slam sexual harassment on Rhyu’s show

KBS reporters on Wednesday called on former liberal politician Rhyu Si-min to take responsibility for inappropriate remarks made by a guest on Rhyu’s YouTube show.During the live broadcast of the show “Alileo” on Tuesday, a reporter said prosecutors had leaked information about the investigation into former Justice Minister Cho Kuk’s family to a KBS reporter because they liked her.“Prosecutors spilled out everything because they liked the KBS reporter. … They

PoliticsOct. 16, 2019

[Herald Interview] Is it a go or a no for Korean bio investment?

The South Korean bio market is not faring well, or so the media here says, fanning anxiety among individual investors. But PMG Investment Solutions’ Head of Healthcare Investment Kwon Myoung-ok brushes that idea aside with a light chortle. “Failure is in the nature of biotech research and development,” Kwon said in an interview with The Korea Herald at the Korea Bio office in Pangyo, Gyeonggi Province, Tuesday. “The foreign big pharmas with 100 to 200 years of h

IndustryOct. 16, 2019

Second to top Billboard, SuperM proves K-pop’s growing potential in US

Propelled by the decadeslong expertise of K-pop powerhouse S.M. Entertainment, coupled with the distribution network of Capitol Music Group, SuperM scored a No. 1 on the main Billboard albums chart with its debut album.Billboard said on its official website Monday that the septet’s debut album, “SuperM: The 1st Mini Album,” topped the Billboard 200 for the week of Oct. 19.Until Monday, BTS had been the only K-pop music act that had topped the main Billboard albums chart, scorin

PerformanceOct. 16, 2019

Moon calls for 'better democracy,' alluding to prosecution reform

President Moon Jae-in stressed Wednesday that South Korean people are still eager for "better democracy" and urged "powerful government institutions" to care about the public's demands.He was attending a national ceremony to commemorate a historic incident in the annals of the country's democracy: the Busan-Masan Democratic Protests of 1979."Now, the people are calling for more democracy and better democracy," the president said in his speech at the ceremony to mark

PoliticsOct. 16, 2019

US House passes Hong Kong 'Democracy Act'

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- The US House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a bill sought by pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong that aims to defend civil rights in the semi-autonomous territory.The Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, which will now move to a similar vote in the Senate before it can become law, has drawn rare bipartisan support in a polarized Congress.Its passage is likely to further aggravate China which has accused "external forces" of fuelling weeks of unrest in t

World NewsOct. 16, 2019

Swedish diplomat offers glimpse into crowdless 'Korean Derby' in World Cup qualifying

If you were dying to find out more about the World Cup qualifying match between the two Koreas Tuesday evening that didn't have a live broadcast, the Twitter page for Joachim Bergstrom would have quenched your thirst.Bergstrom, Sweden's ambassador to Pyongyang, uploaded photos and videos from the scoreless draw at Kim Il-sung Stadium in the North Korean capital, played as part of Group H play in the second Asian qualifying round for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.While there were no paying spectators i

SoccerOct. 16, 2019

BOK slashes key rate to record-low 1.25%　

South Korea’s central bank on Wednesday cut the country’s key interest rate to 1.25 percent, reflecting the sluggish economic growth, low inflation and declining exports.Its second rate cut in three months -- to the lowest ever level -- is in line with the global trend toward monetary easing.“We have cut the base rate considering the lower-than-expected growth outlook and low inflation,” said Bank of Korea Gov. Lee Ju-yeol in a press conference. The BOK’s rate-setti

EconomyOct. 16, 2019

Seoul subway union, company reach deal

Unionized workers at Seoul Metro reached an agreement with the management Wednesday, effectively canceling a strike that was expected to affect public transportation in the capital.The two sides at the company that runs Seoul subway line Nos. 1 to 8 resumed talks at around 3 a.m., just hours after they walked away from the negotiating table.They dramatically reached a deal at around 8:53 a.m., just minutes before the planned strike was scheduled to start at 9 a.m. The agreement includes raising

Social AffairsOct. 16, 2019

Jobless rate hits 6-year low in September, job additions largest in 5 yrs

South Korea's jobless rate hit a six-year low in September and there were more new jobs added than at any time in the past five years, government data showed Wednesday.  The unemployment rate fell 0.5 percentage point on-year to 3.1 percent last month from a year earlier, marking the lowest level for any September since 2013, Statistics Korea said in a statement.In particular, the unemployment rate for young adults -- those aged between 15 and 29 -- declined to 7.3 percent last month from 8

EconomyOct. 16, 2019

Former consul general to Vietnam named new ambassador

Former South Korean Consul General to Vietnam Park Noh-wan was appointed its next ambassador, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said Monday. Park, currently ambassador for international relations to South Korea’s North Jeolla Province, was a minister at the South Korean Embassy in Vietnam and a counselor at South Korea’s permanent delegation to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Park replaces Kim Do-hyun as Seoul’s chief envoy to the Southeast Asian natio

Foreign AffairsOct. 16, 2019

Erdogan says Turkey 'can never declare ceasefire' in north Syria

ISTANBUL (AFP) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan dismissed a US proposal to broker a ceasefire in northern Syria and said he was not worried over US sanctions, in comments published in Turkish media Wednesday.He also said the Syrian army's entry into the flashpoint northern Syrian city of Manbij was not a "very negative" development for his country as long as the region is cleared of Syrian Kurdish fighters."They tell us 'to declare a ceasefire'. We can never declare a cea

World NewsOct. 16, 2019

US sanctions aim to make N. Korea productive at talks: Pentagon

WASHINGTON -- The United States' sanctions campaign against North Korea is intended to bring the regime to the negotiating table with a mindset to be productive and reach solutions, a senior US defense official said Tuesday.Randall Schriver, assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, made the comment at a forum discussing US relations with China, including its role in denuclearizing North Korea.Negotiators from the US and North Korea met in Sweden Oct. 5 to resume working-

North KoreaOct. 16, 2019

IMF lowers global economic growth forecast to lowest since financial crisis

The International Monetary Fund has forecast this year’s global economic growth rate at 3 percent, the lowest since the 2008 financial crisis, Seoul’s Ministry of Economy and Finance said Tuesday.It also lowered the outlook for South Korea to 2 percent, slashing 0.6 percentage point from its earlier outlook, data showed.In its World Economic Outlook Update, the IMF said that the world economy will grow 3 percent in 2019 and 3.4 percent in 2020.Its latest estimate is down 0.3 percenta

EconomyOct. 15, 2019