Tune in for peace on the peninsula ... hopefully

PAJU, Gyeonggi Province -- “Tracks: To Pyeongyang” inscribed on signs at Dorasan Station was both a symbol of hope for peace on the Korean Peninsula and a reminder that it has yet to come.Just a stone’s throw away from the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone, the station currently serves merely as an arrival spot for peace-themed tourism to the de facto border between the two Koreas. But its facilities and location means it could potentially serve as an international train sto

CultureSept. 9, 2019

Smart speaker privacy concerns spread to Korea

With Google, Amazon and Apple in hot water for enabling their artificial intelligence speakers to collect recordings of users’ voice commands, similar incidents are now occurring in South Korea, where the country’s tech giants have been found gathering personal dialogue with their speakers. Naver and Kakao admitted last week that their AI-based interfaces have been collecting users’ audio data and converting it to written files. Such processes were also found to have been condu

TechnologySept. 9, 2019

[Graphic News] Nearly half of S. Korean population to be aged 65 or older by 2067

　The proportion of people in South Korea aged 65 years or older could increase sharply amid a rapidly aging population, the country’s statistics agency said.　Statistics Korea forecast that the country’s population is likely to fall to 39 million in 2067, sharply down from 51.7 million in 2019. It said people aged 65 years or older could account for 46.5 percent of the country’s population, which marks a sharp rise from the current 14.9 percent.　In comparison, the world’s

Social AffairsSept. 9, 2019

World Energy Council chair urges for innovative energy tech

World Energy Council Chairman Younghoon David Kim highlighted that innovative technologies are key to fostering the future development of the energy industry and resolving current crises like climate change during the 24th World Energy Congress that kicked off Monday. Hosted by the World Energy Council, the four-day event is being held in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, under the theme of “Energy for Prosperity.” It is being attended by about 15,000 people from the energy sector

IndustrySept. 9, 2019

Kangwon Land casino tops Kakao’s list of tourist destination search terms

Where in Seoul is it hardest to get a taxi? Which tourist destinations do users type in most frequently when searching a navigation app? South Korea’s Kakao has come up with answers to readers’ burning questions about Koreans’ mobility habits.Kakao’s mobility affiliate, Kakao Mobility, announced the publication on Monday of the “2019 Kakao Mobility Report,” produced by analyzing user data from its various mobility apps. Kakao Mobility has published the annual

TechnologySept. 9, 2019

Korea Art Week seeks to reach out to public

Korea Art Week 2019 aims to reach a broader audience this year, with a larger number of participants from both the private and public art sectors. Organized by the Culture Ministry’s Korea Arts Management Service, the weeklong event from Sept. 25 to Oct. 9 promotes local exhibitions and art markets.  Marking its fifth edition, Korea Art Week will involve some 250 public and private art museums and nonprofit exhibition spaces around the country, a large increase from the 180 that parti

Arts & DesignSept. 9, 2019

[Announcement] Herald Design Forum 2019

Herald Design Forum 2019 will be held on Oct. 10 at Grand Hyatt Seoul, under the theme “Do We Need Another Planet?”The forum, which celebrates its ninth anniversary this year, has invited internationally recognized designers, artists and scientists to discuss issues related to ecology and the environment, as well as future prospects. A keynote speech by actress Gong Hyo-jin, an environmental activist who leads a local upcycling project, “Super Magic Factory,” will op

Arts & DesignSept. 9, 2019

Drug smuggling in Korea doubles in 2018: data

The amount of illegal drugs confiscated by the South Korean investigative authorities doubled over the year in 2018, according to prosecution figures released on Monday.The prosecution seized a total of 517.2 kilogram narcotics last year, a 99.8 percent jump from 258.9 kg in 2017, a report released by the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office showed.  The report showed that the amount of drugs smuggled increased as more suppliers inside Korea have become involved in international drug trade, sn

Social AffairsSept. 9, 2019

Galaxy Fold sailing smoothly toward new foldable market

Samsung Electronics’ limited edition strategy for the Galaxy Fold is turning out to be working effectively by accurately targeting consumers’ penchant for rarity, according to industry sources Monday. After the first batch of the world’s first 7.3-inch foldable device was sold out on Thursday and Friday, there are an increasing number of Koreans who are seeking ways to get the limited phone online. On online communities where people trade second-hand products, there were posts

TechnologySept. 9, 2019

[Herald Review] Yo-Yo Ma ‘saves’ Korea with Bach’s cello suites

On Sunday, Chinese American cellist Yo-Yo Ma delivered his message of “I want Bach to save the world” to the Seoul audience. Ma, 64, performed J.S. Bach’s six cello suites for solo cello as part of the Credia Park Concert at Jamsil in eastern Seoul, playing all 36 movements without an intermission in a 150-minute concert.The Bach Project began in August 2018 and has spread across 36 cities on six continents over a period of two years. “I want Bach to save the world,&rdquo

PerformanceSept. 9, 2019

Scent of mugwort fills Andaz Seoul

Global hotel chain Hyatt’s luxury lifestyle hotel brand Andaz opened its first property, Andaz Seoul Gangnam, in Apgujeong-dong, southern Seoul, Friday. According to the hotel, Andaz, meaning “personal style” in Hindi, hopes to overcome the stereotypes of a luxury hotel and respect the individuality of each guest and service staff member.  The 241-room hotel is Andaz’s 21st in the world and its fourth in Asia -- the others are in Tokyo, Shanghai and Singapore. The h

TravelSept. 9, 2019

US coaxing, pressuring N. Korea for talks

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Sunday that the US is hopeful that its nuclear talks with North Korea will resume within days or weeks, while the US Congress and other officials warned that other countries in the region may seek nuclear armament if Pyongyang fails to denuclearize. In an interview with ABC, Pompeo made a fresh call to restart working-level dialogue. Washington has repeated calls for the resumption of dialogue, to which Pyongyang has been lukewarm in responding. US Presiden

North KoreaSept. 9, 2019

[Herald Interview] New Busan-Jinhae FEZ chief seeks paradigm shift

For the past 15 years, the Busan-Jinhae Free Economic Zone in South Gyeongsang Province has succeeded in developing infrastructure and creating a suitable business environment for investors. And now is the time to seek a paradigm shift by nurturing innovative technologies and easing regulations for the growth of new industries, its new chief said. In an interview with The Korea Herald, BJFEZ Commissioner Ha Sung-cheol said he seeks to attract companies specialized in manufacturing high value-add

IndustrySept. 9, 2019

[Joe Nocera] Trump administration playing dirty with automakers

The sad degradation of the US Department of Justice’s antitrust division continues. An agency charged with upholding the nation’s antitrust laws, without fear or favor, has become just another tool President Donald Trump uses to reward his friends and punish his enemies in corporate America.I don’t know how else you can characterize the news, reported by the Wall Street Journal on Friday, that the DOJ is investigating four major automakers that agreed to abide by California&rsq

ViewpointsSept. 9, 2019

[Adam Minter] Time to regulate outer space

Last week, the European Space Agency reached out to warn Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies that one of its satellites might collide with a SpaceX communications satellite. When ESA first raised such concerns in late August, the chances of a crash were 1 in 50,000; SpaceX had said then that it didn’t think the risk was high enough to justify action. Now the odds had narrowed to 1 in 1,000. Yet ESA received no reply.Eventually the space agency unilaterally moved its satellite

ViewpointsSept. 9, 2019

Short films to be produced to promote S. Korea’s image

Three young directors will create short films that will depict unique aspects of South Korea, in a bid by the government to provide a fresh new image of the country to the outside world.According to the Korean Culture and Information Service, an affiliate of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, directors Oh Seung-yoon, Lee Dong-eun and Shin Su-won will participate in the joint project of creating a three-part omnibus.  Oh, whose most notable works include 2018 animation film “

CultureSept. 9, 2019

[News Focus] Seoul apartment prices keep skyrocketing since 2017

SEJONG -- A large portion of online commenters say that the Moon Jae-in government should be held accountable for letting housing prices spiral out of control since taking office in May 2017.A variety of data showed that Seoul apartment prices climbed sharply between 2017 and 2018, compared to figures during past administrations.In 2012, apartment prices in Seoul posted the negative growth of 6.1 percent on-year, hit by the subprime mortgage fiasco in the US and the global financial crisis.Figur

EconomySept. 9, 2019

8 firms fined 3.1 bln won over price fixing

South Korea's antitrust regulator said Monday it has fined eight logistics companies a combined 3.1 billion won ($2.6 million) for colluding to fix their bidding prices for a state-run utility firm and its three power generation units.Hanjin Transportation Co., CJ Logistics Corp. and six other logistics companies fixed their bids on 10 occasions between 2011 and 2016 to secure a stable quantity of goods for transportation from Korea Electric Power Corp. and avoid price competition, according to

MarketSept. 9, 2019

S. Korea recovering from typhoon amid new torrential rain warning

South Korea is making all-out efforts Monday to recover from the damage incurred by Typhoon Lingling that smashed the Korean Peninsula over the weekend, which killed three, injured 24 others and damaged more than 9,400 facilities. To make things worse, a new torrential rain warning, issued nationwide following the retreat of the typhoon, is feared to slow the recovery work and cause additional damage.  According to the interior ministry, Lingling, whose winds were the fifth strongest ever r

Social AffairsSept. 9, 2019