Cabinet okays extension of troop dispatch to UAE, waters

South Korea's Cabinet approved a pair of motions Tuesday to extend the missions of military units operating in waters off Somalia and the United Arab Emirates.In the session, chaired by President Moon Jae-in, Cabinet members agreed to lengthen the troop dispatch by another year through Dec. 31, 2020, according to Cheong Wa Dae.South Korea sent the 300-strong Cheonghae Unit to the Gulf of Aden in 2009 to help fight against piracy. Separately, around 140 special forces have been stationed in the U

PoliticsOct. 8, 2019

[Kim Seong-kon] ‘Seoul: Winter 1964’ vs. winter in 2019

In his epoch-making short story, “Seoul: Winter 1964,” novelist Kim Seung-ok brilliantly renders the bleak landscape of Seoul in the mid-Sixties when Koreans had to suffer the ruthless military dictatorship and dehumanization caused by rapid industrialization. At that time, people had to struggle with a suffocating reality every day, embedded with tyranny and poverty. So people liked to drop by a street liquor stall, warming up their bodies with alcohol, and tried to forget their mis

ViewpointsOct. 8, 2019

[Robert J. Fouser] Consequences of Trump’s impeachment

The Korean expression “what was bound to come has arrived” best describes the current political situation in the US. It was only a matter of time before the Democratic controlled House of Representatives moved to impeach President Donald Trump.Evidence that Trump appeared to be pressuring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden’s son Hunter caused the dam in favor of impeachment to burst. Biden has long been considered the strongest

ViewpointsOct. 8, 2019

Hangeul celebrated on its birthday

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will hold a wide range of events Wednesday to celebrate the 573rd Hangeul Day in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul.Hangeul is the writing system for the Korean language, consisting of 24 letters. King Sejong the Great (1397-1450) led the invention with a team of scholars and Hangeul was promulgated in 1446.  This year’s event, “Hangeul Opens the World” (unofficial translation), is expected to attract more than 10,000 attendees -- studen

CultureOct. 8, 2019

[Photo News] Wolmi Sea Train kicks off

The Wolmi Sea Train service’s two-car monorail leaves Wolmi Park Entrance Station in Jung-gu, Incheon, Tuesday. The longest tourist monorail service in South Korea, which went into service Tuesday, will run a 6.1-kilometer section along four stations throughout Wolmi Island. The train can carry up to 46 passengers per ride and the entire route takes 35 minutes. The fare is set at 8,000 won ($6.70) for adults and 5,000 won for children.

Social AffairsOct. 8, 2019

[News analysis] North Korea needs to back down for nuke talks to yield results: experts

Neither North Korea nor the US adopted a new stance at their recent working-level denuclearization talks, and the road ahead appears rough unless the North comes to the table with substantial concessions, experts said. North Korea said Sunday’s talks with US counterparts in Sweden had “not fulfilled our expectations and broke down,” blaming Washington for not coming up with a new approach to negotiations.The US State Department called the talks, meant to end a stalemate on the

North KoreaOct. 8, 2019

Samsung hints at recovery in demand for memory chips, forecasts robust Q3 earnings

Samsung Electronics on Tuesday hinted at a recovery in the memory chip market, as it released its preliminary guidance for third-quarter earnings. Vice Chairman and CEO Kim Ki-nam said he foresees various signs that a recovery in the memory chip market is around the corner. “There are various signals related to the market recovery,” the chief of Samsung’s semiconductors division told The Korea Herald as he arrived at Coex in southern Seoul to attend the Korea Electronics Show 2

TechnologyOct. 8, 2019

[News brief] 8 in 10 retired public officials reemployed in senior posts

Almost 80 percent of retired senior government officials were reemployed in other high-ranking positions in the last 4 1/2 years, data from the Ministry of Personnel Management showed. Of the 1,030 high-ranking retirees who applied for the review of reemployment with the Ministry of Personnel Management for positions in related public and private organizations between 2015 and June this year, 813 were employed, according to data obtained by Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Kim Min-ki and prese

Social AffairsOct. 8, 2019

KITA holds Korea-Germany tech conference

The Korea International Trade Association on Tuesday held a seminar on technological cooperation between Germany and Korea to explore ways to improve the competitiveness of the materials, parts and equipment industries, in response to growing uncertainty in the global trade market. Over 150 participants from Korean and German companies and research organizations joined the event to seek breakthroughs through supply chain diversification and technology exchanges amid an uncertain trade market due

IndustryOct. 8, 2019

Moon calls for speeding up industrial reforms

President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday urged for speeding up plans to strengthen the country’s industrial structure, and called for the swift passage of economy-related bills in the National Assembly. Speaking at a Cabinet meeting, Moon emphasized that related measures must be executed quickly, saying that while the government and the private sector have responded well to Japan’s recent export control measures, more needs to be done. “If it becomes a turning point to fundamental

PoliticsOct. 8, 2019

S. Korea's JCS chief vows stern responses to any violation

Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Park Han-ki on Tuesday vowed stern responses to any violations by Japan of South Korea's airspace over the easternmost islets of Dokdo."Should Japanese warplanes violate our airspace over Dokdo, we will take stern countermeasures as far as related law allows and in accordance with our manuals," Park said in an answer to lawmakers' questions during a parliamentary audit. Any violation by Japan of the airspace over Dokdo would be considered intentional

DefenseOct. 8, 2019

Hyundai Card prepares for possible IPO

Hyundai Card, the credit card unit of Hyundai Motor Group, is seeking underwriters and advisers for a proposed initial public offering, its spokesperson said Tuesday. “We have approached domestic and foreign financial institutions as part of the listing process,” the firm’s spokesperson Ha Young-jin told The Korea Herald.  “But right now it’s difficult to say whether we will proceed with the plan. An IPO would be an opportunity to expand our capital and bolster

MarketOct. 8, 2019

S. Korea calls for successful replenishment of green climate fund

South Korea on Tuesday called for a successful replenishment of the UN Green Climate Fund to better deal with climate change.The fund -- launched in 2010 -- aims to channel money from industrialized nations to developing countries to help them tackle climate change-related problems.The fund has so far received $7 billion from about 40 countries, including South Korea and the United States. South Korea contributed $100 million to the fund. "The expansion of public finances and a successful r

InternationalOct. 8, 2019

[News brief] 55 percent of the time, teachers who accept bribes don’t get fired

Between 2014 and 2018, an average of 30 schoolteachers were punished every year for taking bribes, according to Education Ministry data obtained by a Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker and presented to the National Assembly’s education committee Tuesday.Of the 151 teachers caught taking bribes during those years, more than half were allowed to continue teaching. The bribes were worth 1.34 billion won ($1.12 million) altogether, or 8.9 million won on average in each case, and took the form

Social AffairsOct. 8, 2019

BOK chief says economic slump may last but depends on US-China dispute

The ongoing slump facing South Korea and the rest of the world is widely expected to continue for some time, but the duration and degree of its impact will largely depend on how the trade conflict between the world's two largest economies will end, the chief of South Korea's central bank said Tuesday."The growth of the global economy is slowing down," Bank of Korea Gov. Lee Ju-yeol told the parliamentary finance committee at the start of its annual audit. "Such a slowdown is expec

EconomyOct. 8, 2019

UN grants sanctions waivers for equipment needed for World Cup qualifier in Pyongyang

The United Nations has granted sanctions waivers for equipment to be brought into North Korea for next week's inter-Korean World Cup qualifier in Pyongyang, a unification ministry official said Tuesday."We know that the issue of UN sanctions exemptions necessary for the game and athletes' trips (to North Korea) were resolved last week in accordance with customary procedures," the official told reporters.The official, however, did not provide information on what and how many items have

North KoreaOct. 8, 2019

Justice minister's wife grilled over corruption allegations

Prosecutors summoned the wife of Justice Minister Cho Kuk for the third time Tuesday as part of its widening investigation into corruption allegations surrounding his family.His wife, a professor surnamed Chung, faces allegations that she forged a college presidential citation to help her daughter gain admission to medical school and about her family's dubious investment in a private equity fund (PEF).The prosecution called her in a closed-door manner without her being exposed to the media, like

Social AffairsOct. 8, 2019

[Newsmaker] Democratic Party to bring opposition lawmaker to ethics panel for swearing

Democratic Party Floor Leader Lee In-young said Tuesday the ruling party will refer an opposition lawmaker to the parliamentary ethics committee for alleged intervention in ongoing probes and the use of abusive language. Rep. Yeo Sang-kyoo of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party, who chairs the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee, said Monday the prosecution should not deal with the case of a physical standoff in parliament, in which he was involved.In April, Liberty

PoliticsOct. 8, 2019

[News Focus] Hog-raising industry alarmed by spread of swine fever

SEJONG -- It is now close to one month since the nation’s first case of African swine fever was confirmed in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, on Sept. 17.The number of outbreaks of the deadly animal virus came to 13 as of 4 p.m., Oct. 8 -- eight in Gyeonggi Province and five in Incheon. All the affected regions are close to the inter-Korean border: Paju, Gyeonggi Province, with five cases; Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province, with one case; Ganghwa County, Incheon, with five cases; and Gimpo, Gyeong

Social AffairsOct. 8, 2019