[Diplomatic circuit] Indian Embassy launches fifth ‘Sarang Festival’ to spread Indian culture

The Embassy of India in Seoul has launched an annual festival showcasing India’s diverse culture. The fifth edition of “Sarang: The Festival of India in the Republic of Korea” kicked off Oct. 2 and will run until Nov. 22, introducing different aspects of Indian culture including classical bharata natya dance and traditional carnatic instrumental music, as well as Indian film, art and food.“We begin tomorrow, Oct. 2, which is the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi,

Diplomatic CircuitOct. 7, 2019

[Diplomatic circuit] Korea Foundation launches Indonesia office

The Korea Foundation, a nonprofit organization under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has opened an office in Jakarta, marking its eighth overseas office aimed at promoting public diplomacy.The office in Indonesia will function as a hub for public diplomacy targeting Southeast Asian countries as part of the Moon Jae-in administration’s New Southern Policy. “Indonesia has a population of 260 million people, standing as the world’s fourth most populous country. It is the lar

Diplomatic CircuitOct. 7, 2019

[Diplomatic circuit] British Council in Korea holds dance workshop for seniors

British community-dance professional Diane Amans led a dance workshop for seniors in Yecheon, North Gyeongsang Province, at the invitation of the British Council in Korea. The event held Sept. 25 to Oct. 2 aimed to promote healthy and “creative aging” through the arts as well as to foster arts programs here tailored for the older generation.“The British Council in Korea has held a number of arts projects by inviting UK professionals to share their inclusive approaches to arts.

Diplomatic CircuitOct. 7, 2019

LG Electronics reports largest-ever 3Q sales

LG Electronics said Monday it posted its largest-ever third-quarter sales this year, as it released its preliminary guidance for its third-quarter earnings. LG is forecast to post 15.69 trillion won in sales and 781.1 billion won in operating profit for the period between July and September, the company said.  The sales and operating profit both are expected to increase 1.8 percent and 4.3 percent, respectively, from the same period last year. The third-quarter sales marked the greatest amo

TechnologyOct. 7, 2019

Samsung to fund W33b for research on future tech

Samsung Electronics said Monday it will dole out 33 billion won ($27.6 million) for academic research projects on future technologies in the fields of basic science, materials and information communications technology. The South Korean tech giant will support 26 research projects, including seven in basic science, 10 in material technology and nine related to ICT. In basic science, Samsung will offer funds for discovering treatments for brain tumors and theorization for quantum optics, it said.I

TechnologyOct. 7, 2019

Baroque music with French flair to grace stage in October

Two Francophone Baroque music ensembles will go onstage here this month. One of the groups, Les Arts Florissants, is a French ensemble founded in 1979 by William Christie. It is credited with efforts to revive 17th to mid-18th century European music. Christie, a conductor and harpsichordist, is often referred to as “a pioneer in the rediscovery of Baroque music” in France, introducing lesser-known French Baroque music pieces. On Oct. 17, the ensemble will present Handel’s

PerformanceOct. 7, 2019

Financial watchdog to audit Shinhan for irregularities

South Korea’s financial watchdog said Monday it will start a comprehensive audit of Shinhan Financial Group and its commercial banking unit this month. According to a Shinhan Bank spokesperson, the Financial Supervisory Service sent a request last month for documents, ahead of a change in management next year.  “We have received a request for a comprehensive inspection from the FSS slated around the end of the month,” the spokesperson told The Korea Herald, without elabora

MarketOct. 7, 2019

Retail investors’ short selling is lackluster despite govt. efforts

Retail investors’ short selling transactions in the third quarter accounted for merely 1 percent of the total transaction volume, according to Korea Exchange data Monday.Short selling is a high-risk trading strategy when investors borrow shares to sell them on the market, in order to buy them back later at a lower price. The investors hope to profit by returning them to the lender at a later date. According to the nation’s main bourse operator, short selling by retail investors

MarketOct. 7, 2019

North Korea says future of nuclear talks depends on US

North Korea said Monday that it is up to the US to decide whether to hold follow-up nuclear talks with the regime, warning unpreparedness could lead to “terrible consequences” after claiming their working-level meeting in Sweden had broken down. Resorting to harsh language, North Korea’s top nuclear envoy Kim Myong-gil expressed his frustration at not making progress during his meeting with the US delegation -- headed by US Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun

North KoreaOct. 7, 2019

[Herald Interview] ‘Korea should stop funding coal power in Indonesia’

While South Korea has vowed to phase out fossil fuels and turn to clean energy to combat climate change and air pollution, it is supporting coal-fired power plants elsewhere -- like in Indonesia.The government is virtually contributing to environmental damage as well as corruption in Indonesia by financially supporting Korean companies that are building coal-fired power plants there, according to an environmental activist. 　“The land has been contaminated so much that we cannot plant fruit

Social AffairsOct. 7, 2019

Medytox says its BTX forms spores too

Medytox on Monday said its botulinum toxin (BTX) strain formed spores when tested according to the Daewoong Pharmaceutical way, in yet another turn amid the ongoing legal battle between the two firms.Medytox alleges Daewoong stole its BTX strain and trade-secret separation and purification method through a former Medytox employee who joined Daewoong.The firms have ongoing suits in Korea and the US. Daewoong’s BTX Nabota is making inroads to the US and Europe, under the names Jeuveau and Nu

IndustryOct. 7, 2019

Typhoon Hagibis rapidly gains strength; impact on Korea uncertain

Typhoon Hagibis, which is rapidly gaining strength, is forecast to batter Japan and potentially impact South Korea over the weekend, the weather agency said Monday.The typhoon originated 1,450 kilometers east of Guam in the western Pacific Ocean around 3 a.m. Sunday. It has been spotted moving west-northwestward at 26 kilometers per hour in waters some 430 kilometers from Guam, according to the Korea Meteorological Agency. The midsize storm has a central pressure of 945 hectopascals, a maximum w

Social AffairsOct. 7, 2019

Nuclear plant operator remains vulnerable to cyberattack: lawmaker

　Cyberattacks targeting South Korea’s nuclear plant operators have occurred constantly over the past decade, with the number of hacking attempts during the period reaching more than 1,300, a lawmaker said Monday. 　According to Rep. Shin Yong-hyeon from the minor Bareunmirae Party, there have been 1,366 hacking attempts against Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power since 2012. KHNP is the country’s largest electric power company, managing nuclear and hydro plants across the country. 　By cat

TechnologyOct. 7, 2019

[Newsmaker] Entire North Korean crew of fishing boat that collided with

All of the roughly 60 North Korean crew on board a fishing boat that sank after colliding with a Japanese patrol ship in the East Sea early Monday were rescued, Japanese media said. The collision took place at around 9 a.m. in waters some 350 kilometers northwest of the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture, NHK and Kyodo News reported. As the fishing boat began to sink, the North Korean crew jumped into the water before Japanese patrol and maritime safety authorities arrived alongside the vesse

North KoreaOct. 7, 2019

Dodgers' Ryu Hyun-jin wins NLDS Game 3 behind offensive outburst

With more than a little help from his friends in the lineup, Los Angeles Dodgers' South Korean left-hander Ryu Hyun-jin picked up his third career postseason victory over the Washington Nationals on the road Sunday.Ryu was the winning pitcher in the Dodgers' 10-4, come-from-behind victory in Game 3 of the National League Division Series at Nationals Park in Washington. The Dodgers now lead the best-of-five series 2-1 and have a chance to close out the Nationals Monday night.Ryu gave up two earne

BaseballOct. 7, 2019

Seoul city to expand free Wi-Fi network by 2022

The siblings in Korean director Bong Joon-ho's Cannes-winning film "Parasite" may not have to squat down in their basement-level apartment looking for Wi-Fi signal anymore.That is if they go out to a nearby park, parking lot or public facility to use the free Wi-Fi provided by the Seoul city government.The government on Monday announced plans to expand its Wi-Fi network across the city by 2022, providing free Wi-Fi service to Seoul residents and visitors.With the move, the metropolitan

Social AffairsOct. 7, 2019

Korea's 'Mr. Sunshine' wins top TV drama award at Busan film festival

"Mr. Sunshine," a South Korean TV drama about the country's resistance movement against Japanese colonialists, has won the top prize at the inaugural Asian Content Awards of the Busan International Film Festival.The awards were created to recognize Asia's outstanding TV and streaming series that aired within the past five years. The awards ceremony was held Sunday as part of the film festival under way in the southern port city from last Thursday to this coming Saturday. Kim Yong-

FilmOct. 7, 2019

Ministry says it appears hard to send cheering squad for World Cup match in Pyongyang

The unification ministry said Monday it appears to be difficult to send a cheering squad for an inter-Korean World Cup qualifier to be held in Pyongyang next week as the North has not responded to an offer for talks on the matter.North Korea is to host the match between the two Koreas in Pyongyang on Oct. 15. South Korea has been sounding North Korea out about Seoul's push to send a cheering squad in an effort to use the sports event to move the stalled reconciliation process forward. "Thou

Social AffairsOct. 7, 2019

Actors of new 'Terminator' film to visit Seoul this month

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton, the leading actors of "Terminator: Dark Fate," will visit South Korea this month to promote the new American science-fiction action film ahead of its imminent release in the country, its local distributor said Monday.According to Walt Disney Company Korea, the two actors will attend an Asian press junket in Seoul on Oct. 21-22, which will attract reporters from 11 Asian countries, including Japan, Taiwan, India and Singapore. South Korea has be

FilmOct. 7, 2019

Defense chief to visit Oman for ministerial talks this week

Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo was set to leave for Oman on Monday for talks with his counterpart about ways to boost cooperation in defense and arms industry fields, his office said.During his two-day visit, Jeong plans to meet with his Omani counterpart, Sayyid Badr bin Saud, and sign a memorandum of understanding on defense cooperation between the two countries, according to the Seoul ministry. The minister is also scheduled to visit the Cheonghae Unit, a 300-strong South Korean contingent

DefenseOct. 7, 2019