N. Korea gives no advance notice of SLBM test to intl. agency

North Korea failed to give prior notice to the international maritime body ahead of testing a mid-range submarine-launched ballistic missile this week, the Voice of America reported Thursday.On Wednesday, North Korea fired what it claimed as the "new-type SLBM Pukguksong-3" SLBM in waters off its eastern coast town of Wonsan, according to the North's Korean Central News Agency. The missile flew around 450 kilometers at a maximum altitude of about 910 km, according to Seoul's Joint Chie

North KoreaOct. 3, 2019

S. Korea, US, Japan agree to address mutual security concerns

The chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of South Korea, the United States and Japan agreed to address mutual security concerns during their meeting in Washington this week, the US JCS said Wednesday.The trilateral meeting on Tuesday -- involving South Korea's JCS Chairman Gen. Park Han-ki and his US and Japanese counterparts, Gen. Mark Milley and Gen. Koji Yamazaki -- came amid tensions over Seoul's decision to pull out of a military intelligence-sharing pact with Tokyo.The talks were arranged

DefenseOct. 3, 2019

Adorable monsters to decorate Seoul lake

First came a rubber duck. Then came a supermoon, a pair of swans and a human-shaped figure. This year, it's going to be a group of monsters that shimmer under moonlight.South Korean retail conglomerate Lotte and the Songpa Ward office said Thursday that gigantic figures of Seoul-based creative studio Sticky Monster Lab will decorate Seokchon Lake in southeastern Seoul from Oct. 3-27.The exhibition, called the Luna Project, is the latest in a series of larger-than-life figures that have decorated

CultureOct. 3, 2019

Busan film festival set to kick off 24th edition

The Busan International Film Festival will open its 24th edition in the southern port city of Busan on Thursday, filled with more than 300 worthwhile movies and various intriguing programs.Starting with the opening ceremony to be held at the Busan Cinema Center in the city, located 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul, the festival will kick off its 10-day run. The ceremony will be co-hosted by South Korean actor Jung Woo-sung and actress Lee Hanee. "The Horse Thieves. Roads of Time," a K

FilmOct. 3, 2019

Trace of African swine fever found in dead wild boar in DMZ

South Korea confirmed two more cases of the African swine fever on Thursday to raise the total number of cases to 13 in less than three weeks, and found traces of the deadly animal virus in a dead wild boar in the Demilitarized Zone.The latest case was reported from Gimpo, northwest of Seoul, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Earlier in the day, another confirmed case was reported from Paju, adjacent to the North Korean border.  Paju is where the country's fi

Social AffairsOct. 3, 2019

[Newsmaker] Another dead in Busan landslide; typhoon death tolls hits 10

The death toll is on the rise as rescue operations continue in the country’s southern regions, which were battered by Typhoon Mitag on Wednesday and Thursday.As of 7 p.m. Thursday, 10 people had been confirmed dead, four missing and eight injured, according to the Central Safety and Countermeasures Against Disasters.  The latest reported fatality was a man in Saha-gu, Busan, who was found dead under the wreck of a house that collapsed after a massive landslide occurred around 9 a.m. T

Social AffairsOct. 3, 2019

Prosecutors summon justice minister’s wife for questioning

Prosecutors in Seoul on Thursday grilled Justice Minister Cho Kuk’s wife for eight hours on various corruption allegations involving her family. The questioning stopped at around 5 p.m. at her request, citing health concerns.The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said Chung Kyung-shim was summoned at around 9 a.m. for questioning regarding allegations of manipulating her daughter’s college and medical school applications and shady investment in a private equity fund, as

PoliticsOct. 3, 2019

N. Korea says it successfully test-fired new-type SLBM

North Korea said Thursday that it has successfully test-fired a new-type submarine-launched ballistic missile, boasting that the success "ushered in a new phase" in its self-defense capabilities just two days before resuming nuclear talks with the United States.The North's Academy of Defence Science succeeded in test-firing the "new-type SLBM Pukguksong-3" in the waters off Wonsan Bay of the East Sea on Wednesday morning, the Korean Central News Agency said, adding that the m

North KoreaOct. 3, 2019

[Graphic News] Customs stopped over 2,300 drug smuggling attempts since 2015

　The number of drug smuggling cases in South Korea over the past five years exceeded 2,300, data from the Korea Customs Service showed.　A total of 2,337 instances of drug smuggling were discovered here from 2015 to July this year, resulting in the seizure of illegal drugs with a total street value of 1.43 trillion won ($1.2 billion), according to the customs data released by Rep. Shim Jae-cheol of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party.　The number of drug smuggling attempts to come to the atten

Social AffairsOct. 2, 2019

North Korean projectile could be submarine-launched ballistic missile

An unidentified projectile fired into the East Sea by North Korea on Wednesday appears to be a submarine-launched ballistic missile, South Korean authorities said, raising the possibility that Pyongyang’s missile capabilities may be improving. Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected Pyongyang’s firing of an unidentified ballistic missile in the waters off the northern part of Wonsan, North Korea’s Kangwon Province, toward the East Sea at 7:11 a.m.While further anal

North KoreaOct. 2, 2019

[팟캐스트] (320) 케이팝 그룹 SuperM 데뷔 기자간담회 / 제주에 휘몰아친 태풍 미탁

진행자: 임현수, Paul Kerry1.   Q&A: SuperM answers big questions before its debut this week기사요약: SM에서 데뷔하는 새로운 케이팝 그룹 SuperM 아이튠즈(아이폰): https://itunes.apple.com/kr/podcast/koliaheleoldeu-paskaeseuteu/id686406253?mt=2팟빵 (안드로이드): http://www.podbbang.com/ch/6638[1] After weeks of teasing fans with numerous clips, photos and announcements, SuperM is finally stepping into the music scene later this week.*a number of: 몇몇의*step into: (일을) 시작하다[2] The group’s ultimate goal, according to it

PodcastOct. 2, 2019

Typhoon Mitag batters Korea

Typhoon Mitag, the seventh typhoon to hit the Korean Peninsula this year, brought strong winds and heavy rain on Wednesday as it made landfall on the southwestern coast. The typhoon was traveling at about 30 kilometers per hour from waters 190 kilometers southwest of the port city of Mokpo in South Jeolla Province as of 4 p.m. and was expected to make landfall near Mokpo at around 10 p.m. Wednesday.It was then expected to exit to the East Sea on Thursday morning and turn eastward from water

Social AffairsOct. 2, 2019

13th Gwangju Biennale takes shape

The 13th Gwangju Biennale, directed by Defne Ayas and Natasha Ginwala, is taking shape. The upcoming biennale, titled “Minds Rising, Spirits Tuning,” recently announced its first batch of participating artists as it kicked off the first program tied to the event slated to begin Sept. 4, 2020 in Gwangju.  The lineup for Korea’s largest art festival includes 31 international artists.“We chose artists who are very much engaged within their own diverse geographies, and w

Arts & DesignOct. 2, 2019

[Herald Interview] ‘Better working conditions for staff lead to better service’

The new general manager of Millennium Hilton Seoul was surprised by strong demand for staycations here. German-born Felix Busch, who joined the Hilton group 17 years ago, took the post here in August following stints in Edinburgh, London, Sydney and Nagoya, among others. “It is very popular for Koreans to escape for one night. Although they may live in Seoul, they check into a hotel in Seoul to have a night away from home. I think this is slightly unique to Seoul,” Busch told The Kor

PeopleOct. 2, 2019

Finance Ministry hits back at Bloomberg in defense of ‘J-nomics’

The Ministry of Economy and Finance has disputed a Bloomberg column that accused the Moon Jae-in administration’s inclusive growth policies as “socialist,” officials said Wednesday.Bloomberg on Monday posted a letter to the editor, written by Seoul’s First Vice Minister Kim Yong-beom in response to an earlier column titled “What’s worse than corrupt billionaires? Socialism.”The original column by Shuli Ren, an opinion columnist covering Asian markets, ap

EconomyOct. 2, 2019

[News analysis] US, North Korea likely to discuss security guarantees in upcoming nuke talks

The US and North Korea have finally confirmed they will resume nuclear diplomacy within days. The big question is whether the two sides will come to the negotiating table with acceptable new proposals to make progress in the denuclearization process that has stalled due to differences in their positions. On Tuesday, North Korea disclosed the date for the working-level dialogue, which was supposed to take place in mid-July. US State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus later confirmed the talks,

North KoreaOct. 2, 2019

[Herald Interview] Taking artistic approach to CSR

Corporate social responsibility programs have now become an important barometer of a firm’s sustainability, beyond simply making profits. For Han Sung Motor, the largest official dealer of Mercedes-Benz in South Korea, CSR projects have been a crucial part of its business strategy nearly for a decade. And what keeps the company going in its commitment toward the society is the changes it has brought so far, such as watching teenagers from underprivileged families grow their confidence and

MobilityOct. 2, 2019

N. Korea appoints new head of US affairs department

North Korea appears to have appointed a new head of its foreign ministry's North American affairs department, according to the Russian mission in Pyongyang on Wednesday, as the North is set to resume denuclearization talks with the United States this weekend. Jo Chol-su's appointment was made known in a Facebook post by the Russian embassy as it reported Jo's meeting with Russian Ambassador to North Korea Alexander Matsegora, where Jo was referred to as the "Director-General of the North Am

North KoreaOct. 2, 2019

Inter-Korean summit possible at Korea-ASEAN summit: Former Moon aide

Preparations for the Korea-ASEAN Commemorative Summit are being made with the possibility of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s attendance in mind, a former aide to President Moon Jae-in said Wednesday. Tak Hyun-min, a former official with the presidential protocol office who currently serves as an adviser for the planning of presidential events, said in a radio interview that Kim’s possible attendance is being factored into the preparations.  Tak also said that if Kim attends th

North KoreaOct. 2, 2019

S. Korea likely to miss growth target: finance minister

South Korea is unlikely to achieve its growth target this year, the finance minister said Wednesday, as exports slowed amid trade tensions with Japan and an ongoing trade conflict between the United States and China.When asked by a lawmaker whether South Korea can pull off its 2.4 percent or 2.5 percent growth target, Hong Nam-ki said in a parliamentary audit that "it appears difficult to achieve it."It is not the first time that Hong voiced skepticism about South Korea's economic grow

EconomyOct. 2, 2019