Police search multiple agencies over audition show's alleged vote rigging

Police on Tuesday raided multiple K-pop agencies as part of an investigation into allegations that the entertainment firm CJ ENM's cable music channel rigged the results of its fan-voted idol competition show, "Produce 101," police said.Cyber investigators from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency stormed several agencies that represent members of new boy band X1 in Seoul to secure related documents and information. The 11 members rose from obscurity to stardom in the Mnet audition sho

PerformanceOct. 1, 2019

Samsung BioLogics wins patent suit against Lonza

Samsung BioLogics said Tuesday it has won a lawsuit against Switzerland-based Lonza that is critical for manufacturing antibody agents in South Korea.Following the court ruling, domestic contract development pharmaceutical firms will be able to employ a more efficient method for cell culture production to boost their performance, a company official said.Cell culture is the process by which cells are grown under controlled conditions, generally outside their natural environment. The Korean firm h

IndustryOct. 1, 2019

Rules waived for LG to run beer tasting events

LG Electronics said Tuesday that the existing regulations banning tech firms from promoting alcoholic beverages has been lifted and it can now host beer tasting events to promote its products. The company had requested the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy to waive the existing rules in August.It can now hold tasting events at its shops for beer made from its latest HomeBrew machine launched in July and plans to host events across the country, starting November. The HomeBrew machine ca

TechnologyOct. 1, 2019

Kwon Sang-woo as vengeful Go master in ‘The Divine Move: Ghost Move’

The 2014 film “The Divine Move” about a Go master was a brutal, violent film about vengeance and gambling, shattering any expectations one might have had about watching the millennia-old board game that is played completely silently with minimal movement. “The Divine Move: Ghost Move,” an upcoming spinoff and prequel, stars Kwon Sang-woo as the mysterious “Gwi-soo,” or “ghost move,” whose presence was never fully explored in the first film.In the n

FilmOct. 1, 2019

S. Korea sees first negative inflation in September, denies deflation

South Korea saw its inflation drop for the first time in September due to weakened demand and decreased prices of agricultural and petroleum products, government data showed Tuesday.Though the latest figures rekindled concerns on long-term deflation and speculations on an imminent rate cut, policymakers argued that recent fluctuations were only temporary. Consumer prices slipped 0.4 percent in September from a year earlier, marking the first on-year decrease in inflation since the related data w

EconomyOct. 1, 2019

Ex-Virgin Music chief says BTS opened door to success in US for other K-pop acts

The wild global success of Korean boy band BTS is not a stand-alone case but has opened the door for many more K-pop music acts to make inroads into the American music market, a high-profile US music executive said Tuesday."BTS is a great success story. But BTS broke the ice; it is not the ice," Phil Quartararo, CEO of Tripod Partners, said in a press conference on the sidelines of MU:CON, the biggest K-pop fair in South Korea. Quartararo has served in top roles at Virgin Music, Warner

PerformanceOct. 1, 2019

[Photo News] Learning about K-Food

Corea Image Communication Institution President Choi Jung-wha (first row, third from left), Russian Ambassador to South Korea Andrey Kulik (second row, fourth from left) and Singaporean Ambassador to South Korea Eric Teo (second row, sixth from left) pose at the Korea CQ forum, where some 25 participants learned about and tasted products made by traditional Korean beef jerky brand Jungyookpo. The event, hosted by CICI, was held Sept. 24 at SMT House in southern Seoul. (CICI)

Diplomatic CircuitOct. 1, 2019

British minister dispels worries about uncertainty over post-Brexit ties with S. Korea

Britain's top official for Asia dispelled concerns Tuesday about lingering uncertainty over the future relationship between South Korea and Britain after London's expected departure from the European Union.Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister for Asia and the Pacific Heather Wheeler stressed that backed by a set of institutional frameworks, such as a recently signed bilateral free trade agreement, the ties between the two countries are "certain.""There shouldn't be any undue s

Foreign AffairsOct. 1, 2019

Smilegate Investment hosts bio seminar

Smilegate Investment, in collaboration with its social responsibility unit Smilegate Hope Studio and the Korea Biotechnology Industry Organization, hosted the 2019 Smilegate Global Health Frontier Seminar in Seoul on Monday.Attended by major pharma and bio companies in Korea as well as prominent faculty members from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, the seminar featured lectures and discussion panels that sought to share new insights into the bio sector.In addition, Korean biotech fir

IndustryOct. 1, 2019

Renault Samsung pioneers new sectors in local automotive market

Renault Samsung Motors has been pioneering new sectors in the local automotive market, which has been largely dominated by gasoline-powered sport utility vehicles. The automaker launched a face-lifted version of the QM6 in June, its most popular and most trusted midsized SUV model.The upgraded version, which is also the country’s first liquefied petroleum gas-powered SUV, has proved popular in the local market, leading the carmaker to record the second-highest midsized SUV sales in Ju

MobilityOct. 1, 2019

Asiana to offer weekly flight to Melbourne from December

Asiana Airlines said Tuesday it will launch a weekly flight to Melbourne, Australia, from Dec. 26 to Feb. 20. The first-ever direct flight to the second-largest city in Australia will leave Incheon Airport at 7 p.m. every Thursday and arrive in Melbourne at 7:30 a.m. the next day. The 300-seat Boeing B-777 will be used for the route. Starting with this flight, the air carrier said it will continue to expand long-haul routes.  The price of a return ticket from Incheon to Melbourne

IndustryOct. 1, 2019

Rookie Oneus drops new EP ‘Fly With Us’

Rookie band Oneus, which debuted earlier this year, was already back to the music scene Monday with new EP “Fly With Us.”The six-track EP is the final chapter of the band’s “US” trilogy that started with debut EP “Light Us” in January and was followed by “Raise Us” in May. The new album consists of “Intro: Fly Me to the Moon,” “Plastic Flower” “Lit,” “Blue Sky,” “Level Up” and &ldquo

K-popOct. 1, 2019

Opposition leader appears at prosecution office over 'fast-track' bills row

The leader of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party voluntarily appeared at a district prosecutors office on Tuesday over the party's involvement in the political bickering over the passage of so-called fast-track bills.Hwang Kyo-ahn arrived around 2 p.m. at the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors Office. According to an official of the party, Hwang made the appearance in lieu of its lawmakers, to whom the prosecution has sent notifications asking them to appear for questioning as part of its

PoliticsOct. 1, 2019

[News brief] Typhoon Mitag may land Wednesday night

Typhoon Mitag is approaching the Korean Peninsula faster than initially forecast and may hit the southern region as early as Wednesday afternoon.The Korea Meteorological Administration said Tuesday the typhoon is forecast to hit Jeju Island on Wednesday afternoon before moving up the peninsula’s west coast, making landfall in the coastal area of South Jeolla Province by midnight.  The weather agency projected the storm will sweep across the nation eastwards and exit into the East Sea

Social AffairsOct. 1, 2019

Moon highlights peace through strength on Armed Forces Day

President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday stressed the need for strong defense capabilities at the 71st Armed Forces Day celebrations.“Peace is not something that is defended, but created. Our military’s iron-clad security supports dialogue and cooperation, and enabled (the country) to boldly walk toward permanent peace,” Moon said. He went on to list achievements such as the removal of guard posts from the Demilitarized Zone, the recovery of the remains of Korean War dead and the inter

DefenseOct. 1, 2019

LS Cable & System disaster safety products certified

LS Cable & System has received government certification for its national disaster safety products, becoming the first cable manufacturer to gain this recognition, the firm said Tuesday. The certified products are fireproof, and they emit less smoke and lower levels of toxic gas during a fire, according to the company. In the event of a fire, the company explained, durability is crucial for emergency lights, fire alarms, sprinklers, ventilators and evacuation facilities. The company&rsqu

IndustryOct. 1, 2019

[News brief] Man reported missing during triathlon found dead in Han River

A man who was reported missing during a triathlon in western Seoul on Sunday was found dead Tuesday morning in the Han River. According to Mapo Police Station, the 35-year-old competitor was discovered around 6:45 a.m. lying dead in the water near a dock in Sangam-dong. A resident out on a stroll at the riverside park spotted the body.Investigators had been searching the area after the dead man was reported missing around 2 p.m. Sunday. The water current was reportedly strong during the race, an

Social AffairsOct. 1, 2019

CODE42 attracts investment from Kia, SK, LG, CJ

CODE42, a local startup that is developing an autonomous transportation-as-a-service platform, said Tuesday it has raised 30 billion won ($25 million) in pre-Series A funding from major firms including Kia Motors and conglomerates SK, LG and CJ.This follows the 2 billion won in seed funding it received from Hyundai Motor in March.In one of the most successful pre-Series A funding round here, Kia invested the largest portion of 15 billion won, the company added. The 30 billion won will be used to

MobilityOct. 1, 2019

[News Focus] Employment rate for Koreans in 40s falls for 19th consecutive month

SEJONG -- South Korea saw the number of employed people increase by 452,000 on-year to 27.35 million in August, the latest monthly figure from Statistics Korea.But when broken down by generation, things are looking less rosy for middle-aged people in charge of households involving young children.Those in their 60s dominated the increase in employment with 391,000, followed by those in their 50s with 133,000 and those in their 20s with 71,000.On the contrary, the number of employed dropped among

Social AffairsOct. 1, 2019

[Newsmaker] Cabinet passes bills to comply with ILO conventions

The Cabinet on Tuesday passed revised labor bills that allow the unemployed, dismissed workers, retired public officials, teachers, firefighters and college faculty members to join unions, in a bid to comply with international labor conventions.The Cabinet has approved revised bills on labor unions, public officials’ unions and teachers’ unions to ratify three conventions of the International Labor Organization, the Ministry of Employment and Labor said.The three ILO conventions are

Social AffairsOct. 1, 2019