Allergan announcess compensation plan for breast implant patients

Allergan Korea on Monday rolled out compensation plans for patients treated with its breast implants, but fell short of expectations.The pharmaceutical firm’s rough-textured Natrelle Biocell Textured Breast Implants were red-flagged by the US Food and Drug Administration in July for having a sixfold risk of causing breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) -- a rare cancer of the immune system. Allergan has globally recalled all its products. The first Korean diag

IndustrySept. 30, 2019

Cho Kuk reiterates determination for prosecution reform

Justice Minister Cho Kuk reiterated his determination to reform the prosecution as a new 16-member prosecution reform committee tasked with drawing up measures to overhaul the powerful law enforcement body was launched Monday. Mentioning the candlelight vigil held Saturday supporting Cho and the reform of the prosecution, he said that the public’s aspirations for reforming the judiciary is stronger than ever. “Koreans are questioning who are the owners of this country once again by c

Social AffairsSept. 30, 2019

KDB makes 4th attempt to sell off insurance unit

Korea Development Bank said Monday that it has begun the sale procedure for KDB Life Insurance, aiming to select a preferred bidder within the year and complete the sale by early next year.This marks the fourth attempt for the state-run bank to put its insurance unit on the market in a midterm restructuring move.KDB put up the public notice of sale on Monday, selecting Credit Suisse and Samil PricewaterhouseCoopers as deal supervisors and Lee & Ko as the legal adviser. Performing the du

MarketSept. 30, 2019

[News brief] Seoul to restrict traffic in Jamsil on Friday for sporting event

Traffic in parts of southern Seoul will be restricted Friday for the 100th National Sports Festival slated to open that day, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Parts of the road surrounding the Jamsil Olympic Main Stadium -- where the opening ceremony for the festival will take place from 5:30 p.m. to 8:35 p.m. -- will be blocked. The city expects more than 60,000 people to visit the venue for the event. In addition, some 300,000 people are expected to gather at the Hangang Park in

Social AffairsSept. 30, 2019

S. Korea sees key industrial indexes rise in August

South Korea saw its production, consumption and investment rise last month, on the back of the launch of Samsung’s flagship smartphones and increased imports of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, government data showed Monday.This marked the first time in five months that all three industrial indexes climbed simultaneously but also came amid stalled exports and mounting external uncertainties.According to monthly industrial figures compiled by Statistics Korea, the industrial productio

EconomySept. 30, 2019

KEB Hana most sanctioned Korean bank overseas in last 5 years

Among South Korean banks, KEB Hana Bank received the most sanctions or penalty fines by overseas financial regulators in the last five years, data compiled and released by a lawmaker showed Monday. According to the data released by a Bareunmirae Party lawmaker, foreign governments imposed sanctions or penalties on overseas branches or subsidiaries of local lenders from January 2015 to June this year on 59 occasions. Of the banks, KEB Hana -- one of the big four commercial banks here -- was invol

MarketSept. 30, 2019

[Photo News] 2019 KGCCI Innovation Awards

INNOVATION AWARDS -- Korean four-dimensional radar technology firm Bitsensing CEO Lee Jae-eun (center) poses for a photo with Manfred Martin, a professor at RWTH Aachen University, at the fifth KGCCI Innovation Awards ceremony held at the Sebitseom floating islands in Seoul on Friday. During the event, Bitsensing and three other companies, including 42 Maru, BASF Korea and Henkel Korea, received innovation awards in the presence of high-ranking executives from the Korean-German business communit

IndustrySept. 30, 2019

FT Island's Lee Hong-gi enlists in Army

Lee Hong-gi, a member of K-pop boy band FT Island, temporarily left the music scene to join the Army on Monday.The 30-year-old started his mandatory military service at a boot camp of the Army's 21st Division in Yanggu, Gangwon Province, as an active duty soldier."I am really grateful (to the fans) and will be back safely," Lee told journalists and fans who came to the site of his enlistment.  "I will be safeguarding my voice as I promised. ... We will meet again someday,&quo

PerformanceSept. 30, 2019

[News brief] DUI offences rising among police

The number of South Korean police officers punished for drunk driving have increased over the last five years, data released Monday by the National Assembly’s Public Administration and Security Committee showed. According to the National Police Agency data, 349 officers have received disciplinary measures due to DUI -related irregularities from 2014 until this August. The number has increased every year, with 65 officers being punished in 2015, 69 in 2016, 86 in 2017 and 88 in 2018. So far

Social AffairsSept. 30, 2019

Director says ‘Kim Ji-young, Born 1982’ a story that ‘must be told’

A book dealing with the hotly debated topic of gender equality has been made into a film, challenging the audience to ponder the issue of discrimination as the controversial source material did upon its 2016 release.“As a mother of two, a daughter and someone living in this society, there were a lot of parts (in the book) that I could relate to,” said director Kim Do-yeong of “Kim Ji-young, Born 1982,” her first feature film.“Since the book had presented several top

FilmSept. 30, 2019

Nissan to maintain Korean operations despite headwinds

Nissan Motor said Monday it will continue its operations in South Korea amid trade tensions between the two Asian neighbors, despite headwinds like a boycott of Japanese products.The Japanese carmaker’s commitment to South Korea follows market rumors that it will pull out of the market here as its sales have been hit hard by the escalating trade tensions between Seoul and Tokyo.  “We make it clear that we will maintain our business operations in the ‘strategically importan

MobilitySept. 30, 2019

Typhoon Mitag may lose strength after hitting Taiwan, China: forecasters

Typhoon Mitag is expected to make landfall on South Korea's southwest coast on Thursday but its strength may be weaker than anticipated after passing through Taiwan and the Chinese mainland, the local meteorological agency said.Mitag, the season's 18th typhoon and the seventh to affect the Korean Peninsula this year, could bring powerful winds and heavy rain to the southern parts of the peninsula, the Korea Meteorological Administration said on Monday, calling for thorough preparations to preven

Social AffairsSept. 30, 2019

S. Korea, Japan jointly take part in multinational maritime exercise

South Korea and Japan jointly participated in a multinational anti-piracy maritime exercise off the coast of Somalia, the Navy said Monday, amid strained relations between the two countries over history and trade rows.The navies from South Korea, Japan, Germany, Spain and Oman launched the joint exercise in the Gulf of Aden from Sept. 23-26 as part of the international coalition's regular joint maneuvers, according to the Navy. The exercise involved diverse maritime operations, such as the so-ca

DefenseSept. 30, 2019

S. Korea, Britain ink MOU on establishment of senior-level economic dialogue

South Korea and Britain signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday to launch a vice-ministerial consultative body aimed at strengthening economic cooperation after London's expected departure from the European Union.Second Vice Foreign Minister Lee Tae-ho and Britain's Minister for Asia and the Pacific Heather Wheeler inked the MOU on the establishment of a Senior Economic Dialogue, Seoul's foreign ministry said.  "In order to create new opportunities for economic cooperation in a

Foreign AffairsSept. 30, 2019

S. Korean flag expected to be raised in Pyongyang during World Cup qualifier: ministry

South Korea's national flag is expected to be put up at a stadium in Pyongyang during next month's World Cup qualifier between the two sides, Seoul's unification ministry said Monday.North Korea is set to host the game on Oct. 15 as the two Koreas were placed in the same group for the second round of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification in what would be a rare sports exchange between the two sides. "As the North has said that it will prepare the match in accordance with international pract

North KoreaSept. 30, 2019

Xi bows to Mao ahead of China's 70th anniversary

BEIJING (AFP) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping paid his respects to Chairman Mao Zedong's embalmed body Monday in a rare gesture ahead of China's celebration of 70 years of Communist rule.Xi and other top Chinese officials visited Mao's mausoleum -- located in the heart of Beijing in Tiananmen Square -- and bowed three times to the late leader's statue, reported official news agency Xinhua.He also paid respects to the remains of Mao, whose embalmed body is kept in a glass display at the memorial

World NewsSept. 30, 2019

Moon orders prosecution to draw up its own reform plan

President Moon Jae-in instructed South Korea's prosecution Monday to map out its own reform measures at an early date.He issued the order on receiving a report from Justice Minister Cho Kuk on ways to reform the prosecution, according to Cheong Wa Dae.Moon's move came after a massive street candlelight vigil on the weekend calling for prosecution reform, one of Moon's key campaign pledges.Moon stressed that state prosecutors should actively join the reform drive on their own, urging them to pres

PoliticsSept. 30, 2019

S. Korea to allow longer paternity leave next month

Male employees will be allowed to take up to 10 days off after their child's birth starting next month, the labor ministry said Monday, as South Korea seeks to help more people balance their work and family life.Currently, men can take three days of paid leave when their spouses give birth.The Ministry of Employment and Labor said a revised law designed to extend this to 10 days will take effect on Tuesday. To ease the financial burden on smaller firms, the government said it plans to provide mo

Social AffairsSept. 30, 2019

Ruling party proposes agency to probe education privilege for lawmakers' children

The ruling Democratic Party on Monday proposed setting up a special agency under parliament to probe into whether children of lawmakers received undue preferential treatment in gaining admission to colleges.DP floor leader Lee In-young said he wants bipartisan agreement to his party's proposal to establish a joint agency involving the private and public sectors to look into possible educational privileges for lawmakers' children.The DP proposed such a probe last week, and the main opposition Lib

PoliticsSept. 30, 2019

Apple to propose revised measures over alleged violation of competition law

The South Korean unit of US tech giant Apple Inc. has said it will submit revised voluntary corrective measures over its alleged violation of competition law, the anti-trust regulator said Monday.Apple Korea is suspected of having required South Korean mobile phone carriers -- SK Telecom Co., KT Corp. and LG Uplus Corp. -- to pay the cost of television advertisements for its iPhones and their warranty costs.Apple has said that advertisements benefit both the company and South Korean mobile carri

IndustrySept. 30, 2019