KGGTF holds symposium on green growth

A two-day symposium on green growth organized by the World Bank Group Korea Green Growth Trust Fund opened in Seoul on Thursday, bringing together more than 150 government officials, industry leaders and experts.The KGGTF -- a partnership between South Korea and the World Bank -- held the “Korea Green Innovation Days” event for the world’s leading experts in the environmental and development sectors to discuss the KGGTF’s projects and share their knowledge, strategies and

Social AffairsSept. 26, 2019

Samsung heiress ordered to pay W14.1b to ex-husband in divorce case

An appeals court on Thursday ordered Samsung Group heiress Lee Boo-jin to pay 14.1 billion won ($11.76 million) in alimony to her ex-husband Im Woo-jae, a former employee at a Samsung affiliate. The Seoul High Court ordered Lee, chief executive of Hotel Shilla, to pay Im 14.1 billion won in dividing the property held by the two, to which Lim had contributed during their years of marriage. In July 2017, the Seoul Family Court confirmed the couple’s divorce and ordered Lee to pay 8.6 bi

Social AffairsSept. 26, 2019

Gugak orchestra to present works composed by foreigners

The Contemporary Gugak Orchestra will present gugak, traditional Korean music, composed by foreigners. The orchestra will hold its 98th regular presentation “Hidden Sides & Unique Beauty of Gugak” on Friday and Saturday at the National Gugak Center.  According to the project’s music director Kye Sung-won, the audience will be able to see the difference between foreign and Korean composers’ approach to gugak.“The title ‘Hidden Sides’ refers to h

PerformanceSept. 26, 2019

Govt. to review college admission policy amid controversy

South Korea's education minister said Thursday the government will review the country's college admission policy following a recent debate over a policy that may benefit students with influential parents."Public distrust in the 'hakjong' system is great. (We) will review almost everything, including a possible revocation of (assessing) extracurricular activities (as part of admissions policy)," Deputy Prime Minister Yoo Eun-hae, who doubles as education minister, said.Yoo added that &q

Social AffairsSept. 26, 2019

More than 4,000 academics call for prosecutorial reform, end to Cho Kuk probe

Thousands of South Korean academics on Thursday called to push through with prosecutorial reform, amid the prosecution’s ongoing investigation into Justice Minister Cho Kuk’s family. A group, calling itself “Korea and Overseas University Researchers and Professors Urging Speedy Reform of the Prosecution,” held a press conference Thursday at the Busan City Hall building, releasing the names of more than 4,000 academics supporting the group’s call for prosecutorial re

PoliticsSept. 26, 2019

LG CNS sets up JV with Megazone Cloud

South Korea’s LG CNS, an information technology services subsidiary of LG Corp., said Thursday it is set to establish a joint venture specializing in cloud conversion and operations with Megazone Cloud, the largest cloud management company here.The companies aim to take the lead in the cloud conversion market through their JV. They have signed a joint investment agreement. After discussing the detailed implementation plan for about three months they hope to finalize the JV’s establis

IndustrySept. 26, 2019

HHI to localize materials with Posco

Hyundai Heavy Industries said Thursday it has partnered with Korean steelmaker Posco to localize materials for liquefied natural gas tankers. HHI said it has recently applied Posco’s 9 percent nickel steel to fuel tanks -- with a model name of Hi-CIX -- for 180,000-ton LNG propulsion vessels in order to localize and stabilize the supply of core materials for cryogenic tanks. Nine percent nickel steel is a material that can maintain strength and toughness even in cryogenic environments

IndustrySept. 26, 2019

S. Korea to produce prototype indigenous combat jet by 2021

South Korea will make a prototype of its envisioned indigenous fighter jet by 2021 following the successful completion of its design, the arms procurement agency said Thursday.Under the project, which began in January 2016 and is worth 8.8 trillion won ($7.3 billion), South Korea seeks to develop a home-grown cutting-edge fighter aircraft, the so-called KF-X, to replace the Air Force's aging fleet of F-4 and F-5 jets. After wrapping up their three-day critical design review session on Thursday,

DefenseSept. 26, 2019

Italian directors, actors join list of BIFF guests

Organizers of the 24th annual Busan International Film Festival added more names to the list of international guests on Thursday for the upcoming event, including up-and-coming directors and actors from Italy.Francesco Di Leva and Adriano Pantaleo, two actors from “The Mayor of Rione Sanita,” will be making an appearance at the festival. The film, directed by Mario Martone and based on the 1960 play of the same name, was selected to compete for the Golden Lion at the 76th Venice Inte

FilmSept. 26, 2019

[Newsmaker] Police say Jeju ex-husband murder suspect likely killed stepson too

Police have reached a tentative conclusion that Koh Yu-jeong, who is suspected of murdering her ex-husband, killed her 5-year-old stepson as well.Cheongju Sangdang Police Station said Wednesday that investigators believe Koh, 36, murdered her stepson -- her current husband’s biological son -- after a five-month probe into the case. Cheongju police booked Koh and her husband in June on suspicions of murder and involuntary manslaughter, respectively.Based on the couple’s testimonies, p

Social AffairsSept. 26, 2019

Audi VW opens art exhibition to present future vision

Audi Volkswagen Korea said Thursday it has opened a media art exhibition in Seoul to present the future of green mobility.Titled “The Next Chapter,” the exhibition displays joint projects by artists at home and abroad visualize safe and sustainable mobility and its role of changing the life of future generation. The two-week event is taking place at JCC Art Center in Jongro, central Seoul. It is a cultural platform for the company’s Tomoroad initiative, a joint project with Kor

MobilitySept. 26, 2019

Police to use forensic hypnosis to solve serial killings from 1980s

Police are using forensic psychiatry to solve a cold case of serial killings in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, from over 30 years ago.A forensic hypnosis technique will be used to help collect memory evidence of surviving victims and witnesses, Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency said in a press briefing Thursday. Police are in the process of contacting witnesses who gave accounts that formed the basis for a sketch of the suspect released in 1988. “Two hypnosis experts have been mobilize

Social AffairsSept. 26, 2019

UNESCO head hails Moon's proposal to register DMZ as world heritage site

The head of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization welcomed South Korean President Moon Jae-in's recent proposal to inscribe the Demilitarized Zone dividing the two Koreas on the list of UN-designated world heritage sites, Seoul's foreign ministry said Thursday. Audrey Azoulay, director-general of UNESCO, made the remark during talks with Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Wednesday (US time), the ministry said in a releas

Foreign AffairsSept. 26, 2019

S. Korea sounds N. Korea out about sending cheering squad for World Cup qualifier

South Korea is sounding North Korea out through various channels about its intention to send a cheering squad to Pyongyang for next month's World Cup qualifier between the two countries, a unification ministry official said Thursday.The move came days after South Korea's football governing body said that it was informed by the Asian Football Confederation that the North reaffirmed its will to host South Korea on Oct. 15, as scheduled, for their Group H match in the second round of Asian qualific

North KoreaSept. 26, 2019

Conflicts of interest could arise in probe of justice minister’s wife: anti-corruption body

The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission said Thursday that there is a possibility conflicts of interest may be present with the justice minister overseeing the prosecution while his wife is under investigation by the prosecution.The commission said if a justice minister’s spouse is being investigated by the prosecution, the spouse can be seen as a person connected to the minister’s duties. The commission made the statement in response to an inquiry by Rep. Lee Tae-gyu of the

Social AffairsSept. 26, 2019

2 dead pigs found inside DMZ test negative for African swine fever

Two dead wild pigs found inside the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas have tested negative for African swine fever, the defense ministry said Thursday.The results came amid suspicions that the highly contagious virus might have spread from North Korea after South Korea confirmed the first ASF case on Sept. 17 in Paju, north of Seoul and near the heavily fortified border with the North. "Inside the DMZ in the areas of Cheorwon, (Gangwon Province), we've so far found two dead boars

Social AffairsSept. 26, 2019

No UN breakthrough: Iran rules out talks as US intensifies sanctions

UNITED NATIONS (AFP) -- Iran's president on Wednesday closed the door on meeting Donald Trump despite last-minute European efforts to ease tensions as the United States again ramped up punishing sanctions.French President Emmanuel Macron had shuttled between his US and Iranian counterparts over two days at the United Nations, trying to arrange a historic encounter that he hoped could reduce the risk of all-out war in the Middle East.But Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, addressing the UN General

World NewsSept. 26, 2019

[Newsmaker] Myungsung Church's father-to-son succession practically approved

An order of the Korean Presbyterian Church on Thursday practically approved the father-to-son succession by a megachurch affiliated with the order, a move expected to fuel the heated debate over hereditary leadership in Korean Protestant churches.Myungsung Church, one of the biggest Presbyterian churches in the world with a membership of 100,000, has been at the center of controversy in South Korea since its founder Rev. Kim Sam-hwan named his eldest son, Rev. Kim Ha-na, to succeed him in 2017.

Social AffairsSept. 26, 2019

Torch for sports festival lit on Dokdo

A torch for the 100th Korean National Sports Festival, the nation's biggest annual sports competition, was lit on the easternmost islets of Dokdo on Thursday. The ceremony was held at dawn at the heliport of the islets, to which Japan also claims sovereign rights.The fire will be combined at Seoul Square on Sept. 29 with flames from other symbolic places of the country. The sports contest will be held in Seoul from Oct. 4-10.  "We stand on Dokdo to remember the 100 years of the Nationa

Social AffairsSept. 26, 2019

Banks' lending rates dip to record low in Aug.

Lending rates on fresh bank loans dropped to new lows in August, central bank data showed Thursday, hinting at a further increase in the country's already record-high household borrowing.The average interest rate on fresh loans extended to households came to 2.92 percent in the month, down 0.20 percentage point from 3.12 percent the previous month, according to the data from the Bank of Korea. The average rate on fresh corporate loans also dropped by 0.20 percentage point to 3.32 percent over th

EconomySept. 26, 2019