Retail giants eye luxury segment to bolster online biz

South Korea's retail giants are increasingly turning their eyes to the luxury segment for their e-commerce business in an apparent move to differentiate themselves from online competitors.  Lotte Shopping, the operator of South Korea's biggest department store and a leading discount store, opened its first online shopping mall that only sells luxury brands on Thursday.The website, dubbed Lotte Premium Mall, sells over 24,000 products from 234 high-end brands ranging from Bottega Veneta to E

IndustrySept. 21, 2019

Current LPGA stars thank legends for inspiration

When Park Sung-hyun was a young girl aspiring to become a professional golfer, she got an autograph from South Korean golf icon Pak Se-ri. Park laminated that sheet of paper and posted it on her bedroom wall, hoping to one day make it to the LPGA Tour like Pak did. And this weekend, Park will get to walk on the same fairways as Park at an exhibition match play event, along with other LPGA legends that she grew up idolizing.Park is a member of the "Next Generation" team at the Seolhaeon

GolfSept. 21, 2019

Agriculture minister calls for staying vigilant to contain African swine fever

Agriculture Minister Kim Hyeon-soo on Saturday called on quarantine officials to continue to stay vigilant to contain African swine fever, after recently reported cases at two pig farms in the border city of Paju tested negative. "For the next three weeks, we should not loosen up," Kim said during a meeting to check the ongoing quarantine and disinfection efforts at the government complex in Sejong, an administrative hub located 130 kilometers southeast of Seoul.On Tuesday, the South K

Social AffairsSept. 21, 2019

Rising nickel prices bode well for cathode material makers

South Korea's cathode material producers are likely to see solid earnings in the fourth quarter of the year on a surge in nickel and cobalt prices, analysts here said Saturday, amid growing demand for electric vehicle (EV) batteries. Nickel and cobalt are key raw materials for cathodes, one of the four main components of a lithium-ion battery. According to market tracker SNE Research, 112,000 tons of cathode materials were used in the first half of the year, up 80.9 percent from a year earlier.T

IndustrySept. 21, 2019

3 dead pigs in Paju test negative for African swine fever

SEJONG -- South Korea still has recorded two cases of African swine fever since Wednesday, as two more suspected cases (three dead hogs) in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, tested negative for the virus early Saturday.On Friday, two hog farms in the region notified the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs of the suspected cases of ASF, and a group of inspectors were dispatched to the farms in Paju’s Jeokseong (where two hogs were found dead early in th

Social AffairsSept. 21, 2019

Foreign Minister stresses South Korea-US alliance in meeting with USFK commander at Camp Humphreys

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha met United States Forces Korea Commander Gen. Robert Abrams on Friday during her visit to Osan Air Base and Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province.During the meeting with Abrams at Camp Humphreys, Kang acknowledged his efforts to provide military support for diplomatic efforts to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula and establish lasting peace. According to the Foreign Ministry, the US commander said Kang’s visit was evidence of close cooperation betwe

Foreign AffairsSept. 20, 2019

Tokyo willing to discuss export controls with Seoul

In response to the complaint filed by the South Korean government with the World Trade Organization on the subject of Japan’s export control measures, Tokyo has expressed its willingness to have bilateral consultations with Seoul, a day before the 10-working day deadline set by the WTO, officials said Friday. Japan’s response could be the first step in resolving the Korea-Japan trade dispute triggered by Japan’s export restrictions.  “The Japanese government has resp

IndustrySept. 20, 2019

Samsung heir in Tokyo again at invitation of Japan’s biz community

Amid ongoing trade disputes between South Korea and Japan, Samsung Electronics’ de facto leader, Lee Jae-yong, visited Tokyo again at the invitation of the neighboring country’s business community, officials said Friday.The vice chairman of the Korean tech giant visited Tokyo to take part in the opening ceremony of the Rugby World Cup, one of the world’s three largest sports events along with the Summer Olympics and the FIFA World Cup. This is the first Rugby World Cup to be he

TechnologySept. 20, 2019

Steve Yoo had no intention to dodge military duty: lawyers

Lawyers for a Korean-American K-pop star on Friday called on the court to carefully examine whether it is legal for the justice ministry to deny him entry into the country for nearly two decades for dodging military service, in line with a top court ruling in his favor.During the first hearing of the case at the Seoul High Court after it was returned from the Supreme Court, the singer also insisted he had no intention to evade conscription. In July, the top court overruled a lower court decision

Social AffairsSept. 20, 2019

Seoul's defense chief vows beefed-up efforts against growing cyberthreats from N. Korea

Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo said Friday that threats in cyberspace posed by North Korea and other entities have been growing and vowed efforts to bolster the country's cyber operations capabilities.Jeong made the remark during a conference on defense cybersecurity held in Seoul earlier in the day."Even at this moment, cybersecurity threats are increasing from all directions, as North Korea and other unidentified forces continue to launch attacks," Jeong said, calling them a trans

DefenseSept. 20, 2019

NK chief negotiator welcomes Trump's 'new method', voices optimism over talks

A chief North Korean negotiator on Friday welcomed US President Donald Trump's recent remark suggesting a "new method" of resolving the impasse in denuclearization negotiations. Kim Myong-gil, known to be Pyongyang's counterpart for the United States' top nuclear envoy, Stephen Biegun, made the remarks in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency, also expressing optimism over an upcoming working-level meeting with Washington expected to take place as early as late this mon

North KoreaSept. 20, 2019

’10x10,’ international curatorial exchange program kicks off at MMCA

“10x10,” an international symposium that invites up-and-coming curators from Korea and abroad, kicked off its two-day run on Friday at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art’s main branch in Seoul.”10x10” was started last year as part of a Korean Culture and Information Service program that invites outstanding researchers from Korea and other countries to ramp up exchanges between experts with different backgrounds. This year, 10 curators from foreign co

Arts & DesignSept. 20, 2019

Smilegate to hold CFS invitational game in Egypt

Korean game company Smilegate is bringing its annual Crossfire Stars global competition to Egypt, a rare destination for e-sports, the company said Friday. This will be the first time the company has held the e-sports event in Africa. CFS teams have begun to fly in to Cairo, Egypt, for the CFS Invitational Egypt 2019 slated for Saturday.  The winning team gets to compete in the grand final in China in December. The scope of the prize money is yet to be confirmed. A Smilegate representative

IndustrySept. 20, 2019

Pro-N. Korea paper welcomes Bolton's exit, voices concerns over Pompeo

A pro-North Korea newspaper said Friday that the recent dismissal of John Bolton as the US national security advisor was a "good thing," but voiced concerns over Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, calling him a "destabilizing factor" that could undercut Washington's diplomacy with Pyongyang.North Korea has long denounced Bolton and Pompeo for their hawkish views on its regime that it sees as hampering denuclearization talks. It earlier called Bolton a "security-destroying a

North KoreaSept. 20, 2019

Justice minister holds first dialogue with prosecutors over reform

Justice Minister Cho Kuk held his first dialogue with prosecutors since his appointment Friday to collect views about the government's drive to reform the prosecution.Cho held a closed-door meeting with about 40 prosecutors and investigators at the district prosecutors' office in Uijeongbu, north of Seoul.It was his first such meeting since he was appointed as the justice minister last week amid a controversy over allegations of corruption involving his family. "I would like to listen to va

PoliticsSept. 20, 2019

Serial rape-murder suspect ‘unperturbed,’ denies guilt despite DNA match

The prime suspect in a series of at least eight rape-murders in the 1980s and early 1990s has denied all charges in three rounds of questioning, police said Friday. Police identified the suspect, a 56-year-old man surnamed Lee, after a DNA match linked him to three of the murders.Police visited Busan Prison for three consecutive days from Wednesday to Friday to question Lee, who has been serving a life sentence since October 1995 for the rape and murder of his sister-in-law. Police said he flatl

Social AffairsSept. 20, 2019

Finance minister urges cautious approach on S. Korea’s WTO status

With US President Donald Trump casting doubt on the way the World Trade Organization categorizes global economies, South Korea’s finance minister said Friday that the government would take a cautious approach toward its developing-country status and the trade benefits that come along with it. “The other developing economies that are members of the WTO have been raising issues with the benefits that our nation receives through the developing country status, which is why now is the tim

EconomySept. 20, 2019

Hyundai Motor to donate $16 million for pediatric cancer research in US

Hyundai Motor America said Friday that it would donate $16 million this year to fund 76 research projects on children’s cancers.Of that amount, $13.2 million will be donated this month to support a pediatric cancer awareness campaign in the US, said Jose Munoz, CEO of Hyundai Motor’s North America regional office.  As part of its community outreach efforts, Hyundai and its dealerships have participated in the Hyundai Hope on Wheels fundraising project since 1998 to fight pediatr

MobilitySept. 20, 2019

SK chief seeks business expansion in US, vows to invest $10b more

Introducing SK Group as a committed business in US, the group’s chief Chairman Chey Tae-won said the South Korean conglomerate would invest $10 billion in next three years in new growth engines.Chey accompanied by CEOs of SK’s subsidiaries, hosted an evening event in Washington on Thursday to present the future vision of the group and its investment plan in US, officials said.  Held in its office there, SK Night attendees included Karen Kelly, deputy secretary of Department of C

MobilitySept. 20, 2019

[Newsmaker] Police decide to drop pimping charges against former YG chief

Police have dropped pimping charges against Yang Hyun-suk, an idol-turned-K-pop guru who was head of YG Entertainment, one of the biggest K-pop management firms, police officials said Friday.The officials at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said police investigators failed to verify suspicions that Yang arranged sex services for foreign investors in 2014 and sent his case to the prosecution with a recommendation that he not be indicted on pimping charges.The 49-year-old Yang was booked in Ju

Social AffairsSept. 20, 2019