Seoul city govt. to hold K-pop festival at Gwanghwamun Square

The Seoul city government plans to hold a K-pop music festival starting next week at a public plaza in central Seoul as part of its projects to make the capital a music hub, officials said Tuesday.The first-ever Seoul Music Festival will be held at Gwanghwamun Square from Sept. 28 to Oct. 6, Seoul Metropolitan Government said.It is part of the city government's five-year plan to spend 481.8 billion won ($405.3 million) on nine projects aimed at fostering the music industry and expanding music pr

Social AffairsSept. 17, 2019

Asiana Airlines begins Incheon-Lisbon service from October

Asiana Airlines will kick off two weekly direct flights to Lisbon, Portugal, from Oct. 28 to March 25 next year. The Incheon-Lisbon service is the first in the industry for a local air carrier. The flights will depart from Incheon Airport on Mondays and Wednesdays at 2:30 p.m. and arrive in Lisbon at 6:50 p.m. The return flight will depart from Lisbon at 8:30 p.m. and arrive in Incheon at 5:50 p.m. the next day. For the Incheon-Lisbon route, Asiana Airlines will operate its newest airc

IndustrySept. 17, 2019

Lotte Liquor to launch yogurt-flavored Soonhari soju in the US

Lotte Liquor, the alcoholic beverage arm of Lotte Chilsung Beverage, said Tuesday that its yogurt-flavored Soonhari Chum-Churum soju will soon be sold in the US. Soonhari Yogurt soju is the latest in the company’s Chum Churum Sunhari line, created by adding fruit flavoring, such as citron, peach, apple and strawberry, to soju. It was manufactured exclusively for export.Earlier this month, some 190,000 bottles of 360 milliliter-size Soonhari Yogurt soju were exported to the US, the com

IndustrySept. 17, 2019

Hanwha Total expands ethylene production

Hanwha Total Petrochemical has completed the expansion of its ethylene production plant and has begun commercial operation with an aim of generating 590 billion won ($496 million) more in sales each year, the firm said Tuesday. The petrochemicals firm has injected a combined 540 billion won since April 2017 to complete the side gas cracker of the naphtha cracking center in South Chungcheong Province. The new facilities are capable of producing 310,000 metric tons of ethylene and 130,000 tons of

IndustrySept. 17, 2019

JTBC, CJ ENM to launch joint video-sharing platform

South Korea’s cable network JTBC and entertainment giant CJ ENM announced Tuesday the launch of a joint video-streaming service amid intensifying competition in the broadcasting industry. The companies have signed a memorandum of understanding to launch an integrated over-the-top video service by combining their video contents. The new platform is expected to become available early next year.The upcoming service will be modeled after CJ ENM’s video-streaming platform Tving, which con

IndustrySept. 17, 2019

Hanwha shortlisted for Australian infantry fighting vehicle program

South Korea’s Hanwha Defense said Tuesday it has been shortlisted for the Australian military’s multibillion-dollar plan to replace its current aging fleet of mobility vehicles with advanced capability.　According to the company, its AS21 Redback Infantry Fighting Vehicle is one of two contenders for the Land 400 Phase 3 Program. Competing against Hanwha’s Redback is German firm Rheinmetall Defence’s Lynx KF41.　　The two companies’ IFVs were selected over other global

IndustrySept. 17, 2019

Aveva to upgrade integrated industrial software in digital push

SINGAPORE -- UK-based industrial software developer Aveva said Tuesday it plans to introduce its newly integrated industrial software by November in its digital push to streamline large-scale projects.The news comes amid the UK company’s push for software integration following its merger with French multinational firm Schneider Electric’s industrial software business in March 2018. Since the merger, Aveva has strived to bring together its design, engineering and construction capaciti

TechnologySept. 17, 2019

Seoul calls for action on Fukushima at IAEA

South Korea raised concerns at the general conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna on Monday about Japan’s plans to dispose of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant.Seoul’s First Vice Minister of Science and ICT Mun Mi-ock brought attention to Tokyo’s handling of radioactive water during her keynote speech at the IAEA’s 63rd General Conference.“Issues concerning the disposal of Fukushima contaminated water still remain unanswered

Foreign AffairsSept. 17, 2019

S. Korea urges IAEA to play role in Japan's Fukushima water discharge plan

The International Atomic Energy Agency has to play an active role in the possible move by Japan to discharge contaminated water from its disabled Fukushima power plant into the Pacific Ocean, a senior South Korean government official has said.Delivering a keynote speech at the General Conference of the international organization In Vienna on Monday, South Korean first vice science minister Mun Mi-ock stressed that Japan has not answered questions about its water discharge plan amid fear and anxi

Foreign AffairsSept. 17, 2019

Korean shipbuilders may bag more orders after Saudi oil attack

South Korean shipbuilders may receive more orders following drone strikes on Saudi Arabia's crude processing facilities, analysts here said Tuesday, as the incident is likely to push up demand for liquefied natural gas tankers and offshore facilities.Saudi Arabia shut down about half of its oil production Saturday following a series of drone attacks that damaged two key oil installations. The Saudis said that the closure will affect 5.7 million barrels of crude production a day, about 5 percent

IndustrySept. 17, 2019

BTS agency rejects dating rumor about member Jungkook

The management agency of boy band BTS refuted a dating rumor involving the band's youngest member, Jungkook, on Tuesday.The rumor originated from CCTV footage of a couple on the resort island of Geoje, which was circulated online. The image shows a man hugging a woman from behind in a shop, causing some people to allege that Jungkook is in a romantic relationship.BTS' management agency, Big Hit Entertainment, however, flatly rejected the rumor, vowing stern legal action against any privacy-compr

K-popSept. 17, 2019

US Forces Korea extends curfew suspension for 3 months

US Forces Korea said Tuesday it extended the suspension of a curfew for its troops for an additional 90 days, calling it a period to demonstrate their "good order and discipline at all times and under all conditions."The curfew, between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m., was imposed in 2011 amid public outcry over allegations of sexual violence and other crimes by USFK troops. The temporary suspension of the curfew began on June 17, and will be extended until Dec. 17, according to the USFK.  &quo

DefenseSept. 17, 2019

Facing US ban, Huawei emerging as stronger tech competitor

SHENZHEN (AP) -- Long before President Donald Trump threatened to cut off Huawei's access to US technology, the Chinese telecom equipment maker was pouring money into research that reduces its need for American suppliers.Huawei's founder says instead of crippling the company, the export curbs are making it a tougher competitor by forcing managers to focus resources on their most important products.Little-known to Americans, Huawei Technologies Ltd. is the No. 2 smartphone brand worldwide and the

World NewsSept. 17, 2019

S. Korea to publicly display F-35A fighter for first time next month

South Korea is planning to showcase F-35A stealth fighters to the public for the first time during the Armed Forces Day ceremony next month to officially mark their introduction into the country, officials said Tuesday.South Korea has so far brought in eight F-35As, beginning with two in late March, under a plan to deploy a total of 40 fifth-generation jets through 2021. But the military has handled their arrivals in a low-key manner, sparking speculation the government is concerned about object

DefenseSept. 17, 2019

South Korea culls pigs after confirming African swine fever

South Korea is culling thousands of pigs after confirming African swine fever at a farm near its border with North Korea, which had an outbreak in May. South Korea's agriculture ministry said the country's first case of the highly contagious disease was confirmed Tuesday in tests on five pigs that died at the farm in the city of Paju. The government has vowed stern quarantine measures to prevent the spread of the disease, which threatens a massive industry that involves 6,000 farms raising more

Social AffairsSept. 17, 2019

Hong Kong leader says public dialogue aimed at easing tensions to begin next week

HONG KONG (Reuters) -- Hong Kong's leader said on Tuesday that she would engage directly with her governing team in a dialogue with the community next week, while reiterating calls for an end to the violence that has roiled the city for over three months.Carrie Lam said the first session of a dialogue would be held next week, adding added the sessions would be as open as possible, with members of the public able to sign up to attend.The protest movement opposing a contentious extradition bi

World NewsSept. 17, 2019

Personal transporter accidents on sharp increase

 The number of accidents involving electric skateboards, electric kick scooters and other personal transporters doubled last year from a year ago, a lawmaker said Tuesday. There were 225 such accidents recorded in 2018, leaving four dead and 238 others injured, compared with 117 accidents the previous year, in which four died and 124 were injured, Rep.Song Seog-jun of the main opposition Liberal Korea Party said, citing data from the Korea Transportation Safety Authority."The shar

Social AffairsSept. 17, 2019

S. Korea, UNC kicked off official discussions on UNC's future role

Nations Command launched senior-level talks last month to narrow differences over the command's role after Seoul takes back the wartime operational command of its forces from Washington, government sources said Tuesday.The allies have shown differences over the UNC's future authority and roles amid speculation that the US could be trying to expand and strengthen the UNC in an attempt to keep control of the South Korea-US Combined Forces Command even after the OPCON transfer.After the transfer, a

DefenseSept. 17, 2019

Seoul likely to lose megacity status

Seoul is getting smaller and older in terms of population and could soon cease to be a megacity with over 10 million inhabitants, the capital's government said Tuesday. According to the city government, the total number of residents in the capital was 10,049,607 as of the end of last year, including 283,984 foreign residents. The number is forecast to sink below 10 million at the end of the year or in the first half of next year given the average net number of people moving out has been mor

Social AffairsSept. 17, 2019

Prosecution summons daughter of justice minister for probe

The prosecution has summoned the daughter of the justice minister as part of a probe into allegations that she entered prestigious colleges on the back of exaggerated internship experiences or fabricated certificates.The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office called in the 28-year-old daughter of Justice Minister Cho Kuk on Monday over its widening investigation into a set of corruption allegations involving the minister's family.The daughter is at the center of the education-related scandal

PoliticsSept. 17, 2019