[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Everland’s ‘Blood City’ Halloween festival (1)Everland theme park will hold the latest edition of its zombie-themed Halloween festival “Blood City” until Nov. 17.Parts of the park will be decorated in a horror theme, with around 100 actors dressed as zombies, clowns and other monsters. Performances will be available and various photo spots will be arranged, including at the recently unveiled “Raptor Ranger” attraction. Some of the most popular attraction

TravelSept. 6, 2019

Foreign ministry looking into embezzlement suspicions involving official at embassy in Berlin

The foreign ministry is looking into suspicions that an official at South Korea's Embassy in Germany embezzled official funds, diplomatic sources said Friday.The official, locally hired in 2009 as an administrative employee handling general finances, was accused of pocketing at least 700 million won ($584,260) from the mission's coffers between 2013 and 2018, according to the sources.  A local media outlet reported earlier that part of the allegedly misused money included budgetary funds th

Social AffairsSept. 6, 2019

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Tune in for Love(Korea)Opened Aug. 28Romance, DramaDirected by Jung Ji-wooIn 1994, when singer Yoo Yeol appears on the air for the first time as host of the radio show “Yoo Yeol’s Music Album,” Hyeon-woo (Jung Hae-in) happens to run across Mi-su (Kim Go-eun) at the bakery where she works. Throughout the next decade, fate keeps pulling Hyeon-woo and Mi-su together and pushing them apart again as they try to figure out life on their own, and with each other.Metamorphosis(Korea)Op

FilmSept. 6, 2019

[Around the Hotels] Packages and promotions

Savory afternoon tea at Park Hyatt SeoulPark Hyatt Seoul’s The Lounge presents the Plentifall afternoon tea set.The afternoon tea, served on a three-tier porcelain tea tray customized for the hotel, includes pumpkin soup, mushroom crepe, salmon sandwich, ham, chocolate roll cake, persimmon mousse cake and a variety of chocolates, along with in-house scones and fresh fruit. Guests can choose coffee or tea, or add a glass of champagne at an additional cost of 18,000 won. Priced at 39,000 won

FoodSept. 6, 2019

[Herald Interview] ‘The city of Seoul belongs to us’

Though dwellings are important, cities matter a great deal in determining people’s lifestyles. Delving into the notion, the 2019 Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism will take place from Saturday to Nov. 10 across Seoul. The second edition of the biennale is led by directors Lim Jae-yong and Francisco Sanin, with the participation of more than 180 institutions from 80 cities, including Berlin, Paris, Amsterdam and Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.  According to 58-year-old Lim, the 2019 e

PeopleSept. 6, 2019

UN panel recommends future NK sanctions focus on cyberattacks

A United Nations panel of experts recommended Thursday that the Security Council draft future sanctions against North Korea with a focus on its cyberattacks.The experts made the recommendation in a new report to the UN Security Council committee monitoring sanctions implementation against the North, saying the regime is estimated to have illegally acquired as much as $2 billion through cyberattacks.The report covered the period Feb. 2 - Aug. 2, and detailed the regime's increasingly sophisticate

North KoreaSept. 6, 2019

Cheong Wa Dae, prosecution clash over probe into minister nominee's family

South Korea's presidential office and prosecution clashed Thursday over an investigation into the family of justice minister nominee Cho Kuk over alleged misdeeds.The Supreme Prosecutors' Office made a rare public protest calling on presidential officials to stop intervening in its investigation into Cho's wife over suspicions that she may have concocted a school award for her daughter. The presidential office Cheong Wa Dae immediately denied the claim, saying that it has never interfered w

PoliticsSept. 6, 2019

N. Korea continues to develop ICBM program: UN panel

North Korea's missile programs are designed to support its development of intercontinental ballistic missiles, a United Nations panel of experts said Thursday, underscoring the ongoing threat posed by the regime.The panel made the assessment in a new report for the UN Security Council committee monitoring sanctions implementation against North Korea, adding that the regime's nuclear weapons program also continues unabated.The report covers the period Feb. 2 - Aug. 2, and comes as US-North Korea

North KoreaSept. 6, 2019

[Weekender] Mala, mouth-numbing sauce from China, captures spicy food fans

While gochujang -- Korean red chili paste -- is captivating the taste buds of many overseas, a Chinese sauce known for its tongue-numbing heat is the latest obsession among spicy food lovers here. Mala, a fiery, oily sauce that originates from China’s southwestern region of Sichuan, is the flavor behind this year’s popular malatang hot pot and the stir-fried version, mala xiang guo. As fans can’t seem to get enough of these fiery dishes, Korean food companies and eatery fr

FoodSept. 6, 2019

Justice minister nominee denies role in alleged corruption involving his family

Justice Minister nominee Cho Kuk denied he had any part in alleged corruption involving his family during a confirmation hearing Friday, as political parties wrangled over his suitability for the post.Cho repeatedly apologized to the public for the allegations that have caused public disappointment and uproar, but he also expressed his unwavering commitment to carrying out reform of the prosecution."For the reform, I think that a proper candidate for justice minister should have no experien

PoliticsSept. 6, 2019

North Korea wants UN staff cut, but UN says they're vital

UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- North Korea wants the number of UN international staff in the country reduced by the end of the year over what it claims is the politicization of aid by parties hostile to its government, but the United Nations says the mission's current "light footprint'' is vital.Kim Chang Min, secretary general of North Korea's National Coordinating Committee, said in a letter to the UN resident coordinator in North Korea that in recent years "UN supported programs failed to b

North KoreaSept. 6, 2019

[Weekender] Like it hot!

Late last month, two giant chili statues occupied a corner of Seoul Plaza, in front of City Hall, drawing interest from foreign tourists and passers-by. The air carried the unmistakable scent of the fiery spice. Farmers’ booths nearby had loads of freshly harvested, sun-dried red chilies, ready to be ground into gochu-garu -- chili powder -- or to be aged into thick, fermented chili paste, gochujang. The Aug. 27-29 Yeongyang H.O.T. Festival led to on-the-spot sales and delivery orders

FoodSept. 6, 2019

'Korea should use strengths in technology, intellectual property'

Seoul needs to form deep connections to the global startup ecosystem, keynote speakers said Thursday at “Start-up Seoul: Tech-Rise 2019,” a startup convention hosted by Seoul City. The event is part of the city’s efforts to draw attention to the local startup ecosystem, called the Challenger Startup Ecosystem in a recent report by Startup Genome, meaning it has the potential to make it into the top 30 within five years. “Seoul’s size is half of the top 20 startup ec

TechnologySept. 6, 2019

Seoul stocks open higher, tracking Wall Street gains

Seoul stocks started higher Friday, tracking overnight gains on Wall Street, buoyed by rising hope for progress in the protracted US-China trade dispute.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) increased 8.33 points, or 0.42 percent, to 2,013.08 in the first 15 minutes of trading. The US stock market ended sharply higher on Thursday (local time) on reports that the world's top two economies plan to hold high-level dialogue next month to deal with their yearlong trade friction

MarketSept. 6, 2019

S. Korea eyes record budget in 2020 to boost exports

South Korea plans a record budget spending next year to help boost the country's exports, which have been lackluster for months in the face of growing trade frictions, such as that between the United States and China, the trade ministry said Friday.The budget of 1.07 trillion won ($891 million), earmarked to promote exports and diversify overseas markets, will be the first to break the 1 trillion-won mark, according to the Ministry of Trade, Investment and Energy.The country also plans to provid

EconomySept. 6, 2019

Music-themed culture complex to open on Seoul's Nodeul Island

A new cultural complex will open on a Han River island in the heart of Seoul this month, providing citizens with more opportunities to enjoy music and other cultural performances, the government of Seoul said Friday.The Seoul Metropolitan Government said it will open the music-themed complex on Nodeul Island, an uninhabited artificial island in the Han River that has an ecological park, on Sept. 28.Nodeul Island, located between Seoul's Yongsan and Dongjak districts, can be easily accessed by ca

Social AffairsSept. 6, 2019

S. Korea held to draw by Georgia in tuneup for World Cup qualifying match

With a can't-miss striker coming to the rescue in an otherwise lackluster performance, South Korea managed a 2-2 draw against Georgia in a friendly match in Turkey on Thursday ahead of a World Cup qualifying match.Bordeaux forward Hwang Ui-jo came off the bench in the second half to score both of South Korea's goals at Basaksehir Fatih Terim Stadium in Istanbul. Jano Ananidze opened the scoring for Georgia in the 40th minute, and Giorgi Kvilitaia netted a late equalizer to round out the scoring.

SoccerSept. 6, 2019

[IFA 2019] LG introduces upgraded dual screen phone

BERLIN – Korean tech giant LG Electronics unveiled an upgraded dual-screen phone at IFA 2019 on Friday. The 6.4-inch smartphone comes in the V series and G series. The 5G phone LG V50S ThinQ will be rolled out in Korea, while the 4G LG G8X ThinQ will be sold overseas. “The V50S will be the joker of the second half of 2019,” said David Yoon, vice president of Product Planning Strategy Group at LG Mobile Communications, referring to the device as a potential trump card in the com

IndustrySept. 6, 2019

USFK chief stresses strong Korea-US alliance amid speculations of rift

United States Forces Korea Commander Gen. Robert Abrams emphasized the importance of the two countries’ alliance on Thursday amid speculation of a possible rift following Seoul’s decision to end a military information-sharing pact with Japan.“It is a repeated, demonstrated commitment to defend one another from the threats that face our countries. We could not and cannot do that alone,” Abrams said during the banquet as part of the Seoul Defense Dialogue underway in Seoul.

DefenseSept. 5, 2019

Moon unveils vision for Korea‘s cooperation with Mekong region

President Moon Jae-in on Thursday unveiled his vision to promote South Korea‘s cooperation with Southeast Asian countries around the Mekong River.He announced a special statement on Seoul’s commitment to the development and peace of the region after his summit with Laotian President Bounnhang Vorachith and a separate meeting with Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith in Vientiane.“The entire world is now paying attention to the development of the Mekong region,” Moon said in

Foreign AffairsSept. 5, 2019