NK amends constitution to bolster Kim’s authority

North Korea revised its constitution Thursday to further solidify its leader Kim Jong-un’s authority during its rubber-stamp parliamentary session.The second session of the 14th Supreme People’s Assembly convened Thursday and “made some amendments and supplements to the Socialist Constitution,” the North’s official Korean Central News Agency said. This included a stipulation about the status of the chairman of the State Affairs Commission, a position held by Kim.Kim

North KoreaAug. 30, 2019

Hyundai Oilbank encourages employees’ personal development

South Korean petroleum and refinery company Hyundai Oilbank said Friday it has rolled out activities and perks for employees in response to increasing demand for better work-life balance. For example, one-day after-work workshops spanning from leathercraft to cooking to flower-related classes, which employees can participate in if they are interested.  “The one-day class program was launched to help develop employees’ personal interests outside of work,” a representative o

IndustryAug. 30, 2019

[Eye Plus] Garden of dignity

In the forest of the Soswaewon garden in Damyang, South Jeolla Province, there stands a colony of bamboo trees that symbolize the pride of the “seonbi,” the noble scholars of the Joseon era (1392-1910).Standing upright and reaching straight toward the sky, bamboos were seen as a symbol of dignity and the principles of the scholars. Built in the 16th century by Yang San-bo, the garden functioned as a place where great scholars of the time interacted with each other, discussing politic

TravelAug. 30, 2019

Veteran pizzaiolo brings artisanal pies to Nonhyeon

“Salt, water, yeast,” Darobe founder and primo pizzaiolo Kang Woo-seok, 39, rattled off -- referring to the ingredients needed to craft his pizza dough. “And flour.” At Darobe, those ingredients, transformed into a multi-textured, flavorful crust, formed the foundation for the artisanal pies Kang started serving when he first opened his pizzeria in Seoul’s Seongsu-dong two years ago. Fast forward to August, Kang is at the second location of Darobe in Seoul’s N

FoodAug. 30, 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

FoodAug. 30, 2019

[Herald Interview] Fine lines and finer art 　

To call Kim Kyeong-ho a master calligrapher seems like an understatement. His transcriptions of the sutras, the Buddha’s teachings, lead viewers to wonder about the limits of human ability. Ultrathin lines no thicker than a fraction of 1 millimeter form intricate designs and paintings that decorate the scripts. One such example depicts Buddha figures, almost invisible if not scrutinized with a magnifying glass, hidden inside minuscule pagodas. “I did this many years ago. I

CultureAug. 30, 2019

BOK signals rate cut after standing pat at 1.5%

South Korea's central bank has room for a further rate cut to deter a longer skid in Asia's fourth-largest economy, the bank's chief said Friday, with analysts eying a rate reduction in October.The Bank of Korea's monetary policy board voted to leave the bellwether rate steady, after in July the bank carried out the first quarter percentage-point reduction in three years. The BOK's wait-and-see stance had been widely expected as it needs to gauge the impact of the rate cut on Asia's fourth-large

EconomyAug. 30, 2019

[Weekender] A peek at upcycle art in Gwangmyeong

The city of Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province, has the country’s first gallery dedicated to upcycling and runs programs for both artists and the general public. The ongoing exhibition at the Gwangmyeong Upcycle Art Center has a child-friendly zoo theme: A tiger, an eagle and other wild animals have been recreated out of various waste materials. But the message isn’t just for kids. “The ‘Upcycle Zoo’ exhibition intends to provoke thoughts about what’s happening on

Arts & DesignAug. 30, 2019

[Weekender] From trash to art

A fancy new building with an inviting lawn yard, public art installations and plenty of Instagrammable photo spots, Seoul Upcycling Plaza looks just like a hip place to be. And that’s what city officials hope it will become -- a magnet for trendsetters and a hotbed of new lifestyle movements. Upcycling is, according to the center’s public relations manager Cho Ara, a step beyond recycling. “It is not just about using things again (recycling). It is about giving them a new

Arts & DesignAug. 30, 2019

‘N. Korea won’t give up nukes, efforts should be made in normalizing ties’

North Korea will not give up its nuclear weapons, and it would be more effective to seek normalization of relations with the regime, an expert at US-based think tank said Tuesday.John Mueller, a senior fellow at Cato Institute and a political scientist at Ohio State University, also criticized the United States as the cause of friction on the Korea Peninsula due to its “atomic obsession.”  “It doesn’t matter whether North has nuclear weapons or not. There is a good c

North KoreaAug. 30, 2019

Japan OKs 1st shipment of hydrogen fluoride to S. Korea since export curbs

Japan has allowed the first shipment of hydrogen fluoride to South Korea since it tightened export controls in July, according to a government official.Hydrogen fluoride is one of three materials, used in the production of semiconductors and display panels, affected by Japan's export curbs against South Korea. Since the controls took effect, Japan has twice allowed the shipment of photoresist. The other material is fluorinated polyimide."We confirmed with the relevant industry today (Thursd

IndustryAug. 30, 2019

Industrial output up 1.2% on-month in July

South Korea's industrial output rose 1.2 percent in July from a month earlier due to increased auto output and facility investment, government data showed Friday. The data compiled by Statistics Korea showed the production in the mining, manufacturing, gas and electricity industries also went up 2.6 percent in July from a month earlier, while the output of the service sector increased 1 percent on-month.From a year earlier, industrial output grew 0.5 percent. (Yonhap)

EconomyAug. 30, 2019

Barrier-breaking ‘Kim’s Convenience’ family reflects immigrant experience

Imaging hearing “appa” and “eomma” -- the affectionate words for dad and mom in Korean -- on an English-language TV channel, let alone a regular sitcom series in Canada. One would say, improbable.But that is what has been happening for more than three years now through “Kim’s Convenience,” a much loved sitcom on public broadcaster CBC that depicts a Korean Canadian family’s authentic everyday life.  The story revolves around the Kims, a Korean

TelevisionAug. 29, 2019

Audi Volkswagen Korea to apply lemon laws for cars sold since Jan.

Audi Volkswagen Korea said Thursday it will retroactively apply lemon laws on its vehicles sold since January in a move to boost declining sales in Asia's fourth-biggest economy.The decision came as the German carmaker's four brands -- Audi, Volkswagen, Lamborghini and Bentley -- prepare to apply the laws for Korean customers Monday.The Korean lemon laws went into effect on Jan. 1, 2019, to enhance customers' convenience, though it is not obligatory for companies to follow them. Under lemon laws

IndustryAug. 29, 2019

Pro-Park Geun-hye activists disappointed with Supreme Court ruling

A group of lawmakers and activists supporting former president Park Geun-hye expressed disappointment and anger Thursday after the Supreme Court ordered a new trial for the disgraced leader.With the verdict, the ousted and jailed Park may face harsher legal punishment in a massive bribery scandal involving her longtime friend, Choi Soon-sil, and Samsung Group's leader Lee Jae-yong.South Korea's highest court sent Park's case back to the Seoul High Court, ordering it to handle her bribery charge

PoliticsAug. 29, 2019

S. Korean, Japanese culture ministers seek way out of worsening diplomatic ties

The culture ministers of South Korea and Japan discussed bilateral cooperation on the cultural front Thursday in their meeting held amid escalating trade and diplomatic rows between their countries.The meeting between Culture Minister Park Yang-woo and his Japanese counterpart, Masahiko Shibayama, held at a convention center in Incheon, just west of Seoul, was arranged on the sidelines of the annual meeting of the culture and tourism ministers of South Korea, Japan and China. "The two minis

Foreign AffairsAug. 29, 2019

North Korea holds parliamentary session for second time this year

As North Korea was to hold the second meeting of its rubber-stamp parliament Thursday, eyes are on what message or policy changes the regime may announce at the event.North Korea’s state-run media outlets reported that Pyongyang was to hold a plenary meeting of the 14th Supreme People’s Assembly, the second such meeting this year, following the first held in April. According to the North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency, SPA members paid their respects at statues of

North KoreaAug. 29, 2019

LG chief emphasizes competitiveness in materials

LG Chairman Koo Kwang-mo on Thursday stressed the importance of securing competitiveness in the development of new materials and components to ensure the group’s future growth, the company said. During a visit to LG Chem’s research and development unit in Daejeon, some 120 kilometers south of Seoul, Koo asked the company’s employees to jump into challenging R&D projects instead of focusing on mere short-term goals, to create “truly innovative value for customers.&rdqu

IndustryAug. 29, 2019

Top court sends back Park Geun-hye corruption cases

The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered retrials for former President Park Geun-hye, Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Park’s confidante Choi Soon-sil. The top court ruled that the ruling in Park’s appeal trial was unlawful as the lower court had not considered the bribery charge separately from other crimes of which she was convicted.Park had been sentenced to a 25-year prison term, with 20 billion won ($16.4 million) in fines for various forms of corruption, includin

Social AffairsAug. 29, 2019

[News Focus] Moon reverts to hard line as Japan rejects dialogue

President Moon Jae-in on Thursday renewed his criticism of the Japanese government, calling on Tokyo to face history, returning to his earlier hard-line stance after weeks of calling for dialogue. “Japan must be honest. Japan has yet to even state an honest reason for its economic retaliation. The Japanese government is trying to rationalize its economic retaliation by baselessly shifting its rhetoric as frequently as necessary,” Moon said, referring to Tokyo’s removal of

PoliticsAug. 29, 2019