Even away from music scene for break, BTS makes buzz

Off to its first-ever official break in its sensational seven-year career, K-pop super band BTS is away from the public eye, but the presence of its members' surprise internet feeds and release of a special photo album continues to make the world music scene abuzz with the beloved band.Dropping a YouTube video of the seven BTS members, flawlessly dressed up against the backdrop of a Korean wood-and-clay traditional house, "hanok" in Korean, last Thursday, BTS announced the arrival of t

PerformanceAug. 20, 2019

China accused of using Twitter, Facebook against Hong Kong protests

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) -- Twitter and Facebook said Monday they had uncovered a campaign by China to use the social media platforms against pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong."We are disclosing a significant state-backed information operation focused on the situation in Hong Kong, specifically the protest movement and their calls for political change," Twitter said in an online post.Facebook said a tip from Twitter led to the removal of pages, groups and accounts originating in China and

World NewsAug. 20, 2019

US extends travel ban on N. Korea for another year

The United States on Monday extended a ban on American citizens traveling to North Korea for another year.The State Department announced the extension in a notice, saying "there continues to be serious risk to United States nationals of arrest and long-term detention" in the North. The notice is due to be published in the Federal Register on Tuesday.The travel ban was imposed in Sept. 2017 in the wake of the death of Otto Warmbier, an American college student who was detained in the No

North KoreaAug. 20, 2019

K-pop celebs ignite discussion on going sans bra

K-pop idols have not always been in the forefront of social movements. Yet two popular stars in the industry -- Sulli and Hwasa -- have recently ignited the heated debate on going bra-free. Sulli, formerly of girl group f(x), has in recent years uploaded photographs and videos of herself without a bra on her social media accounts. Each time she uploads one, her Instagram account is bombarded with comments -- both supportive and expressing disgust.Appearing on JTBC’s “Night of Hate Co

PerformanceAug. 19, 2019

[팟캐스트] (313) 사회적 기업 동구밭 / 속초 먹거리

 진행자: 임정요, Kevin Lee Selzer1. Donggubat CEO strives for social well-being along with revenue growth기사요약: 사회적 기업 동구밭의 대표 노순호씨는 프리미엄 비누 회사를 운영하며 월 매출이 4백만원 증가할 때마다 발달장애인 정규직 직원을 한 명씩 추가채용하고 있다. 현재 32인으로 구성된 그의 회사엔 20명의 장애인 정규직 직원이 근무 중이다.아이튠즈(아이폰): https://itunes.apple.com/kr/podcast/koliaheleoldeu-paskaeseuteu/id686406253?mt=2팟빵 (안드로이드): http://www.podbbang.com/ch/6638[1] Donggubat CEO Noh Soon-ho, is a millennial business leader who is confident and ambitious about his aspirations to kill t

PodcastAug. 19, 2019

Korea clinches spot in women's volleyball Olympic qualifying tournament

South Korea secured a place in the Asian women's volleyball Olympic qualifying tournament with a victory over Hong Kong at a continental competition on Monday.South Korea defeated Hong Kong 3-0 (25-10, 25-14, 25-22) at the Asian Women's Volleyball Championship at Jamsil Arena in Seoul for its second consecutive victory in Pool A.South Korea finished atop its group and will move on to the second round at this tournament while also advancing to January's Olympic qualifying event. The top two teams

Olympic GamesAug. 19, 2019

Seoul pledges $200K in humanitarian aid to drought-hit Namibia

South Korea will provide about $200,000 worth of humanitarian aid to Namibia, which has declared a state of emergency over drought, the government said Monday.The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the African country has suffered from drought since October 2018, which has left up to 500,000 people or about 20 percent of the country's entire population short of food and water.  "The country will continue to expand its humanitarian assistance as a responsible member of the international c

Diplomatic CircuitAug. 19, 2019

Asiana jumps as local activist fund shows takeover interest

Stock prices of Asiana Airlines Inc., South Korea's second-biggest airline, jumped 11 percent on Monday following news that a local activist fund is considering taking over the company.Asiana shares soared 26 percent to an intraday high of 6,240 won before closing at 5,500 won. The broader KOSPI gained 0.7 percent.Kumho Asiana Group, a South Korean airline-to-petrochemical conglomerate, aims to sell a 31 percent stake in Asiana Airlines held by its affiliate Kumho Industrial Co. together with it

IndustryAug. 19, 2019

Unionized workers of Hyundai Heavy to stage partial strike

Unionized workers at Hyundai Heavy Industries decided Monday to stage a partial walkout this week as part of a general strike planned by their umbrella organization.The walkout will be staged for three hours from 2 p.m. on Wednesday, the company's labor union said.It will mark the first of its kind this year by the unionized workers at the shipbuilder.The decision came hours after the Korean Metal Workers' Union and its member unions announced a plan to stage a general strike next Wednesday in p

Social AffairsAug. 19, 2019

Apple makes job creation claims as ‘Google tax’ pressure mounts

For the first time, Apple Korea revealed on Monday figures for its local employment in South Korea, amid increasing calls for multinational tech giants to disclose their profits and taxes for operations here.According to the homepage of Apple Korea, the smartphone and mobile software developer claims to have directly and indirectly created over 325,000 jobs in Korea, including around 200,000 new positions in connection with the mobile-based App Store in 2008. “Apple has been operating its

TechnologyAug. 19, 2019

Will Facebook win court battle over network usage fee?

After a yearlong legal battle over the government’s decision to impose a financial penalty on Facebook Korea for a massive network cutoff in 2017, South Korea’s court will deliver a verdict this week to determine whether the punitive measure is excessive or not. The Seoul Administrative Court is scheduled to deliver its ruling on Thursday on the lawsuit filed by Facebook Korea in March last year, after the Korea Communication Commission imposed a 396 million won ($367,000) fine on Fa

TechnologyAug. 19, 2019

[Graphic News] Seat occupancy on flights to and from Japan drops over trade row

　The number of air passengers on routes between South Korea and Japan dipped during the peak summer vacation season amid an escalating bilateral trade spat, government data showed.　The passenger load factor for flights to and from Japan averaged 71.5 percent during the first week of August, down from 84.5 percent from a year earlier, according to the data from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. (Yonhap)

BusinessAug. 19, 2019

Seoul stocks close higher on hope for US-China trade talks, stimulus

Seoul shares closed higher Monday after US President Donald Trump vowed to call his Chinese counterpart in a move to settle the escalating American-Sino trade dispute. The Korean won fell against the US dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 12.73 points, or 0.66 percent, to 1,939.90. Trading volume was moderate at 472 million shares worth 3.68 trillion won ($3.12 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 633 to 207.The prospects are growing that the trade row between the w

MarketAug. 19, 2019

5G adds connectivity to baseball

The new 5G telecom network, which is 20 times faster than 4G, is expected to change many aspects of our lives -- how we communicate, drive, work, shop and more.Although the technology is still a long way from taking off, it is already changing how fans enjoy games at the baseball stadium in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province.  The stadium is home to KT Wiz, run by KT Sports, a subsidiary of South Korean telecom firm KT. The team currently ranks sixth in the Korean Baseball Organization league.“

TechnologyAug. 19, 2019

Seoul summons Japanese envoy over radioactive water disposal plan

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry on Monday sought a detailed explanation on Japan’s reported plan to release radioactive water from the 2011 Fukushima nuclear plant meltdown, while expressing safety concerns. Climate, Environment, Science and Foreign Affairs Director Kwon Se-jung summoned Tomofumi Nishinaga, economic counselor at the Japanese Embassy here, to convey the government’s concerns on the possible disposal of contaminated water. “Our government very gravely recogn

Foreign AffairsAug. 19, 2019

Resumption of US-NK dialogue a matter for speculation as drills come to end

A possible resumption of talks between the US and North Korea is in the spotlight as the top nuclear negotiator from Washington is due in Seoul on Tuesday, the final day of their joint military drills. According to the US Department of State, US Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun is set to arrive here after visiting Tokyo. His trip to both countries is intended to “further strengthen coordination on the final, fully verified denuclearization” of North Korea. 

North KoreaAug. 19, 2019

Beleaguered air carriers halt cargo services, suffer slump in stock prices

Hit with the triple whammy of global trade conflicts, diminished profitability and management risks, South Korea’s two full-service air carriers have decided to severely cut back on cargo services to carry through their quarterly operating loss, which exceeds 100 billion each.Korean Air and Asiana Airlines both said Monday that they were suspending domestic cargo delivery service as of October, in an effort to improve their financial situation after reporting poor second-quarter earnings a

IndustryAug. 19, 2019

Much ado about bras

For many women, the best moment at the day’s end is getting to unclasp their bras. Now increasingly more women are wondering why that kind of freedom should be confined to home. On May 28, 2018, a group of young women celebrated the annual Menstrual Hygiene Day with a campaign to reject shaming and lift taboos related to menstruation. At the event held in Yeongdeungpo in western Seoul, some women also rallied topless to protest against male voyeurism.  When women’s rights

Social AffairsAug. 19, 2019

[Ann McFeatters] History seems to be repeating in Russia, China

It’s beginning to feel like a 1980s news tape showing America’s despotic enemies running amok.In Russia, a mysterious fatal explosion a few days ago in one of the country’s 10 secret cities where nuclear research takes place has caused an uptick in radiation and raised alarm around the world.It also raises memories of the 1986 meltdown at the Ukrainian nuclear power plant at Chernobyl, which Russia tried desperately to hush up, lying repeatedly about how serious it was. An esti

ViewpointsAug. 19, 2019

[Andrew Sheng] Hong Kong problems are essentially a family quarrel

Summer 2019 will go on record as the hottest summer in human recorded history, but it will also be remembered as a summer of madness, when there are protests everywhere and violence seems to be on the boil. Who would have expected South Korea to be quarreling with Japan? Or India taking away the autonomy of Jammu/Kashmir to direct rule by Delhi? Or the Argentinian peso dropping 30 percent in one day? Why did the US put every one of their major trading partners, including Singapore, Malaysia and

ViewpointsAug. 19, 2019