[News Focus] Korea keen on investment in ocean cruise harbors

SEJONG -- South Korea has five international cruise terminals -- two in Jeju, one in Busan, one in Sokcho and one in Incheon.With the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries focusing on the development of cruise tourism, its plan to open a new Jeju Port, aimed at handling a greater number of inbound cruise tourists, has been approved by the Cabinet.The endorsed budget for the third ocean cruise terminal on Jeju Island -- with the capacity to manage 4.7 million tourists per year -- is set at 2.8 trillio

IndustryAug. 18, 2019

[David Ignatius] Beware ‘moral hazard’ in Hong Kong

Watching videos of Chinese protesters singing the US national anthem in the streets of Hong Kong, or hearing the tear-jerking chorus of “Les Miserables” during a sit-in at the Hong Kong airport, only someone with a heart of stone wouldn’t want to assist these brave people who are fighting for their freedom. But beware. The problem is that easy gestures of support could get these Chinese freedom fighters killed. It’s a problem that insurance companies call “moral haz

ViewpointsAug. 18, 2019

[Leonid Bershidsky] Trump isn’t crazy to want to buy Greenland

Former Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen called US President Donald Trump’s reported idea of buying Greenland, a self-governed Danish territory, an out-of-season April Fools’ Day joke. Trump’s idea may be outlandish -- and impossible -- but that doesn’t mean there’s no benefit in thinking about reviving the market in sovereign territories, which once made America great. Besides acquiring Louisiana from France, Florida from Spain, Alaska from Russia and much

ViewpointsAug. 18, 2019

Samsung Display CEO affirms QD-OLED efforts

While Samsung Display, an affiliate of Samsung Electronics, is moving to cut its production of liquid crystal display panels, the company is making significant efforts to produce quantum dot organic light-emitting diode panels, according to the industry on Sunday. Samsung Display CEO Lee Dong-hoon told The Korea Herald, “The company is making good efforts” to launch QD-OLED panels in the near future.There have not been any investment plans on QD-OLED production confirmed by the compa

TechnologyAug. 18, 2019

Universal Ballet celebrates 35th anniversary with signature reinventions of classical tales

The Universal Ballet Company will reintroduce its popular Korean classics, “Shim Chung” and “The Love of Chunhyang,” in October in celebration of the company’s 35th anniversary.“The Love of Chunhyang” runs Oct. 4-6, followed by “Shim Chung” Oct. 11-13, both at the Seoul Arts Center. “I am very happy to reintroduce ‘Shim Chung’ and ‘The Love of Chunhyang,’ which have played important roles in promoting Korea&rsquo

PerformanceAug. 18, 2019

Actress Ku Hye-sun, actor Ahn Jae-hyun may divorce

Actress Ku Hye-sun and actor Ahn Jae-hyun could become yet another high-profile Korean couple whose marriage ends in divorce.On Sunday, the actress shared a post that hinted at the end of her marriage with Ahn. In the post that included a private message with Ahn, Ku wrote that she had lost faith in her husband. HB Entertainment, which represents both Ku and Ahn, announced Sunday that the two have agreed to start divorce proceedings.However, Ku has refuted the statement, saying she has not come

TelevisionAug. 18, 2019

Biegun’s Seoul visit raises expectations for resumption of working-level nuclear talks

A visit to South Korea by the US special envoy for North Korea this week has sparked speculation that he may meet Pyongyang’s officials to resume stalled denuclearization talks at the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom. US Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun will travel to Seoul from Tuesday to Thursday just after joint South Korea-US military exercises wrap up Tuesday. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has expressed willingness to restart denuclearization talks

North KoreaAug. 18, 2019

Little progress in coming up with alternative service for conscientious objectors

Over a year has passed since the Constitutional Court addressed the need to come up with an alternative form of service for conscientious objectors, but little progress has been made at the National Assembly.According to the Military Manpower Administration on Sunday, as of late July 498 people had submitted applications to defer enlistment, citing religious beliefs. Previously, the authorities had uniformly charged conscientious objectors under the Military Service Act. But since the Constituti

DefenseAug. 18, 2019

US official to visit Seoul for defense cost-sharing deal before official negotiations begin

Timothy Betts, acting deputy assistant secretary and senior adviser for security negotiations and agreements, will visit Seoul this week to discuss the defense cost-sharing pact, sources said Sunday.Betts, who led the US negotiation team for the 10th defense cost-sharing agreement, will meet with Chang Won-sam, his South Korean counterpart, on Tuesday. Details on the venue and time of the closed-door meeting have not been revealed, but it may be held at a location other than the Foreign Ministry

DefenseAug. 18, 2019

National Assembly staffers call for gender parity in Yeouido

Women who work at the National Assembly are holding a monthlong campaign to promote gender equality within the legislative arm of the government.According to National Assembly Feminists, a feminist group composed of female National Assembly staffers, 38.2 percent of all staffers at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, were women as of Aug. 1.  While women made up 52.3 percent of interns and 63.3 percent of grade 9 staffers -- the lowest-ranked civil servants -- they accounted for only 8

Social AffairsAug. 18, 2019

Can LG smart fridge actually tweet?

A tweet by a teenager living in Kentucky, the US, made LG Electronics’ smart refrigerator go viral globally this week, raising the question of whether the fridge could be used to tweet. A fan of singer Ariana Grande, named Dorothy, tweeted Aug. 8 that she was posting via LG’s smart fridge as her mother had taken away her smartphone. “I do not know if this is going to tweet. I am talking to my fridge, What the (explicit) my mom confiscated all of my electronics again,” rea

TechnologyAug. 18, 2019

Top 10 biz groups' operating profits down by 54% in H1

South Korea's major conglomerates posted downbeat operating earnings in the first half from a year ago due to weak global demand for major products, including memory chips, industry data showed Sunday. The combined operating profits of 90 listed companies affiliated with the nation's top 10 business groups totaled 21.3 trillion won ($17.5 billion) in the first six months of this year, 53.5 percent down from a year earlier, according to market researcher Inforbix's analysis of their semiannual re

IndustryAug. 18, 2019

Signs of global recession haunt S. Korean economy

A shadow of global recession looms over key economies as major markets have been dealing with some of their worst days in recent weeks. This is sparking concerns that chances of recession may also be growing on home turf, in South Korea. Last week, the yields on US 10-year Treasurys fell below two-year yields for the first time since 2007 – a phenomenon known as an inverted yield curve. Investors and experts alike are regarding such trend with wariness -- every recession in the last 60 yea

EconomyAug. 18, 2019

Thavma thrives on patriotic marketing

Amid the ongoing boycott of Japanese products in the midst of the South Korea-Japan trade row, a Korean brand is gaining recognition for its “Yes. We are a Korean brand” campaign. Thavma, a luxury bag brand known for its simple designs, variety of colors, quality materials and reasonable prices, has succeeded in making itself stand out from other foreign name brands, according to industry sources. The most popular model is Christa.Thavma products are currently sold at the company&rsq

EconomyAug. 18, 2019

Liberty Korea Party to stage anti-govt. rally

The main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) will stage an anti-government rally in Seoul this week in what would be the first such move outside the parliament in three months, its officials said Sunday.Hwang Kyo-ahn, the leader of the conservative government, said that the rally at Gwanghwamun Square on Saturday is aimed at sending a "warning" to the Moon Jae-in government against its liberal policies and personnel management. The LKP has been highly critical of Moon's recent nominat

PoliticsAug. 18, 2019

[Herald Interview] Raising the bar of ethical farming, startup offers ‘disruptive’ agritech

ULikeKorea is a livestock health care startup that has introduced a first-of-its-kind bio capsule designed to lodge inside a cow’s first stomach and stay there to monitor the animal’s food and drug intake, real-time core body temperature and breeding cycle for quality meat production.The company became one of the eight winning candidates in the third SoftBank Innovation Program that took place in June, 2018, as a promising agritech firm in the “disrupt” category.There hav

IndustryAug. 18, 2019

[Newsmaker] Suspect in case of dismembered male torso on Han River turns himself in

Authorities have arrested a 39-year-old motel employee suspected of killing a man whose dismembered torso was found in Han River on Aug. 12.An arrest warrant was granted after a hearing for the suspect was held at the Uijeongbu District Court at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Goyang Police said.The man turned himself in to Jongno Police Station at around 1 a.m. Saturday, five days after the dismembered torso was found.At 9:15 p.m. Aug. 12, police on patrol found a bare torso without a head and limbs floating

Social AffairsAug. 18, 2019

[Foreign Executives] Han Sung Motor revenue triples under Ausprung leadership

In the trendy industry of luxury automobiles -- particularly in a country where the market is highly volatile, depending on social and even political factors -- sustaining a respected premium business is indeed a challenging task. Balancing confidence with humility with accrued sophistication, Han Sung Motor CEO Ulf Ausprung is responsible for the stellar performance over the past few years of the largest official Mercedes-Benz dealer here.According to CEO Score, a local corporate tracker, Han S

MobilityAug. 18, 2019

Incheon Airport expands overseas business portfolio

Incheon International Airport Corp. said Sunday it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Indonesia’s state-run airport operator Angkasa Pura I for cooperation in overseas airport projects. The signing ceremony, attended by IIAC CEO Koo Bon-hwan, President Director of AP I Faik Fahmi and some 20 officials from both companies, took place at Paradise City in Incheon on Wednesday. Under the memorandum, IIAC and AP I will upgrade relations to a strategic partnership to closely cooperate

IndustryAug. 18, 2019