Job additions hit 18-month high in July

The number of new jobs in South Korea rose to their highest in 18 months in July on the back of a rise in employment in the health care, food and leisure-related sectors, with the jobless rate up slightly to 3.9 percent, government data showed Wednesday.  The number of employed people in Asia's fourth-largest economy came to 27.38 million, up 299,000 from a year earlier, according to the data from Statistics Korea.   It was the highest on-year leap since the 334,000 increase

EconomyAug. 14, 2019

US concerned by NK missile development: senior official

The United States is concerned by North Korea's missile development and will continue to call out the regime for its missile tests, a senior US official said Tuesday.Andrea Thompson, under secretary of state for arms control and international security, was commenting in light of North Korea's five rounds of short-range ballistic missile tests since July 25. Experts say the regime has been advancing its weapons capabilities despite a commitment by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to work toward de

North KoreaAug. 14, 2019

Opera's Domingo faces sexual harassment probe, shows canceled

NEW YORK (AFP) -- Opera legend Placido Domingo faced a growing #MeToo storm Tuesday as the Los Angeles Opera opened an investigation into multiple allegations of sexual harassment against him and two other major venues canceled his upcoming performances. Domingo defended himself after several women, one of whom was identified, accused him of using his position as one of opera's most celebrated singers to pressure them into sexual relationships. Eight singers and a dancer told the Associated Pres

World NewsAug. 14, 2019

US says any decision on missile deployment will be made jointly with Asian allies

Any decision on whether to deploy intermediate-range missiles to Asia will be made jointly with US allies in the region, not unilaterally, a senior US official said Tuesday.Andrea Thompson, under secretary of state for arms control and international security, was commenting on Washington's push to deploy the missiles in Asia following its withdrawal from a missile treaty with Russia earlier this month.South Korea, a US treaty ally that hosts 28,500 American troops, has been cited as a candidate

InternationalAug. 14, 2019

Jobless rate reaches 3.9% in June, 299,000 jobs created

South Korea's jobless rate reached 3.9 percent in July despite nearly 300,000 new jobs added, government data showed Wednesday. The unemployment rate increased 0.2 percentage point from the same month last year, according to the data from Statistics Korea.The unemployment rate marks the highest for the same month in 19 years.The number of employed people came to 27.38 million, up 299,000 from a year earlier. (Yonhap)

EconomyAug. 14, 2019

Court rejects Kolon's petition on gene therapy drug Invossa

A Seoul court on Tuesday turned down a request by Kolon Life Science to suspend the government's decision to prohibit the production and sale of its gene therapy drug Invossa.The firm initially received approval for the medication from South Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in 2017. But this was revoked earlier this year after the drugmaker was found to have falsely reported an ingredient used in Invossa and violated labeling rules.Although Kolon acknowledged that a substance in the join

IndustryAug. 13, 2019

Extremely poor defector mother, son found dead

A destitute defector from North Korea and her son have been found dead in their home in southwestern Seoul, possibly two months after their death, police said Tuesday.The bodies of the 42-year-old woman identified by her family name Han and her six-year-old son identified as Kim were found by a janitor of the apartment in the Bongcheon neighborhood of southern Seoul on July 31.He entered the house after a water serviceman reported that it smelled bad. The water supply had been cut off because of

Social AffairsAug. 13, 2019

S. Korea to actively deal with radioactive water discharge from Fukushima plant

South Korea will actively seek ways to deal with Japan's planned discharge of water contaminated as a result of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear power plant meltdown, Seoul's foreign ministry said Tuesday, amid concern storage space will soon run out.The treatment of radioactive water stored in tanks in Fukushima has drawn international concern in recent months following reports that the Japanese government is considering releasing the water into the Pacific Ocean, among other options. Tokyo Electric

Foreign AffairsAug. 13, 2019

Amid gloomy outlook, system chips a bright spot in global semiconductor market: report

While the majority of memory chip products have a negative growth outlook, a few high-end system-on chips are forecast to lead the global semiconductor market this year, according to a report Tuesday. Market researcher IC Insights released a report that offers estimated 2019 growth rates for 33 types of semiconductor chips. Among them, the 25 that are memory chips, including flagship storage chips DRAM and NAND, are predicted to post a double digit decline this year, the report said. DRAM c

TechnologyAug. 13, 2019

74th Liberation Day ceremony to be held at Cheonan Independence Hall

South Korea will celebrate its 74th independence anniversary outside Seoul for the first time in 15 years, at the Independence Hall of Korea in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province. The Ministry of Interior and Safety, which organizes the annual event, said Tuesday the government ceremony celebrating Liberation Day will be held at the Independence Hall of Korea at 10 a.m. Thursday in the city 84 km south of Seoul.  The venue, which is operated by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs

Social AffairsAug. 13, 2019

[Graphic News] Arsenal signs Nicolas Pepe for record fee

　Arsenal announced the signing of winger Nicolas Pepe from French side Lille in early August for a club-record fee reported to be 80 million euros ($87 million).　　The deal for the 24-year-old Ivory Coast international eclipses the 63.8 million euros spent on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in January 2018 as the Gunners add another attacking option to their ranks.　　Pepe becomes the most expensive African player ever and the joint-fourth most expensive signing in Premier League history, after Mancheste

SoccerAug. 13, 2019

[Photo News] Starbucks honors independence patriots

Starbucks Korea said Tuesday that it has donated a piece of handwriting by Korean independence activist Dosan Ahn Chang-ho during an event to support and protect independence patriots, their descendants and heritage. 

IndustryAug. 13, 2019

[Herald Interview] Percussion is more than beats and rhythms

To be a solo percussionist is an unusual career choice, as percussionists are usually a part of a larger team such as an orchestra or band. But Lee Hyun-gi is carving out a successful career as a solo percussionist based in London, and she plays a variety of instruments -- not just the drums but also the vibraphone and her specialty, the marimba, an instrument featuring a set of wooden bars that the player strikes with a pair of rubber mallets.“People are unfamiliar with percussion instrum

PerformanceAug. 13, 2019

Mouthy ‘nightlife expert’ sniffs out drug scandal ‘By Quantum Physics’

“By Quantum Physics: A Nightlife Venture,” a story about an enormous drug scandal at a nightclub that involves big names, was not actually inspired by the “Burning Sun” drug scandal.“The first draft was written in 2016, and we learned of the (Burning Sun) incident while we were editing the film,” said director Lee Sung-tae, on his upcoming crime movie. “I actually thought I should change that part (about doing drugs in clubs) after one of our young staff

FilmAug. 13, 2019

[Herald Interview] Donggubat CEO strives for social well-being along with revenue growth

Donggubat CEO Noh Soon-ho, is a millennial business leader who is confident and ambitious about his aspirations to kill two birds with one stone: raise profits and employ people with disabilities to bring about a social change.His social enterprise, founded in 2014, manufactures and sells premium soaps.“I wanted to be referred to as a change-maker before graduating. I thought it was important for me to experience giving my all to a social issue as an undergrad in order for me to not have a

Social AffairsAug. 13, 2019

Ex-vice minister denies sexual exploitation, bribery charges

Former Vice Justice Minister Kim Hak-eui denied accusations that he received sexual services or bribes from businessmen as his trial opened Tuesday, six years after he first became mired in an orgy scandal. At the first hearing, held in the Seoul Central District Court, Kim’s lawyer accused the prosecution of unreasonably filing bribery charges for the sake of indicting him.“He was stigmatized as a shameless rapist, was subjected to blame and mockery, and was forced to stay silent in

Social AffairsAug. 13, 2019

Cheonghae Unit sets sail for mission amid speculation of serving in Hormuz Strait

Korea’s anti-piracy Cheonghae Unit on Tuesday embarked on its mission in the Gulf of Aden amid speculation that its final destination may be the Strait of Hormuz.As Washington has been calling for its allies to take part in the “international maritime security mission” in the Strait of Hormuz amid heightened tension with Iran, Seoul has been weighing its options. The naval Cheonghae Unit, one of Korea’s military troops deployed overseas, was seen as the most likely t

DefenseAug. 13, 2019

[Robert J. Fouser] Why boycotting Japan won’t work

As expected, tensions between South Korea and Japan have continued to worsen. On Aug. 2, Japan followed through with its threat to remove Korea from the “whitelist” of countries that Japan designates as preferential trading partners. This action means that companies exporting select products to Korea will need approval from the Japanese government before exporting. The Japanese government could use the approval process to restrict exports to Korea.The Korean government condemned the

ViewpointsAug. 13, 2019

[Kim Seong-kon] Proverbs that reflect indiscreet attitude of our society

Proverbs and maxims reflect the society from which they originate. Thus they vary depending on the peculiarities of nations, cultures and civilizations. If you are familiar with a certain nation’s proverbs, therefore, you can easily conjecture about the characteristics of the people of the country. Watching recent social and political disruptions of Korea these days, one can be reminded of Korean maxims that nicely match these situations.Among others, the famous Korean proverb, “You

ViewpointsAug. 13, 2019