Plaintiff in forced labor lawsuit against Japanese company dies at 90

Lee Young-sook, a South Korean victim of wartime forced labor who filed a damage suit with a Korean court against Japanese companies, has died. She was 90.Lee died of old age on Sunday, relatives of the deceased said. She was one of hundreds of Korean victims of wartime forced labor who took legal action in April, seeking compensation from Japanese firms, including Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. During World War II, hundreds of thousands of Koreans were mobilized as f

Social AffairsJuly 15, 2019

[Graphic News] No. of Koreans with positive view of Japan falls to record low: poll

　Japan’s restrictions on exports to South Korea seem to be having a significant impact on Koreans’ feelings toward Japan, a recent poll by Gallup Korea suggests.　In the nationwide survey of 1,005 Korean adults, only 12 percent said they had favorable views of Japan, the lowest figure since polling on the topic began in 1991.　Seventy-seven percent said they did not feel friendly toward the neighboring country, while another 10 percent refused to answer. (Yonhap)

Social AffairsJuly 15, 2019

[Contribution] Need to make traditional liquor Korea’s representative brand

While on a plane back from an overseas trip to an exhibition on rural food, I asked without a great deal of anticipation whether the in-flight service includes Korean traditional liquor, besides wine, beer and whiskey.To my surprise, the flight attendant immediately replied that they did indeed serve traditional liquor and had canned makgeolli. The fact that Korea’s traditional liquor was available on the plane made me incredibly grateful and glad, especially as the representative of Korea

IndustryJuly 15, 2019

‘Summer Love’: Artworks depict the lives of young artists

A desk with an old computer, a chair and a potted plant -- the room installation by Hwang Moon-jung does not require any sophisticated jargon to explain. You just need to sit and play the game installed on the computer: “Great Artist Maker” -- a remake of famous 1990s Japanese simulation game “Princess Maker.” “Great Artist Maker” has you arrange Hwang’s schedule and plan her activities to grow her career and get her recognized as a great artist. Hwang&r

Arts & DesignJuly 15, 2019

[Newsmaker] Political parties fail to agree on plenary meeting

Political parties failed to agree on a date for the last plenary meeting of the June parliamentary session, as the dispute over the main opposition Liberty Korea Party’s push for the dismissal of Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo dragged on.On Monday, floor leaders -- Lee In-young of the ruling Democratic Party, Na Kyung-won of the Liberty Korea Party and Oh Shin-hwan of the minor opposition Bareunmirae Party -- gathered for a meeting convened by National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang on

PoliticsJuly 15, 2019

Driver’s license to include English info

Driver’s licenses will include personal information in English starting in September, which will enable Korea-issued licenses to be used abroad automatically, according to the government Monday. New licenses issued from September will have the driver’s name, address and gender on the back of each card in English, which will allow the holders to drive without special procedures in at least 35 countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia.   The move will boos

Social AffairsJuly 15, 2019

[David Fickling] Tall fences make bad neighbors out of Japan and Korea

To outsiders, it may seem like the deepening rift between Japan and South Korea has blown up out of a clear blue sky.For all the wrangling over the legacy of Japan’s 35-year colonization of the Korean Peninsula, which ended in 1945, there’s far more on paper to join than to separate them. Both are Northeast Asian democracies that have close military and economic ties to the US; potent exports of electronics, cars and cultural products; and a love of seafood and beef.After decades whe

ViewpointsJuly 15, 2019

[James Stavridis] The path forward with North Korea: ‘Denuclearization lite’

Over the past couple of weeks, there have been increasing signs that the Trump administration -- and particularly the president himself -- is moderating its position on North Korea’s stockpile of nuclear weapons. Gone are the adamant statements that the US will only accept complete, immediate and irreversible denuclearization. Instead, we’ve seen a symbolic but historic meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un at the Demilitarized Zone, more flattering rhetoric about the North Korean di

ViewpointsJuly 15, 2019

Market closely watches timing, pace of BOK’s upcoming rate cut

With its rate-setting board meeting slated for this week, South Korea’s central bank is gearing up to lower its economic growth forecast and base interest rate, in step with the sluggish recovery pace of the global economy and the US Federal Reserves’ signal of a rate cut.While most predicted a rate cut of 25 basis points from the current 1.75 percent by no later than August, views differed on the pace and frequency of further rate cuts this year. The Bank of Korea is scheduled to ho

EconomyJuly 15, 2019

[News Focus] Seoul apartments resilient to property measures since 2017

SEJONG -- The Moon Jae-in government has introduced stern regulations on rebuilding old apartments or redeveloping old areas in Seoul. Housing redevelopment projects have been effectively blocked in the capital.The city authorities have also fallen behind in increasing housing supply for citizens.The central government has bolstered rules on mortgages under the guise of curbing apartment prices in the city. The ceiling of bank loans for housing purchases has sharply been lowered as part of a set

EconomyJuly 15, 2019

Israeli president calls for bigger partnership with Hyundai Motor

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin said he hopes to see expanding cooperation between the Middle East country’s startups and South Korean carmaker Hyundai Motor in the fields of smart, connected and green mobility, the company said Monday.In his visit to the Hyundai R&D Center in Namyang, Gyeonggi Province, the Israeli leader met the carmaker’s de facto chief, Executive Vice Chairman Chung Euisun, vowing to take the lead in the development of future cars by strengthening partnership

MobilityJuly 15, 2019

[Diplomatic circuit] Laos seeks Korea’s support for regional connectivity projects

Sharing borders with five member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Laos is seeking to facilitate the connectivity of infrastructure across the region by strengthening cooperation with South Korea. “There have been already a number of projects supported by the Korean government and implemented by Korean private companies in the past that contributed to the ASEAN connectivity in Laos,” Bounchanh Sinthavong, Laos’ minister of public works and transport, said in

Diplomatic CircuitJuly 15, 2019

Pyongyang promotes Kumgangsan tour program for foreigners

North Korea will resume its Kumgangsan tour program in late July, the country’s propaganda media outlet said Monday, in an apparent attempt to overcome the economic burden of the international sanctions.According to DPRK Today, the four-day tour program, which will run through the end of November, includes activities such as hiking, fishing and spa treatments. The treks will enable travelers to see natural wonders such as Manmulsang, a unique formation of cliffs and strangely shaped rocks;

North KoreaJuly 15, 2019

Lee Moon-sae to hold charity concert in Pyeongchang in August

Korean singing legend Lee Moon-sae will hold an outdoor charity concert in Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province, next month, his agency said Monday.According to KMOONfnd, the concert will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 31 at the Starlight Stage, located at Farm Herbnara in Bongpyeong-myeon, Pyeongchang county. Lee himself had named the outdoor stage that seats 700. Lee has held an outdoor concert series in the woods since 2003, with the upcoming concert marking the 10th edition. He is also preparing an a

PerformanceJuly 15, 2019

Chemistry between leads the key in ‘Tune in for Love’

When director Jung Ji-woo talks about the two romantic leads in his upcoming film “Tune in for Love,” he uses a Korean expression equivalent to “reading the phone book and making it sound good.” Kim Go-eun and Jung Hae-in work so well together, he said, they could make “reading from a textbook entertaining.” “Working with such good actors, it’s as good as it gets,” Jung said of the cast during a press conference for the film in Seoul on Monda

FilmJuly 15, 2019

Moon lambasts Japan over ‘unwise’ trade moves

President Moon Jae-in on Monday urged Japan again to reconsider its trade curbs, saying that linking historical and economic issues was a “very unwise move” and that Japan would ultimately be hit harder than Korea. “Japan’s unprecedented action of linking historical issues to economic issues is a very unwise measure that goes against the history of improving bilateral relations,” Moon said at a weekly meeting with his aides.  He added that the two countries had

Foreign AffairsJuly 15, 2019

Surfing, paddling at private beaches in Sol Beach resorts

Sol Beach Hotel & Resort is running a surfing school program, allowing guests to learn surfing and riding a paddle board at the private beaches of the properties. Resorts in Yangyang and Samcheok are running the programs until the end of September. Participants will take 60- or 90-minute lessons, including safety instructions.  In the peak season of July and August, six classes will be held every day, and there will be lessons four times a day in September.At the Yangyang resort, surfi

TravelJuly 15, 2019

[News Focus] Throwing sand in wheels of world trade: Foreign experts weigh in on Japan export curbs

Experts from the US, Japan and Southeast Asia voiced concerns over the escalating trade dispute between South Korea and Japan, saying Tokyo’s restrictive measures aimed at Korean chipmakers would not only have “serious consequences” to the already depressed information technology industry, but also impede the flow of world trade and the principle of market liberalization. Japan’s toughened export control measures on three materials crucial for chip fabrication and its pla

IndustryJuly 15, 2019

S. Korean biz groups in emergency mode as Korea-Japan feud drags on

South Korea’s major business groups are shifting to emergency mode, setting detailed contingency plans for a variety of scenarios amid concerns that the restrictions on exports of key tech materials from Japan to Korea could stay in place for a long time, according to the industry on Monday. The leaders of the country’s five biggest conglomerates -- Samsung Electronics, Hyundai Motor Group, SK Group, LG Group and Lotte Group -- are tightening their reins on the groups’ operatio

TechnologyJuly 15, 2019