‘Tazza: One Eyed Jack’ to cap off gambling trilogy with poker

The “Tazza” trilogy, a movie adaptation of the popular gambling comic book series of the same name, will conclude next month with the opening of its third film, “Tazza: One Eyed Jack.”Director Kwon Oh-Kwang and the cast took part in a press conference to promote the film in Seoul on Thursday. Unlike the first two films, which dabbled in the Asian card game hwatu, the third is about poker. The “one-eyed jack” in the title can refer either to the jack of spades

FilmAug. 8, 2019

[David Ignatius] In US-China relations, ‘friction is the new normal’

Where is the United States heading in its confrontation with China, which moved this week from a trade dispute to a currency battle -- with more dangerous tests in Hong Kong and Taiwan looming ominously in the background? Does the US have a strategy in this cascading competition? Do America’s military and diplomatic tools match the scope and subtlety of the challenges ahead? Is America’s growing anxiety about Beijing creating a policy panic that overstates the Chinese threat and unde

ViewpointsAug. 8, 2019

[Noah Smith] America’s workers need labor union comeback

There are two basic ways to improve the economic situation of the middle and lower classes. First, you can use taxes and government spending to shift income down from the top, either via direct transfers or through services like health care. Second, you can change the laws governing markets, with the goal of producing better outcomes for low- and middle-wage workers. These two approaches are sometimes called redistribution and predistribution.Much of the Democratic presidential contest has focus

ViewpointsAug. 8, 2019

[Graphic News] Netflix tops 1.8m users in S. Korea: data

　The number of South Korean users subscribing to the US video-streaming platform Netflix has nearly tripled on-year to surpass the 1.8 million mark, latest industry data showed.　Netflix is estimated to have 1.84 million paid active streaming subscribers as of June, compared with 630,000 users during the same period a year earlier, according to the data compiled by industry tracker WiseApp.　The data showed that some 38 percent of Netflix users in the country are in their 20s, followed by 31 perce

NationalAug. 8, 2019

Kakao’s operating profit surges 47% in Q2

South Korea’s largest mobile messenger app operator Kakao said Thursday its second-quarter operating profit surged 47 percent on-year, as it benefited from new businesses and contents. The company’s operating profit reached 40.5 billion won ($33.4 million) in the April-June period on a consolidated basis, compared to 27.7 billion won a year earlier.As its sales rose 25 percent on-year to reach 733 billion won, Kakao attributed the latest outcome to increased profit from its messenger

TechnologyAug. 8, 2019

Eating my way through Sokcho

SOKCHO, Gangwon Province -- A bustling port city on the east coast with Seoraksan in the backdrop, Sokcho, a three-hour drive from Seoul, is a much-favored summer destination for South Koreans.Defined by its lively beaches, abundant seafood and vibrant city atmosphere, the city is packed with vacationers in summer. Its recent rise as a surfing destination has led to even more visitors. Though Gangwon Province does not have a thriving culinary scene, Sokcho is still home to various delicacies cre

FoodAug. 8, 2019

Grand Hilton Seoul preps for Oktoberfest

Grand Hilton Seoul is gearing up for Oktoberfest. The 14th Grand Hilton Seoul Oktoberfest will be held Sept. 7 at the hotel’s Convention Center, ahead of Oktoberfest, the famed beer festival held in Munich, Germany.General Manager Bernhard Brender, who is from Germany, has hosted the hotel’s event since 2007, inviting more than 1,000 guests each year.  The festival features a German buffet, including homemade sausages, schweinshaxe -- roasted pork knuckle -- and pretzels. This y

CultureAug. 8, 2019

Outdoor movie week begins Friday at Yeouido Hangang Park

“Cinema Week,” featuring free outdoor screenings and talk shows, opens Friday at Yeouido Hangang Park.  The nine-day event will be held from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. during the week and 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends, with free movies to be screened at 8 p.m. each day. A preview screening of American musical drama film “Teen Spirit,” starring American actress Elle Fanning, takes place Friday. The lineup includes Korean film “Marathon” and foreign films &ldqu

Social AffairsAug. 8, 2019

Iranian man denied refugee status unlike his son

An Iranian man in his 50s was granted an extension of his "humanitarian stay" in South Korea on Thursday, as the authorities stopped short of endorsing refugee status.The 53-year-old is the father of an Iranian student who obtained refugee status last Oct. The son, aged 16, has the Korean name of Kim Min-hyuk.They landed in South Korea in 2010 and both converted to Catholicism five years later. Muslims who convert to another religion are charged as criminals in Iran and face harsh puni

Social AffairsAug. 8, 2019

Seoul, Washington haven’t started talks for defense cost-sharing deal: Foreign Ministry

South Korea reiterated Thursday that Seoul and Washington will discuss the defense cost-sharing deal in a way that is “fair and reasonable,” but said the negotiations have not started yet, denying a claim to the contrary from US President Donald Trump.On Twitter on Wednesday, Trump wrote as if the new cost-sharing deal were already in place and said South Korea had agreed to a significant increase in its share of the costs for the upkeep of the US troops stationed here.  “

DefenseAug. 8, 2019

SillaJen vows to come back with more data to prove Pexa-Vec efficacy

SillaJen will sturdy rickety investor sentiments with more data as soon as ready, the company told The Korea Herald on Friday, while maintaining that currently it can only offer to say the company has unfazed faith in the efficacy of Pexa-Vec.SillaJen will follow through with the plan to establish a new research and development center in Pangyo, Gyeonggi Province, which will open in September. SillaJen, a viral Korean biotech company whose market value came reached 10 trillion won ($8.3 billion)

IndustryAug. 8, 2019

Japan gives first export approval to South Korea after tightened rules

The South Korean government said Thursday that Japan has allowed high-tech materials to be exported to South Korea in the first approval since the Shinzo Abe administration imposed export curbs in July on three materials crucial for Korea’s chip and display production. Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon said Thursday that Japan had granted its first approval for exporting extreme ultraviolet photoresists to Korea a day earlier. EUV photoresists are one of the three materials that Japan restri

IndustryAug. 8, 2019

Number of 5G subscribers in S. Korea surpasses 2 million

 　Four months after South Korea commercially launched the fifth-generation cellular network, the number of 5G subscribers here has surpassed 2 million as of this week, amid growing competition among major mobile carriers. 　According to industry data, the country’s three major carriers -- SK Telecom, KT, and LG Uplus -- reached combined subscribers of 2.01 million Tuesday, about two months after they topped the 1 million threshold in June. 　Growth is expected to further accelerate when

TechnologyAug. 8, 2019

‘Soul-searching needed for Korea, Japan, over trade row’

A senior US official said Wednesday that South Korea and Japan should do some “soul-searching” about the political decisions that have damaged their ties, and called for calm words from its leaders.Marc Knapper, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia, told a US think tank that it was critical to ensure “productive and constructive relationships” between the US allies in the face of “shared challenges posed by North Korea, Russia and China.” &ldqu

Foreign AffairsAug. 8, 2019

Jeju police round up 30 illegal immigrants

A group of immigrants staying illegally in Jeju City were nabbed Monday, according to police.The Jeju Police Agency and the Jeju Immigration Office said Thursday that they caught 30 Chinese immigrants living in a two-story rental home in Aewol, a neighborhood west of the city, without valid visas. Police said the 21 men and nine women, who ranged in age from their 20s to their 50s, have been staying illegally for as long as four months and working on construction sites or farms.Kim Hang-nyun, th

Social AffairsAug. 8, 2019

S-Oil grants scholarships of W330m to students

South Korea’s leading oil refiner S-Oil held a ceremony Wednesday to award scholarships to students at an orphanage.  The S-Oil Dream Scholarship is an annual donation organized by the company to provide educational opportunities to less-advantaged students.This year, 135 students from Sundukwon Orphanage, as well as a choir group at the center, were provided scholarships totaling 330 million won ($273,000). Since 2016, the company has donated 1.2 billion won to aid 485 students.Of th

IndustryAug. 8, 2019

SHINee, EXO, NCT 127 members to come together in one boy band in Oct.

In collaboration with an affiliate of American entertainment giant Universal Music Group, South Korea's biggest music label SM Entertainment will unveil a new boy band in Oct. that will bring together highly accomplished artists under its wing.Under the joint project with the US-based Capitol Music Group (CMG), home for such famous music acts as Katy Perry and the Beatles, SM will globally launch the seven-member band SuperM, SM said in a press release.  The dream team's lineup is made up o

PerformanceAug. 8, 2019

Asia's biggest K-pop awards MAMA reconsiders Japan, Hong Kong as event venues

The Mnet Asian Music Awards, or MAMA, the biggest annual K-pop awards series held outside of South Korea, is reconsidering Japan and Hong Kong as its destinations for this year's event, according to the event's organizer.Having been among the biggest consumers of K-pop outside of Korea, Japan and Hong Kong have hosted the high-profile K-pop event for the past two years, welcoming in an army of A-list K-pop artists to their cities, including BTS, Wanna One and actors Park Bo-gum and Song Joong-ki

PerformanceAug. 8, 2019

[Newsmaker] Interior Ministry puts brakes on Seoul City plans for Gwanghwamun makeover

The Ministry of Interior and Safety has asked the Seoul Metropolitan Government to put the city’s plans to revamp Gwanghwamun Square on hold.According to the Interior Ministry on Thursday, the ministry told the city government July 30 that a public consensus should precede the plan’s execution. The ministry asked that civic groups be involved in the discussion, citing negative public sentiment over the Seoul city project.The square renewal proposal submitted by Seoul encroaches on th

Social AffairsAug. 8, 2019