Jeju shark warning closes Hamdeok Beach

A beach on Jeju Island was temporarily closed Monday as citizens spotted what appeared to be a shark and alerted staff. At around 12:30 p.m., something that looked like a shark was seen in waters off the Cloud Bridge east of Hamdeok Beach, and the operators immediately limited public access to the beach. Jeju City took a video of the supposed shark off the shore and delivered the footage to Jeju National University’s College of Marine Science to check. There have been a handful o

Social AffairsJuly 8, 2019

Moon urges Japan to reconsider export restrictions on Korean tech firms

President Moon Jae-in on Monday urged Japan to withdraw restrictions on exports of hi-tech materials to South Korea, while calling on government agencies to work closely with the business community to deal with the “unprecedented emergency.”Speaking at a weekly meeting with senior presidential aides, Moon said that Japan’s move violates principles of free trade, and urged it to reconsider using trade for political ends. “(I) urge Japan to withdraw the measures, and call f

Foreign AffairsJuly 8, 2019

SK Innovation’s trading unit to quadruple oil blending capacity

A trading unit of SK Innovation, which owns the country’s largest refiner SK Energy, will quadruple its offshore low-sulfur fuel supply in 2020 to meet the growing demand for diesel fuel with substantially lowered sulfur content under toughening emission control regulations, the company said Monday.SK Trading International plans to increase its oil blending capacity from 23,000 barrels per day to 90,000 barrels next year, aiming to become the No. 1 provider of low-sulfur fuel in Asia. The

IndustryJuly 8, 2019

S. Korea says it complies with anti-NK sanctions after Abe raises suspicion

South Korea is faithfully complying with sanctions on North Korea, a foreign ministry official said Monday, a day after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe raised the possibility of non-compliance, apparently to justify Tokyo's recent export restrictions against Seoul.In a debate hosted by Japan's BS Fuji TV, Abe said it is a matter of course to suspect that South Korea may not abide by sanctions on the North because it did not keep to an agreement with Tokyo over the issue of wartime forced labo

Foreign AffairsJuly 8, 2019

Process for internet-only bank applications to resume

South Korea’s financial regulator is to resume the process to select a new online-only bank here, hoping to announce the result by the year’s end, according to officials Monday.The Financial Services Commission plans to announce later this month its plan to receive applications for business approval for an internet-only bank, officials said. The feasible timeline is to receive applications starting October and grant a preliminary license to one or more successful applicants by the en

MarketJuly 8, 2019

Japan’s export curbs cast cloud over HHI-DSME takeover

Amid the growing political and economic row between South Korea and Japan, Hyundai Heavy Industries faces fresh concerns over its decision to acquire Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering as it needs to get approval from Japan’s regulators amid a widespread anti-Korean sentiment. After submitting a request for formal approval from Korea’s Fair Trade Commission early this month, HHI is slated to make similar requests to antitrust watchdogs in Japan, China, Kazakhstan and the Eu

IndustryJuly 8, 2019

[News briefs] Police arrest homeless man for threatening Our Republican Party member

A 55-year-old homeless man has been arrested on charges of threatening a member of the far-right Our Republican Party with a utility knife, police said Monday.According to Jongno Police Station, the suspect stepped inside the party’s tent at Cheonggye Plaza in central Seoul on Sunday morning, took out the weapon and threatened the victim to remove the tent. The suspect and victim engaged in a quarrel after the suspect complained about the tent.Party members reported the case to police and

PoliticsJuly 8, 2019

Kakao suspends popular emoji sales amid plagiarism row

South Korea’s top mobile messenger app operator Kakao said Monday it has suspended sales of its highly sought-after emoji, amid plagiarism allegations by a Japanese developer. According to the firm, its “DDingdongs Day” emoji is no longer available on its Kakao Talk app store. After it was launched last year, the emoji gained popularity after some K-pop fans spotted popular boy band BTS members using it. Japanese developer Yuki Kanai has claimed that Kakao’s emoji plagiar

TechnologyJuly 8, 2019

School Food enters Hong Kong with grab-and-go concept

South Korean food chain operator SF Innovation is officially launching its Korean food brand School Food in Hong Kong by opening a store in Tseung Kwan O, the company said Monday.  The new store, the third of its kind in Hong Kong, will be located in Metro City Plaza and will showcase the grab-and-go food concept. Metro City Plaza is one of the largest shopping centers in the Tseung Kwan O area, run by Hong Kong’s real estate group Henderson Group.The company said it aims to offe

IndustryJuly 8, 2019

[News Focus] Korea vitalizes redeveloping harbors on 3 sides

SEJONG -- Earlier this year, South Korea pledged to foster “smart harbors” across the country as part of a move in a variety of sectors preparing for the coming era of the “fourth industrial revolution.”The futuristic harbors will likely be equipped with state-of-the-art technologies such as artificial intelligence, the internet of things and robotics, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.Officials said the project’s focus will be 31 harbors designated

IndustryJuly 8, 2019

Moon urges Japan to reconsider export restrictions on Korean tech firms

President Moon Jae-in on Monday urged Japan to withdraw restrictions on exports of hi-tech materials to South Korea, while calling on government agencies to work closely with the business community to deal with the “unprecedented emergency.”Speaking at a weekly meeting with senior presidential aides, Moon said that Japan’s move violates principles of free trade, and urged it to reconsider using trade for political ends. “(I) urge Japan to withdraw the measures, and call f

Foreign AffairsJuly 8, 2019

Philips Korea provides digitalized diagnosis system for Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital

Philips Korea, the local unit of Dutch health care giant Philips, said Monday it has been providing a digital pathology system that aids diagnosis of cancer for the Catholic University of Korea’s St. Mary’s Hospital since last month. The system, dubbed “Philips IntelliSite Pathology Solution,” allows the hospital’s pathology team to obtain accurate diagnosis results through a digitalized method. The team is able to manage patients’ tissue slides in the fo

IndustryJuly 8, 2019

Rival parties to send delegation to Japan over Tokyo’s export curbs

Rival parties agreed Monday to send a delegation to Japan this month as part of efforts to help resolve the problem of Tokyo’s export curbs over a historical issue.They also decided to adopt a parliamentary resolution during the ongoing extraordinary session that calls on Japan to retract the apparent retaliatory measure.The agreement came at a meeting of National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang and the floor leaders of three political parties.“Moon proposed sending a bipartisan deleg

Foreign AffairsJuly 8, 2019

Moody's keeps its rating on South Korea at Aa2

Global rating agency Moody's Investors Service said Monday that it is maintaining its rating on South Korea at "Aa2" with a stable rating outlook.  Moody's rating for Asia's fourth largest economy has been Aa2, the third-highest level on the company's table, since 2015, when the rating agency upgraded it from Aa3.  "The Government of Korea's (Aa2 stable) credit profile balances the country's very strong economic and fiscal fundamentals against high exposure to event

EconomyJuly 8, 2019

Police chief vows thorough probe into assault on Vietnamese woman

South Korea's police chief on Monday expressed regrets over a recent assault on a Vietnamese woman by her Korean husband and vowed to conduct a thorough investigation into the case.Min Gap-ryong, commissioner general of the Korean National Police Agency, made the remarks during his talks with To Lam, Vietnamese minister of public security, in Seoul.The high-profile case made headlines in both countries over the weekend, after a video went viral of a 36-year-old Korean man punching and kicking hi

Social AffairsJuly 8, 2019

Young S. Korean delegation to embark on historical field trip to China

A team of 100 South Koreans are set to embark on a train journey across China to visit historical sites linked to the Korean government-in-exile against Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule, the foreign ministry said Monday.The field trip, titled "Korea-China Friendship Caravan," comes as part of the government's broader efforts to commemorate the centennial of the establishment of the Korean Provisional Government in Shanghai that fought for the country's independence. This year also marks t

Foreign AffairsJuly 8, 2019

Pianist Son Yeol-eum to make BBC Proms debut

Pianist Son Yeol-eum is set to make her BBC Proms debut later this month. Son is to perform Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 15 in B flat major with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Omer Meir Wellber on July 23 at London’s Royal Albert Hall. BBC Proms, hosted by the British public service broadcaster, is an eight-week summer music festival founded in 1895. Orchestral concerts mainly take place at the Royal Albert Hall, while chamber music concerts take place at Cadogan Ha

PerformanceJuly 8, 2019

N. Korea yet to respond to Seoul's invitation to int'l swimming event

North Korea has not responded to South Korea's invitation to join an international swimming event set to kick off later this week, the unification ministry said Monday.South Korea and FINA earlier invited North Korea to the biennial 2019 FINA World Championships to be held from Friday to July 28 in Gwangju and Yeosu, its two southern cities. FINA is the French abbreviation of the International Swimming Federation. "We have nothing new to share with regard to the issue of the North's partici

North KoreaJuly 8, 2019

Parliamentary speaker mulls sending delegation to N. Korea

National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang is expected to push for sending a delegation of lawmakers to North Korea in a bid to lay the groundwork for an inter-Korean parliamentary meeting, officials said Monday.Moon plans to propose the idea to North Korea this week in a shift from his plan for an immediate inter-Korean parliamentary event, according to the parliamentary officials. Moon will hold a press conference Friday to mark the first anniversary of his inauguration."A parliamentary meet

North KoreaJuly 8, 2019

[Warren Fernandez] Forging community ties, one friendly gesture at a time

Singapore is well known for its Third to First World economic transformation, its efficient, effective Government, as well as for being a very fine, clean and green city.The annual Shangri-La Dialogue, when defence chiefs from many countries gather on the island to thrash out the geopolitical issues of the day, is also well established.Now, thanks to Singapore's President Halimah Yacob, the Republic might also come to be recognised for its painstaking efforts over the years to foster a society w

ViewpointsJuly 8, 2019