[John Bernstein] Now or never for these Democratic candidates

It’s time for the Democrats to winnow.Twenty presidential candidates were set to debateTuesday and Wednesday. It’s their second round, and the last with so many candidates split over two nights. After this there’s a break until September, and the Democratic National Committee is making it harder to qualify for the next round. At best, maybe a dozen candidates will still be debating in September, and it’s hard to believe that anyone who can’t qualify can recover to w

ViewpointsJuly 31, 2019

[Trending] Massive donation to female streamer stirs up internet in Korea

A female online broadcast jockey sent the local social media abuzz with chatters about her lucky day. On Monday, she received digital currency worth 120 million won ($101,500) in donation from her fan during a live show.The streamer named Yu Hye-ji is known for her mukbang (eating show) while chatting with viewers on the Korean video-streaming platform Afreeca TV.The massive amount of money she got during a live broadcast instantly became the talk of the town, followed by a number of news media

TelevisionJuly 31, 2019

Officials summoned for Incheon tap water crisis

Police said Wednesday they had called in Incheon city officials for questioning in connection with the reddish tap water problem that has swept through parts of the city over the past few months. The Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency summoned some 10 officials from the Waterworks Headquarters Incheon Metropolitan City as witnesses for suspected dereliction of duty in the wake of contaminated water first detected in Incheon on May 30. They questioned the officials on whether the device meas

Social AffairsJuly 31, 2019

Heavy downpour kills one at construction site

Heavy rainfall on Wednesday morning in Seoul and the surrounding Gyeonggi Province isolated three workers at a rainwater pump construction site, leaving one dead and two missing, with torrential downpours expected to continue through early Thursday morning.  　Yangcheon Fire Station received a report at 8:24 a.m. that three workers -- two from Korea and one from Myanmar -- at the rainwater drainage facility under construction in western Seoul had been isolated. 　One worker, surnamed Koo, was

Social AffairsJuly 31, 2019

US, N. Korean officials meet at DMZ, talks to resume ‘very soon’: reports

North Korea has indicated its willingness to resume talks with the US “very soon” at an undisclosed meeting between high-ranking officials at the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) last week, foreign news outlets reported Wednesday.  Citing unnamed senior officials from the Donald Trump administration, the Associated Press and Reuters reported that the two sides met at the inter-Korean border sometime last week without specifying the date. According to the reports, a high-ranking official

North KoreaJuly 31, 2019

Foreign minister to hold bilateral talks with Japanese counterpart in Bangkok

The top envoys of South Korea and Japan will hold bilateral talks and a three-way meeting with the US in Bangkok this week as the East Asian neighbors struggle to resolve a diplomatic row heightened by trade restrictions imposed by Tokyo, amid concerns that the measures could hurt global semiconductor chip supply chains.Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-hwa will meet Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono on Thursday on the sidelines of gatherings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in B

Foreign AffairsJuly 31, 2019

13% fewer passengers fly to Japan in July

The number of passengers flying from South Korea to Japan significantly decreased this month amid ongoing trade tensions between the two countries, data showed Wednesday. The Transport Ministry data showed that from July 16 to 31, a total of 467,249 passengers departed for Japan from Incheon International Airport, down about 13.4 percent or 72,411 passengers compared with June 16 to 30.  Amid an intensifying nationwide boycott targeting Japanese goods and travel to Japan, Korea’s

IndustryJuly 31, 2019

Samsung BioLogics confirms 3rd consecutive deal with Belgium’s UCB

South Korea’s leading contract manufacturing organization Samsung BioLogics confirmed Wednesday it has signed its third consecutive deal with Belgium’s UCB, a rare case in the industry.On top of two other existing deals with the multinational biopharma firm, Samsung BioLogics will now also produce UCB’s anti-tau candidate to treat progressive supranuclear palsy, currently undergoing clinical trials.The agreement promises Samsung BioLogics a guaranteed fee of 40.3 billion won ($

IndustryJuly 31, 2019

[News Focus] Amid intensifying market volatility, Samsung to face more uncertainties in H2

Samsung Electronics’ operating profits halved in the second quarter on weak chip prices and poor mobile sales, but it is expected to face even more challenges in the second half of the year due to increased uncertainties over trade disputes and the nearing trial to determine the fate of its de facto leader. The South Korean IT giant’s sales slid 4 percent to 56.1 trillion won ($47.4 billion), but its operating profits plunged 55.6 percent on-year to 6.59 trillion won over lower memor

TechnologyJuly 31, 2019

US anti-dumping duties add to pressure on Korean steel firms

South Korean midsized steel companies may face setbacks in the wake of the US move to raise anti-dumping duties on imported oil pipelines, amid global trade uncertainties and price surges in raw materials. According to the steel industry on Wednesday, the US Department of Commerce has imposed anti-dumping tariffs of 38.87 percent on local steel firm Nexteel and 22.7 percent on Seahsteel, effective June 14 for one year. As for other steel companies, the tariff rate was set at 29.89 perc

IndustryJuly 31, 2019

Hungarian swimmer charged with sexual harassment in Gwangju

The prosecution in the southwestern city of Gwangju said Wednesday it has asked the court to summarily fine a Hungarian swimmer 3 million won ($2,542) on charges of sexual harassment.The 22-year-old athlete, who competed in the FINA World Championships in Gwangju, was accused of touching the body of an 18-year-old woman at a club in the city early Sunday.Police said Sunday he admitted to having made physical contact and was banned from leaving the country for the next 10 days.  The swimmer

Social AffairsJuly 31, 2019

[팟캐스트] (311) 호날두 노쇼에 한국팬 집단 소송 / 고유정 체포 영상 유출에 경찰 수사 착수

진행자: 김다솔, Paul Kerry1. Cristiano Ronaldo’s no-show prompts upset fans to seek legal action기사요약: K리그 선발팀(팀 K리그)과 이탈리아 유벤투스의 친선전에서 크리스티아누 호날두(34)가 출전하지 않아 벌어진 이른바 '호날두 노쇼' 파문과 관련해 민사소송이 처음 제기됐다.아이튠즈(아이폰): https://itunes.apple.com/kr/podcast/koliaheleoldeu-paskaeseuteu/id686406253?mt=2팟빵 (안드로이드): http://www.podbbang.com/ch/6638[1] Korean fans disappointed and angered by soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo’s solely bench-warming presence at a friendly match between Juventus FC from Turin,

PodcastJuly 31, 2019

Police raid CJ-owned cable channel over alleged K-pop audition scam

Police raided the production company of the K-pop audition TV series “Produce 101” on Wednesday.According to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, the agency’s cybercrime investigation unit executed a search and seizure operation at cable channel Mnet’s headquarters in Mapo, western Seoul. Mnet -- owned by mass media and entertainment conglomerate CJ ENM -- asked police to investigate its production team Friday after viewers raised suspicion of manipulation of t

Social AffairsJuly 31, 2019

[Newsmaker] Search continues for missing teenage girl in Cheongju

Hundreds of personnel continued the search Wednesday for a teenage girl who went missing eight days ago while hiking with her family in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province.Cho Eunnuri, 14, was last seen near the upper part of a stream in Naeam-ri, Gadeok-myeon in Cheongju at around 10:40 a.m. on July 23. She has intellectual disabilities. About 151 centimeters tall, Cho was wearing a gray, short-sleeved T-shirt, black skirted leggings, gray-colored aqua shoes and blue horn-rimmed glasses at the

Social AffairsJuly 31, 2019

Cheong Wa Dae convenes NSC meeting over NK missile test

The presidential office Cheong Wa Dae on Wednesday convened a National Security Council session over North Korea's firing of short-range ballistic missiles.Earlier in the day, the North fired two ballistic missiles off its east coast, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff.They flew some 250 kilometers, marking the second such launch in less than a week. Chung Eui-yong, the national security adviser, presided over the meeting of the NSC standing committee, according to Cheong Wa Dae.&q

DefenseJuly 31, 2019

New N. Korean submarine seen as capable of carrying 3 SLBMs: S. Korea

A newly constructed North Korean submarine seems to be capable of carrying three submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), South Korea's defense ministry was quoted as saying on Wednesday.The defense ministry determined that the North's submarine is ready to be deployed soon, Rep. Lee Hye-hoon, the chief of the parliamentary intelligence committee, told reporters after the ministry's closed-door briefing.North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspected a new submarine, which the deployment of whic

North KoreaJuly 31, 2019

Samsung’s Q2 profit plummets over sluggish chip, smartphone markets

Samsung Electronics on Wednesday announced a 56 percent plunge in operating profit in the second quarter due to the sluggish performance of its two main divisions -- memory chips and smartphones -- amid weakening market conditions. The South Korean tech giant posted consolidated sales of 56.13 trillion won and 6.6 trillion won in operating profit in the April-June period. Its quarterly sales and operating profit decreased 4 percent and 56 percent, respectively, from the same period last year.&nb

EconomyJuly 31, 2019

BLACKPINK's 'Ddu-du Ddu-du' gets 1st K-pop group record of 900 m YouTube views

The music video of K-pop girl group BLACKPINK's 2018 song "Ddu-du Ddu-du" has hit the milestone of 900 million YouTube views, becoming the first music video by a K-pop group to do so, its management agency said Wednesday.The addictive, stylish music video hit the 900 million record late Tuesday, slightly more than one year after its release in June last year, according to YG Entertainment. It makes BLACKPINK the only K-pop act that has achieved the feat so far and "Ddu-du Ddu-du&q

PerformanceJuly 31, 2019