Busan police chief named to lead Seoul police agency

Lee Yong-pyo, commissioner of the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency, was appointed as chief of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency in a reshuffle of top police officers on Monday.Lee Joon-sup, director of the National Security Bureau at the Korean National Police Agency , was promoted to head the Korean National Police University, while Kim Chang-ryong, commissioner of the Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency, was named new chief of the Busan agency.  Bae Yong-joo, director of the KNPA‘

PoliticsJuly 1, 2019

[Trending in Pairs] When CCTVs do more than catch thieves

For many, the main purpose of installing a surveillance camera is to prevent theft and strengthen security.But the closed-circuit TVs can now play a significant role beyond such a purpose, as the latest models connected with artificial intelligence software help retailers develop data-driven strategies and increase sales by using video-based analytics.According to Hanwha Techwin, a South Korean total security solutions provider that manufactures surveillance cameras for video analytic solutions

IndustryJuly 1, 2019

Busan Air begins to have employees take breath alcohol tests before duty

Air Busan Co., a budget carrier unit of Asiana Airlines Inc., began Monday to implement an electronic system to have its flight crew, mechanics and other employees involved in its core aviation operations take a self-administered breath alcohol test before flights or ground service, the company said.All of the company's establishments are subject to the system, developed by the airline, and it marks the first time in the country's aviation industry that such a system has been introduced. Under t

IndustryJuly 1, 2019

Actor Kim Soo-hyun discharged from military

South Korean star actor Kim Soo-hyun was discharged from the military on Monday, bracing himself for a return to show business. Meeting with media and fans in front of the Imjingak Peace Bell in Paju, north of Seoul, he thanked his fans for welcoming him. A number of fans from Japan and China, as well as South Korea, came to celebrate his discharge early in the morning. "I'd been worried a lot over how to spend my days in the military since I joined it at a relatively later age than others,

EntertainmentJuly 1, 2019

[Behind the Wheel] Very New Tivoli runs quieter despite stronger engine

Since the 2015 launch of the Tivoli, SsangYong Motor’s bestselling compact sport utility vehicle has been especially popular among drivers who prefer a compact, stylish SUV -- one that is suitable for urban driving and has a more spacious trunk than a sedan.But after four years, the Very New Tivoli is here. This face-lifted version will appeal to drivers seeking a dynamic driving experience, a powerful engine and the chance to try out different driving modes. During the 170-kilometer test

MobilityJuly 1, 2019

Freelance platform operator Aroundus raises W880m seed funding

Aroundus, a South Korean startup operating a platform that matches freelancers with employers, said on July 1 it has raised 882 million won ($761,700) in seed funding from venture capital investors. The funds have come from Shinhan Capital, Shinhan Investment and Korean startup accelerator D.Camp.  Since launching in July 2018, the number of subscribers for Aroundus’ Korean web service surpassed 14,000 last month. “We recognized Aroundus’ capacity to think out of the box t

TechnologyJuly 1, 2019

Dodgers' Ryu Hyun-jin expected to start 1st All-Star Game

In the midst of an outstanding season, Los Angeles Dodgers' South Korean starter Ryu Hyun-jin is expected to start the All-Star Game next week in his Midsummer Classic debut.Ryu was announced as one of 12 pitchers for the National League All-Star squad by Major League Baseball on Sunday (local time). The All-Star Game will be played on July 9 at Progressive Field in Cleveland.And Dave Roberts, Ryu's manager with the Dodgers who will be the NL skipper at the All-Star Game, told reporters, "I

BaseballJuly 1, 2019

S. Korean Park Sung-hyun captures 7th career LPGA title, set to reclaim No. 1 ranking

South Korean star Park Sung-hyun has reached lucky No. 7 in her LPGA career win total and will reclaim the No. 1 spot in the world rankings.Park won the 54-hole Walmart NW Arkansas Championship in Rogers, Arkansas, on Sunday (local time), at 18-under 195, beating three golfers by one shot and earning $300,000.Park fired a final round of five-under 66 at the Pinnacle Country Club for her second victory of 2019. Two fellow South Koreans -- Park In-bee and Kim Hyo-joo -- were among the runners-up.

GolfJuly 1, 2019

S. Korea's exports down 13.5% in June amid US-China trade row

South Korea's exports decreased 13.5 percent in June from a year earlier, extending their on-year fall for the seventh consecutive month, data showed Monday, due mainly to the prolonged trade row between the world's top two economies.Outbound shipments came to $44.18 billion for June, down from the $51 billion tallied a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.Imports fell 11.1 percent on-year last month to $40 billion, the ministry added. The co

EconomyJuly 1, 2019

Trump heads home after historic DMZ meeting with Kim

US President Donald Trump headed home on Sunday after his historic meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the inter-Korean border.A presidential plane carrying Trump and his entourage left for Washington late in the day from a US air base in Osan, south of Seoul, following his two-day stay in South Korea. He arrived in Seoul from a trip to Osaka, Japan, where he took part in a Group of 20 summit.After holding a summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in here on Sunday, Trump made a

Foreign AffairsJune 30, 2019

Rival parties give mixed response to historic DMZ meeting

The ruling Democratic Party and its smaller rivals on Sunday assessed the meeting between the leaders of the two Koreas and the United States at the inter-Korean border as a historic one.The main opposition Liberty Korea Party said the resumption of stalled talks is meaningful but stressed the national interest should be prioritized in the process of denuclearization talks.The DP highlighted President Moon Jae-in's mediating role in realizing a three-party meeting also involving U.S. President D

North KoreaJune 30, 2019

[Analysis] Trust-building between Trump, Kim signals flexibility in upcoming working-level negotiations

Stalled denuclearization talks between Pyongyang and Washington gained new momentum after US President Donald Trump set foot in North Korea Sunday. Following a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at Peace House in Panmunjom, Trump said that he had invited Kim to Washington. “Anytime he wants to do it. I think we want to take this down to the next step, let’s see what happens,” he told reporters. Trump and Kim also agreed to resume working-level talks on denucleari

North KoreaJune 30, 2019

Trump, Kim agree to resume nuclear talks at historic DMZ meeting

Trump becomes 1st sitting US president to step into NK, invites Kim to White HouseThe US will resume working-level dialogue with North Korea, US President Donald Trump said Sunday following his historic meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Panmunjom. Following his summit with South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in, Trump flew to Panmunjom, where he met with Kim and stepped over the Military Demarcation Line that divides the two Koreas, becoming the first incumbent US president to e

North KoreaJune 30, 2019

Moon emphasizes Korea-US alliance, Trump’s role in NK issues

President Moon Jae-in on Sunday said that normalization of US-North Korea relations and the North’s denuclearization should be carried out simultaneously, and stressed the close cooperation between Seoul and Washington.Speaking at the joint press conference that follow his summit with US President Donald Trump in Seoul, Moon said that the two countries are in sync on North Korean issues, and that the Korea-US alliance will be expanded beyond boundaries of national security.  “To

North KoreaJune 30, 2019

Surprise meeting of Moon-Trump-Kim coordinated in secret at midnight

The historic trilateral meeting of leaders of the two Koreas and the United States on Sunday was realized with the US point man on North Korea and North Korean officials working behind the scenes well into the night on Saturday.US Special Representative for North Korea Biegun met Saturday with North Korean officials at Tongilgak, or Unification Pavilion, on the northern side of the Joint Security Area to coordinate the surprise meeting. With Alison Hooker, a US National Security Council official

North KoreaJune 30, 2019

Gracias Choir teams up with classical musicians

Gracias Choir has teamed up with classical musicians for its nationwide tour, titled “Svobodno,” which will entail six concerts in five cities.Classical musicians joining the tour include pianist Mikhail Benediktov, former guest soloist of the Mariinsky Theater; violinist Chingiz Osmanov, grand prize winner of the International Jascha Heifetz competition; and oboist Liang Wang, a former member of the New York Philharmonic. The concerts will feature choral and classical music pieces,

PerformanceJune 30, 2019

Trump 5th US president to visit DMZ, first to cross to North

US President Donald Trump made history when he met North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the Joint Security Area in the Demilitarized Zone on Sunday, becoming the first sitting US president to meet a North Korean leader at the DMZ and to cross into the North. Trump was the fifth US president to visit the border area separating the two Koreas, some seven years after Barack Obama’s visit in 2012. Every US president since Ronald Reagan has visited the border area, except for George H.W. Bush, wh

North KoreaJune 30, 2019

Mercedes-Benz CSR committee embracing diversity, reaching out further

The Mercedes-Benz corporate social responsibility committee is celebrating its fifth anniversary and is now reaching out to a wider range of communities in need, as part of an effort to increase social acceptance of gender and cultural diversity.Saying the CSR program had reached its “adolescence,” Dimitris Psillakis -- chairman of the Mercedes-Benz CSR committee, which is made up of the carmaker and its dealers -- said the multibillion-won charity platform would expand its education

MobilityJune 30, 2019

[Bio Startup] Avellino Labs aims to set example for Kosdaq listing of US firms

Thinking of undergoing vision-sharpening surgery but scared if things would go awry as you grow older? Taking cue of such concerns among people contemplating lasik surgery, genetic services provider Avellino Labs, headquartered in Palo Alto, California, has developed a DNA diagnostic kit which the company claims has protected 1,108 people from blindness as of June 2019 from the 743,969 patients thus far tested.With the addition of coming keratoconus test, Avellino Labs can help millions of

IndustryJune 30, 2019

[Newsmaker] Minister Kang, Ivanka Trump stress women’s role in economy, peacebuilding

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-hwa and White House adviser Ivanka Trump on Sunday shared outcomes of the two country’s measures aimed at enhancing women’s participation in economic development and the challenges ahead.Some 60 female civic workers and government officials and businesswomen attended the meeting, titled “The ROK-US Women’s Empowerment Forum,” at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in downtown Seoul.  Ivanka accompanied her father, US President Donald Trump, who wa

Foreign AffairsJune 30, 2019