Uniqlo apologizes for remarks that angered S. Korean consumers

Fast Retailing Co., which owns Japanese fashion brand Uniqlo, on Monday issued an apology for remarks by its executive that have drawn criticism from South Korean consumers amid ongoing trade friction between Tokyo and Seoul.On July 11, Takeshi Okazaki, CFO of the Tokyo-based fast fashion brand, said during an earnings press call that the impact of the current boycott by South Korean customers of Japanese goods will not last long.In a statement released both in Korean and Japanese, Uniqlo apolog

IndustryJuly 22, 2019

Korea's exports set to decline for 8th straight month in July

South Korea's exports are likely to extend their slump to an eighth month in July, driven by a decline in outbound shipments of semiconductors and petrochemical goods, data showed on Monday.  The country's exports fell 13.6 percent in the first 20 days of July from a year earlier to $28.3 billion, according to the data compiled by the Korea Customs Service. Average daily exports -- which reflect working days -- declined 16.2 percent on-year to $1.71 billion.  If the trend continue

EconomyJuly 22, 2019

Newly registered pet dogs up 40% in 2018

The number of newly registered pet dogs in South Korea rose nearly 40 percent in 2018 from a year earlier, the country's animal quarantine agency said Monday.Around 147,000 new dogs were registered to the state-run Animal Protection Management System last year, compared with the newly registered 105,000 pet dogs a year earlier, according to the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency. Since 2014, all pet owners are obligated to register their dogs to the system. As of 2018, the accumulated number of

Social AffairsJuly 22, 2019

Korean War veterans to visit S. Korea this week

A group of international soldiers who fought in the 1950-53 Korean War under the UN flag will visit South Korea this week as part of a program to express appreciation for their service, Seoul's veterans ministry said Monday.A total of 107 war veterans and their family members from 16 countries, including the United States and Australia, are scheduled to make a six-day trip starting Tuesday, according to the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs.During the visit, they plan to tour major secur

Foreign AffairsJuly 22, 2019

[Video] Views of South Koreans on boycotting Japanese products

People in Korea have shown mixed reactions to deepening boycotts of Japanese products prompted by Tokyo’s sudden export controls of high-tech materials to South Korea. In a Realmeter survey of 506 respondents, 54.6 percent were in support of the boycott campaign. On Thursday, “NoNo Japan,” an online community displaying consumer brands and products originating from Japan, was temporarily inaccessible due to heavy traffic.“I’m aware that many are boycotting Japanese

Foreign AffairsJuly 22, 2019

Parliamentary panel set to adopt resolution against Japan's export curbs

The parliamentary foreign affairs committee on Monday adopted a parliamentary resolution calling on Japan to withdraw its curbs on exports to South Korea of key high-tech materials.In a bipartisan effort to tackle Japan's export restrictions, rival parties passed the resolution by consensus at a meeting of the panel.The committee originally planned to adopt it at the Friday meeting, but its move was scuttled as rival parties failed to fix the date for a parliamentary plenary session. But it stil

PoliticsJuly 22, 2019

Song-Song couple divorces without division of property: Song Hye-kyo’s agency

Actors Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo have finalized their divorce, as the court approved the divorce settlement Monday.The settlement comes one month after Song Joong-ki filed for divorce from Song Hye-kyo at the Seoul Family Court. According to Song Hye-kyo’s agency UAA, there will be no division of property or settlement money.The two tied the knot in October 2017 after meeting as the co-stars of hit TV drama series “Descendants of the Sun” in 2016.By Im Eun-byel (silverstar

PeopleJuly 22, 2019

Renault Samsung adds KT’s voice assistant tech to new QM6

Automaker Renault Samsung said Monday it has partnered with telecom firm KT to provide Easy Link, a “vehicle infotainment” system utilizing voice assistant technology.Easy Link is a new in-vehicle system that provides a combination of information and entertainment to car users. It will be equipped on the upgraded QM6, the company’s most popular midsized sport utility vehicle model that was unveiled in June. According to Renault Samsung, with a simple call to Giga Genie, KT&rsqu

MobilityJuly 22, 2019

Tears flow as water polo players head into uncertain future

After losing their last game of the world championships on Monday, South Korean women's water polo players shared teary hugs.No, they weren't consoling each other because they lost to Cuba 30-0 to finish in last place in the 16-team tournament at the FINA World Championships. They were sad that they now had to go their separate ways -- most of them back to school -- because, as it stands, the national women's team will cease to exist. There are no professional or semi-pro clubs that these buddin

More SportsJuly 22, 2019

[Newsmaker] Korean ship attacked by pirates near Singapore Strait

A South Korean freighter was attacked by pirates near the Singapore Strait on Monday, government officials in Busan said.The pirates armed with guns and knives assaulted sailors of the South Korean-registered vessel, the 44,132-ton CK Bluebell, in the sea about 100 miles from the entrance of the strait at 4:25 a.m. before making off with $13,000 in cash, according to the officials at the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.No casualties were reported from the attack, they said, noting the

Social AffairsJuly 22, 2019

Song Hye-kyo, Song Joong-ki’s divorce final: court

Song Hye-kyo and Song Joong-ki’s divorce was finalized at a Seoul court Monday.The two settled their divorce at a closed-door hearing held at 10 a.m. Monday at Seoul Family Court. The hearing lasted for about 20 minutes, a court official said. Their divorce was granted 26 days after the petition was filed June 26. Both cited irreconcilable differences as the reason. Korean law allows a marriage to be dissolved without a trial on the condition of mutual consent.The divorce settlement did no

PeopleJuly 22, 2019

Seoul ramps up drive to win int'l support over trade dispute with Japan

South Korea's trade ministry said Monday it will send a deputy minister to a meeting of the World Trade Organization General Council this week to tell the international community that Tokyo's export curbs against Seoul run counter to international rules and that it should retract the measures immediately.Kim Seung-ho, deputy minister for multilateral and legal affairs at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, will attend the WTO meeting on Tuesday (local time) in Geneva, Switzerland, where

Foreign AffairsJuly 22, 2019

Kane stunner earns Spurs victory over Juventus

SINGAPORE (AFP) -- Harry Kane scored a stunning 93rd minute winner from the halfway line as Tottenham Hotspur edged Juventus 3-2 in an entertaining pre-season friendly in Singapore on Sunday.The England captain latched onto Lucas Moura's short pass and launched a first-time shot high over a scrambling substitute keeper Wojciech Szczesny as Spurs rallied past new manager Maurizio Sarri's Italian champions in front of a delighted National Stadium crowd. "It's probably one of the best goals of

SoccerJuly 22, 2019

[Newsmaker] 4 dead, 12 injured in overturned van in Gangwon Province

Four people died and 12 were injured in a van crash Monday morning in Gangwon Province.A Hyundai van flipped over at 7:33 a.m. Monday on a road in the northeastern coastal area of Gagok-myeon in Samcheok, according to Gangwon Fire Headquarters. Fire authorities and police said the Hyundai Grace van carrying 16 passengers crashed into a guardrail and tipped over to the roadside.  Of the 16 passengers, nine were foreign nationals, including a Thai man, 44, a fire department official said.Four

Social AffairsJuly 22, 2019

NK leader takes part in nationwide local elections

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has cast his ballot in nationwide elections held over the weekend to choose new deputies to the country's local assemblies, Pyongyang's state media said Monday.Kim visited a polling station in South Hamgyong Province on Sunday and voted for candidates who are running for deputies in the area, according to the Korean Central News Agency. The North's local assemblies for provinces, cities and counties meet once or twice a year to decide on their budgets and other re

North KoreaJuly 22, 2019

Japan's pro-constitution reform forces fall short of 2/3 upper house majority: NHK

TOKYO (Reuters) -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s ruling bloc won a solid majority in an upper house election on Sunday but his coalition and allies fell short of a two-thirds majority needed to begin revising the pacifist constitution, public broadcaster NHK said.Abe, who took office in December 2012 pledging to restart the economy and bolster defense, is on track to become Japan’s longest-serving premier if he stays in office until November, a stunning comeback after he abrup

World NewsJuly 22, 2019

Former world champion Park Tae-hwan offers encouraging words to Korean swimmers

If any South Korean athlete knows about competing under pressure, it's Park Tae-hwan, the only swimmer from the country to have won an Olympic gold medal and a world title.With the FINA World Championships underway in Gwangju, Park, an honorary ambassador for the competition, paid a visit to this southern metropolitan city to meet with fans and support national team athletes. Park arrived to spend a few hours here after all but one South Korean swimmer were eliminated in the heats on Day 1 of th

More SportsJuly 21, 2019

Chief of Korean memory chip maker flies to Japan amid trade row

Lee Seok-hee, the CEO of South Korean memory chip maker SK hynix Inc., flew to Japan Sunday to discuss resourcing in the wake of the Japanese government's tighter regulation on exports of critical semiconductor materials to South Korea. Early this month, Japan imposed stricter regulations on exports to South Korea of three materials -- resist, etching gas and fluorinated polyimide that are critical for the production of semiconductors and flexible displays. Tokyo is reportedly planning to expand

IndustryJuly 21, 2019

[Graphic News] Lotte Duty Free, Shilla Duty Free among global top 5 travel retailers

　Two South Korean duty-free operators were among the world’s top five travel retailers in 2018, an industry report showed.　Lotte Duty Free maintained the second spot with 6.09 billion euros ($6.84 billion) in sales last year, due mainly to Chinese resellers who buy products in large quantities and sell them back home, according to the Moodie Davitt report. 　Shilla Duty Free, the operator of duty-free shops owned by Hotel Shilla, leaped to third place from fifth after recording 5.47 billion

WorldJuly 21, 2019

[Contribution] 2019 has been good for investors so far, but can it last?

The Korea Herald is publishing a regular contribution series written by senior investment strategists at Standard Chartered Group Wealth Management. -- Ed.Asset markets rebounded strongly in the first half of 2019, following a poor 2018. Global equities led the way, rising more than 10 percent, but bonds (particularly riskier bonds) also performed well. Oil has rallied and gold recently broke out into a six-year high. The strong first-half performance has made some investors cautious on the outl

MarketJuly 21, 2019