[Behind the Wheel] BMW 620GT has comfort of 7 series, upgraded features from 5 series

BMW’s 620d Gran Tourismo, the German carmaker’s new entry-level diesel variant of the 6 series, was released in the Korean market in April. Since then, a total of 314 cars have been sold as of the first week of July.When the Korea Herald drove the 620d GT on the 40 kilometer route from Seoul Station to a cafe in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, the car’s concept was distinctive -- a luxury sedan with functionality and spaciousness but still stylish in its coupe frame. &n

MobilityJuly 14, 2019

Sales of RVs surpass 300,000 from Jan. to June

With the popularity of larger, spacious cars globally, South Korea saw sales of recreational vehicles hit 300,000 units in the first half of the year. According to five major carmakers here -- Hyundai Motor, Kia Motors, SsangYong Motors, Renault Samsung and General Motors -- a total of 303,315 RVs were sold here from January to June. This accounted for 48.4 percent of total sales of cars here, an increase of about 3 percentage points from the same period the previous year. RVs refer to

MobilityJuly 14, 2019

Expressway plans spark safety concerns for Namiseom tourist boats

People living and doing business on Namiseom, a popular tourist site in Gangwon Province, are voicing doubts about plans to build a new expressway to mitigate heavy traffic between Seoul and Chuncheon, the second-largest city in the province by population.Their main concern is that tourist boats could crash due to a new bridge that would be constructed over the Bukhan River, a Han River tributary that runs through both North and South Korea, then westward to the Yellow Sea. The bridge would cut

Social AffairsJuly 14, 2019

Japanese automakers expanding presence in S. Korea with hybrid models

Japanese automakers are expanding their presence in South Korea, industry data showed Sunday, as the popularity of their hybrid models is rising in the imported car market. According to data from the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association and automakers, Japanese auto brands took a 21.5 percent share of the imported car market in the first half of the year, the highest figure since 25.3 percent in 2010. The sales of five Japanese auto brands -- Toyota, Lexus, Honda, Nissan and

MobilityJuly 14, 2019

S. Korean diver Kim Su-ji wins historic bronze

South Korean diver Kim Su-ji captured a historic bronze in the women's 1m springboard at the FINA World Championships on Saturday, becoming the first South Korean diver to win a medal at the biennial competition.Kim's bronze at Nambu University Municipal Aquatics Center in Gwangju, 330 kilometers south of Seoul, was also the host nation's first medal of this year's championships. She scored 257.20 points.Chen Yiwen of China ran away with the gold with 285.45 points, and Sarah Bacon of the United

More SportsJuly 13, 2019

S. Korea asks Japan to lift export curbs

South Korea has asked Japan to lift export curbs and expressed deep regret over the measure, officials from Seoul's trade ministry said Saturday.The demand was made during a working-level meeting between the two neighbors in Tokyo on Friday. The meeting, which ran for nearly six hours, was the first time the two sides had met since Japan implemented strict regulations on exports of the materials."We have expressed regret over Japan's measure and requested that Japan restore (its previous po

Foreign AffairsJuly 13, 2019

[Exclusive] Open-water swimmers embrace new challenge, aim for Tokyo Olympics

Despite being brand new, South Korea’s fledgling open-water swim team hopes to popularize the sport here by turning in a strong performance at the 2019 FINA World Aquatics Championships in Gwangju.As the FINA host nation, Korea competed in an international open-water swimming competition for the first time in its history Saturday morning, with a hastily assembled team taking to the waters off the country’s coastal city of Yeosu at the Yeosu Expo Ocean Park Open Water Swimming Competi

More SportsJuly 13, 2019

[Herald Interview] Diver Woo Ha-ram eyes 1st medal after strong performance in preliminaries

No diver in South Korean history has ever managed to notch a medal in an Olympic or world championship event, but hopes are high for 21-year-old Woo Ha-ram, who finished third in the preliminary men’s 1-meter springboard competition Friday.“I'm glad that I got a better result than I expected. I generally tried to play it safe and prevent mistakes, which is why I think I did well. This is the first time I finished third in a preliminary,” Woo said in a post-match interview, addi

More SportsJuly 13, 2019

S. Korean duo reaches final in synchronized diving

The South Korean diving tandem of Kim Yeong-nam and Woo Ha-ram advanced to the final in the men's synchronized 3m springboard at the FINA World Championships on Saturday.Kim and Woo scored a combined 376.47 points to rank fifth after six attempts at Nambu University Municipal Aquatics Center in Gwangju, 330 kilometers south of Seoul, well inside the cutoff line of the top 12 for the final.Xie Siyi and Cao Yuan of China won the preliminary with 447.18 points. They won the silver medal in this eve

More SportsJuly 13, 2019

Bruised nose and all, S. Korean swimmer finishes open water race

In the early stages of the men's 5km open water swimming race at the FINA World Championships on Saturday, South Korean Baek Seung-ho took an errant elbow from another contestant to the nose.It stung him so much that Baek had trouble breathing. He briefly thought about pulling out but then Baek remembered who he was racing for."I didn't want to embarrass myself while representing my country," Baek said after finishing in 48th place at Yeosu EXPO Ocean Park in Yeosu, a city about 100 ki

More SportsJuly 13, 2019

Trump says N.K. leader was 'so happy’ to see him

US President Donald Trump claimed Friday that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was so happy to see him that the man of few expressions smiled.Trump was apparently referring to his latest meeting with Kim at the inter-Korean border on June 30, during which the young leader could be seen beaming.“You don’t have a man testing nuclear anymore,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “You have a man that was so happy to see me. That’s a good thing, not a bad thing. You

North KoreaJuly 13, 2019

Hungarian swimmer takes 1st gold medal of competition

Kristof Rasovszky of Hungary won the men’s 5km open water swimming title for the first gold medal of the 18th FINA World Championships on Saturday.Rasovszky claimed his first career world title in a time of 53:22.10 at Yeosu EXPO Ocean Park in Yeosu, a city about 100 kilometers to the south of the main host city Gwangju.Logan Fontaine of France got the silver in 53:33.20, and Eric Hedlin of Canada was the bronze medalist at 53:32.40. This was the first medal event of these championships, w

More SportsJuly 13, 2019

S. Korean women’s water polo team to debut

The fledgling South Korean women’s water polo team will make its FINA World Championships debut on Sunday against two-time champion Hungary.After earning its spot as the host nation, South Korea hastily gathered former swimmers in late May and molded them into neophyte water polo players. In the preliminary round, they will face three of the top five teams from the 2017 world championships, with Hungary (fifth) to be followed by Russia (third) and Canada (fourth).In diving, Woo Ha-ram will

More SportsJuly 13, 2019

US House passes defense bill with amendment on NK sanctions

The US House of Representatives on Friday passed a defense bill amended to include provisions for the strengthening of sanctions against North Korea.The National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2020, which approves $733 billion in spending and outlines defense policy, passed the House 220-197. It will need to be reconciled with a Senate version before being signed into law by President Donald Trump.The bill also includes an amendment earmarking $10 million for the verification of North

North KoreaJuly 13, 2019

S. Korea official voices uncertainty over US-N.K. talks this month

A top South Korean presidential official expressed uncertainty Friday over the possibility that the United States and North Korea will resume denuclearization negotiations this month as planned.Kim Hyun-chong, deputy chief of Cheong Wa Dae’s National Security Office, told reporters that the US appears to be waiting for a response from the North.“I think we have to wait and see,” he said after coming out of a meeting with his US counterpart, Deputy National Security Adviser

North KoreaJuly 13, 2019

Samsung heir returns from Japan amid trade row

Samsung Electronics Co. Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong returned Friday from Japan amid the neighboring nation's curbs on high-tech exports to South Korea. The heir apparent of Korea's biggest conglomerate, Samsung Group, flew to Tokyo on Sunday, three days after Japan implemented export restrictions on three key materials used for making chips and displays.  Lee traveled to Japan in an effort to resolve any potential fallout from the restrictions. He didn't answer questions from reporters

IndustryJuly 12, 2019

Japan walks back earlier claims, says export controls unrelated to NK sanctions

The first round of working-level talks between South Korea and Japan ended without progress Friday evening, with Japan retracting its earlier claims and saying its decision to impose restrictions on the export of high-tech materials to South Korea has nothing to do with North Korea.Representatives of Japan’s Trade Ministry, instead, said the export control systems of both South Korea and Japan were being mismanaged and accused Japanese exporters of violating the country’s export

IndustryJuly 12, 2019

Gwangju kicks off 17 days of swimming festivities at World Championships

Kwangju Women’s University Universiade Gymnasium opened three hours before the official opening ceremony began at 8:20 p.m., with the anticipation for the FINA World Championships riding high in the sunny skies above Gwangju. The 18th World Aquatics Championships, the first to be held in South Korea, officially commenced with an opening ceremony on Friday. The event will feature 2,639 swimmers from 194 countries competing across six disciplines and 76 events until July 28.South Korean Pres

More SportsJuly 12, 2019

FINA makes a splash in Gwangju, despite low turnout

GWANGJU -- The 2019 FINA World Aquatics Championships kicked off Friday, bringing athletes and tourists to Gwangju from all over the world, but the venues were far from packed and a number of people expressed disappointment over the number of empty seats. Advance ticket sales were high enough to satisfy the organizers, despite initial concerns that swimming isn’t a popular spectator sport in South Korea.“As the ticket sales have already reached 85 percent, I can confidently predict w

More SportsJuly 12, 2019