[Weekender] Expect faster swims at Yeosu open-water races

It is quite a spectacle to watch dozens of athletes jump into the ocean at once and swim to the horizon.   Open-water swimming, the long-distance sport that takes place in outdoor bodies of water, gained recognition as an official Olympic sport in 2008 and will also be one of the six disciplines at the 2019 FINA World Aquatics Championships. In much-anticipated races, men and women will compete in separate courses of 5, 10 and 25 kilometers, as well as a 5-kilometer mixed team rel

More SportsJuly 12, 2019

[Weekender] Old apartments reborn as athletes’ village

Once a run-down housing complex, the athletes’ village in Gwangju’s western district of Gwangsan is now a vivacious mini globe, bustling with thousands of athletes, staff and media members during the FINA World Aquatics Championships. Rebuilt by Gwangju-based constructor Jungheung, the complex comprises 25 apartment buildings with 15 to 25 floors and a host of facilities for its diverse population to mingle and relax, spanning a land area of 94,131 square meters.  With a total o

More SportsJuly 12, 2019

Umbrella unions oppose 2.9% minimum wage hike next year

Umbrella unions lambasted the Minimum Wage Commission’s decision on Friday to raise minimum wage by 2.9 percent next year to 8,590 won per hour.The Federation of Korean Trade Unions called it “a minimum wage disaster,” and said it was the lowest increase rate since 2.7 percent in 1998 during the Asian financial crisis and 2.75 percent in 2010 just after the global financial crisis. “If it continues like this, it would be difficult to reach a minimum wage of 10,000 won wit

Social AffairsJuly 12, 2019

[Weekender] Global stars poised to make a splash in Gwangju

The 18th FINA World Aquatics Championships bring together the world’s top talent in swimming, diving and other water sports for the 17-day sporting event. Over 2,600 athletes from 194 countries will compete for 76 gold medals in six disciplines -- swimming, diving, high diving, artistic swimming, open water swimming and water polo. Here are some of the international athletes to watch out for. Katie Ledecky (Swimming, US) At the 2012 London Olympics, then-15-year-old Ledecky won her fi

More SportsJuly 12, 2019

Foreign ministry official in Japan amid stepped-up efforts to reverse Tokyo's export restrictions

A foreign ministry official handling Asia-Pacific affairs is visiting Japan as Seoul steps up efforts to reverse Tokyo's recent export control measure through bilateral dialogue and US mediation.Kim Jung-han, a director-general at Seoul's foreign ministry, arrived in Japan on Thursday to attend a meeting of South Korean diplomatic mission chiefs in the city of Niigata the following day, but his visit raised the prospects of a possible meeting with Tokyo officials. On July 4, Japan enforced tough

Foreign AffairsJuly 12, 2019

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Spider-Man: Far From Home (US) Opened July 2Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi Directed by Jon WattsPeter Parker (Tom Holland), aka Spider-Man, is unsure of himself and is torn between wanting a normal life as a high school student and shouldering his responsibilities as a superhero. Peter decides to use a school field trip to Europe to get close to Michelle “MJ” Jones (Zendaya), but troubles follow, as well as a run-in with a mysterious superhero, “Mysterio” Quentin Beck (Ja

FilmJuly 12, 2019

[Around the Hotels] Packages and promotions

Charging summer energy at Millennium Seoul HiltonMillennium Seoul Hilton’s Chinese restaurant presents a summer meal course.Taipan offers a seven-course meal featuring summer health and vitality foods. The meal will start off with a special seafood appetizer with caviar, followed by turtle soup with ginseng and Chinese matrimony vine. The soup will be followed by stir-fried chicken and neungi mushrooms, and then live freshwater eel with garlic and chili sauce. Diners will be served st

FoodJuly 12, 2019

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Everland Summer Water Fun Held annually since 2005, Everland’s summer festival is back with a variety of programs, such as water shows, light shows and other fun activities. It is open to visitors of all ages.For more information in Korean, English, Chinese and Japanese, visit www.everland.com.Hangang Summer Festival The Hangang Summer Festival, also called the Hangang Mongttang Festival, is a large-scale riverside cultural event.It consists of about 80 programs, including water leisu

TravelJuly 12, 2019

External conditions worsening amid weak exports, investment: ministry

The South Korean economy is increasingly facing uncertainties stemming from the prolonged trade dispute between the United States and China amid weak business spending, the finance ministry said Friday."Despite the gradual improvement in domestic consumption, the country's exports and investment continued to remain dull," the Ministry of Economy and Finance said in its monthly economic assessment report. The report, called the "Green Book," is based on the latest economic ind

EconomyJuly 12, 2019

Koreas to skip liaison office chiefs' meeting again

South and North Korea will not hold a weekly meeting of the co-heads of their joint liaison office this week, the unification ministry said Friday.Speculation arose that a meeting of the chief liaison officers could take place on Friday for the first time in nearly five months as the ministry said that it was waiting for the North's decision until late Thursday.  Pyongyang had usually notified the South earlier than that of its decision on whether to hold or skip a weekly meeting."The

Foreign AffairsJuly 12, 2019

Smuggled drugs down 41% in H1: data

Drug smuggling caught by the South Korean authorities dropped sharply in terms of volume in the first half of 2019, customs data showed Friday, although illegal attempts for drug smuggling continued to rise. A total of 86.8 kilograms of drugs were confiscated in the Jan.-June period, down 41 percent from 146.9 kg posted a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service.Despite the on-year decline, the agency said the figure is still the second highest in a decade. By type, the

Social AffairsJuly 12, 2019

Hyundai Mobis unveils autonomous robotaxi in Russia

South Korea’s auto parts maker Hyundai Mobis unveiled its first driverless robotaxi in Russia in a joint development with Russian information technology company Yandex, it said Thursday. The two companies will test up to 100 robot taxis across the cities in Russia including Moscow by the year-end. The robotaxis were developed on the platform of Hyundai Motor’s eighth-generation Sonata that was launched earlier this year. In March, Hyundai Mobis and Yandex signed a memorandum of

IndustryJuly 12, 2019

US offers high-level talks with S. Korea, Japan over trade spat: top official

The United States has offered to hold trilateral high-level talks with South Korea and Japan to resolve a growing trade spat between the Asian nations, but Tokyo has yet to respond, a top South Korean presidential official said Thursday.Kim Hyun-chong, deputy chief of Cheong Wa Dae's National Security Office, said Seoul and Washington are eager to have the meeting to discuss Japan's recent export curb measures against South Korea. "We would like to seek a constructive solution, but the Japa

Foreign AffairsJuly 12, 2019

S. Korea to raise minimum wage for next year by 2.9%

South Korea decided Friday to raise the minimum wage for next year by 2.9 percent, the slowest growth in a decade, as it took into account an economic slowdown and sluggish job growth.The Minimum Wage Commission, involving labor and business representatives and experts, set the minimum wage at 8,590 won ($7.32) per hour for next year, compared with 8,350 won for this year.The growth rate sharply slowed from a 10.9 percent rise for 2019 and is the slowest gain since the minimum wage for 2010 rose

EconomyJuly 12, 2019

Nuke envoys of S. Korea, US discuss cooperation ahead of working-level talks with N. Korea

Top nuclear negotiators from South Korea and the United States held talks in Germany on Thursday to discuss cooperation toward progress in working-level talks with North Korea, which are expected to resume this month, Seoul's foreign ministry said.South Korea's chief nuclear envoy, Lee Do-hoon, met with his US counterpart, Stephen Biegun, in Berlin as Washington and Pyongyang are seeking to re-launch their nuclear talks, likely in the middle of this month.During their impromptu meeting at the De

Diplomatic CircuitJuly 11, 2019

Festival heating up Gwangju with music, culture on eve of FINA

On the eve of the 2019 FINA World Aquatics Championships, which kick off in Gwangju on Friday, the host city is holding a cultural festival.According to the city government and the organizing committee for the international event, the festival will take place in the Geumnam-ro area, about 30 minutes from the Nambu University campus, the main venue of the competition. Street markets and activities to get the local residents and tourists involved and create a festive atmosphere got started at 4 p.

More SportsJuly 11, 2019

[Graphic News] Online shopping hits record high

　The total value of online shopping in South Korea hit a record high in May, government data showed, in the latest sign that a growing number of people are using computers and mobile devices to buy more things, from clothes to electronic goods.　Total online transactions reached 11.26 trillion won ($9.6 billion) in May, up 19.8 percent from a year earlier, according to preliminary data compiled by Statistics Korea.　The reading was the highest since January 2001, when the statistics office started

BusinessJuly 11, 2019

Senior S. Korean diplomat makes veiled criticism of Japan's export restrictions

A senior South Korean diplomat on Thursday made a thinly veiled criticism of Tokyo's recent restrictions on exports to South Korea, saying any "unilateral" measure out of sync with international norms can't be justified.Lim Sung-nam, Seoul's ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), made the remarks amid heightened tensions over the measure, which Seoul sees as retaliation for last year's Supreme Court rulings against Japanese firms over wartime forced labor. &q

Foreign AffairsJuly 11, 2019

N. Korea changes constitution to make Kim Jong-un official head of state

North Korea has revised its constitution to stipulate that leader Kim Jong-un is the official head of state, according to a state media outlet. The new constitution, revised in April's Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) session, states that the chairman of the State Affairs Commission (SAC), the communist state's highest seat of power, serves as its supreme leader that "represents the country," according to Naenara, a North Korean propaganda website.Kim rules the North as chairman of the

North KoreaJuly 11, 2019