Korean firms fear disruption of digital transformation

　Digital transformation has become a buzzword for various industrial sectors around the world – and South Korea is no exception. Ranging from tech giants to small factories, companies here are scrambling to embrace solutions for better business. 　While digital transformation means different things to different firms, it broadly refers to the use of digital technology to improve productivity. It can be applied to manufacturing processes, marketing strategies and corporate organizations.　So

TechnologyJuly 7, 2019

2019 IYF World Culture Camp kicks off in Busan

The 2019 IYF World Culture Camp, the largest cultural camp for undergrads worldwide, kicked off over the weekend in the southern port city Busan, with an aim to offer character education and exposure to Korean culture. Inviting some 4,000 participants from about 60 countries, the annual event offers a wide variety of programs this year, including performances by distinguished musicians, lectures, visits to tourist attractions, and academic sessions.“A strong mindset capable of overcoming d

CultureJuly 7, 2019

S. Korean son of late NK party chairwoman arrives in Pyongyang for permanent residence

A South Korean son of Ryu Mi-yong, the late chairwoman of a North Korean minor political party, has arrived in Pyongyang to live in the communist country for good, a North Korean propaganda media outlet said Sunday.Ryu and her husband, Choe Tok-sin, who served as foreign minister in South Korea during the 1960s, emigrated to the United States in 1976 and defected to the North in 1986, leaving behind two sons and three daughters.In the North, Ryu served as chairwoman of the central committee of t

North KoreaJuly 7, 2019

S. Korean travel to Japan falls 5% Jan. to May

The number of South Korean tourists to Japan fell nearly 5 percent in the January-May period from a year earlier, government data showed Sunday, with travel demand to Japan expected to fall further following Japan’s export curbs.In the first five months, the number of Koreans who traveled to Japan declined 4.7 percent year-over-year to 3.25 million from the same period last year, the Korea Tourism Organization said in a statement.Helped by a shortened workweek and increased flights of low-

Social AffairsJuly 7, 2019

Military to take sweeping sea border security measures

The military plans to deploy an additional naval ship, increase patrol flights by manned and unmanned aircraft and install more radars on and offshore to beef up security of the sea border with North Korea, a Defense Ministry report showed Sunday.The ministry reported the measures to the National Assembly as part of efforts to close holes in border security following revelations that the military failed to detect a North Korean boat until it traveled all the way to the port of Samcheok, about 13

DefenseJuly 7, 2019

[Newsmaker] South Korean actress faces Thai jail for reality TV stunt

A South Korean actress faces up to five years in a Thai jail for catching endangered giant clams in a reality TV stunt, an official said Saturday, despite the show's extensive apology.Lee Yeol-eum was filmed diving for giant clams at a Thai marine park for a June 30 episode of "Law of the Jungle" -- a popular South Korean reality show.After prising two giant clams from the coral-laid seabed, Lee pumped them in the air yelling "I caught it!"The creatures are listed as an endan

Social AffairsJuly 7, 2019

[양승진 기자의 English Cafe] 영어독해 자만심 왜 문제일까

영어공부를 나름대로 열심히 하면서 느끼는 함정은 바로 스스로 독해에 대한 자만심에 빠지기 쉽다는 것 입니다. “난 독해는 어느 정도 되니까 회화나 청취, 영작에 신경을 써야지”라는 생각을 한번이라도 해 보신 분들은 이러한 독해력 자만심에 빠지고 있거나 이와 비슷한 경험을 하고 있다고 생각합니다.혹은 독해자료를 읽을 때 대부분 아는 단어고 내용도 대충 파악이 된다라는 생각이 들면 독해에 대한 게으름이 시작될 수 있습니다. 문제는 이러한 게으름이 시작되면 독해자료를 꼼꼼히 보지 않게 되며, 자료 속에 숨은 여러 가지 좋은 표현도 놓칠 수 있다는 것입니다.영문 기사를 꾸준하게 읽으면 비슷한 표현들이 많이 나오고 해당 구문에 대한 이해도가 높아집니다. 그렇다고 해서 모르는 표현이나 구문들을 그냥 넘어가거나 내용을 안다고 대충 읽으면 시간투자 대비 효율이 떨어지게 됩니다.예전에 제가 듣던 영문학 과목 시간에 외국인 교수님들이 강조, 또 강조한 사항은 “독해&r

양승진 기자의 English CafeJuly 7, 2019

Seized North Korean ship sought for American student‘s death

The parents of Otto Warmbier have filed a claim for a seized North Korean cargo ship, seeking to collect on a multimillion-dollar judgment awarded in the American college student's death.     The Warmbiers filed court papers Wednesday in New York federal court saying they have a right to the assets after North Korea failed to respond to a wrongful death claim that accused it of abducting Warmbier, who had traveled there for a guided tour ahead of a study abroad program in Hon

North KoreaJuly 7, 2019

BIGBANG's T.O.P released from military service

T.O.P of South Korean boy band BIGBANG was released Saturday from his alternative military service, which had turns and twists due to a marijuana conviction. BIGBANG's main rapper, whose real name is Choi Seung-hyun, started his two-year mandatory military service as a conscripted police officer in February 2017. But the 32-year-old was kicked out of the police four months later after he was discovered to have smoked marijuana multiple times in 2016.  In July 2017, T.O.P was found guilty of

EntertainmentJuly 7, 2019

S. Korea's Confucian academies inscribed on UNESCO list

The Nine Seowon, Confucian academies from the Joseon era, have officially been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list, Korea’s Cultural Heritage Administration said late Saturday.　The CHA said it had been decided earlier in the day at the 43rd meeting of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Baku, Azerbaijan, that “Seowon, Korean Neo-Confucian Academies” are to be included as a world heritage, bringing the number of South Korean items on the list to 14. 　Seowon were educa

CultureJuly 7, 2019

One missing in Hungary boat sinking after another body confirmed to be S. Korean

A body found in a river south of Budapest was confirmed to be a South Korean missing from the deadly sinking of a tour boat in May, a joint rescue team said Saturday. The latest victim, a woman in her 60s, was discovered 66 kilometers downstream from the sinking site on Friday (Budapest time), bringing the total number of Koreans confirmed dead in the May 29 sinking to 25, with one still missing, a joint South Korean and Hungarian team said.  Hungarian police confirmed her identity based on

Social AffairsJuly 7, 2019

N. Korea accuses expelled Australian student of spying: KCNA

An Australian student in Pyongyang was detained for spying last month and admitted his "anti-state" activities, the North Korean state media said Saturday, two days after his expulsion from the communist nation. Alek Sigley, a 29-year-old university student in Pyongyang, was reported missing in late June, but he was released on Thursday and left the North Korean capital the same day. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the Australian had passed on data and photos on domestic sit

North KoreaJuly 7, 2019

Amid heat wave, beaches nationwide crowded with people

South Koreans rushed to major beaches and wooded valleys Saturday as a summer heat wave gripped the nation.A heat wave warning was issued in Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and many other parts of the country, with the daytime high exceeding 30 degrees Celsius.Beaches along the east coast in Gangwon Province were crowded with those seeking to escape the scorching heat on the first weekend since they opened to the public for the summer season. An estimated 12,000 people visited Sokcho Beach before noon

Social AffairsJuly 6, 2019

7.1-magnitude quake hits southern California: USGS

A 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit southern California on Friday at 8:19 pm (0319 GMT Saturday), the United States Geological Survey said.The latest quake is part of what geologists are calling an "earthquake sequence" and follows a 6.4-magnitude quake that struck the same area the day before. The USGS said the previous day's tremor was a "foreshock" to Friday's quake, with CNN reporting that the latest tremor was 11 times stronger. Residents on the ground said they were feeling

World NewsJuly 6, 2019

Biden accuses Trump of giving legitimacy to 'thug' Kim

Former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden accused President Donald Trump of embracing "thugs" like North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and giving him the legitimacy he craves on the world stage.In an interview with CNN, the Democratic presidential candidate ripped into Trump for his dealings with Kim, saying the three summits they've had so far have not led the North to take any steps toward dismantling its nuclear weapons program. "He gave Kim everything that he wanted -- legitimacy,"

World NewsJuly 6, 2019

S. Korea checks more items vulnerable to Japan's export control

The South Korean government has stepped up preparations for the possibility of Japan expanding retaliatory export curbs, a related ministry official said Saturday.The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy in January made a list of 100 industrial products that could be targeted by Japan's export restrictions, the official said.Three of them are already subject to stricter export controls: fluorinated polyimide, photoresist and high-purity hydrogen fluoride, which are used in semiconductor and sm

PoliticsJuly 6, 2019

Trump says US has 'very nice' relationship with N. Korea

US President Donald Trump insisted Friday that the United States has a "very nice" relationship with North Korea following his diplomatic engagement with the regime's leader, Kim Jong-un.Trump returned this week from a visit to South Korea, where he held an impromptu meeting with Kim on the inter-Korean border and agreed to restart negotiations on the dismantlement of North Korea's nuclear weapons program.The US president, who has now met three times with Kim, has often touted North Ko

North KoreaJuly 6, 2019

Far-right party again puts up protest tents in central Seoul

A far-right minor party set up tents near a square in central Seoul on Friday as it pushes to erect more tents at the plaza despite the city government's warning against what it called an illegal protest.The Our Republican Party pitched four protest tents in front of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts near Gwanghwamun Square to press for a special probe into the deaths of five conservative protesters in 2017. There were no clashes with the police or the city government in the process of s

PoliticsJuly 5, 2019

S. Korea plagued by back-to-back nationwide strikes by public sector workers

(Yonhap) -- South Korea is bracing for a possible unprecedented strike by postal workers next week, as non-regular public employees wound up their three-day nationwide walkout on Friday.The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, a militant labor umbrella group, called the three-day strike Wednesday to call for wage hikes for non-regular workers in the public sector, abolition of discrimination against them and the switching of their status to that of regular workers.Contract workers at elementary

Social AffairsJuly 5, 2019

Boy band Pentagon kicks off world tour

Boy band Pentagon has kicked off a world concert tour, bringing it to 23 cities across the globe, its management agency said Friday.The world tour, named “Prism,” kicked off with its inaugural concert in Seoul in April and will take the band on a journey to perform in 23 cities in Asia, the United States, Europe and South America from August to December.  The list of destinations includes Santiago, Milan, Lisbon, Berlin, Paris, Moscow and Tokyo in addition to major U.S. cities,

PerformanceJuly 5, 2019