[Herald Review] ‘School of Rock’ delightfully charming, as talented cast rocks on

I never thought I’d say this, but having watched the musical adaptation of the 2003 Richard Linklater film “School of Rock,” I actually prefer the stage version. Nobody can recreate Jack Black’s uncontained quirkiness, unorthodox charisma and unhinged charm, qualities whch formed the backbone of the movie. Dewey Finn is a role made for Black, and no one will fit into it better than him. Ever.But while the film was really a one-man show starring Dewey, the musica

PerformanceJune 17, 2019

Runner-up S. Korea feted before fans in Seoul

Players and coaches of the South Korean men's under-20 football team were feted in front of fans in the nation's capital Monday for their unexpected run to second place at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland.Coached by Chung Jung-yong, South Korea reached the championship final of the biennial youth tournament for the first time. They lost to Ukraine 3-1 on Saturday, but they were still greeted warmly by hundreds of fans at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, earlier Monday. Later in the

SoccerJune 17, 2019

Homeplus CEO encourages employees to become ‘new best’

The chief of South Korea’s second-largest retailer Homeplus recently sent out a hand-written letter to employees encouraging them to face the new challenges head-on and strive to become “new best,” the company said Monday.CEO Im Il-soon has been leading the retail chain giant since October 2017.“I am certain that despite the cutthroat competition we can stand as a new force in the retail sector with our hard work. Because we will maximize our excellent distribution capaci

IndustryJune 17, 2019

[Photo News] Family of late IIAC CEO donates scholarship

Participants pose in a ceremony to deliver a scholarship worth 100 million won ($84,300) in the name of the late CEO of Incheon International Airport Corporation, Lee Chae-wook, Friday at the auditorium of the Haneul Academy. The donation was made upon the wish of Lee, who passed away in March this year at 73. Haneul Academy, a private high school located in Incheon, opened in 2011 based on 50 billion won in subsidies from IIAC during the time Lee was heading the airport corporation, as par

IndustryJune 17, 2019

‘Human-focused forest policy can improve citizens’ lives’

The following is a transcript of a speech by Korea Forest Service Minister Kim Jae-hyun at the opening of the Asia-Pacific Forestry Week in Songdo, Incheon, on Monday. -- Ed.I would like to sincerely welcome all of you to Asia-Pacific Forestry Week 2019.I am very delighted to invite you all and discuss forest issues in Incheon in June, when verdant greenery reaches its peak. There is a saying that “humans have been living with forests.” But I would like to rephrase it a lit

IndustryJune 17, 2019

[Monitor] Samsung Display maintains lead in smartphone display market

Samsung Display maintained its top position in the global smartphone display market in the first quarter as more handset makers adopted OLED panels for their premium products, according to the data by IHS Markit.Samsung Display delivered $3.4 billion worth of smartphone displays in the first three months of this year, taking up 40.2 percent of the total market share.Japan Display Inc. was a distant second player with a 12.3 percent share, and China’s BOE came in third with 11.9 percent. Wh

TechnologyJune 17, 2019

APAC’s biggest forum kicks off to shine on forests for peace, well-being

Officials, experts and scholars from 46 countries around the world gathered in Songdo, Incheon, on Monday for a five-day international conference on the future of forestry and the challenges that Asia-Pacific as a region faces today.Co-organized by the Korea Forest Service and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the 28th Session of the Asia-Pacific Forestry Commission and the Asia-Pacific Forestry Week 2019 will discuss the role of forestry in mitigating climate change a

IndustryJune 17, 2019

[News Focus] Trump to launch 2020 campaign in retiree-friendly Florida

THE VILLAGES, Florida -- Ronald, Don and John are living the good life in this haven of Republican retirees in Florida, a city designed for the aging, with paths everywhere for golf carts and where residents have plenty of time to campaign for their president, Donald Trump.The Villages is a pleasant, immaculately clean, fast-growing retirement town in central Florida. The average age of its 75,000 inhabitants is 71. Some two-thirds are Republican. One afternoon not long ago five retirees all wea

World NewsJune 17, 2019

[Newsmaker] Protesters control key roads after historic Hong Kong rally

HONG KONG -- Holdout anti-government protesters remained in control of a major arterial road in Hong Kong on Monday a day after organizers said two million people flooded the streets in a historic rebuke of the city‘s pro-Beijing leader.Vast crowds marched for hours in tropical heat on Sunday calling for the resignation of chief executive Carrie Lam, who has been forced to suspend a widely loathed bill that would have allowed extraditions to the Chinese mainland.Critics fear the Beijing-ba

World NewsJune 17, 2019

Pompeo vows US will guarantee passage through Strait of Hormuz

WASHINGTON -- Secretary of State Mike Pompeo vowed Sunday that the US will guarantee free passage through the vital Strait of Hormuz, as he accused Iran of recent attacks on oil tankers and the downing of a US drone.Pompeo confirmed in an interview with CBS that a US MQ-9 “Reaper” drone was shot down June 6 with a missile fired from Yemen “that we assess had Iranian assistance.” Pompeo would not be drawn on what options the US is considering to protect shipping -- or to p

World NewsJune 17, 2019

Herald forum calls for ‘manufacturing renaissance’ innovation

The 2019 Herald Business 氣 UP Forum on Monday called for bold innovations in the manufacturing and service sectors, and business buoyance through the governmental regulatory sandbox. South Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon and Herald Corp. CEO Kwon Chung-won gave welcoming remarks at the forum that was held at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry.This is the third year the Herald Business, a Korea Herald sister company, is holding the 氣 UP Forum. The name is a play on words that construct

IndustryJune 17, 2019

Scalper fined for selling wristband for reentry into BTS concert to foreign fan

BUSAN -- A man in his 70s has been detained and fined for unlawfully reselling his ticket for K-pop sensation BTS' first-ever fan event and concert in Busan over the weekend, police said Monday.The 71-year-old man, whose identity was withheld, was accused of selling his reentry wristband to a Japanese tourist in violation of a law prohibiting ticket scalping, according to the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency. The man entered the Busan Asiad Auxiliary Stadium, the venue of the BTS concert, in the

Social AffairsJune 17, 2019

Feeling great, Ensemble Ditto disbands after 12 years

This month marks the end of an era and the beginning of a new one for classical music, as Ensemble Ditto wraps up its 12-year journey.The all-male chamber ensemble was launched in 2007 with the aim of introducing classical music to a broader audience. Young musicians, including star violist Richard Yongjae O’Neill, teamed up to present artistic and innovative repertoires. But the journey will soon come to an end, as this is the last season for the ensemble. The last Ditto festival, “

PerformanceJune 17, 2019

[Feature] Experts call for cautious approach to Huawei row

The risks are high for South Korea to just ignore or take sides in the yearlong trade war between the US and China, with the country vulnerable to changes in economic, diplomatic and security ties with the two global powers. Seoul was alarmed by Washington’s recent hard-hitting remarks that called for other countries to join its boycott equipment of Chinese telecom giant Huawei Technologies, amid mounting concerns over the trade conflict’s negative impact on its export-dependent econ

Foreign AffairsJune 17, 2019

Korean brokerages see record-high Q1 net profit

South Korean brokerages’ combined net profit hit a record high in the first quarter, the nation’s financial watchdog said Monday, boosted by profit from investment banking services and diversified sources of revenue. The combined net profit of 56 brokerages jumped 183.3 percent on-quarter to 1.46 trillion won ($1.18 billion) in the January-March period, data from the Financial Supervisory Service showed. The figure narrowly beat the previous record, 1.45 trillion won, set in the firs

MarketJune 17, 2019

Cryptocurrency exchanges change their terms of service: FTC

Five cryptocurrency exchanges have changed their terms of service in a way that they can be liable for problems caused by potential cyberattacks or system malfunctions, even if operators are not willfully or grossly negligent, South Korea's antitrust regulator said Monday. The Fair Trade Commission said Bithumb and four other cryptocurrency exchanges made the changes after receiving the corrective recommendation from the FTC in April last year.The cryptocurrency exchanges had said in their terms

IndustryJune 17, 2019

Health care, cosmetics sectors enjoy sharp export surge in 2018

South Korea's health care and cosmetics exports surged to $14.6 billion last year, helped by solid demand, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said Monday.Outbound shipments of drugs, medical equipment and makeup products jumped 19.4 percent from the previous year, with the annual average growth rate for the past five years hitting 21 percent, according to the ministry. Of the total, cosmetics accounted for $6.3 billion followed by drugs and medical equipment at $4.7 billion and $3.6 billion, res

IndustryJune 17, 2019

S. Korea in discussion with WFP on plan to provide food aid to N. Korea

South Korea is in discussion with a UN agency on its plan to provide food aid to North Korea, the unification ministry said Monday."Discussions are under way with the World Food Programme on the food provision issue," Lee Sang-min, the ministry's spokesperson told reporters during a regular press briefing. "It is about working-level matters." The Seoul government has been drawing up details on its push to provide food assistance to the North since early last month, including

North KoreaJune 17, 2019

Mirae Asset Global sells prime office building in Germany

Mirae Asset Global Investments, a local asset manager, said Monday that it has earned about 160 billion won ($135 million) in profit through the sale of a premium office building in Germany.The asset management unit of Mirae Asset Financial Group has signed a deal to sell Taunusanlage 8, a prime office building located in Frankfurt, for 400 million euros ($449 million), the company said in a press release. Having acquired the building in 2017 for 280 million euros through a private equity f

IndustryJune 17, 2019

Dodgers' Ryu Hyun-jin settles for 2nd straight no-decision

Los Angeles Dodgers' starter Ryu Hyun-jin will have to wait for another chance to reach win No. 10 for the season.The South Korean left-hander settled for his second straight no-decision against the Chicago Cubs at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Sunday (local time). Ryu gave up two runs, both unearned, over seven solid innings but was relieved at the start of the eighth with the score tied at 2-2. The Dodgers went on to win 3-2. Ryu remains at 9-1 for the year, but he lowered his major league-

BaseballJune 17, 2019