Macron praises May and looks beyond Brexit on D-Day

VER-SUR-MER (AFP) -- French President Emmanuel Macron looked beyond the current tensions with Britain over Brexit on Thursday as he paid tribute to the neighbours' shared history and "common future" on the 75th anniversary of D-Day."Whatever it takes, we will always stand together because it's our common destiny," Macron said in English at commemorations with British Prime Minister Theresa May in northern France.The two leaders launched the construction of a new British memor

World NewsJune 6, 2019

[Eye Plus] Seoul’s sharing bikes moving up a gear

Riding a bike in Seoul has never been easy. With spider web-like tangles of roads teeming with traffic, and pedestrian areas packed with people milling about, talking and running at different speeds, the metropolitan city is still a tough place for a bike ride. Under the city of Seoul’s green transport vision, however, two-wheelers are an increasingly common sight -- and not just as last-mile mobility, but also for recreational use. At unmanned rental hubs located at subway stations a

CultureJune 6, 2019

[Leonid Bershidsky] Russia after Vladimir Putin

Since the annexation of Crimea in 2014, Vladimir Putin’s Russia has, outwardly at least, been one of the world’s most stable and predictable regimes -- an assertive authoritarian government propped up by a mix of repression and acquiescence at home.So it’s only natural that some of the country’s leading analytical minds are looking to life after Putin is scheduled to depart in 2024: The present is too depressing to discuss.The Free Russia Foundation, a Washington-based th

ViewpointsJune 6, 2019

[David Ignatius] Britain is club Trump wants to join

President Trump’s love-hate relationship with Britain has been on display in London this week. This ambivalence takes an especially bizarre turn in comments by the president and his supporters about British intelligence, historically America’s most important secret partner. After bashing prominent British figures on his way to London, Trump was on good behavior Tuesday, after a glittering state dinner the night before with the queen. He paid ritual homage to the special alliance betw

ViewpointsJune 6, 2019

FM stresses 'thorough' efforts to identify those responsible for Hungary boat sinking

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha on Thursday stressed the need to "thoroughly" identify those responsible for last week's boat sinking in Hungary that left 26 South Koreans dead or missing.Kang made the remarks as the Hungarian authorities are seeking to salvage the sightseeing boat that sank near the Margaret Bridge in the Danube River in Budapest on May 29 after colliding with a larger Swiss cruise ship.On Wednesday this week, three more bodies of victims in the disaster were recovere

Social AffairsJune 6, 2019

Paul Smith says ‘Hi’ to Seoul in exhibition showing his world

Paul Smith is a name well known around the world, but the renowned fashion designer says he never assumes that people know who he is. This, he explained, is why the exhibition “Hello, My Name is Paul Smith,” which kicked off Thursday in Seoul, is based on his character. It offers a look inside his world, encompassing his thought process, work and path toward success.  “(My personality) is very low-key, feet on the ground personality. … It is an exhibition which lit

Arts & DesignJune 6, 2019

Tokyo’s attempt at talks with N. Korea fails as Pyongyang skips Ulanbaatar Dialogue

Japan has faced difficulties engaging North Korea despite having expressed willingness to hold a summit with the North without preconditions. Tokyo had sought to convey its stance to Pyongyang during a two-day conference that kicked off Wednesday in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, according to a Japanese news outlet on Wednesday. However, the communist regime had canceled its participation in the event.  According to Asahi Shimbun, Japan’s Foreign Ministry sent Asian and Oceanian Affairs Burea

North KoreaJune 6, 2019

Seoul denies reports of impending visit by Xi Jinping

The South Korean presidential office on Thursday denied reports that Chinese President Xi Jinping has confirmed plans to visit Seoul before the G-20 summit. A Cheong Wa Dae official was quoted as saying by local media that related reports could not be confirmed and plans for Xi’s visit to Seoul had not been finalized.  Seoul’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also denied the report, but said the two countries are working closely on a matter regarding a “high-level exchange,&rdq

Foreign AffairsJune 6, 2019

LKP leader vows party reform, appeals to young voters

Marking 100 days since he assumed the party leadership, main opposition Liberty Korea Party leader Hwang Kyo-ahn on Thursday vowed to reform the party. The previous day, Hwang warned against controversial remarks by party lawmakers and attended a meeting with a group of people in their 20s to 40s, in an apparent bid to expand the conservative party’s support base ahead of next year’s general election.  　“If we don’t reform and innovate the party ourselves, we ca

PoliticsJune 6, 2019

[News Focus] 17% of Seoul citizens reside alone in 2019

SEJONG -- A core demographic change in South Korea in recent years is the rapidly growing number of single-person households.The trend is especially strong in Seoul as younger people working in the capital seem more reluctant to get married amid uncertainty over finances, job security and their prospects of being able to purchase apartments. According to the Ministry of Interior and Safety, the number of single-person households in Seoul was 1.51 million five years ago in May 2014, when the

Social AffairsJune 6, 2019

BTS’ agency’s corporate value soars above $1b: think tank

Big Hit Entertainment, the agency that represents the globally popular K-pop band BTS, has surpassed $1 billion in corporate value, a local think tank said Thursday.According to a report released by the Hyundai Research Institute, the value of the agency is estimated at between 1.28 trillion won ($1.08 billion) and 2.28 trillion won. With the valuation, the company was classified as a unicorn, meaning a nonlisted venture valued at over $1 billion.Last year, the company scored 214.2 billion won i

IndustryJune 6, 2019

Gold price hits 3-year high amid US-China trade uncertainties

The price of gold on South Korea’s bourse reached the highest level in three years this week, reflecting the market’s preference for risk-free assets amid persistent volatility, data showed Thursday.According to the Korea Exchange Gold Market, the price of gold closed at 50,430 won ($42.80) per gram Wednesday, down 30 won from the previous day’s close but up 9.06 percent from the beginning of the year.Tuesday’s closing price of 50,460 won per gram marked the highest since

EconomyJune 6, 2019

Six in 10 listed firms post lower operating profit or loss

Listed companies in South Korea managed to record an higher operating profit overall, but in fact, 60 percent of them saw a decline or even marked losses, data showed Thursday.An analysis by market researcher Korea CXO Institute showed that the combined operating profit of 1,000 listed firms came in at 111.5 trillion won ($94.4 billion won) last year. The figure was up 4.2 percent from 2017 and 53.1 percent from 2016.Of them, however, 597 companies recorded a lower operating profit or loss, mean

IndustryJune 6, 2019

Gangbyeonbuk-ro to be closed Sunday for bike parade

Gangbyeonbuk-ro will be closed to traffic Sunday morning to make way for some 6,000 bicycles that will travel 21 kilometers through central Seoul and along the eight-lane expressway for the 2019 Seoul Bicycle Parade, Seoul City said Thursday. The 11th annual parade will be held from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., starting at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul, then proceeding along Gangbyeonbuk-ro to end at the World Cup Park in northwestern Seoul, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government.  Gang

Social AffairsJune 6, 2019

Man leaps from 12th floor after naked rant

A 51-year-old man surnamed Jung leaped from the 12th floor of an apartment building in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, at around 9:45 a.m. Thursday, after ranting and throwing appliances out the window while naked for over two hours. According to Uijeongbu Police Station, a report was filed with police at around 7 a.m. by building residents stating that a naked man appeared to be attempting to jump from an upper-level floor. When police and the rescue unit arrived to the scene, Jung shouted t

Social AffairsJune 6, 2019

Ancient Greek artifacts travel to Seoul

An exhibition featuring hundreds of ancient Greek artifacts is being held at Seoul Art Center’s Hangaram Art Museum. The exhibition, titled “The Greeks: From Agamemnon to Alexander the Great,” features some 350 artifacts gathered from 24 local museums in Greece, including the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki and the Archaeological Museum of Pella. The exhibition is designed to allow the visitor to explore the cultures of the region, from the early Aegean civiliza

Arts & DesignJune 6, 2019

KT chief urges global cooperation on 5G tech at GES　

　Major South Korean mobile carrier KT has urged global leaders to enhance cooperation to capitalize on the fifth-generation cellular network amid growing expectations over the technology’s business applications.　During the Global Entrepreneurship Summit 2019 in The Hague, Netherlands, from Monday to Wednesday, KT Chairman Hwang Chang-gyu met with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and other policymakers around the world to share insights in leading 5G transformation.　Stressing Korea’s

TechnologyJune 6, 2019

[Photo News] Families of veterans and patriots mark Memorial Day

Commemorating Memorial Day, the bereaved families of soldiers and patriots who died during the fight for liberation from Japanese colonial rule and the Korean War visit the National Cemetery in Daejeon on Thursday.    By The Korea Herald (khnews@heraldcorp.com)

Social AffairsJune 6, 2019

Fee for celebrity government appearance sparks dispute

Popular talk show host and comedian Kim Je-dong’s high fees for a lecture hosted by a regional government has sparked controversy. Kim, on Wednesday, faced public outcry after it was revealed he would be paid 15.5 million won ($13,100) by the local district government of Daedeok-gu in Daejeon for a 90-minute talk show titled “A Person to Another Person,” targeted at students and their parents. The minor opposition Bareunmirae Party’s Daejeon office issued a statement on t

PoliticsJune 6, 2019