Sanctions motivated NK cybercrimes: US officials

US intelligence authorities say North Korea carried out cybercrimes such as cryptocurrency mining and bank theft to get around sanctions, according to US broadcaster Voice of America. Tonya Ugoretz, deputy assistant director of the FBI’s cyber readiness, outreach and intelligence branch, said Wednesday at a conference hosted by private US think tank the Aspen Institute that sanctions had motivated North Korea to carry out the hacking of Sony Pictures Entertainment in 2014, the Bangladesh B

North KoreaMay 30, 2019

Ballet Festival Korea to take place in June

The ninth Ballet Festival Korea is slated to take place from June 18 to 30 at the Seoul Arts Center, introducing 14 ballet recitals from classic to modern.Since 2011, the annual festival has introduced the genre to a wider audience in an effort to promote the overall ballet scene. For this year’s event, the Korea National Ballet and Gwangju City Ballet will cooperate with private ballet companies and young dancers. The opening performance will feature Korean ballerinas who are members of f

PerformanceMay 30, 2019

FM to head to Hungary to cope with deadly boat sinking

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha will head to Hungary later Thursday to oversee rescue and other efforts to cope with a deadly boat sinking that left at least seven South Koreans dead and 19 others missing, her ministry said."Minister Kang will head to the site of the accident to lead the on-site operations underway by our officials," ministry spokesman Kim In-chul told a press briefing."The ministry will mobilize every effort to effectively and swiftly deal with the situation by c

Social AffairsMay 30, 2019

Construction of world’s first hydrogen station at parliament breaks ground

Hyundai Motor broke ground for a hydrogen refilling station in the middle of the National Assembly complex in Seoul on Thursday, marking the world’s first charging facility for fuel cell electric vehicles to be built at a parliament.It is also the first commercial hydrogen facility to be built in central Seoul, the company said. The project, the first case of the regulatory sandbox, will start operating at the end of August. The hydrogen station will operate from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. I

MobilityMay 30, 2019

Google changes unfair terms for YouTubers’ content at FTC’s request

Google has changed terms and conditions related to copyright infringement on its video-streaming platform YouTube at the request of South Korea’s antitrust watchdog, the government said Thursday. The Fair Trade Commission said the US tech firm had changed eight terms and conditions in a follow-up to the request in March. The authorities had asked for the revision of clauses that allowed YouTube to arbitrarily delete and reuse videos posted by users.Under the revised terms, if a user’

IndustryMay 30, 2019

SK Broadband expands program varieties for B tv

SK Broadband, a subsidiary of SK Telecom, announced Thursday its IPTV service B tv will provide subscribers more program varieties.B tv will be rolling out children educational programs, health and fitness programs, as well as E-mart discount coupons, the company said.Of the programs dedicated to infants and toddlers, one is called “Playsongs Home,” a music service made by SK Broadband and music preschool Playsongs.Infants and toddlers under the age of three can watch music programs

IndustryMay 30, 2019

EXO's D.O. to join military in July

D.O., a member of the popular boy band EXO, will join the military in July, putting his flourishing entertainment career on hold, his management agency said Thursday. The 26-year-old, whose real name is Do Kyung-soo, will enlist in the Army on July 1 to fulfill his mandatory military service, according SM Entertainment. "D.O. wanted to fulfill his duty of national defense as soon as possible after Xiumin started his military service on May 7 as the first EXO member to do so," SM said.

PerformanceMay 30, 2019

[Seoul Food Alley] Wangsimni Gopchang Street lures intestine lovers

Seoul’s alleys are filled with eateries specializing in particular dishes. The Korea Herald takes you on a foodie trip to narrow alleys where decades-old establishments beckon diners with their secret recipes, often handed down through generations. -- Ed.The Wangsimni area, located 3.9 kilometers east of Gyeongbokgung, is a household name for gopchang.Eating the internal organs of cows and pigs is popular here -- for instance, gopchang (small intestine), daechang (large intestine) and makc

FoodMay 30, 2019

I attended dinner with Jho Low but left early: Psy

Korean rapper Psy admitted Wednesday that Low Taek Jho, a Malaysian fugitive involved in the 1MDB scandal, was his friend and that he had attended a dinner gathering arranged by Yang Hyun-suk, head of K-pop powerhouse YG Entertainment. Low, sought by authorities in Malaysia, Singapore and the US in connection with the 1MDB scandal, earlier said through his spokesman that he had met Yang through his friend Psy, denying allegations that he had received sexual services procured by Yang at the

Social AffairsMay 30, 2019

[Newsmaker] Opposition lawmaker stripped of parliamentary seat as top court confirms jail term

The Supreme Court sentenced Rep. Lee Woo-hyun of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party to seven years in prison Thursday for taking illegal political funds worth some 1 billion won ($839,278).The ruling stripped Lee of his parliamentary seat.Under the law, an elected official loses his or her post if sentenced to imprisonment without forced labor for criminal cases.The top court withheld a lower court's ruling that also includes 160 million won in fines, accusing Lee of violating the political

Social AffairsMay 30, 2019

Pentagon chief says NK launches violated UN resolutions

Acting US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said Wednesday that North Korea's missile launches this month were a violation of UN Security Council resolutions, adding to the confusion over the US views.North Korea launched short-range missiles on May 9 in apparent protest over stalled negotiations with the US While US National Security Adviser John Bolton condemned them as a breach of UNSC resolutions, which ban the North's use of ballistic missile technology, President Donald Trump said he view

North KoreaMay 30, 2019

US cites one-name policy after Trump mentions Sea of Japan

The US State Department said Wednesday it is longstanding US policy to use only one name for international waters, after President Donald Trump referred to the body of water between Korea and Japan as the Sea of Japan.South Korea has long campaigned for dual usage of the name East Sea, arguing Sea of Japan is a legacy of Tokyo's imperialist past, including its 1910-45 colonization of the Korean Peninsula. Trump was in Japan earlier this week when he mentioned the Sea of Japan as part of a pep ta

Foreign AffairsMay 30, 2019

Moon orders launch of emergency response team on Hungary boat sinking

South Korean President Moon Jae-in instructed the government Thursday to use every possible means to rescue South Korean tourists, whose boat capsized in Budapest, Hungary, in cooperation with the local authorities, his office said.Moon received a briefing on the incident from Chung Eui-yong, head of the National Security Office, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson, Ko Min-jung.The president also ordered the formation of a government-level response team, headed by the foreign minister, she a

InternationalMay 30, 2019

7 South Koreans killed, 19 missing in Hungary cruise sinking: foreign ministry

 Seven South Koreans died and 19 others went missing after a tourist boat carrying them capsized in a river in the capital of Hungary late Wednesday (local time). A total of 33 Koreans and two Hungarian crew members were on the sightseeing cruise amid heavy rain, when their boat collided with another vessel and sank in the river in downtown Budapest at around 9 p.m., the foreign ministry in Seoul said.Seven people have been rescued and a search is under way for 19 missing people, it ad

NationalMay 30, 2019

S. Korea prepares for possible outbreak of swine fever in North

South Korea is currently making preparations against the possible spread of African swine fever from North Korea, a unification ministry official said Wednesday, amid concerns that the disease may have broken out there. "North Korea has not made an official statement on an outbreak of African swine fever, and international organizations have also not confirmed a possible outbreak," an official from the Ministry of Unification said. The unification ministry, meanwhile, is working closel

North KoreaMay 29, 2019

Vice FM says 'sustainable peace' in Korea vital to Asia security, prosperity

South Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Lee Tae-ho said Wednesday that fostering "sustainable peace" on the peninsula is vital to achieving "resilient peace" in Asia long beset by North Korea's nuclear threats and other security challenges. Lee made the remarks during the annual Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity, which kicked off its three-day run under the main theme of "Asia Towards Resilient Peace: Cooperation and Integration.""Above all, (we) should achieve s

Foreign AffairsMay 29, 2019

Revelations by school bullying victims rattle K-pop industry

Three rising K-pop stars and their agencies have recently gotten into trouble following revelations that the stars bullied classmates in their school years.They are Yoo Young-hyun, member of the popular indie band Jannabi, singer Hyolyn from the now-disbanded girl group Sistar and Yoon Seo-bin, once the front-runner of the popular idol competition show "Produce 101."Behind the globally flourishing K-pop scene often characterized by electronic music, indie band Jannabi has quietly but s

CultureMay 29, 2019

2013 probe into ex-vice justice minister slipshod: panel

An independent panel under the Ministry of Justice concluded Wednesday that the prosecution abused its power and intentionally conducted a slipshod investigation into former Vice Justice Minister Kim Hak-eui in his favor in 2013. Announcing the result of its review of findings by a fact-finding team of the Supreme Prosecutors Office into the 2013 probe, the panel, tasked with looking into controversial cases in the past, called on the prosecution to thoroughly investigate three former prosecutor

Social AffairsMay 29, 2019

[Graphic News] Number of insect-related companies on rise in Korea

　The number of South Korean companies raising or processing insects for foodstuffs, pets and other purposes grew threefold in 2018 from three years earlier. 　According to data compiled by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the number of such companies here came to 2,318 as of last year, up from 726 in 2015.　The figure increased sharply on-year in 2016 and 2017, after the government officially recognized seven species of insects as food ingredients. The number edged up 8.3 perce

BusinessMay 29, 2019

Moon slams main opposition over diplomatic leak

President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday criticized the main opposition Liberty Korea Party over developments surrounding the leak of diplomatic information. “It is disgraceful when the country’s diplomatic secrets are leaked, and are being used for political wrangling,” Moon said at Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting. He was referring to Liberty Korea Party Rep. Khang Hyo-shang, who used classified information about his telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump to critici

PoliticsMay 29, 2019