LG V50 ThinQ leads Korea’s 5G smartphone market

LG Electronics’ V50 ThinQ is leading the 5G smartphone market in South Korea with high popularity for the dual screen phone’s powerful multimedia features, the company said Wednesday.An initial volume of 100,000 V50 ThinQ phones were sold out since the device’s launch on May 10, and sales are continuing to rise, it said.Instead of a foldable screen smartphone, LG chose to offer a flip-cover dual display form factor for more powerful multimedia experiences on the high-speed netw

TechnologyMay 29, 2019

[Kent Harrington] Kim Jong-un’s ‘Moneyball’ strategy

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe prioritized pomp over policy while hosting US President Donald Trump this week. The one exception was the issue of North Korea, which recently conducted more short-range missile tests off its east coast. Abe is clearly anxious about keeping Japan and the United States on the same page now that Trump’s denuclearization talks with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un have faltered. But at a joint press conference on Monday, Trump dismissed concerns about the l

ViewpointsMay 29, 2019

[Kim Kyung-ho] A way out of the historical trap

President Moon Jae-in may feel that he has adhered to a principled approach to historical issues with Japan. Nevertheless, he may also be realizing that it has come round to undermine his position on the diplomatic stage of Northeast Asia.If he has an ulterior motive -- if, as critics charge, he intends to use the inflammatory issues to his domestic political advantage -- he stands to pay substantial costs in practical terms.Since he took office two years ago, the bilateral relationship between

ViewpointsMay 29, 2019

Bauhaus bus stops at Gwangju Design Biennale 2019

The Bauhaus school’s workshop wing in the German town of Dessau is well known for its stark white volumes, gridded windows and the Bauhaus sign that runs vertically down the facade. The iconic building, conceived by the school’s founding director Walter Gropius in 1919, will be shown at the upcoming Gwangju Design Biennale 2019, which kicks off Sept. 7 for a 55-day run.  Coming to the festival is a 15-square-meter mobile version of the monumental modernist building, set on a tra

Arts & DesignMay 29, 2019

LKP holds open auditions to pick young vice spokesperson

The main opposition Liberty Korea Party held open auditions Tuesday to recruit a young vice spokesperson in a bid to woo young people ahead of next year’s parliamentary elections.Some 70 people applied for the position, and of those who passed the document screening, around 10 were to be selected through the auditions at the party headquarters in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul.The party had previously recruited spokespersons through recommendations and document screening. Formally dressed applicants

PoliticsMay 29, 2019

Committee launched to fight ‘gaming disorder’ adoption in Korea

Wearing all black with condolence pins affixed to their chests to signify the gaming industry’s distress over the adoption of gaming disorder, a committee was launched Wednesday to oppose the move. The committee comprising 90 organizations, announced in a press conference at the National Assembly that it would serve as a watchdog for a healthy gaming environment and review the validity of the World Health Organization’s gaming disorder.The controversy has escalated since Saturday, wh

IndustryMay 29, 2019

S. Korea remains on US ‘monitoring list’ for currency manipulation

The United States Treasury Department has kept South Korea on its monitoring list for currency manipulating countries, suggesting a possible removal in the next report, the Ministry of Economy and Finance said Wednesday.In a semiannual report submitted to Congress on Tuesday, the US Treasury also named eight other trading partners as those requiring attention regarding their currency practices. The list comprised China, Japan, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam.Also, Korea

EconomyMay 29, 2019

Court to rule on arrest warrant for KCTU officials

The Seoul Southern District Court is expected to decide Thursday whether to arrest senior officials of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions for allegedly damaging police pedestrian barriers and using physical violence against police.The suspects face charges of interfering with official duties, damaging public goods, hindering traffic, trespassing and injuring a journalist.The hard-line Korean Confederation of Trade Unions held three rallies in front of the National Assembly from March 27-Ap

PoliticsMay 29, 2019

Moblie carriers turn to K-pop idols to boost 5G popularity

As South Korea’s mobile carriers focus on expanding the commercial use of 5G cellular network services since their launch last month, K-pop idols have emerged as an attractive draw to boost the popularity of 5G among consumers. 　SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus are introducing various services that allow subscribers to enjoy K-pop in an optimal environment by combining virtual reality technology with the hyperspeed network in a way that totally transforms the experience. 　Given the growing appe

TechnologyMay 29, 2019

[Herald Interview] Alcantara aims to partner with more Korean firms, lifestyle brands: CEO

TOKYO -- For fashion companies in South Korea, switching to sustainable fabrics remains a far-off goal. While the concept is not unheard of, local consumers don’t yet have enough options to choose from compared with consumers in North America and Europe. Yet even here in Korea, the high-quality leather substitute developed by Italian luxury fabric maker Alcantara S.P.A. is a familiar presence – well known as a covering for Lamborgini seats and for Microsoft’s Surface lapto

IndustryMay 29, 2019

Malaysian fugitive met YG head through Psy

Low Taek Jho, a Malaysian fugitive sought by authorities in Malaysia, Singapore and the US in connection with the 1MDB scandal, denied allegations Wednesday that he had attended a dinner gathering arranged by Yang Hyun-suk, head of K-pop powerhouse YG Entertainment.　The MBC program “Straight” aired late Monday the allegations that Yang hosted dinner parties and procured sexual services for two wealthy Southeast Asian investors in July 2014. One of the investors was reported to be Low

Social AffairsMay 29, 2019

[News Focus] No sign of a break in the impasse between Seoul, Tokyo over forced labor

Relations between South Korea and Japan have deteriorated to what is arguably their worst point to date as they dispute every inch of ground over Tokyo’s responsibility to compensate the Korean victims of forced labor during World War II. Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha’s meeting with her Japanese counterpart, Taro Kono, in Paris on Friday thwarted hopes that those strained ties would mend anytime soon. The two top envoys wrapped up their meeting having only escalated the tensio

Foreign AffairsMay 29, 2019

[Newsmaker] Protests against HHI-DSME merger escalate

Protests by the workers of Hyundai Heavy Industries against a tie-up with Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering are escalating, with labor unions of Hyundai Motor and DSME joining the strike on Wednesday. Two days ahead of HHI’s shareholders meeting to decide on modalities of the merger, the workers’ protests intensified by occupying the venue and staging an all-out strike to disrupt the meeting. If the proposal for physical division of the company after merger is passed

IndustryMay 29, 2019

Hyundai Steel showcases steel sculptures at Suncheon Bay

South Korean steelmaker Hyundai Steel unveiled three steel sculptures featured in its H-Steel Atelier project on Tuesday at Suncheon Bay Ecology and Culture Education Center in South Jeolla Province. H-Steel Atelier is Hyundai Steel’s corporate social responsibility project that aims to convey a soft and friendly image of steel through arts and culture. It is also a chance for local young artists to create artworks. This year, a contest was open to the public to create artworks in line wit

IndustryMay 29, 2019

Stock transaction tax cut to take effect Thursday

South Korea’s decision to lower the tax rate on securities transactions by 0.05 percentage point is set to take effect on Thursday, with the financial sector divided on whether it will successfully stimulate the market.Tax levied on stocks listed on the nation’s main bourse Kospi will be cut down to 0.1 percent from the previous 0.15 percent. Stocks on the secondary tech-heavy Kosdaq will be traded at the rate of 0.25 percent instead of the previous 0.3 percent. The rate for third-ti

MarketMay 29, 2019

S. Korea drops to 28th place in global competitiveness rankings

South Korea’s global competitiveness ranking dropped one place this year, amid an economic slowdown hit by reduced exports and capital investments, an annual report by a Switzerland-based international institute showed Wednesday.The International Institute for Management Development said in its report that Korea ranked 28th in terms of world competitiveness among the 63 countries surveyed. It was ranked 27th last year.The institute, since 1997, has been ranking economies based on four cate

EconomyMay 29, 2019

Refugee crisis ‘our problem’ too: actor Jung Woo-sung

Actor Jung Woo-sung, a goodwill ambassador for the UN Refugee Agency, on Tuesday stressed the need for South Korea to support the Rohingya Muslims fleeing violence in Myanmar after his second visit to the world’s largest refugee camp. “The refugee issue is not only their problem, it is our problem,” Jung told a group of reporters during an interview held at the office of the UNHCR in central Seoul. “When I say ‘we,’ it could be taken as a limited meaning, but

Social AffairsMay 29, 2019

[팟캐스트] (302) 봉준호 감독 ‘기생충’ 칸영화제 황금종려상 수상 / WHO 게임 질병 분류

 진행자 : 손지형, Paul Kerry1. Bong Joon-ho bags Palme d'Or in Cannes milestone for Korea기사요약: 봉준호 영화감독의 영화 ‘기생충’이 한국인 최초로 칸영화제 최고상인 황금종려상 수상.아이튠즈(아이폰): https://itunes.apple.com/kr/podcast/koliaheleoldeu-paskaeseuteu/id686406253?mt=2팟빵 (안드로이드): http://www.podbbang.com/ch/6638[1] Bong Joon-ho’s social satire “Parasite” made history Saturday by becoming the first Korean film to win the Palme d’Or, the top award at the Cannes Film Festival.*social satire: 사회 풍자*ma

PodcastMay 29, 2019