S. Korea to begin training on Monday for Olympic football qualifiers

South Korea will start preparing for the Olympic men's football qualifying tournament early next week, officials announced Tuesday.The Korea Football Association said head coach Kim Hak-bum on Monday will call up 26 players for the first training camp ahead of the 2020 Asian Football Confederation U-23 Championship, scheduled for Jan. 8-26 next year in Thailand.That competition will also serve as the Asian qualifying tournament for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The top three teams in Thailand will pu

SoccerMay 28, 2019

'Arthdal Chronicles' features Song Joong-ki as half-neanderthal hero in antiquity

Returning to the small screen for the first time since his sensationally popular role in the 2016 drama series, "Descendants of the Sun," actor Song Joong-ki plays a half-neanderthal hero who fights against a well-equipped chieftain in the upcoming TV fantasy series "Arthdal Chronicles." The 18-episode series, set against the background of the early civilization period around the Bronze Age, on a mythical continent called Arth, depicts a power struggle by competing chieftains

TelevisionMay 28, 2019

Third-generation LG family member wanted by Interpol for stock manipulation

A third-generation LG Group family member now on the run overseas has been placed on Interpol's wanted list on charges of stock manipulation and other crimes, prosecutors said Tuesday.The Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office said it has asked for Interpol's cooperation for the arrest of Koo Bon-hyun, a nephew of LG Group honorary chairman Koo Cha-kyung, after nullifying his passport. The 51-year-old Koo had escaped abroad after allegedly pocketing an illegal profit of 14.5 billion wo

IndustryMay 28, 2019

S. Korea reiterates stance on East Sea naming after Trump mentions Sea of Japan

South Korea said Tuesday that the body of water between the Korean peninsula and Japan should be referred to as both the East Sea and Sea of Japan, after US President Donald Trump used only the Japanese name.During a meeting with US troops in Japan, Trump mentioned the Sea of Japan as an area of their patrol responsibilities."Regarding the naming of the East Sea, our consistent position is clear," Kim In-chul, spokesman of Seoul's foreign ministry, told a regular press briefing. "

North KoreaMay 28, 2019

[Graphic News] ‘Parasite’ wins top honors at Cannes　

　The Palme d’Or, the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival, was awarded Saturday to “Parasite,” a social satire and critical favorite from South Korean director Bong Joon-ho. It is the first time a Korean director has received the coveted award in the festival’s 72-year history.　The Cannes Film Festival is an annual event held in France. It previews new films of all genres, including documentaries from all around the world. 

CultureMay 28, 2019

Huawei says it will keep 5G event in Seoul low profile amid controversy

　With confrontation between the Trump administration and Huawei showing no signs of abating, the Chinese tech giant has pledged to go ahead with its plan to celebrate the launch of a fifth-generation network research center in Seoul on Thursday. 　According to Huawei Korea on Tuesday, the company will hold an opening ceremony for the research center as scheduled. The event is expected to take place at Huawei Korea’s headquarters in Jung-gu, central Seoul. 　But the company said it would keep

TechnologyMay 28, 2019

Ballerina Kim Joo-won unveils tango-ballet piece

Ballerina Kim Joo-won will introduce her new work “Tango Ballet 3 Minutes: Su Tiempo” at the Sejong Center July 11-14. Kim’s latest piece follows “Marguerite and Armand,” staged in 2013.  The tango-style ballet, choreographed by Rye Hoi-woong, tells a love story in just about three minutes. Starring alongside Kim are Korean National Ballet principal dancer Lee Young-cheol and former KNB ballerino Kang Jun-ha.La Ventana, led by accordion player Jeong Tae-ho, wil

PerformanceMay 28, 2019

Samsung Galaxy Fold launch likely to be delayed again

Samsung Electronics seems to be taking more time than expected to fix flaws in the main display of its first foldable smartphone Galaxy Fold, according to industry sources Tuesday. It has been more than one month since the South Korean tech giant officially announced the postponement of the foldable device’s launch in the United States, but it keeps maintaining that a new schedule will be announced in “coming weeks.” Some telecom officials say that the launch is likely to take

TechnologyMay 28, 2019

[Herald Interview] Regulation, resistance put Korea‘s ability to compete in future mobility in question

LEIPZIG, Germany -- Korea is a leader in information technology, which has led its economic growth for the last decade, but when it comes to mobility services -- often touted as the center of a paradigm shift in the “fourth industrial revolution” -- the country faces uncertainty. “It is clear that the world is going through a paradigm shift from manufacturing to mobility services in connection with development of autonomous driving,” said Lee Jae-ho, director of the digit

MobilityMay 28, 2019

[Kim Seong-kon] New world order without the US

In his internationally acclaimed dystopian novel “Nineteen Eighty-four,” George Orwell portrayed the world as divided into three regions: Oceania, Eurasia and Eastasia. According to Orwell, Oceania was composed of the United Kingdom and the United States, and Eurasia, which constituted the rest of Europe and Central Asia, was controlled by the Soviet Union. As for Eastasia, Orwell did not mention a specific country that either represented or ruled the region. Yet, at the time he was

ViewpointsMay 28, 2019

[Lee Jae-min] Korea caught in the middle again

The intensifying US-China confrontation has just taken a new twist. Reportedly, Washington is asking Seoul to join its anti-Huawei alliance. The reason is security concerns posed by the Chinese IT giant. This latest development puts South Korea in a difficult spot again. Korea is confronted with what it dreads most: choosing sides in a decisive manner.It is one thing to worry about the G2 confrontation and its overall economic impact. It is quite another to be forced to choose sides openly and o

ViewpointsMay 28, 2019

K-drama ‘Sign’ to get Japanese remake

Korean television series “Sign” is slated to get a Japanese remake, broadcaster SBS which aired the popular drama said Tuesday.A Japanese adaptation of the series about forensic doctors will be aired on TV Asahi starting June, with Nao Omori as the lead star.  “Sign,” which aired from Jan. 6 to March 10, 2011, featured Park Shin-yang as a hot-tempered genius forensic doctor and Kim Ah-joong as a warm-hearted rookie, pairing up to uncover the truth concealed by those

TelevisionMay 28, 2019

[Newsmaker] Controversy brews over meeting of NIS chief, Moon's confidant

A dinner meeting between National Intelligence Service Director Suh Hoon and Yang Jung-chul, the head of a think tank run by the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, has stirred up controversy over the spy agency’s involvement in politics. The four-hour meeting between the two prominent figures last week took the spotlight Tuesday, with the main opposition Liberty Korea Party visiting the spy agency in protest.“It was not a private consultation, but a dinner with longtime acquaintances.

PoliticsMay 28, 2019

Google Korea launches online language culture campaign with Sunfull Foundation

Google Korea and Sunfull Foundation said Tuesday they would work together to help improve online culture by promoting the National Sunfull Youth Internet Peace Campaign aimed at preventing malicious online comments and hate speech. Google sponsors the Sunfull Youth Supporters project, which involves 100 clubs from elementary, middle, high schools and universities across the country. The project is to support the training and dispatch of professional online language improvement instructors to sch

PeopleMay 28, 2019

[News Focus] Unemployment-benefit payment surges 58% during Moon’s term

The number of South Koreans applying for unemployment benefit (also dubbed job seekers’ allowance) have rapidly increased in the wake of widespread small business closures and rising jobless rates.According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the unemployment rate as of April 2019 came to 4.4 percent, higher than the 3.8 percent recorded both in April 2014 and April 2009. According to the Korea Employment Information Service, the government’s monthly payment of unemployment

Social AffairsMay 28, 2019

Bitcoin extends rally amid economic uncertainties, entry of tech firms

 　As Bitcoin continued to extend its rally in South Korea with the price topping 10 million won ($8,400) for the first time since last year, analysts are scrambling to figure out what caused the world’s biggest cryptocurrency to suddenly recover. 　According to Seoul-based cryptocurrency exchange Upbit, Bitcoin was priced at 10.4 million won per coin as of 2 p.m. on Tuesday. The figure was 0.3 percent up from the previous day when it recovered to the 10-million-won range for the first

TechnologyMay 28, 2019

Seoul’s housing price hike stable among major cities: government

In an apparent move to advocate the incumbent government’s real estate measures, the Land Ministry said Tuesday that Seoul’s housing prices had grown at a stable rate for the past five years, compared to fluctuations observed in real estate transaction prices in other major cities. Seoul saw an average 18.9 percent rate fluctuation in its housing price from 2014 to 2018, according to the data, which was released as part of a seminar co-hosted by the ministry and the state-run Ko

EconomyMay 28, 2019

BMW Korea teases all-new BMW 1 Series

BMW Korea revealed Tuesday the return of BMW 1-Series that it said will provide customers a smooth ride with ultimate efficiency.The local branch of the German luxury carmaker said it would showcase its third-generation BMW 1-Series at the #NextGen event, to be held in Munich BMW Welt on June 25-27.The premium compact hatchback has undergone a design upgrade as well as technological advances that will enhance user experience, it said.The interior will boast a driver-centered design with more spa

MobilityMay 28, 2019