Most Popular
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Yoon warns North Korea against nuclear attack attempt
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AI textbook bubble could burst, expert warns
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Samsung tightens its belt amid crisis winds
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Food tycoon Paik Jong-won's Theborn Korea pushes toward IPO
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[Herald Review] One of Netflix's most expensive Korean originals returns, but at what cost?
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Prosecution closes 'Dior bag' case amid opposition uproar
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North Korean trash balloons cross border day after Seoul military parade
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SF Giants outfielder Lee Jung-hoo back home after injury-shortened rookie season
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Court confirms sentence for rapper who attempted to evade national service
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[Photo News] Armed Forces Day
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‘China’s complex strategic culture raises unpredictability over use of force’
This is the fifth installment in a series of interviews with scholars and experts on China as a resurgent Asian power that is changing the regional order. This installment looks into China’s threat perceptions and its military strategy and modernization. -- Ed. China’s “strategic culture” is a complex mixture of Confucianism, the revolutionary aspect and the West’s realist streak, raising uncertainties over its possible responses to security threats including one related to the ongoing South Chi
Foreign AffairsNov. 10, 2015
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[Herald Interview] Humor under gloom
Korean literature, along with Korean cinema and art, is typically known to be full of doom and gloom, reflecting the country’s struggles with Japanese occupation, postwar poverty or, more recently, post-IMF depression. Translator Sora Kim-Russell, however, believes that underneath “han” -- which, roughly translated as “angst and sorrow,” is an emotion that has come to exemplify the Korean arts -- there is a subtle but rich undercurrent of humor.“I think that different readers and translators see
BooksNov. 10, 2015
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Korea to build second airport on Jejudo Island
The South Korean government said Tuesday it plans to build a second airport on the country’s southern resort island of Jejudo to accommodate the soaring air traffic to the global tourism destination.The new one-runway airport is slated to open by 2025 with estimated construction costs of 4.1 trillion won ($3.54 billion). The airport will be located in Sinsan, on the eastern side of the island between the cities of Seogwipo and Seongsan, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Trans
Social AffairsNov. 10, 2015
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[Graphic News] Export prices post worst fall in 9 months
The monthly export prices fell to a nine-month low in October on the back of a stronger won against the greenback, the South Korean central bank said on Tuesday. The October export price index fell to 82.12, down 3.5 percent from a month ago, and down 6.2 percent from a year ago, Bank of Korea data revealed. This is the sharpest fall since January with 4.3 percent. The October import price index also fell to 78.42, down 3 percent from a month ago, posting the fastest monthly drop since January’s
Nov. 10, 2015
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[Design Forum] Considering food as design object
Food is not merely a crucial means of maintaining health and nutrition, but also an “object” of design that is perceived, contextualized and consumed, a Spanish food design guru said Tuesday. “Thinking food as an object is very important. If we view it as an object, it can (be) full of meanings and experiences, if it is well designed. This edible object can be designed with parameters such as ergonomics, functionality, usability and so forth,” said food designer Marti Guixe in a session at the H
Life&CultureNov. 10, 2015
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[Design Forum] ‘Design can create new economy’
President Park Geun-hye said Tuesday that design has become an important field that can not only boost the value of the cultural industry but also has the potential to create a “new economy.”A contratulatory letter from President Park Geun-hye is displayed on the screen at the Herald Design Forum in Seoul on Tuesday. (Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald)In her congratulatory letter to the Herald Design Forum 2015, the president said design offers a variety of industries and people to gain insights an
Life&CultureNov. 10, 2015
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[SUPER RICH] Celebrities running natural product businesses
What do Gwyneth Paltrow, Gisele Bundchen and Madonna have in common?They are celebrities involved in natural product businesses, having become major shareholders in or founding their own companies. Their businesses range from natural foods and snacks to baby products and skin care.The Superrich team presents several world-famous celebrities working as natural lifestyle ambassadors.Jessica Alba Jessica Alba. BloombergHollywood star Jessica Alba is also known for cofounding The Honest Company,
IndustryNov. 10, 2015
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Banks’ net interest margin tumbles
(123RF)Banks posted a record-low combined net interest margin in the latest quarterly report largely due to the continued low key interest rate, the Financial Supervisory Service revealed Tuesday. In the July-September period, the 17 lenders operating in Korea reaped a record-low 1.56 percent in combined net interest margin, a gauge for profitability, from 1.58 percent in the previous quarter. During the same period, interest income fell for the fourth consecutive quarter to 8.4 trillion won (
Nov. 10, 2015
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DSME signs memo for fund-raising
Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering signed an agreement with its main creditor on Tuesday to start receiving funds for financing its plans to put the embattled shipbuilder back on track.Up to 4.2 trillion won ($3.6 billion) of fresh loans are expected to be injected into Daewoo under the memorandum of understanding it signed with Korea Development Bank, according to related sources. KDB said it signed the memo on the behalf of all of Daewoo’s creditor banks that includes the Export-Import B
IndustryNov. 10, 2015
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K-pop sweetheart mired in pedophilia controversy
The song "Zeze" in 23-year-old singer-songwriter IU's recent EP album "Chat-shire" was accused of lyrics suggestive of pedophilia. Some scenes in the music video for the title track "23," such as those featuring IU with a baby bottle, added to the controversy. (Loen Entertainment)Singer-songwriter IU, previously considered K-pop’s sweetheart for her innocent image and vocal talents, has been mired in controversy over allegations of pedophilia in her song lyrics.At the center of the controversy i
PerformanceNov. 10, 2015
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KOICA exhibition to recount Korea’s overseas aid history
The Korea International Cooperation Agency plans to chronicle the country’s rapid ascent from an aid recipient to an emerging donor at an exhibition in central Seoul later this month, the state aid institution said Tuesday.The event will take place from Nov. 24 for six days at the War Memorial in Yongsan, marking the 2015 Development Cooperation Week starting Nov. 23. KOICA president Kim Young-mok, Park Gi-tae ― founder of the Voluntary Agency Network of Korea focusing on cyber public diplomacy
Foreign AffairsNov. 10, 2015
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Web drama says eating is healing
The latest web cartoon to cross over mediums is “Eating Existence” from Lezhin Comics, which has been made into a Web drama to be aired on portal site Naver’s TV Cast.Although the title may lead viewers to think that “Eating Existence” is a series purely about the enjoyment of good food, director Lee Cheol-ha says it’s really about finding consolation in today’s harsh world.“The original cartoon is also focused less on food and more on expressing the hearts and minds of young people today,” Lee
TelevisionNov. 10, 2015
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[Robert Cheek] Thinking outside the box: AI bots and robotic IoT
The human race is entering an era of exponential technological growth unmatched by anything before in its history. The rate of technological evolution is now accelerating by the nanosecond. Most advances to date have focused on the augmentation of the mind, or information analysis and processing. Advancements in these areas continue to move forward rapidly, and humanity now faces a scenario in which our technologies are breaking out of their boxes, migrating from the cyber world to the physical
ViewpointsNov. 10, 2015
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Korean economic growth projected at 2.5%
Korea’s economic growth is expected to slow to around an annual 2.5 percent over the next two years, according to a global credit rating agency.Moody’s Investors Service said that the slowdown will occur as Korea is affected by sluggish growth in countries such as China and the emerging markets. The forecast was included in the Global Macro Outlook 2015-17 issued by Moody’s today. Along with Korea, the United States and the United Kingdom are also expected to grow by around 2.5 percent, the repo
Nov. 10, 2015
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[Editorial] Girls driven to diet
A recent Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development report showed a great disparity in the obesity rates of boys and girls in Korea. While 26.4 percent of boys aged 5 to 17 were either overweight or obese in 2013, 14.1 percent of girls of same age were either overweight or obese, according to the Health at a Glance 2015 report published by the OECD. The OECD average was 24 percent for boys and 22 percent for girls. Poland was the only other country with a greater gender disparity. Th
EditorialNov. 10, 2015
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Korean office culture negative: survey
A recent survey showed that many Korean workers hold negative views about the local office culture.Job Korea, a Seoul-based job-hunting portal, said today that 48.7 percent of the 604 employees it surveyed said they considered the Korean corporate culture to be negative. Out of the 48.7 percent, 36.6 percent said the culture is “exceedingly negative,” while another 12.4 percent said it was “generally negative.” Of the respondents, 36.6 percent responded with “neither negative nor positive,” whi
Nov. 10, 2015
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[Editorial] Safety abroad
The growing tide of violent crimes against Koreans in the Philippines has prompted the Korean authorities to increase support for the Philippine police. Kang Sin-myeong, commissioner general of the Korean National Police Agency, said that the KNPA was looking for ways to help the Philippine police investigate crimes involving Korean nationals in the Philippines. Attesting to the gravity of the situation, Kang met with his Filipino counterpart Ricard C. Marquez and Foreign Affairs Secretary Alber
EditorialNov. 10, 2015
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[Kim Seong-kon] Ojirappers, mind your own business
Koreans are inquisitive by nature. A foreigner who visited Korea in 1892 wrote, “Koreans are curious and like to meddle in other people’s business.” Even today, the Korean people seem to enjoy gossiping and prying into each other’s affairs. An upside of this innate curiosity is the community spirit that enables us to share many things together in a group-oriented society. The downside is that it is offensive and rude to others, especially to foreigners. Thankfully, young Koreans do not seem to
ViewpointsNov. 10, 2015
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[Robert J. Fouser] Some thoughts on ‘I.Seoul.U’
The unveiling of Seoul’s new English slogan “I.Seoul.U” at the end of October stirred a hearty round of laughter on social media as people made jokes and parodies of the phrase. Amid the laughter was worry that the city had made a huge mistake in choosing a slogan that is incomprehensible. The negative reaction is unfortunate because the city spent 500 million won ($436,000) on the project that had resulted in 16,000 suggestions from citizens. A committee of nine experts narrowed the choice to
ViewpointsNov. 10, 2015
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Korea to vet profitability of big overseas orders
South Korea's state-run financial institutions will check the profitability of large overseas construction projects and shipbuilding orders to prevent local companies from winning contracts that will lead to losses down the road, the government said Tuesday.In a meeting chaired by Finance Minister Choi Kyung-hwan in Seoul, senior officials pointed out that excessive competition to secure bids have eroded profitability, leading to the winners eventually losing money.Choi said state financial inst
Nov. 10, 2015