Most Popular
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Ex-presidential official’s leaked phone call rattles conservative bloc
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Food tycoon Paik Jong-won's Theborn Korea pushes toward IPO
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Pay debate plagues foreign nanny pilot
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K-pop star lip-syncing controversy flares up again
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35% of S. Koreans view unification 'unnecessary'
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Man escapes DUI charges by downing bottle of soju while pulled over
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Prosecution closes 'Dior bag' case amid opposition uproar
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Pianist Lim Yunchan double winner at Gramophone Awards
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Court confirms sentence for rapper who attempted to evade national service
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[Reporter’s Notebook] Was Netflix film opening BIFF really a bad thing?
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[Photo news] Growing bigger via merger
GROWING BIGGER VIA MERGER -- Ronnie Leten, CEO and chairman of Swedish industrial company Atlas Copco, unveils long-term investment plans and strategies in the Korean market at a news conference in Seoul on Monday. With 1,112 people under Atlas Copco’s payroll in Korea, the company said it expects to post 1 trillion won in sales here by 2020. Atlas Copco
IndustrySept. 22, 2015
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Hyundai Heavy union to sabotage Chung’s FIFA campaign
Unionized workers of Hyundai Heavy Industries are planning to stage a protest in Switzerland next month when the company’s largest shareholder Chung Mong-joon attends the FIFA presidential election as a candidate. The union said it will appoint three union executives on Monday to be dispatched to Zurich from Oct. 18 to 24 to throw a wrench in Chung’s election campaign. The protest is seen as a pressure tactic by the union pushing for its demand of 127,560 won ($108.77) increase in the monthly ba
IndustrySept. 22, 2015
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U.S., China won't accept N. Korea as nuclear power: Rice
The United States and China are working together for a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula and won't accept North Korea as a nuclear weapons country, U.S. National Security Advisor Susan Rice said Monday. Rice made the remark during a speech previewing a summit between President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping, saying the two countries are "united in demanding the complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula." "We firmly oppose North Korea's efforts to develop nucle
North KoreaSept. 22, 2015
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Suspended swimmer Park Tae-hwan to train in Japan
Former Olympic swimming champion Park Tae-hwan, currently serving a doping suspension, has relocated to Japan to continue training, his management company said Tuesday. Team GMP said Park left for Tokyo with his manager and physical trainer on Monday, and will begin training at Hosei University on Thursday. Park will stay in the Japanese capital until December, Team GMP added. In March, Park, the 2008 Olympic gold medalist in the men's 400-meter freestyle, received an 18-month ban from FINA, t
More SportsSept. 22, 2015
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NK shows reluctance for joint celebrations of National Foundation Day
North Korea has expressed its reluctance to hold inter-Korean civilian events to mark National Foundation Day in early October, a Seoul civic group said Tuesday. The North has said that it would be difficult to have joint events to celebrate the holiday, which falls on Oct. 3, as it is busy preparing for its own key national anniversary, according to the South's preparatory committee for the event. North Korea is focusing on preparations for the 70th anniversary of the founding of its ruling W
North KoreaSept. 22, 2015
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Seoul shares open a tad higher on Wall Street gains
South Korean stocks started a shade higher on Tuesday as investor sentiment got a boost from overnight Wall Street gains. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index moved up 2.23 points, or 0.11 percent, to stand at 1,966.91 in the first 15 minutes of trading. The Dow Jones industrial average edged up 0.8 percent on Monday, with the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite gaining 0.1 percent. Autos led the gains as industry leader Hyundai Motor surged 1.26 percent and its sister affiliate, Kia Mot
Sept. 22, 2015
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Iranian firm files claims against Korea over failed deal
An Iranian firm has filed an investor-state dispute claim against the South Korean government for not refunding its down payment on the takeover of a local electronics firm, claiming that Seoul violated a bilateral investment guarantee agreement, a government source said Monday.In April 2010, the Korea Asset Management Corp. (KAMCO), the state-run company dealing with non-performing loans, picked Iran's Entekhab Industrial Group as the preferred bidder for acquiring a controlling stake in Daewoo
IndustrySept. 21, 2015
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[Newsmaker] Triumphant Tsipras faces tough reforms
Greece’s left-wing prime minister-elect Alexis Tsipras has won a thumping poll victory that hands him a mandate to drive through unpopular reforms agreed under an austerity deal struck with international creditors.The unexpected margin of his victory Sunday came after a mutiny within the ranks of his radical Syriza party over a U-turn on tough tax hikes and pensions reforms felled his government and triggered Greece’s third vote this year.With around 90 percent of votes counted, Syriza looked se
World NewsSept. 21, 2015
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Ballett Basel, Seoul Ballet Theatre to perform together in Korea
Europe’s leading contemporary dance group Ballett Basel will host joint performances over the next two weeks in Korea with Seoul Ballet Theatre, one of the four professional ballet companies here. The shows will feature unique choreography spotlighting cross-cultural synergy and artistic synthesis. The performances, titled “Moves,” will be held at Gwacheon Citizens’ Hall on Sept. 24-25 at 8 p.m. and the National Theatre of Korea on Oct. 1-2 at 8 p.m. Ballett Basel performers. Ismael LorenzoThe
CultureSept. 21, 2015
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Korea to probe Volkswagen for cheating emission rules
The South Korean Ministry of Environment said Monday that it would launch an investigation into diesel-powered Volkswagen and Audi cars here to test whether or not they complied with its emissions standards.Volkswagen’s diesel cars that the Korean authority is set to investigate include Jetta, Beetle, Passat and Audi A3 cars produced between 2009 and 2015. The move came on the heels of the news Friday that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency found the German carmaker cheated on its emission
MobilitySept. 21, 2015
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Banks pump out gloomy forecasts for economy
Recent forecasts on Korea’s economic outlook by private research institutes at home and abroad have been overly pessimistic. Most argue that the export-driven nation could face a low-growth era from external uncertainties.But some local analysts and government officials downplay the skepticism, saying the economy has already hit the bottom in the first half of the year, and things will only get better.According to the Korea Center for International Finance, more and more foreign investment banks
Sept. 21, 2015
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Audi Korea enters used car business
A certified Audi preowned carGerman luxury carmaker Audi launched the service brand for its used car business, called “Audi Approved Premium Used Car Program,” on Monday, adding more competition in the market for preowned premium foreign cars.“Audi Korea has already run three showrooms displaying certified Audi cars in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province and offering consultation to customers,” the company said in a press release.Among the top three German premium carmakers, Audi Korea is a latecomer in
MobilitySept. 21, 2015
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KT chief vows to lead 5G era
KT Corp., the nation’s telecom giant, vowed Monday to take the lead in the era of 5G technology, saying it is at the forefront of initiatives to commercialize the world’s first network services.“Korea, which boasts the most advanced telecom infrastructure in the world, is now leading the global telecom standardization,” KT chairman and CEO Hwang Chang-gyu said at an event to celebrate the 130th anniversary of the Korean telecom market. KT CEO Hwang Chang-gyu(fifth from left), Choi Sung-joon(four
TechnologySept. 21, 2015
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Moon cancels confidence vote
Main opposition leader Rep. Moon Jae-in on Monday withdrew a self-imposed vote of confidence, pledging to conduct sweeping reforms to reunite the party mired in intensifying factional clashes.Moon’s much-anticipated decision, which followed Sunday’s endorsement by mainstreamers, was seen to put a sour end to weeks of raucous infighting prompted by his press conference on Sept. 9 to stake his leadership on the New Politics Alliance for Democracy’s reform measures. Moon Jae-in (Yonhap)While praise
PoliticsSept. 21, 2015
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Korea to take in Myanmar refugees
The South Korean government will take in refugees from Myanmar to help them settle in the country as part of the U.N.-led refugee resettlement program, the Justice Ministry said Monday. The ministry said that the application screening process is underway to invite 30 refugees currently taking shelter in Mae Sot, the border town between Thailand and Burma, with interviews to follow next month. Under the application process, the government will dispatch a staff member to look through documents, co
Social AffairsSept. 21, 2015
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Smokers shun nicotine treatment programs in Korea
The Health Ministry’s nicotine treatment programs launched in February have failed to attract smokers despite the government’s antismoking measures including a price hike in cigarettes, a report showed on Monday. In its effort to curb smoking, the Korean parliament last year approved an 80 percent increase in the price of cigarettes, from 2,500 won ($2.13) per pack to 4,500 won. Along with the new bill which took effect on Jan.1, the Health Ministry announced that it would support up to 70 perce
Social AffairsSept. 21, 2015
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Is Japan really security threat to Korea?
Japan’s passage last week of the controversial legislation to expand its security role is stirring public concerns here, with Seoul officials scurrying to allay them by repeating that Tokyo cannot use its forces at will in a Korean emergency. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attends a parliamentary session. (Yonhap)Amid the growing angst over Japan loosening its postwar stricture on the use of force, the issue of whether the country is really a potential security threat to Korea, as it was i
DefenseSept. 21, 2015
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Caffe Bene faces uphill battle in China
The homegrown coffee chain Caffe Bene’s aggressive expansion plans in China face an uphill battle due to operational woes and losses as its domestic business struggles with mounting debt. The coffee chain, which rolled out its plan to launch 1,000 cafes across China by the end of 2015, suspended its expansion after the company’s delayed payment to Chinese workers sparked controversies. It has some 580 stores in China, falling far short of its initial plan. “We are currently working with our part
IndustrySept. 21, 2015
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Education for ‘YouTube generation’
Education will need to take a far different approach from the “factory model of teaching” of the past to grant students greater control over their learning, a U.S. educator has said.“What matters to me is how to deliver information to this ‘YouTube generation.’ How can we reach them and teach them the way that connects with them?” Jon Bergmann, one of the developers of the “flipped classroom” model, said in a joint interview last week. “Much of what we (teachers) have done for a long time has ch
Social AffairsSept. 21, 2015
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‘Hanja’ education in elementary schools stirs dispute
The South Korean Education Ministry’s year-long effort to reintroduce use of Chinese characters ― or Hanja ― in primary education was put on hold earlier this month, but the controversy lingers as its opponents demand the ministry abandon the policy for good.Last week, Headquarters for Movement Against Hanja in Elementary School Textbooks held a press conference in Jongno, central Seoul, saying it would conduct a campaign demanding the resignation of Education Minster Hwang Woo-yea if he does no
Social AffairsSept. 21, 2015