Most Popular
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Ex-presidential official’s leaked phone call rattles conservative bloc
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Pay debate plagues foreign nanny pilot
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35% of S. Koreans view unification 'unnecessary'
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Slew of top K-pop stars ready to return from military
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S. Korea, US clinch 2026-30 defense cost-sharing deal in pre-election push
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[Reporter’s Notebook] Was Netflix film opening BIFF really a bad thing?
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N. Korean leader's sister derides Seoul's Hyunmoo-5 missile as 'useless'
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Controversial cult leader’s sentence reduced to 17 years
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Concerns raised over chronic labor shortage at state-run center for digital sex crime victims
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[KH Explains] Is private equity giant MBK a risk-taker or renegade?
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Ex-first lady visits mountain in N. Korea's northwestern area
The widow of former President Kim Dae-jung visited a mountain in North Korea's northwestern province Friday amid a lack of clues over a possible meeting with the North's leader Kim Jong-un, her aides said. Lee Hee-ho, 93, who was the South's first lady during Kim's five-year tenure until 2003, embarked on the schedule for day three of her rare trip to the North, hoping that the visit could pave the way for inter-Korean dialogue and cooperation in a landmark year. Also on Friday, she plans to v
North KoreaAug. 7, 2015
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S. Korea‘s state pension fund takes hit from Lotte stock plunge
South Korea's national pension fund has suffered heavy losses from a recent plunge in shares of Lotte Group affiliates that was sparked by an ugly succession battle at the country's fifth-largest conglomerate, data showed Friday. The National Pension Service racked up 77 billion won ($66.2 million) in valuation losses from its investment in Lotte affiliates between July 27 and Thursday, according to the data compiled by market tracker FnGuide. Currently, the NPS holds more than 5 percent of s
Aug. 7, 2015
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Lotte to create 24,000 new jobs by 2018
South Korean retail giant Lotte Group announced plans Friday to hire 24,000 new workers by 2018 in what is seen as efforts to allay escalating criticism over an ugly family feud for control of the country's No. 5 conglomerate. Lotte is mired in an ownership dispute involving Shin Kyuk-ho, 93, and his two sons, Dong-joo and Dong-bin, who had each controlled the company's operations in Japan and Korea until early this year. While Dong-joo was ousted from key positions at Japanese units, Dong-bin
IndustryAug. 7, 2015
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Ex-major convicted of smuggling arms to Lebanon
A Seoul court Friday sentenced a former major who was part of an anti-espionage military body to 18 months in prison for smuggling strategic arms into Lebanon. Judge Lee Ki-lee of the Seoul Central District Court handed down the ruling, convicting the man, identified by his surname Lee, of smuggling about 47,000 M-16 and AK-47 magazines to Lebanese military supplies importers. Lee met the importers while dispatched to Lebanon as part of the Defense Security Command rom 2007 to 2008. After lea
DefenseAug. 7, 2015
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[Album Review] Soft, grooving beats and soul on Lee Michelle’s second EP
Lee Michelle”I Can Sing”(Sony Music) Lee Michelle’s second EP “I Can Sing” starts off with a light, playful guitar riff that is surprising to those who have come to associate the 24-year-old singer with soaring, powerful vocals. As a contestant on the star discovery competition program “K-pop Star,” Lee Michelle had used her strength to climb up to the Top 5. But on this album, it becomes clear that what truly sets the half-Korean, half-African-American singer’s voice apart is not her ability to
FilmAug. 7, 2015
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U.S. urges N. Korea to refrain from threatening actions
The United States urged North Korea on Thursday to refrain from threatening regional peace and stability after the communist nation warned it could carry out a nuclear test and a long-range rocket launch. Earlier in the day, a North Korean diplomat, Ri Tong-il, told a press conference on the sidelines of a regional security conference in Malaysia that a future nuclear test by the communist country will depend on the attitude of the United States. Ri repeated the North's long-running accusation
North KoreaAug. 7, 2015
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U.S. declines comment on need for new apology from Abe
The United States declined comment Thursday on whether Japanese Prime Minister should include a new apology for the country's wartime past in an upcoming war anniversary statement, only saying the Japanese leader made "positive remarks" on history issues earlier this year. Earlier in the day, an advisory panel on Abe's war-anniversary statement released a report that made no mention of a need for Abe to make a fresh apology for the country's imperialistic past, though it took note of the countr
InternationalAug. 7, 2015
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193 labs affected by mistaken anthrax shipments, but no new case involving Korea
The number of laboratories affected by live anthrax shipments from the U.S. has risen to 193 in the U.S. and eight in foreign countries, but none of the newly added labs are in South Korea, the U.S. Defense Department said Thursday.Of the total, 87 were primary labs that received live anthrax spores directly from a Defense Department lab in Utah, while the other 106 labs are secondary labs that received samples from the primary labs, according to a Pentagon website on the issue.Affected by the m
DefenseAug. 7, 2015
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Lotte row highlights family saga with Japanese roots
A bitter family squabble over control of retail behemoth Lotte is the latest in a series of second- and third-generation scions sparring to cement their grips on lucrative corporate empires built by their fathers or grandfathers. Lotte, the country's fifth-largest conglomerate, is mired in a leadership dispute among founder Shin Kyuk-ho, 93, and his two sons, Dong-ju and Dong-bin, who had each controlled the company's operations in Japan and Korea until early this year. While Dong-ju was ousted
IndustryAug. 7, 2015
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N. Korea to push back standard time by 30 min
North Korea will push back its standard time by 30 minutes to mark the 70th anniversary of liberation from Japan's colonial rule, the country's official news agency said Friday. North Korea's clocks will be moved back a half-hour starting on the upcoming Aug. 15 anniversary, the Korean Central News Agency said. "The time at 127 degrees 30 minutes east longitude or 30 minutes later than the present one shall be fixed as the standard time of the DPRK and called Pyongyang time," the KCNA report s
North KoreaAug. 7, 2015
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S. Korea voices regret over upcoming Japanese PM's statement
South Korea's foreign ministry on Thursday voiced regret over a report on the Japanese prime minister's upcoming statement marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, saying that the contents are "not at all" helpful for improving Seoul-Tokyo relations. Earlier on Thursday, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was delivered a report by a group of experts from Japan on their opinion on what should be included in the premier's statement to be released next week. The report cited acknowl
Foreign AffairsAug. 6, 2015
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S. Korea issues nationwide encephalitis warning
South Korea's health authorities on Thursday issued a nationwide warning against the spread of encephalitis for the second time this year, advising the public to pay attention to personal hygiene and to get vaccinated if necessary. The virus of Japanese encephalitis, which can cause an acute inflammation of the brain in humans, was found in mosquito samples collected from the southern port city of Busan, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The center cautioned that
Social AffairsAug. 6, 2015
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Park pushes labor reform for youth
President Park Geun-hye on Thursday pressed ahead with her labor reform initiative, urging the nation to share her drive to create new jobs for young Koreans and to revive the sluggish economy.Putting labor reform at the top of her state agenda, the president said in a nationally televised public address that she would “aggressively push” for flexibility of the labor market ― long criticized for being overprotective of employees that discouraged companies to hire more. President Park Geun-hye de
PoliticsAug. 6, 2015
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Finance minister slams Lotte for family feud
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Choi Kyung-hwan on Thursday said he would look into the cash flow and governance structure of the family feud-stricken Lotte Group.“The government is keeping a close watch on the issue. If necessary, state institutions will dig into the shady governance and the cash flow of the company,” Choi told the media. “I am very disappointed that (the management of) the country’s fifth-largest business conglomerate is stuck in an irrational and unfathomable fight
Aug. 6, 2015
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S Food spearheads charcuterie market
S Food director Lee Seung-yeon poses at the JohnCook Deli Meat outlet in Apgujeong-dong, southern Seoul. Chung Hee-cho/The Korea HeraldWith more Koreans being exposed to new ways of consuming pork and beef -- from simply grilling to embracing Western cuisine by making sausage, ham and other meat products -- S-Food, the operator of charcuterie brand JohnCook Deli Meat, has taken the domestic market by storm.JohnCook Deli Meat’s 99,000 won ($85) German pork dish Schweine Haxen sold out in no time
IndustryAug. 6, 2015
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Banks race to expand nonbanking business
Banking groups are racing to expand their nonbanking business portfolio to prepare for the likelihood that their interest margins may no longer sustain growth.The results for the first half of this year once again showed that those with a wider spread of businesses turned out victorious in the market.Late last month, Shinhan Financial Group said that it recorded a net profit of 1.3 trillion won ($1.1 billion) in the January-June period this year, up 13 percent from the same period last year.It n
Aug. 6, 2015
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[Reporter’s Column] When ‘fitting in’ precedes quest for justice
Many scientists and psychologists have pointed out that our innate desire to “fit in” with others as human beings -- our evolution demands we belong to the tribe -- has been the major driving force behind our civilization. But it was also cited as a major factor causing human atrocities, including massacres and bullying. What do we do when someone we love, or someone who belongs to our family or community, causes harm to the lives of strangers? Such questions entered my mind as the congresswom
Social AffairsAug. 6, 2015
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Ex-first lady visits care facilities in Pyongyang
Lee Hee-ho, the widow of former President Kim Dae-jung, visited two orphanages and a nursing home in Pyongyang on Wednesday, the second day of her four-day trip aimed at forging momentum for a thaw in the icy inter-Korean relations.According to the Kim Dae-jung Peace Center that organized her trip, she visited “Yukawon” and “Aeyukwon,” orphanages for preschoolers and order children, respectively. She then went to “Pyongyang Nursing Home,” a facility North Korean leader Kim Jong-un recently inspe
North KoreaAug. 6, 2015
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N. korea threatens to push for another nuclear test
North Korea lashed out at the U.S. for “aiming to remove” its socialist regime Thursday, saying that whether it would push ahead with another nuclear test depends on the “U.S. attitude.”Ri Tong-il, North Korea's former deputy U.N. representative, speaks during a press conference in Malaysia on Thursday. (Yonhap)On the sidelines of the multilateral ASEAN-related meetings in Malaysia, Ri Tong-il, Pyongyang’s former deputy U.N. representative, also warned that the U.S. military buildup targeting th
North KoreaAug. 6, 2015
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Korea, U.S. probe Osan base over anthrax delivery
By Shin Hyon-hee South Korea and the U.S. carried out a joint on-site inspection at Osan Air Base on Thursday over the shipment of a potentially live anthrax sample which has kindled safety concerns and calls for an amendment of the agreement on the stationing of American troops here. In late May, 22 U.S. servicemen were identified as having possibly come into contact with the lethal bacteria “inadvertently” sent by a military laboratory in Utah to the base located in Gyeonggi Province. Though t
DefenseAug. 6, 2015