[Newsmaker] China flexes military muscle before Trump takes office

An aircraft carrier in the Pacific and a newly upgraded combat aircraft: China’s military is showing off its newest equipment less than a month before the swearing in of US President-elect Donald Trump, who has raised tensions between Beijing and Taipei.In recent days, state media announced that the country’s only aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, was on its way to the Pacific for the first time, while a new fighter, the FC-31, had its debut flight test.They are the latest steps in the yearslong b

World NewsDec. 29, 2016

[Newsmaker] US, Japan seek absolution from war at Peark Harbor

PEARL HARBOR, United States (AFP) -- The leaders of war-time enemies America and Japan made a poignant joint pilgrimage to Pearl Harbor Tuesday, issuing symbolic declarations about the power of reconciliation and warning against the drumbeat of conflict.Seventy-five years after Japanese pilots brought war to idyllic Hawaii and dragged the United States into World War II, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe offered his “sincere and everlasting condolences.” Abe and US President Barack Obama paid h

World NewsDec. 28, 2016

[Newsmaker] Pension fund’s political neutrality, independence questioned

For most South Koreans, the national pension fund is the last bastion for their years after retirement. Launched in 1988, the 28-year-old pension operator currently has more than 21 million subscribers contributing 9 percent of their income every month.The power the National Pension Service yields in the capital markets is enormous. By size, the NPS is the world’s fourth-largest pension fund and has more than 5 percent of shares in about 290 companies.  National Pension Service (The Korea Herald

IndustryDec. 27, 2016

[Newsmaker] British pop star George Michael dies aged 53

British pop singer George Michael, who rose to fame with the band Wham! and sold more than 100 million albums in his career, has died aged 53, his publicist said on Sunday.“It is with great sadness that we can confirm our beloved son, brother and friend George passed away peacefully at home over the Christmas period,” the publicist said in a statement.“The family would ask that their privacy be respected at this difficult and emotional time.” Thames Valley Police said the ambulance service had a

World NewsDec. 26, 2016

[Newsmaker] Lotte Duty Free to seek mergers

 Lotte Duty Free, Korea’s largest duty-free operator, Sunday vowed to become the world’s leading duty-free store operator in terms of sales by 2020 by merging with foreign duty-free operators.“Lotte Duty Free rose to become the world’s second to third-largest global company through consistent investment for the past 36 years. … We will continue our efforts to become the world’s No. 1 with accumulated experience and know-how,” Lotte Duty Free CEO Jang Sun-wook was quoted as saying by Yonhap News

IndustryDec. 25, 2016

[Newsmaker] Korea sees record worst flu outbreak

South Korea’s seasonal influenza among young patients shows no sign of abating, reaching a record-high number of flu patients this week since the government began monitoring in 1997.According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a record high number of young patients were diagnosed with flu in the past week as of Friday. Per 1,000 outpatient and emergency room visits of those aged 7-18, 153 were flu patients. The previous record was set in 2013 at 115 flu cases per 1,000 hosp

Social AffairsDec. 23, 2016

[Newsmaker] Woo Byung-woo, key player unscathed

As bizarre as the President Park Geun-hye scandal seems, it would not have been possible if Cheong Wa Dae’s internal system had worked as designed, or if Woo Byung-woo had cared.  Yet, Park’s former senior secretary for civil affairs, who was until October in charge of monitoring corruption and irregularities in the civil service, including presidential staff and the president’s inner circle, is apparently without any regrets or remorse. “I did my job. I did my best,” Woo said during a nationall

Social AffairsDec. 22, 2016

[NEWSMAKER] Korean Air on hot seat over air rage incident

Korea’s flagship air carrier is likely to spend Christmas fending off controversy over the training of its cabin crew and labor relations, as an in-flight incident involving an international pop star took off Tuesday via social media, just ahead of a scheduled strike by its pilots.On Tuesday, singer-songwriter Richard Marx posted multiple times to his official Facebook page about a four-hour “chaotic and dangerous event” on Korean Air Flight 480’s Prestige business class, flying from Hanoi, Viet

IndustryDec. 21, 2016

[Newsmaker] Hyundai Motor tests strength in autonomous cars

South Korean carmaker says it is ready to make autonomous cars commercially affordableHyundai Motor may not sound as adventurous as Elon Musk’s Tesla. But when it comes to the issue of making self-driving cars commercially affordable, the South Korean carmaker appears to have some strong points. Hyundai Motor demonstrated its technological developments in autonomous driving in Las Vegas last week, testing its strength in the mass market of future mobility. Instead of using 360-degree light detec

MobilityDec. 20, 2016

[Newsmaker] Hyundai tests strength in autonomous cars

Hyundai Motor may not sound as adventurous as Elon Musk’s Tesla. But when it comes to the issue of making self-driving cars commercially affordable, the South Korean carmaker appears to have some strong points. Hyundai Motor demonstrated its technological developments in autonomous driving in Las Vegas last week, testing its strength in the mass market of future mobility. Instead of using 360-degree light detection and ranging sensors -- the 3-D laser scanning methods that are expensive but cent

MobilityDec. 20, 2016

[Newsmaker] Ban ratchets up criticism of Park

Ever since the United Nations’ Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon hinted at his potential bid for the 2017 presidential election, it has been speculated that he would run on a ticket led by President Park Geun-hye and her loyalists from the ruling Saenuri Party. But the political situation here has been working against such a scenario, as a corruption scandal has caused Park and her party to plunge to record-low approval ratings. The more Ban was associated with the president, polls suggested, the le

PoliticsDec. 19, 2016

[Newsmaker] Mugabe: Liberation hero turned despot

Zimbabwe‘s veteran leader Robert Mugabe once quipped that he’d rule his country until he turned 100.On Saturday, his ruling ZANU-PF party endorsed the 92-year-old leader as its candidate for the 2018 presidential election, bringing him closer to achieving his wish.From crushing political dissent to ushering in disastrous land reforms that saw the economy crumble, many accuse Mugabe of turning the regional breadbasket into a food importer.The leader who is currently Africa’s oldest president, hav

World NewsDec. 18, 2016

[Newsmaker] Daesung chief explores new territory for energy transition

Younghoon David Kim, chairman of Daesung Group, a South Korean conglomerate specializing in the energy business, has a unique and grand mission in mind: finding individuals like Michael Faraday.Stressing that the world is on the verge of an energy transition, Kim believes the time is ripe for entrepreneurs like him to find the brightest minds to bring about a paradigm shift from a fossil fuel-based economy to one based on new sources of energy. To open a new chapter in human history, the world n

IndustryDec. 16, 2016

[Newsmaker] Amazon makes first drone delivery

Retail giant Amazon.com has made its first drone delivery to an actual customer, dropping off one of its Fire TV streaming devices and a bag of popcorn to a house in the English countryside 13 minutes after receiving an online order.The delivery occurred Dec. 7 near Cambridge in a zone that UK aviation authorities have authorized for drone test flights, according to a tweet Wednesday by company CEO Jeff Bezos and a video documenting the flight. “First-ever #AmazonPrimeAir customer delivery is in

World NewsDec. 15, 2016

[Newsmaker] Hanjin Shipping teeters on the brink

Hanjin Shipping, once the world’s seventh-largest shipping company, is on the verge of collapse and fading into history, despite its strenuous efforts to revive itself while under court receivership. According to the Seoul Central District Court in charge of the court receivership, accounting firm Samil PricewaterhouseCoopers has concluded that liquidation of the cash-strapped shipper is “more economical” rather than continuing with rehabilitation. The accounting firm estimated the liquidation v

IndustryDec. 14, 2016

[Newsmaker] Guterres sworn in as UN chief, vows change

Antonio Guterres was sworn in Monday as the ninth secretary-general of the United Nations, saying the world body must change to better confront global crises such as the war in Syria.During a solemn ceremony at the General Assembly, the former prime minister of Portugal placed a hand on the UN charter and took the oath of office administered by the president of the General Assembly, Peter Thomson.The first former head of government at the UN helm, Guterres takes over from Ban Ki-moon on Jan. 1 a

World NewsDec. 13, 2016

[Newsmaker] Can independent counsel untangle Choi scandal?

Independent counsel Park Young-soo faces the daunting task of proving exactly how deep the corruption scandal involving President Park Geun-hye runs. South Korea’s prosecutors Sunday effectively wrapped up their two-month investigation, handing over the baton to the special counsel. They managed to link criminal activities committed by Park’s former aides An Chong-bum and Jeong Ho-seong to her through notes and recorded phone conversations which showed the two were acting under the president’s o

Social AffairsDec. 12, 2016

[Newsmaker] Is Constitutional Court stacked in Park's favor?

Now that the parliament has voted to impeach Park Geun-hye, the fate of her presidency is left to one unique entity that is rarely in the public eye: the Constitutional Court. A tough legal battle looms, as the president, embroiled in a corruption and nepotism scandal involving her secret confidante Choi Soon-sil, is determined to defend her job and name. Legal issues aside, observers say the court itself is stacked against forces that want Park gone as soon as possible. Two factors come into pl

Social AffairsDec. 11, 2016

[Newsmaker] Park Geun-hye: the disgraced president

From the first child of a slain dictator to the nation’s first female president and now the epicenter of the country’s worst political fiasco, the life of Park Geun-hye has had many turns. Park taking on her first public role in South Korea happened as dramatically and abrupt as ever; with the assassination of her mother Yuk Young-soo, wife of former president Park Chung-hee.The death of Yuk to a bullet meant for her husband and president called for then-22-year-old Park to take on the role as t

PoliticsDec. 9, 2016

[Newsmaker] Unpopular PM becomes unlikely acting

Throughout his four-year career in the Park Geun-hye administration, new acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn has been a perennial source of contention. His two confirmation hearings, first in 2013 as a justice minister nominee and then for the premiership two years later, were strewn with allegations of wrongdoing. He was accused of dodging income and gift taxes, real estate speculation and military service evasion, among other allegations, while sparking public furor over his lopsided historical, po

PoliticsDec. 9, 2016