(Yonhap)LG Display CEO Han Sang-beom on Feb. 20 hinted that the firm could start supplying liquid crystal displays to its cross town rival Samsung Electronics from as early as July this year. The two firms have been in talks on LCD supplies since Sharp, owned by Taiwan’s Hon Hai Group, notified its supply cuts to Samsung in November last year. Sources say the panel shipments are being delayed as they adjust different manufacturing technologies. “Nothing has been set in stone, regarding the suppl

Technology Feb. 20, 2017

 Students sponsored by LG Display introduce themselves at a performance staged at the Paju factory of the display provider in Gyeonggi Province on Friday. Since 2012, the company has supported a total of 74 students with talents in arts, music and engineering with about 500 million won. (LG Display) 　

Technology Feb. 3, 2017

North Korea has named Han Tae-song as its new ambassador to Switzerland, Pyongyang's state media said Thursday.Han "has been appointed as DPRK ambassador to Switzerland," the Korean Central News Agency said in a short dispatch. The DPRK is short for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the North's formal name.Han, a career diplomat, has previously served as North Korea's top envoy to Italy, Malta, Greece and Spain.  North Korean foreign minister Ri Su-yong speaks to a group of government o

North Korea Feb. 2, 2017

South Korea's Hanjin Shipping -- once the country's largest shipping company and the world's seventh biggest -- is expected to be declared bankrupt this month, a court said Thursday, resulting in thousands of job losses. Hanjin filed for bankruptcy protection in August after creditors refused to further help the firm, which was sinking under the weight of $5.37 billion of debt.The company started going under after the shipping industry suffered its worst downturn in six decades owing to slumping

Industry Feb. 2, 2017

South Korean Nordic combined skier Park Je-un said Thursday he will compete with a pioneer mindset, as he is set to face top-class athletes in an upcoming international competition.Park will take part in the International Ski Federation (FIS) Nordic Combined World Cup in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province, some180 kilometers east of Seoul, this weekend. The first FIS Nordic Combined World Cup in South Korea is also one of the test events for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.Park is currently the

Olympic Games Feb. 2, 2017

Officials from the Violence Against Women in War Research Action Center and the National Movement for Resolving the Issue of the Military Comfort Women hold a press conference on Feb. 2, 2017, at the National Diet in Tokyo to address what they call NHK's biased reporting on the 2015 comfort women agreement between South Korea and Japan. (Yonhap)Japanese public broadcaster NHK was accused by local civic groups on Thursday of selectively airing misinformed opinions that were in favor of an agreeme

Social Affairs Feb. 2, 2017

South Korea's presidential office said Thursday it will not allow a search and seizure by special investigators who are looking into an influence-peddling scandal centered on President Park Geun-hye.In a text message sent to reporters, presidential spokesman Jung Youn-kuk denied a media report that Cheong Wa Dae is willing to accept the special investigation team's visit to three particular offices. He added its stance on the matter "remains unchanged." State prosecutors, who handed over the cas

Politics Feb. 2, 2017

QR codes, a kind of matrix bar code, are becoming commonly used in Pyongyang as they have shown up in all kinds of ways in the last six months to mark exhibition items at a science complex, in inventory systems at supermarkets and on consumer products, a non-government organization said Thursday.According to the website Choson Exchange, a Singaporean organization that teaches North Koreans all about the market economy, a story titled "QR Codes in Pyongyang" carried photos of a bottle of mineral

North Korea Feb. 2, 2017

Less Chinese tourists opted for Korea as a travel destination during the long Lunar New Year Holiday this year, Chinese media and travel agencies said Sunday.While as many as six million Chinese have gone or will go overseas during the holiday season from Jan. 27 to Feb. 2, the number to come to Korea has significantly decreased compared to last year.According to Ctrip, a Chinese online travel platform, Korea slipped to seventh, from third a year ago, on the list of travel destinations for Chine

Social Affairs Jan. 29, 2017

The independent probe team that is looking into the influence-peddling and corruption scandal involving President Park Geun-hye and her friend is likely to seek an arrest warrant again for Lee Jae-yong, sources said Sunday.The team, led by Special Counsel Park Young-soo, is mulling over whether to again try to get an arrest warrant for the Samsung Group's de facto heir apparent after it finishes a face-to-face investigation of the president early next month. "Since this is the last chance (to se

Social Affairs Jan. 29, 2017

South Korea's cosmetics industry saw its exports rise by more than 40 percent last year in large part thanks to Chinese consumers' bigger spending power and their increasing interests in grooming and beauty products, industry experts said Sunday.According to data from the Korea International Trade Association, exports of skincare and makeup products amounted toUS$3.97 billion last year, up 44.3 percent from US$2.75 billion.The number doubled from the 2014 figure of US$1.79 billion. Among the exp

Industry Jan. 29, 2017

The South Korean comic book "Bad Friend" received an award at a global comics festival, Korea Manhwa Contents Agency (KOMACON) said Sunday.The book by a South Korean cartoonist, who goes by her pen name Ancco, was awarded the Prix Revelation at the 44th Angouleme International Comics Festival, becoming the first Korean comic book to be recognized by one of the most renowned comics awards events."I used to consider myself to be someone who led a weird, lonely life in Korea. But now I am here. Thi

Culture Jan. 29, 2017