After wrapping up a summit closely watched by the world, the leaders of South and North Korea and their wives attended a dinner banquet featuring symbolic music and carefully selected dishes at the truce village of Panmunjeom on Friday evening.The banquet took place on the third floor of the Peace House, where the inter-Korean summit had taken place during the day, according to South Korea’s presidential office Cheong Wa Dae.President Moon Jae-in and first lady Kim Jung-sook extended a warm welc

North Korea April 27, 2018

The leaders of South and North Korea agreed to “adopt practical steps” to connect and modernize the now-defunct cross-border railway lines during the inter-Korean summit on Friday, suggesting that the two Koreas may officially restart efforts to restore and build a railway that spans across the Korean Peninsula.“South and North Korea agreed to actively implement the projects previously agreed in the 2007 October 4 Declaration, in order to promote balanced economic growth and co-prosperity of the

North Korea April 27, 2018

South Korea’s Unification Ministry has launched a set of perfumes called “reunification perfume” to commemorate the first inter-Korean summit in 11 years. The perfumes are being featured at the “In Search of Lost Time: The Scent of NORTHalgia Exhibit” at the main press center for the summit at KINTEX Goyang, Gyeonggi Province.  'Reunification perfume' is displayed at the inter-Korean summit Main Press Center in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Friday (Sohn Ji-young/The Korea Herald)The five perfumes w

North Korea April 27, 2018

The leaders of South and North Korea hinted at the possibility of building a railway across the Korean Peninsula, as they discussed how the two nations could be better connected via the South’s high-speed train system during the inter-Korean summit on Friday. North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un made a historic crossing to the South to hold talks with South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in at the truce village of Panmunjeom. During the talks, North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un praised the quality of Sout

North Korea April 27, 2018

North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un crossed the border to the South on Friday for the first historic inter-Korean summit in 11 years on Friday. Accompanying Kim at the truce village of Panmunjeom was a nine-member entourage, only one of whom is a woman.For those wondering, she is not the first lady. She is Kim Yo-jong, the North Korean leader’s sister and the first vice department director of the North's Central Committee of the Worker’s Party of Korea.  (Cheong Wa Dae)(Cheong Wa Dae) (Cheong Wa Da

North Korea April 27, 2018

Reporters generally don’t clap at the events they’re covering, largely to remain impartial. It’s particularly true for South Korean reporters who usually maintain a calm, if not stoic, attitude at official events, no matter how big.But a rare moment occurred on Friday. Local and international reporters gathered at the main press center set up in an exhibition hall in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, erupted into a heartfelt applause at the historic start of the first inter-Korean summit in 11 years. T

North Korea April 27, 2018

I’ve never been one to have my numbers called in a lottery.　Naturally, I was pretty unfazed when Kakao announced at a recent press conference that four winners of a raffle would get a chance to have lunch with one of Kakao’s two new co-CEOs.　Despite my initial skepticism, I found that perhaps my fortune fares better when it doesn’t involve prizes like a new TV or rice cooker. My business card, to my utter surprise, was chosen. As a tech reporter, it was pretty exciting, to say the least.In South

Technology April 26, 2018

Naver, the operator of South Korea’s largest portal website and search engine, said Thursday that its operating profit in the first quarter fell 11.6 percent on-year to 257 billion won ($238 million), largely due to increased investment into new technologies like artificial intelligence.Revenue during the January-March period rose 21 percent on-year to 1.31 trillion won. Net profit during the quarter came in at 153.8 billion won, down 27.1 percent on-year, according to Naver’s earnings report.Na

Technology April 26, 2018

Naver, the operator of South Korea’s main portal website and search engine, on Wednesday rolled out a new set of restrictions for its online news comment system in light of burgeoning controversy over an opinion-rigging scandal that involved abuse of the system.　Naver has capped the number of times a user can click “agree” or “disagree” on a comment at 50 times within a 24-hour timeframe. Until now, there had not been any restrictions on the number of times a user could click “agree” or “disagre

Technology April 25, 2018

Nexon Korea CEO Lee Jung-hun on Wednesday denied rumors that the company is considering the acquisition of Bitstamp, the world’s oldest surviving bitcoin exchange.　“Nexon Korea does not have anything to do with a Bitstamp acquisition,” Lee said during a press conference held at the Nexon Korea headquarters in Pangyo, Gyeonggi Province, Wednesday. “We do not have any plans to link cryptocurrencies with our game business,” he said, adding that this does not mean Nexon is ruling out the use of bloc

Technology April 25, 2018

With aims to develop games that are fun to play for users, video game companies have been focusing primarily on building a strong game core design -- such as devising intricate internal rules or applying quality graphics and sounds.To achieve a fun gameplay model, however, developers are now pushed to focus more on the factors affecting users’ gaming experience, such as variations in the circumstances a user encounters in a game, which can often be difficult to detect. And the process of finding

Technology April 24, 2018

Artificial intelligence is considered a transformative technology promising vast improvements for businesses across all sectors. While we understand that AI is useful, exactly what kind of benefits can it bring to companies? 　SK Holdings C&C, the information technology services unit of South Korea’s SK Group, aims to help answer the question with the release of a new white paper detailing where and how AI solutions can be leveraged to improve various tasks for business organizations.SK Holdings

Technology April 23, 2018

South Korean biopharma company Celltrion announced Friday that Truxima, its biosimilar drug referencing Roche’s Rituxan, has been granted marketing approval by Australia’s drug regulator.　Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration accepted Celltrion’s biologics license application to sell Truxima, approved for the treatment of conditions including rheumatoid arthritis and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a rare form of cancer, according to Celltrion. Truxima (Celltrion)Biosimilars refer to cheaper, nea

Industry April 20, 2018

Naengmeyon -- icy cold noodles typically served in a broth made of beef, or marinated in a sweet-spicy sauce -- is a popular traditional dish in Korea, with demand particularly peaking in the summer.　The cold noodles are sometimes eaten as a standalone dish at restaurants specializing in naengmyeon, or consumed as a refreshing food to finish off a meal of grilled meat. Typically, naengmyeon is divided into two types: mul-naengmyeon, cold noodles served in a clear broth that typically combines be

Food April 20, 2018

Samsung Display, the display unit of South Korean tech giant Samsung Group, said Friday that it has filed an administrative suit at the Daejeon District Court seeking to nullify the government’s order to disclose workplace assessment reports on the firm’s production plant.The display maker confirmed that it had filed the suit on April 17, challenging the Ministry of Employment and Labor’s mandate to publicize assessment reports on its production facility in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, on t

Technology April 20, 2018