• 

  Defense

  Esper says US will seek Japan's efforts to resolve GSOMIA issue: Cheong Wa Dae

  • South Korea, US top military commanders discuss GSOMIA, OPCON transfer
  • Wealthy South Korea should pay more for keeping US troops: Esper

• North Korea
  

  NK says it will remove S. Korean facilities from Kumgangsan

  Pyongyang sent an ultimatum to Seoul on Monday, warning that it will unilaterally remove all South Korean-built facilities from the Kumgangsan resort unless Seoul tears them down on its own, North Korean state media said Friday.Dismissing South Korea’s calls for talks to salvage the long-suspended tourism venture at the mountain resort, the North said it would develop the resort in its own way, and that there was no room for the South to meddle. “We sent an ultimatum on Nov. 11 that

• Foreign Policy
  

  Moon meets Pentagon chief at Cheong Wa Dae

  South Korean President Moon Jae-in met with US Defense Secretary Mark Esper at Cheong Wa Dae on Friday, as the Pentagon chief has openly pressed Seoul to renew a military information-sharing agreement with Tokyo and increase its financial contribution to American troops on its soil.Esper visited the presidential compound soon after having bilateral talks with South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo at the ministry's headquarters in Seoul. A Cheong Wa Dae official earlier informed reporter

• Politics
  

  Ex-Justice Minister Cho refuses to open up during questioning

  Former Justice Minister Cho Kuk refused to testify on all charges against him during an eight-hour questioning session by prosecutors Thursday.“I deemed it unnecessary to answer their questions,” Cho said in a statement released by his attorney. “If the prosecutors decide to indict me, I will reveal the truth in court.”Observers speculate that Cho, who teaches criminal law at Seoul National University, deliberately did so to gain time to learn what evidence the prosecutor

• Finance
  

  Penguin character Pengsoo’s popularity excites stock investors

  South Korea’s obsession with a penguin character is nothing new, with Pororo the “little penguin” having charmed kids with his orange goggles and innocence for more than a decade. However, Pengsoo -- a penguin character that bears a striking resemblance to Pororo, but armed with a blunter persona -- has gained cross-generational popularity in recent months, even nudging investors to purchase related stocks.Digital education contents producer Uangel -- which signed a memorandum

• Travel
  

  [Weekender] Busan beckons

  Korea-ASEAN summit host city brims with culture, history and vitality

NEWSMAKER

• Social affairs

  

  High Court sides with K-pop singer, orders consulate to reconsider visa denial

  The Seoul High Court on Friday upheld a Supreme Court decision in favor of Korean American Steve Seung Jun Yoo, also known as Yoo Seung-jun, requiring the South Korean Consulate in Los Angeles to reconsider its 2017 decision to deny the former K-pop singer an F-4 residency visa. With the exception of a brief visit, the Korean-born singer and actor has been banned from his birth country since 2002, when he became a naturalized US citizen and evaded his mandatory military duty in Korea.Korea&rsquo

LATEST NEWS

• Today

  

  Industry

  Samsung Electronics' first labor union under umbrella group sets sail

  Samsung Electronics Co.'s first labor union under a major South Korean umbrella union group set sail Saturday.The union, under the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU), submitted a labor union establishment application to the government Monday and earned the approval two days later.  The union did not unveil the number of its members, but it is known to hover around 500. The union said its first goal is to recruit 10,000 members and that it plans to demand negotiations to the company on

• Today

  

  Technology

  Japan OKs 1st shipment of liquid hydrogen fluoride to S. Korea amid restrictions

  Japan has approved the first export of liquid hydrogen fluoride, one of the key materials under restriction to South Korea, to the neighboring country since it tightened related controls in July, industry sources said Saturday.Tokyo has recently given the green light to a Japanese firm to export liquid hydrogen fluoride to South Korea in the first such case since Tokyo imposed tighter regulations on exports to Seoul of materials that are critical for the production of semiconductors and flexible

• Today

  

  North Korea

  N. Korean leader watches air show, calls for readiness to fight enemies

  North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attended a military air show and called on pilots to be ready to fight "enemies armed to the teeth," state media said Saturday. The air contest at Wonsan Kalma Airport on the North's east coast was "held by way of letting all the aircraft equipped with maximum armament conduct bombing flight and firing flight under the command of the formation flight by the flight commanding officers," according to the Korean Central News Agency in English. Aft

• Today

  

  Defense

  S. Korean, Japanese defense chiefs to hold talks ahead of GSOMIA expiry

  The defense chiefs of South Korea and Japan will meet bilaterally in Thailand next week just days before the planned expiry of their intelligence-sharing pact, Seoul officials said Saturday.Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo is scheduled to hold talks with his Japanese counterpart, Taro Kono, on Sunday, in the Thai capital of Bangkok on the sidelines of the 6th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus), the officials well-versed in the issue said.

• Today

  

  Politics

  National Assembly to hold plenary session to handle 120 bills Tuesday

  The National Assembly is scheduled to hold a plenary session next week to handle bills on people's livelihoods and deregulation, parliamentary officials said Saturday.A plenary meeting is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Tuesday to deal with about 120 bills that have long been pending amid partisan tensions over key reform proposals. National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang and the floor leaders of rival political parties agreed on the parliamentary schedule earlier this week.At issue will be a set of thr

More Stories

SPOTLIGHT

• Music

  

  BTS records $116.6m in sales from 'Love Yourself: Speak Yourself' tour

  K-pop superstars BTS clinched $116.6 million in sales through its sensational "Love Yourself: Speak Yourself" world tour, Billboard said Friday.Under the globe-trotting concert tour, BTS staged 20 performances in 10 cities in North and South America, Europe, Japan, Saudi Arabia and finally in South Korea through May to October.  Through the tour, BTS sold a total of 976,283 tickets, averaging 48,814 ticket sales worth $5.8 million per concert, according to figures from Billboard B

• 

  Food&Beverage

  Busan’s delectable fare

  War refugees’ soul foods become city’s most sought-after delicacies

• 

  Travel

  Shopping for herring: Marketplaces in Busan

  Busan’s vitality is best captured in markets BUSAN -- The port city of Busan has long been a hub for exports and imports. While it relinquished its status as a gateway city to Incheon long ago, it is still a place where one can find a variety of products from in and out of the country. This has given rise to a number of large markets that draw not just merchants and shoppers but tourists too. Here are some of the markets worth visiting in Busan.Jagalchi MarketOne of the most well-known fis

• 

  Travel

  A stroll through Korea’s naval history

  Since the early history of the Korean Peninsula, the Han River has served as a strategic waterway and was the center of a power struggle among the Three Kingdoms of Baekje, Silla and Goguryeo.It was also near its banks that Joseon-era kings visited to observe the training of the nation’s Navy.Seoul Battleship Park, located on the river’s northern bank in Mapo-gu, is the first shipbuilding theme park in Seoul, providing an ideal destination for family outings.The 9,952-square-meter ar

GRAPHIC NEWS

• 

EDITORIAL

• Shorter workweek

  Supplementary measures urgently needed to cushion negative impact of expanded application

• Distorted self-praise

  Cheong Wa Dae brags justice, peace, economy; Questionable if it sees reality normally

VIEWPOINTS

THE INVESTOR

• Mobile & Internet

  

  Gen Z youth prefer emerging e-commerce platforms, shun Coupang

  South Korea’s e-commerce market has several big players -- Coupang, 11st Street, WeMakePrice and G-market -- which are engaged in cut-throat competition and are gnawing at the business of offline retailers. But they are not necessarily preferred by young Koreans. According to App Annie, Generation Z youth (those born in the mid-90s) prefer unique online secondhand market places like Bungaejangter along with fashion shopping malls ZigZag and Musinsa. There are 6.46 million Gen Z youth in So

• 

  Startups & Investors

  S. Korean startups use M&As to improve apps, services

  Let’s say a car-sharing startup tries to launch a business. It will essentially have to buy cars and develop a mobile app for people to use. But that is just the beginning.The startup realizes cars operate remotely, so it finds a need to a control-system for cars -- which have to be regularly maintained, fixed and insured. To address growing number of users, the company has to look for a financing method to buy more cars. For future growth and competitive edge, it colle

• 

  Samsung

  Samsung sees market share improve in Japan in Q3

  Tech giant Samsung Electronics saw its share of the Japanese smartphone market increase in the third quarter, according to market research firm Strategy Analytics on Nov. 15.The South Korean smartphone maker shipped some 500,000 smartphones during the July-September period in Japan. The figure accounted for 6.7 percent of the Japanese smartphone market, up from 2.4 percent a year ago. However, it is far lower than the 9.8 percent posted in the second quarter this year, which represented the high

• 

  Bio & Medicine

  Celltrion Pharm posts W47.43 b sales in Q3

  Celltrion Pharm, the generic arm of Celltrion, announced Nov. 14 that its sales jumped 36.6 percent in the third quarter from a year earlier to 47.43 billion won ($40.7 million).The South Korean company added that its operating profit and net profit moved into the black this quarter, respectively posting 3.99 billion won and 2.04 billion won.“Our chemical drugs are showing steady growth and also market shares for our biosimilars -- Remsima, Herzuma and Truxima -- are growing. This has cont

K-POP HERALD

• 

  Eric Nam talks about first English album, hopes of winning over global fans

• 

  Return of 1st-generation K-pop bands bring old fans back together

• 

  Blackpink becomes 1st K-pop group to have music video with over 1b YouTube views

• 

  Zico returns with new reflective album ‘Thinking’

HERALD INTERVIEW

• Industry

  

  ‘Korea should expedite knowledge-based assets development’

  Amid the tough business environment and deteriorating trade situation following worldwide conflicts, South Korea should expedite the development of knowledge-based assets and increase independence in related technologies to compete globally, according to the intellectual property office chief. “Advanced countries have been bolstering their industry dominance based on knowledge-based assets. Especially, a growing number of foreign companies have been preoccupying patents that are close

• 

  K-pop

  Zico returns with new reflective album ‘Thinking’

  As a musician who used to fiercely jump around the stage spraying a bottle of water over hyped audiences, Zico admitted that showing his vulnerability required quite a lot of courage. The talented rapper, producer and member of K-pop boy band Block B, Zico, whose real name is Woo Ji-ho, explained that his real identity has always been shadowed by his externally confident demeanor and edgy style, or what the public expected from him. As his career progressed, through all the pressure that come wi

• 

  Film

  Actress knocks up marionette story in directorial debut, ‘Judy and Punch’

  Mirrah Foulkes talks first film, turning 17th century puppets into “something totally unusual”

• 

  Arts&Design

  Shaping crude warmth into tableware and more

  Pottery ware brand Yido aims to go younger, evolves as total homeware brand

PHOTO NEWS

• Travel

  

  A stroll through Korea’s naval history

  Since the early history of the Korean Peninsula, the Han River has served as a strategic waterway and was the center of a power struggle among the Three Kingdoms of Baekje, Silla and Goguryeo.It was also near its banks that Joseon-era kings visited to observe the training of the nation’s Navy.Seoul Battleship Park, located on the river’s northern bank in Mapo-gu, is the first shipbuilding theme park in Seoul, providing an ideal destination for family outings.The 9,952-square-meter ar

VIDEO

• Arts&Design

  

  Exhibition offers unique joy of taking pictures

  Karl Lagerfeld famously said, “Pictures capture a moment that is gone forever, impossible to reproduce.” Whipping out a camera and taking photos yourself helps you grab the precious memories. This is mainly because when you see yourself in pictures, you can flashback to how you laughed, posed and even smiled during that particular click. The Korea Herald’s intern reporters visited today’s trendiest photo studio exhibition, located in Garosugil, southern Seoul, and explore

• 

  Diplomatic Circuit

  Mexico top diplomat in Seoul optimistic on Seoul’s Pacific Alliance associate membership prospects

  Mexican Ambassador to Korea calls for Seoul’s greater participation in Central America’s development

• 

  Diplomatic Circuit

  ASEAN delegation relishes ASEAN-Korea Train, future of ASEAN-Korea

  Video shot and edited by Kim So-mee SUNCHEON, South Jeolla Province -- Some 200 participants representing South Korea and the 10 member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations gathered at the lobby of Paradise Hotel, Busan, in the early morning of Thursday beaming with excitement about the second day of the three-day train trip across the country ahead of the ASEAN-Korea special summit in November.After a jam-packed day of a six-hour train ride, a visit to the temple Bulguksa, wh

• 

  Food&Beverage

  A mix of ‘nogari’ and beer in Euljiro, Seoul

  Euljiro has emerged as one of the most popular districts in Seoul thanks to a host of unique pubs, cafes and shops. A distinctive vibe resonates through its narrow alleys, best known for their old print shops. The Korea Herald’s interns visited Manseon Hof, a popular spot in Euljiro that is going strong on social media. Thanks to its surging popularity, thirsty hordes usually begin to appear early in the evening. The pub’s signature dish is “nogari,” or dried pollack, whi

MOST POPULAR

• Esper says US will seek Japan's efforts to resolve GSOMIA issue: Cheong Wa Dae
• NK says it will remove S. Korean facilities from Kumgangsan
• Penguin character Pengsoo’s popularity excites stock investors
• High Court sides with K-pop singer, orders consulate to reconsider visa denial
• Michelin reveals new starred restaurants in Seoul
• Ex-Justice Minister Cho refuses to open up during questioning
• Busan beckons
• Wealthy South Korea should pay more for keeping US troops: Esper
• N. Korean leader watches air show, calls for readiness to fight enemies
• Busan’s delectable fare

FEATURES

• Social affairs

  

  Will K-pop singer Steve Yoo be allowed into South Korea?

  Once a K-pop icon, Steve Seung Jun Yoo, also known as Yoo Seung-jun, is ever closer to entering South Korea again for the first time in more than 16 years.With the exception of a brief sojourn in 2003, the Korean American singer and actor has not been able to set foot in his motherland since he chose to become a US citizen, which immediately relieved him of his duty to serve in the military in Korea. Korea’s Military Manpower Administration, or MMA, viewing his US naturalization in 20

• 

  Social affairs

  Year of soccer, Olympics, elections coming up

  SEJONG -- The 2010s will terminate in about 50 days, and South Korean politics will face a turbulent time from the beginning of the 2020s as the nation has already entered the election mode for the 21st Assembly.In 2020, the general election for the National Assembly is slated for April 15, while there will be a presidential election in the US on Nov. 3.Meanwhile, next year will also feature big international sports events.People in Europe and across the globe are waiting for opening of the

• 

  Politics

  President’s detractors cite economy as No. 1 reason

  But Moon supporters say prosecution reform is main factor: poll

• 

  Health

  Using robotics in dementia prevention, care

  An orb with a set of ears, blinky eyes and the voice and speech manners of a chatty child is making advances in dementia therapy at a hospital in Seoul. Named Bomy, the robot assists cognitive training for patients in the early stages, or at the risk of developing dementia.Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital’s Robot-assisted Cognitive Training Center opened its doors in April, and is headed by Dr. Kim Geon-ha, a neurologist who has been researching related technologies since 2009. The

WEEKENDER

• Travel

  

  Busan beckons

  Korea-ASEAN summit host city brims with culture, history and vitality

• 

  Culture

  How open is Korea to men’s makeup?

  Men’s cosmetics are big here, but not as big as some might think

• 

  Fashion

  The lure of leggings

  Athleisure is booming, as brands explore the possibility of activewear as daily fashion