• 

  Defense

  Defense white paper fudges on whether NK is 'enemy'

  Ministry says NK has specialized battalion for assassination of key figures

• 

  North Korea

  Local experts doubt report on NK bolstering nuclear arsenal

  North Korea cannot afford to be slapped with additional international sanctions over the development of nuclear weapons, experts here said Tuesday, following a media report that the country might have produced material for more atomic bombs in 2018. Citing satellite-imagery analysis and leaked US intelligence, Bloomberg on Monday reported that Pyongyang has been strengthening its nuclear arsenal by churning out rockets and warheads as well as adding several intercontinental ballistic missiles an

• 

  Economy

  Samsung’s Lee, SK’s Chey ‘spar’ over semiconductors in front of Moon

  Owners of the world’s two largest memory chipmakers -- Samsung’s Lee Jae-yong and SK Group’s Chey Tae-won -- boasted of their business confidence during a walk with President Moon Jae-in at Cheong Wa Dae on Tuesday. The conglomerate chiefs were among eight business representatives that took a 25-minute walk around the Cheong Wa Dae garden after a more official business meeting.　 Business leaders and aides accompany President Moon Jae-in (center) on a walk around the garden at Cheong Wa Dae on Tu

• 

  North Korea

  Top N. Korean envoy due in Washington this week: CNN

  North Korea will send a top government official to Washington, DC later this week, CNN reported Wednesday amid indications that the two sides are moving closer to a second summit.Kim Yong-chol, North Korea's top negotiator and ex-spymaster, plans to arrive there Thursday (local time) for a two-day stay, according to the broadcaster. Kim Yong-chol (Yonhap)It cited two US sources familiar with ongoing negotiations.Kim is expected to hold talks with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on details of a pl

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  Foreign Affairs

  Korea vows to take pre-emptive steps over Brexit

  South Korea pledged Wednesday to take pre-emptive steps to counter possible worse case scenarios after the British Parliament voted down Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal.Lee Ho-seung, the first vice minister of economy and finance, said South Korea will closely monitor the situation, though the rejection of the deal had a limited impact on global financial markets as it was widely expected. Lee Ho-seung (Yonhap)"We will take all necessary steps swiftly and decisively to stabilize financi

• 

  Technology

  Kakao suspends carpooling service over protests from taxi drivers

  South Korean tech giant Kakao said Tuesday it will suspend the test run of its carpooling service, following a monthslong standoff with taxi drivers who claim the business will threaten their operations.   　In a statement, Kakao said the company will no longer provide the trial carpooling service to users until it reaches a consensus with the taxi industry. The company said it would even consider scrapping the carpooling service altogether. 　“There are no conditions attached to the dialogue. … W

NEWSMAKER

• Politics

  

  Ex-prime minister joins main opposition party, distances himself from ousted former president

  Former Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn on Tuesday joined the main opposition Liberty Korea Party, distancing himself from irregularities under ousted former President Park Geun-hye and emphasizing “unity” as a key value, amid political parties’ criticism of his party membership.Hwang’s return to politics has ramped up competition at the conservative party’s national convention next month, with the real possibility he may run for the party’s leadership and in the 2022 presidential race.Referring to

LATEST NEWS

• Today

  

  Automode

  Korea to increase hydrogen-powered vehicles to 80,000 units by 2022

  South Korea's finance minister said Wednesday that the government will increase the number of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles to about 80,000 units by 2022 as part of a broader effort to give a boost to the "hydrogen economy."Hong Nam-ki, the minister of economy and finance, made the comments in a meeting with officials on innovation-led growth in southern Seoul. (Yonhap)In 2018, about 2,000 hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles were in operation in South Korea, home to Hyundai Motor Co., th

• Today

  

  Finance

  Regulator vows more support for fintech firms

  The head of the financial regulator on Wednesday vowed to lend more support to financial technology firms, with the aim of turning small fintech firms into "unicorns" ith higher market capitalization. Choi Jong-ku, chairman of the Financial Services Commission, made the remarks at a meeting with executives at fintech firms.  (Yonhap)The government "will help create unicorns that compete in the global market by continuing to ease regulations," Choi told the meeting, referring to private firms wor

• Today

  

  Finance

  Growth of outstanding state bonds slows in 2018

  South Korea saw growth in the value of outstanding state and special bonds slow down in 2018 due to increased tax revenue and public agencies' asset restructuring efforts, data showed Wednesday.The outstanding amount of government bonds and debt issued by public institutions came to 969.2 trillion won ($864 billion) at the end of last year, up 1.7 percent from a year earlier, according to the data from Koscom Corp., the system manager of the South Korean bourse operator Korea Exchange. (Yonhap)I

• Today

  

  Economy

  Korea jobless rate exceeds that of US in Q3

  South Korea posted a higher unemployment rate than the United States in the third quarter of last year for the first time in 17 years amid a sluggish job market here, data showed Wednesday.South Korea's seasonally adjusted jobless rate came to 4 percent in the July-September period of last year, higher than 3.8 percent for America, according to the data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. (Yonhap)South Korea's third-quarter unemployment rate was up 0.2 percentage poin

• Today

  

  Foreign Policy

  Korea seeks ways to minimize impact from Brexit vote

  The South Korean government plans to hold an interagency meeting Wednesday to discuss policy measures in response to British lawmakers' rejection of a Brexit deal, a ministry official said.Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Affairs Yun Kang-hyeon will preside over the session to open at 2 p.m. at the ministry's building in Seoul.   (Yonhap)It will be joined by representatives from other relevant authorities, including the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Ministry of Economy and Fina

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SPOTLIGHT

• Music

  

  BTS album ranked on Billboard chart for 20th consecutive week

  K-pop boy band BTS' latest album, "Love Yourself: Answer," ranked on the Billboard 200 album chart for the 20th week in a row, the latest chart showed Wednesday.The album came in 78th on the album chart for the week of Jan. 19, slipping from last week's 59th. It was the 20th week in a row or the fifth month that the album has been ranked since it landed atop the chart in early September.   (Yonhap)The same album also was No. 1 on Billboard's World Albums chart, with BTS topping the Social 50 cha

• 

  Music

  B1A4 notches 500,000 viewers on Twitter’s Blueroom live

  K-pop boy band B1A4 met with fans at Twitter’s Blueroom live session at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, with the hourlong Q&A show exceeding 500,000 viewers.The trio is the first to hit the social media giant’s flagship live broadcast this year, held at Twitter Korea’s iconic headquarters situated on the 41st floor of a skyscraper in Gangnam, southern Seoul, capturing the city’s skyline. It was also a memorable moment for the band, as CNU will leave to begin his mandatory military service next week. With exc

• 

  Theater

  ‘The Man Who Laughs’ wins big at 2019 Korea Musical Awards

  “The Man Who Laughs” got the last laugh at the annual Korea Musical Awards Monday night at Seoul’s Blue Square, winning acclaim for best musical, best actor and best theatrical arts.Its lead Park Hyo-shin won best actor -- an honor he shared with Choi Jae-rim of “Matilda” -- for playing the role of Gwynplaine. He also won best actor at the seventh Yegreen Musical Awards on Nov. 5 for the same role.“It’s been quite a while since I started appearing in musicals, since 2009, and I haven’t done many

• 

  Technology

  ‘Feminist’ tops list of most searched words on Naver dictionary

  　South Korea’s biggest internet portal Naver said Tuesday that “feminist” was the most searched word in the company’s online Korean dictionary last year, reflecting heated debate over gender equality amid the #MeToo movement that had swept the country.　Citing data for the period between Jan. 1 and Dec. 27 last year, Naver said “feminist” ranked the highest in the number of queries on the website’s Korean dictionary. The word took second place in 2017. 　The second most searched word last year was

GRAPHIC NEWS

• 

EDITORIAL

• Break silence

  Open culture of training must be established to stop sexual abuse in sports

• All are equal

  Truth should be only yardstick in former chief justice’s case

VIEWPOINTS

THE INVESTOR

• 

  Mobile & Internet

  Kakao puts carpool beta service on hold indefinitely

  Kakao Mobility, a subsidiary of Korea’s top mobile messenger operator, on Jan. 15 announced that it is putting its carpool beta service on hold to first talk things over with the infuriated taxi operators.　“We are open to scrapping the service,” the Kakao affiliate said in a statement, adding that the decision was made to establish grounds for a dialogue. “We prioritize cooperation with the taxi industry and creating a social consensus.” 　The move comes a month after the company d

• 

  Industrials

  Debt-ridden KNOC to sell UK-based Dana Petroleum

  Troubled Korea National Oil Corp. is poised to sell more overseas assets -- this time, Dana Petroleum -- to cut down on debts and improve its financial health, industry sources said on Jan. 15. State-run KNOC, which has declared 2019 as “the year of emergency management,” is currently selecting a manager to sell 30 percent in UK-based Dana. It has received 10 proposals from investment banks including Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan and Morgan Stanley, the sources said. Considering Dana’s

K-POP HERALD

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  Minhyuk all matured up in ‘Hutazone’

• 

  GOT7 Jackson turns up in Milan

• 

  GFriend performs ‘Sunrise’ live

HERALD INTERVIEW

• Automode

  

  Audi Volkswagen steps up to support Korea’s Industry 4.0 drive

  Hoping to nurture young professionals, company plans to open cultural space for future mobility in Seoul this year

• 

  Diplomatic Circuit

  Imagining a bona fide global Korea

  When Korea’s foremost civilian ambassador, Choi Jung-wha, walked along Paris’ Champs-Elysees Avenue last year, she was struck by familiar tunes sung in Korean.Young French people belted out K-pop band BTS’ songs in Korean, to the surprise of Choi, who first landed in France in the late 1970s for her studies. Back then, Korea, much less South Korea, was barely on the mental map of an average French person. But with the country’s continuing economic and cultural ascent on the global stage, the Kor

• 

  People

  Life beyond the lens

  Fashion photographer Hong Jang-hyun ready for second chapter in life

PHOTO NEWS

• Theater

  

  2019 Korea Musical Awards shines with stars

  The night of the 2019 Korea Musical Awards shone bright with musical stars on the red carpet. With many musicals staged last year, a diverse group of stars nominated for awards attended the event held Monday. (Photo By Kim Hye-soo/The Korea Herald)Musical couple Kim So-hyun and Sohn Joon-ho stepped on the red carpet in a fairytale-like dress and tuxedo respectively. Kim wore a peach bell-shaped dress, looking like an empress -- just like the character Elisabeth she currently plays in the musical

VIDEO

• Food

  

  Seoul’s sweet rendezvous with chocolate, ‘Salon du Chocolat’

  Seoul hosted Salon du Chocolat, a show dedicated to everything chocolate, over four days from Thursday to Sunday. The chocolate festival premiered in Paris in 1994 and has so far toured 16 countries around the world.Held at Seoul’s landmark venue Coex, one of the most beloved foods in the world highlighted at various events. (Salon du Chocolat)Visitors could try their hands at dessert making at the cooking corner, shop for chocolate and drinks that go well chocolate such as tea, wine and coffee

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• Defense white paper fudges on whether NK is 'enemy'
• Emergency measures enforced in S. Korea to fight fine dust
• Choking fine dust envelops Korea for 5th straight day
• Kakao suspends carpooling service over protests from taxi drivers
• Local experts doubt report on NK bolstering nuclear arsenal

FEATURES

• 

  Social affairs

  16-years on, Lotto still generates disputes, complaints

  SEJONG -- South Korea’s biggest lottery “Lotto 6/45” has entered its 17th year, with more than 5,600 citizens netting the weekly jackpot since 2002.The jackpots ranged from 40.7 billion won ($36.4 million) to 405 million won – before tax of 22 percent for winnings up to 300 million won and 33 percent for any additional winnings above that. The average pre-tax prize over the past 16 years was 2.02 billion won per winner. (Korea Herald)The Finance Ministry allowed the Internet sales of Lotto ticke

• 

  Social affairs

  ‘Korea may have to import surgeons in the future’

  Poor working conditions and unclear future make them unattractive to aspiring doctors

• 

  Industry

  Dawn delivery takes retail industry by storm

  In recent years, South Korea’s door-to-door delivery service has evolved to allow customers to expect their parcels the very next day, or within 2 to 3 days at maximum. While much of this dynamic still stands, e-commerce companies and retail giants have rolled out a “dawn delivery” service, striving to cut down delivery times even further. Dawn delivery allows orders to be placed as late as midnight with deliveries guaranteed to arrive by 7 a.m. the next day. Daily necessities and perishable fre

• 

  Industry

  Provincial makgeolli gains popularity via e-commerce

  SEJONG -- Makgeolli has drawn wide attention at home and abroad over the past few years after a research report claimed the Korean alcoholic drink from fermented rice’s anti-cancer effect is about 20-fold higher than that of wine or beer.However, regardless of the effect against cancer, makgeolli devotees pick the traditional taste, originated from the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), for the reason of their steady drinking of it.Its flavor appeals to many inbound tourists as TV entertainment program

WEEKENDER

• Social affairs

  

  Apartments - a national obsession

  Apartments are everywhere in Korea. The country’s first apartment block was built as housing for employees of a construction materials maker in 1956. At the time, this type of building was a sight most had only heard or read about. Apartment construction sites were unusual enough to warrant a visit by the president in the 1950s.Since then, apartments have become the most visible, preferred and coveted form of residence. The skylines of most major cities have long been dominated by apartment buil