• 

  Politics

  Blue House reveals reform plans for inspection team

  • Moon’s Blue House under fire for discipline
  • Clash over civil affairs secretary continues

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  Defense

  S. Korea, US fail to strike defense cost-sharing deal

  South Korea and the US failed to close negotiations on how to share the costs for the stationing of American troops here, an official said Friday, with the allies still at loggerheads on the total amount of money Seoul has to pay.　South Korean negotiator Chang Won-sam and his US counterpart Timothy Betts held the 10th round of meetings from Tuesday to Thursday in Seoul on the renewal of the Special Measures Agreement that is set to expire Dec. 31. 　Under the current SMA, a five-year contract bet

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  Industry

  Naver, Dongdaemun market listed on EU counterfeit watch list

  South Korea’s dominant portal web operator Naver and Seoul’s Dongdaemun Special Tourist Zone have been included on the European Union’s “watch list” for acts of piracy and counterfeiting, according to a recent report.The European Commission, with the support of the EU Intellectual Property Office and Europol, published its first-ever watch list last week, naming 52 non-EU websites and marketplaces in more than 20 countries it alleges engage in, facilitate or benefit from piracy. (Credit : Seoul'

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  North Korea

  Vietnam interested in hosting second US-NK summit

  Vietnam has expressed interest in hosting the second US-North Korea summit, while high-level officials of the two countries were confirmed to have visited Vietnam recently, according to news reports.High-ranking Vietnamese officials delivered such intent to the South Korean government, CNN reported, citing a South Korean government source.(Yonhap)Mark Lambert, the acting US deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, recently visited Vietnam, Yonhap News Agency report

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  Technology

  KAIST delays decision on dismissing president accused of mishandling public funds

  KAIST, South Korea’s top science and technology university, on Friday decided to delay its decision on dismissing its incumbent President Shin Sung-chul, who has been accused by the government of mishandling public funds during his previous post at another university. KAIST’s board said it will reconsider the dismissal of the president at the next board meeting, given the gravity of the issue and continued dispute over the accusations by the Ministry of Science and ICT.The ministry alleges that

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  Social affairs

  Govt. announces state pension reform proposals

  The government on Friday announced four different proposals for reforming the national pension scheme that center on strengthening support for beneficiaries going forward amid concerns over fund shortfalls.The Ministry of Health and Welfare, which oversees South Korea's National Pension Service, the world's third largest, with 630 trillion won ($564 billion) in assets, announced the differing drafts after President Moon Jae-in called for an overhaul of the ministry's draft on reforming the natio

NEWSMAKER

• Social affairs

  

  Korea gives 2 Yemeni asylum seekers refugee status

  The immigration office on the southern island of Jeju decided Friday to grant refugee status to two Yemeni asylum seekers, the first move of its kind since South Korea began to grapple with their inflow early this year. The immigration office also gave 50 other applicants humanitarian stay permits while denying refugee requests of 22 applicants, according to the Ministry of Justice.  (Yonhap)Those who obtained refugee status and stay permits are allowed to leave the island for other parts of the

LATEST NEWS

• Today

  

  Arts&Design

  MMCA’s Yun Hyong-keun exhibition goes to 2019 Venice Biennale

  The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art’s Yun Hyong-keun exhibition will travel to the Fortuny Museum in Venice to coincide with the 2019 Venice Biennale, the MMCA announced Friday. The MMCA added that the signing of the contract with the Fortuny Museum took place Tuesday. Yun’s retrospective is set to kick off May 11 next year at the gothic style building in central Venice, but the opening day of the exhibition could change according to the biennale’s schedule. An installation view o

• Today

  

  Social affairs

  Moon says forced labor rulings mean no termination of individual rights for damages claims

  President Moon Jae-in said Friday that South Korea's landmark court rulings against Japan's wartime forced labor mean individual rights to damage claims are not terminated under a pact between the two countries."The court ruling does not deny the (1965) pact between South Korea and Japan on normalizing diplomatic ties," Moon said in a meeting with a delegation of Japanese lawmakers led by Fukushiro Nukaga. President Moon Jae-in (L) meeting with the group of Japanese lawmakers seeking to promote

• Today

  

  North Korea

  Koreas to meet IOC in Feb. on joint Olympic bid

  South Korea and North Korea announced Friday they will meet with the International Olympic Committee early next year to discuss their joint Olympic bid.The two sides reached that agreement during the latest round of their sports talks at the joint liaison office in the North Korean border city of Kaesong. South Korean Vice Sports Minister Roh Tae-kang and North Korean Vice Sports Minister Won Kil-u led the delegations. North Korean Vice Sports Minister Won Kil-u (L) and his South Korean counterp

• Today

  

  Finance

  Korea, partners amend regional financial safety net

  South Korea, China, Japan and their partners in Southeast Asia amended a regional financial safety net on Friday in the latest move to better cope with possible financial crises.The agreement was reached in a meeting of finance and central bank deputies of South Korea, China, Japan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in South Korea's southeastern port city of Busan, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance. The Ministry of Economy and Finance. (Yonhap)ASEAN comprises Brunei, C

• Today

  

  Social affairs

  Govt., ruling party push for implementation of salary system for company taxi drivers

  Officials from the government and the ruling Democratic Party  decided Friday to push ahead with the full implementation of a salary system for drivers at taxi companies as part of measures to support the local taxi industry.The move is also seen as a way to deal with a backlash from taxi drivers that was sparked by the planned launch of a carpool service by IT giant Kakao Corp.  (Yonhap)On Thursday, Kakao, which earlier kicked off a pilot run of the service, postponed its official release, orig

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SPOTLIGHT

• Social affairs

  

  Masculinist “12 Rules for Life” becomes best-seller in Korea

  Canadian psychologist’s self-help book sees explosive sales as gender war deepens divide between sexes

• 

  Arts&Design

  Return to the past with modern twist at Seoul Design Festival

  “Newtro” has emerged as a trend in the fashion and design industries here. A combination of “new” and “retro,” the concept mixes trends of the past with fresh interpretations. And an ongoing event rides on that wave. The Seoul Design Festival taking place at the Coex Convention and Exhibition Center in southern Seoul caters to those who want to swing back to the 1980s or 1990s, with a new, creative twist.  (Seoul Design Festival)The festival’s overall theme is “Young Retro: Design Reversing Back

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  Travel

  'Cannabis Port’: Reddit user’s Seoul map shows districts in colorful English names

  A map of the South Korean capital showing the districts’ names in English is garnering attenetion across online communities.The post was uploaded to social aggregator Reddit by user nanain_melons in November, and has since been shared on websites like Bestiz and MLB Park.The map gave Mapo the English name “Cannabis Port,” as the word “Ma” can mean “cannabis” and “Po” can refer to ports. (Reddit user nanain_melons)Yongsan was written as “Dragon Mountain,” which on par with the actual meaning, as

• 

  Music

  Fans protest Indonesia’s ban on Blackpink ad featuring miniskirted bandmates

  Fans protest Indonesia’s ban on Blackpink ad featuring miniskirted bandmates By Hong Dam-young Blackpink has become a household name in Indonesia, but fans were astonished recently when the country slapped a ban on a television ad featuring the singers in miniskirts. On Wednesday, Agence France-Presse reported that the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission had ordered 11 domestic TV stations to block the commercial on Tuesday, calling it indecent and saying it violated the Muslim country’s moral no

GRAPHIC NEWS

• 

EDITORIAL

• Not all new jobs are equal

  Quality of job growth must be scrutinized; short-term jobs an illusion

• Time for a real shift

  Urgent need to depoliticize to save economy

VIEWPOINTS

THE INVESTOR

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  Retail & Consumer

  Samsung C&T President Lee Seo-hyun likely to resign

  Lee Seo-hyun, president of Samsung C&T’s fashion division, is likely to step down from her post in an annual year-end reshuffle scheduled for this week, according to news reports on Dec. 12.She is the second daughter of Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee, and Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong’s sister.The Samsung C&T CEO is said to have notified the firm of her intention to resign and move on to focus on corporate social responsibility activities.In a recent board mee

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  Startups & Investors

  Yanolja partners with Irish hostel operator for global expansion

  Yanolja, an accommodation booking app operator, said on Dec. 14 that it has inked a partnership with Ireland-based Hostel World as part of its efforts to enter more overseas markets.Hostel World is one of the largest operators in Europe, running 36,000 hostels and guesthouses in 170 nations. The latest partnership is aimed at offering affordable accommodations in the region for Yanolja subscribers, and increasing the firm’s global presence, according to the Korean startup. Yanolja

K-POP HERALD

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  Irene becomes face of Hite Jinro

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  EXO puts on impromptu dance performance

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  UP10TION lightens up the mood

HERALD INTERVIEW

• Fashion

  

  ‘I do not paint to be an artist, but to make clothes’

  Designer Song Zio discusses economy of scale in fashion business

• 

  Music

  ‘I learned how to love my fate’: Sohee of Elris

  Sohee of Elris talks about how she climbed the ladder of the K-pop world, what makes her feel confident

• 

  Industry

  ‘Automation won’t reduce jobs but workers need to be protected in digital era’

  S. Korea’s segmented labor market hampers labor mobility, creates less competition

PHOTO NEWS

• Culture

  

  Time stops at way stations

  For South Koreans living in a country where the old is compulsively replaced with the new, finding a place that no longer serves its original purpose but has maintained its true form is a venture. Still, there are unexpected nooks in and near bustling Seoul where time seems to go very slow, allowing you to quietly evoke past memories. These are way stations.Way stations are relatively small train stations, set apart by the absence of a stationmaster and the lack of passengers. As time went by, n

VIDEO

• Music

  

  ‘I learned how to love my fate’: Sohee of Elris

  Sohee of Elris talks about how she climbed the ladder of the K-pop world, what makes her feel confident

MOST POPULAR

• Cheerleaders protest online sexual harassment
• Google Korea under tax probe, signaling widening crackdown on foreign tech firms
• [Newsmaker] Kakao delays formal launch of carpool service after taxi protest death
• [Weekender] Jjimjilbang: Sanctuaries of winter warmth
• Fans protest Indonesia’s ban on Blackpink ad featuring miniskirted bandmates

FEATURES

• 

  Industry

  Sanofi starts remaining phase 3 clinical trials of Hanmi’s diabetes drug candidate

  South Korea’s Hanmi Pharmaceutical said Friday that Sanofi has signaled the start of two new phase 3 clinical studies of the Type 2 diabetes drug candidate efpeglenatide by officially listing the plans on ClinicalTrials.gov, a US-based clinical trials registry site.By doing so, Sanofi has officially executed all five of its planned phase 3 clinical trial agenda for efpeglenatide, which Hanmi licensed out to Sanofi in 2015, according to the Korean drugmaker.So far, Sanofi has been carrying out th

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  Social affairs

  Moon to enter midterm year amid economic, social polarization

  SEJONG -- President Moon Jae-in has finished the first 19 months of his 60-month tenure and will enter his third administrative year in two weeks.About 70 to 80 percent of South Koreans supported his administrative affairs last year. But Moon’s current approval rating has fallen to a record low, staying under 50 percent, according to polls conducted in recent weeks. Surveys by Realmeter, Gallup Korea and R&Search showed approval ratings of 49.5 percent, 49 percent and 47.9 percent, respectively,

• 

  Economy

  Korea’s 3rd phase of new towns: Remedy or repetition?

  SEJONG -- The average unit price of an old apartment complex built 31 years ago in Seocho-gu, Seoul, jumped to 1.64 billion won ($1.46 million) in November 2018 from 1.13 billion won in November 2016.The price increased 45 percent in only two years. Other apartment complexes in the district in southern Seoul and neighboring wards also saw their prices surge in the period.Although there have been signs of prices declining after reportedly peaking last summer, many households still appear skeptica

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  Technology

  Samsung to be reshaped centering on AI, auto parts and 5G

  Samsung Electronics’ year-end organizational restructuring focuses on three new businesses: artificial intelligence, vehicle components and the fifth-generation network, according to the industry on Wednesday.The tech conglomerate has worked on realigning current business divisions and units, and transfers of positions, all of which are to be completed by Thursday. While maintaining the current three divisions -- device solutions, IT and mobile communications, and consumer electronics -- each di

WEEKENDER

• Culture

  

  Survival guide: How to battle winter’s chill

  After a drizzly day in early December that pushed temperatures in Seoul well below minus 10 degrees Celsius, office worker Lee Ja-yoon, 30, finally finished preparing her house for the full-fledged winter chill likely to last at least through February. Lee started with her wardrobe. She took out the wool coats and replaced them with a long padded coat -- the ankle-length garments became ubiquitous in Korea during last winter’s biting cold -- as well as thermal underwear, fur-lined leggings and g