Global map of COVID-19 cases

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South Korea   Cases 11,344｜Deaths 269

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  Social affairs

  Reopening reversal in Seoul as virus rebounds

  • S. Korea's virus fight in trouble amid new cluster, daily infections at 2-month high

• Economy
  

  S. Korea’s economy to contract this year amid COVID-19 impact: BOK

  Central bank turns pessimistic over growth, slashes base rate to record low

• Social affairs
  

  [News Focus] Record traffic jams expected in 2020 summer vacation

  SEJONG -- This summer, during the vacation season in particular, extraordinary traffic jams are expected on major expressways nationwide in the wake of the novel coronavirus. This is because there is a high possibility that most vacationers will give up overseas travel this year. Instead, they are likely to choose to stay at local beaches and mountains. This could bring a bounce-back in the consumption index and a surge in tax revenue – via tolls and gasoline taxes -- during the third q

• Politics
  

  Moon meets with floor leaders of ruling, main opposition parties

  President Moon Jae-in, meeting with floor leaders of the two main political parties on Thursday, asked for bipartisan cooperation in the government’s response to unprecedented challenges amid the global COVID-19 pandemic. 　 In the meeting with Rep. Kim Tae-nyeon of the ruling Democratic Party and Rep. Joo ho-young of the main opposition United Future Party, Moon also stressed the importance of communication among the leaders of both parties and the president, saying that discussions on c

• Retail
  

  Concerns spread over logistics center-linked COVID-19

  Coupang under fire for inaction, authorities struggle to contain further spread

• Economy
  

  S. Korea to set aside W500b in guarantee fund program for auto parts firms

  Seoul makes all-out efforts to boost consumption in public, private sectors

• Markets
  

  Gold, silver funds shine as investors flock to low-risk assets

  Gold and silver funds in South Korea are shining on rising demand for safe investments amid lingering uncertainties in markets over the pandemic and renewed Sino-US conflict, data showed Thursday. The annual average return rate of 12 local gold funds with assets of 1 billion won ($808,000) or more came to 43.41 percent as of Wednesday. The figure outpaced the median return rate of 1.07 percent for domestic stock funds in the cited period, according to data compiled by FN Guide. As investors s

• North Korea
  

  Experts divided on Seoul’s approach to inter-Korean cooperation

  Amid President Moon Jae-in’s push for inter-Korean exchanges, security experts are divided on whether his cross-border projects will engage North Korea and bring about a breakthrough in the stalled denuclearization efforts. 　 In dealing with nuclear-armed Pyongyang, Seoul has stressed peace initiatives such as the reconnection of cross-border railways and the authorization of individual trips to the North for tourism purposes. At a forum hosted by the Institute for National Security Strat

• Social affairs
  

  Election watchdog demonstrates ballot-counting process to dispel ‘rigging’ claims

  South Korea’s election watchdog demonstrated the ballot-counting process to the public in a mock version on Thursday, intent on debunking vote-rigging allegations raised by a lawmaker who lost his seat in the April 15 parliamentary election. The National Election Commission carried out the demonstration at its headquarters in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, setting up a hypothetical situation where 1,000 out of 4,000 eligible voters cast ballots in advance polls for four constituency can

NEWSMAKER

• Defense

  

  Hacking attempts targeting S. Korean military info double in 2019

  Hacking attempts from abroad targeting South Korean defense information nearly doubled last year, but no data was stolen, the Defense Ministry said Thursday. The number of foreign hacking attempts involving South Korea’s defense information system -- all equipment and software related to the collection, processing, storage, transmission, reception and use of military information -- surged from about 4,000 in 2017 to 5,000 in 2018 and 9,533 last year, the ministry said. Most of the IP ad

LATEST NEWS

• Today

  

  Industry

  Debate reignited over sexual harassment on Afreeca TV

  South Korean live-streaming platform Afreeca TV faced criticisms Thursday for its lackluster response to a recent sexual harassment case that happened on its platform. On Wednesday, ChulGu, a popular online streamer of Afreeca TV, allegedly made sexually offensive comments to a female streamer called Adlyn while streaming together. “You’re so my type. You give me (explicit). I feel adrenaline shooting to one place,” ChulGu was seen as saying. The female streamer, looking

• Today

  

  Baseball

  Ex-MLB player Kang Jung-ho expresses desire to rejoin KBO's Heroes

  Former major league player Kang Jung-ho told his ex-Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) club Kiwoom Heroes on Thursday that he'd like to rejoin the team once his one-year suspension, stemming from past drunk driving cases, ends in 2021. The Heroes said Kang reached out to their general manager Kim Chi-hyun earlier Thursday and expressed his desire to be reunited with the club. Kang is currently staying in the United States. Kang, who left the Heroes via posting to sign with the Pittsburgh Pira

• Today

  

  Business

  Nissan Korea to pull out from Korean market

  Japanese carmaker Nissan said Thursday that it will pull out Nissan Korea and luxury brand Infiniti from the Korean market from 2021, as part of the global business improvement strategy. According to Nissan Korea, such decision was made from the headquarters to “secure healthy profit model and establish a ground for sustainable business.”  The automaker said despite its effort to continue business in Korea, the situation in the local market has deteriorated due to internal an

• Today

  

  Markets

  BTS agency Big Hit applies for preliminary review for listing

  Big Hit Entertainment, the management agency of K-pop mega group BTS, has filed for a preliminary review to be listed, the bourse operator here said Thursday. NH Investment & Securities, Korea Investment & Securities and JP Morgan will handle the offer, according to the Korea Exchange (KRX). Big Hit, established in 2005, manages K-pop singers BTS, Tomorrow X Together and Lee Hyun. Founder and co-CEO Bang Si-hyuk currently holds a 45.1 percent stake in the label. In 2019, Big Hit l

• Today

  

  Social affairs

  Former activist for wartime sex slavery victims to hold press conference over allegations

  Lawmaker-elect Yoon Mee-hyang, a longtime activist for wartime sexual slavery victims, is set to hold a press conference this week to clarify her position over allegations of financial misdeeds involving her and her civic group. "Lawmaker-elect Yoon has decided to hold a press conference on Friday ... (She) will deliberate on the schedule and venue and let the party know," an official of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) said Thursday. Yoon, former head of the Korean Council for Jus

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SPOTLIGHT

• Film

  

  ‘Intruder’ questions universal beliefs about family at a time of forced togetherness amid pandemic

  Mystery thriller “Intruder” is finally opening in local cinemas on June 4. Due to delays associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, it is the first South Korean film to make its box office debut since early March. “I’m feeling nervous and rather burdened as well, but it’s my hope that our film becomes an exemplary precedent for films to follow,” director Sohn Won-pyung said Wednesday during a press conference after a press screening. The film revolves around S

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  Television

  Celebrity couple Lee Dong-gun, Cho Youn-hee divorce after 3-year marriage

  South Korean celebrity couple Lee Dong-gun and Cho Youn-hee have legally parted ways following a three-year marriage, according to the latter's agency Thursday. "Cho Young-hee divorced Lee Dong-gun following a divorce settlement at a court in Seoul on May 22," said King Kong by Starship, Jo's management agency. The two actors, former co-stars in the 2017 TV series "The Gentlemen of Wolgyesu Tailor Shop," tied the knot in May 2017. They have one daughter. The company said

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  K-pop

  Genie Music to supply K-pop to China’s Tencent Music

  Genie Music, the music streaming platform owned by Korean telecom giant KT, said Wednesday it has recently signed a deal with Tencent Music to supply K-pop for streaming services in the Chinese market. Genie has distributed K-pop in over 50 countries through diverse global platforms, including Apple Music, Google Music and Spotify. The latest deal paves the way for it to enter the soaring Chinese music streaming market. “Investors have responded optimistically, and our stocks reached

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  Baseball

  Defensive outfielder brimming with confidence in batter's box

  SUWON -- KT Wiz's outfielder Bae Jung-dae has been regarded as a glove-first player in his Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) career. But this year, his fifth as a pro, Bae is making some noise with his bat. After extending his hitting streak to 12 games in Wednesday's game against the Kia Tigers, Bae said he's stepping up to the plate with much more confidence than before. "I tell myself, 'I am the best,' as I step into the batter's box," Bae said after going 3-for-4 with two double

GRAPHIC NEWS

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EDITORIAL

• Grandma ridiculed

  Ruling camp supporters attack Lee now that she’s not on their side anymore

• Bloated spending

  Tax increase needs to be preceded by restructuring fiscal expenditure

VIEWPOINTS

THE INVESTOR

• Finance

  

  Mirae Asset fined for illegal internal trading, avoids prosecutorial probe

  　South Korean financial giant Mirae Asset Group is likely to resume its drive to launch a mega-sized investment bank as authorities on May 27 decided not to request a prosecutorial probe for conducting illegal intra-unit trading and instead chose to slap a light penalty. 　The nation’s antitrust watchdog Fair Trade Commission said it has imposed a fine of 4.39 billion won ($3.6 million) on financial conglomerate Mirae Asset Financial Group and its affiliates for violating rules that ban tr

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  Finance

  Listed firms' dividends dip 1.9% in 2019

  South Korean listed companies‘ dividend payouts slipped nearly 2 percent in 2019 from a year earlier amid a business slump, data showed on May 27. 　 　Cash dividends paid out by 1,094 firms listed on the country’s main and secondary stock markets totaled 22.6 trillion won (US$18.3 billion) last year, down 1.9 percent from a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Securities Depository. 　 　The number of dividend-paying corporations was down 12 from the previous year. 　 　The

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  Automobiles

  ‘Spider Man 3’ to feature Hyundai’s mobility tech

  Hyundai Motor Group said on May 28 it has clinched a partnership deal with Sony Pictures Entertainment to allow customers experience its future mobility and new technologies via the latter’s platforms such as movies, animations and digital contents. 　According to the automaker, its latest mobility technology will be featured in Sony Pictures’ movie “Uncharted” and “Spider Man 3,” which will be released in July 2021 and November 2021, respectively. 

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  Finance

  [Market Close-up] S. Korean stock market recovers faster than other markets

  Buttressed by the buying spree of retail investors and expansion of liquidity, South Korea’s stock market recovered to the psychologically important 2,000-point mark, rebounding faster than other major stock markets around the world. 　According to the Korea Exchange, the Kospi reached 2,029.78 points at May 26‘s close, 12 weeks after last posting above the 2,000-mark on March 6, when it closed at 2,040.22. The index plunged to a yearly low of 1,457.64 on March 19, but rose sharply b

K-POP

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  Genie Music to supply K-pop to China’s Tencent Music

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  From Bruce Lee to martial art, NCT’s ‘Kick It’ co-composer explains creative process

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  Monsta X’s new album ‘Fantasia X’ is a world of emotions

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  Big Hit acquires Pledis in push for expansion

HERALD INTERVIEW

• Technology

  

  JANDI: Usurping KakaoTalk in Korea’s work communication

  Toss Lab, the maker of innovative collaboration tool JANDI, has established itself at the top of South Korea’s growing work communication platform market. The fledgling company, in just six years, has managed to go head-on with not only domestic competitors such as Flow and Collabee but also global companies like Slack and Microsoft Teams. Ironically, however, these direct competitors offer far less of a challenge than that of the immensely popular messenger service KakaoTalk, in JANDI

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  Culture

  All it takes is a page a day

  Espressobook CEO says anyone can become an author with the Harubook app

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  Technology

  Linkflow seeks to be Korea’s first hardware unicorn with 360-degree wearable cameras

  They may look like Bluetooth neckband headsets, but Linkflow’s FITT360 and NEXX360 are cameras that allow users to capture 360-degree shots of their surroundings. FITT360 and NEXX360 each have four cameras which constantly take photos and instantaneously process them into 360-degree videos. This camera concept was born out of founder Kim Yong-kuk’s romantic desire to capture the beautiful scenery of his honeymoon in Hawaii in all its glory.  Kim, who had at that point had

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  Retail

  Ocado Solutions in talks with retailers to enter Korea

  CEO Luke Jensen describes Korea’s retail market as “early adopter” to online groceries

PHOTO NEWS

• Culture

  

  Modern Korean history at a glance

  The forces that shaped today’s Korea -- from its belated opening to the outside world in the late 19th century and its annexation by Japan in 1910 to the 1950-53 Korean War, dictatorships, rapid industrialization and blood-paved democratization -- are on exhibit at the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History. Located in Gwanghwamun Square, a site of historic and symbolic importance, the eight-story museum tells stories of the country’s politics, society, economy and culture

VIDEO

• Social affairs

  

  Night spots closed as virus spreads again

  Slight loosening of restrictions allowed Seoul’s youth culture to boom again, outpouring public vitriol

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  Culture

  How to speak, look better for video meetings

  Although the number of new COVID-19 infections has decreased sharply in South Korea, fears of a resurgence persist. As the coronavirus crisis has gripped the country for more than three months, life as we know it has changed. The prevalence of video meetings and interviews is one of the changes that seem likely to stay even as the pandemic situation subsides. The Busan branch of the Korean Federation for Environmental Movement conducted its first-ever online conference on Saturday with 100

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  Education

  Virus scare leads to drive-thru upgrades

  Drive-thru system helps institutions and organizations meet growing demand amid virus pandemic

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  Social affairs

  What is ‘Nth Room’ case and why it matters

  Unprecedented digital sex crimes have prompted calls for stronger punishment

MOST POPULAR

• Reopening reversal in Seoul as virus rebounds
• S. Korea’s first suspected MIS-C cases coronavirus-negative: KCDC
• School reopening disrupted by spike in COVID-19 cases
• S. Korea's virus fight in trouble amid new cluster, daily infections at 2-month high
• Strict social distancing restored in Seoul area
• New virus cases spike on steady rise in club-linked infections, another looming cluster
• Logistics center-linked virus cases snowball to 82, further spread in store
• tvN’s ‘The Ramyeonator’ may be slapped with KCSC warning
• Chinese solar firms suck air from Korean industry
• One Chinese caught after illegally entering S. Korea on small boat

FEATURES

• Industry

  

  Chinese solar firms suck air from Korean industry

  Hanwha Q Cells continues lonely battle against cheaper Chinese solar modules

• 

  Markets

  S. Korean stock market recovers faster than its global peers

  In 12 weeks, Kospi surges nearly 40%, but rising Sino-US conflict is burden: analysts

• 

  Transport

  International air routes relaunch, but worries linger

  South Korean air carriers suffering from the impact of COVID-19 outbreak plan to gradually relaunch their international routes from next month but worries linger over prospects of a business recovery, according to industry sources Tuesday. Low-cost carrier Jin Air said Tuesday that it is resuming five international routes including Incheon-Bangkok, Incheon-Hanoi, Incheon-Taipei, Incheon-Narita and Incheon-Osaka from next month. It comes two months after it suspended the routes over the virus p

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  Economy

  Market tenses up on BOK’s imminent policy rate review

  Central bank set to slash growth rate, uncertain over another rate cut

WEEKENDER

• Industry

  

  Tightrope walk between hair regrowth and side effects

  Increasing number of Koreans seek anti-hair loss treatments despite pitfalls

• 

  Social affairs

  Coronavirus takes silent toll on children

  Children have their own set of problems and distresses amid the ongoing novel coronavirus outbreak, experts say, as they are forced to forgo childhood necessities such as outdoor fun and play -- and, in some cases, are left unprotected from abuse and other fears. Battling COVID-19, the contagious respiratory illness caused by the new virus, happens in isolation for adults and kids alike, and the process is prone to place emotional strain on child patients, said pediatric infectious disease spe

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  Culture

  New social norms emerge in the age of COVID-19

  Changes may be here to stay, requiring people to adjust to the new reality

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  Markets

  From vintage furniture to Fendi: Flea markets go mobile

  Mobile flea markets help uphold social distancing, value of sustainability during coronavirus outbreak