Sep 21, 2017   Economy

S. Korea, US trade chiefs hold first face-to-face meeting

The top trade negotiators of South Korea and the United States held their first face-to-face meeting in Washington on Wednesday to discuss the future of the countries' free trade agreement (FTA), both sides said.The talks between South Korean Trade Minister Kim Hyun-chong and US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer came as Washington seeks to amend the five-year-old deal known as KORUS. (Yonhap)"They discussed ways to move forward," a USTR spokesperson told Yonhap, noting the talks followed th

Today   Social affairs

Subway Line No. 2 may get 24-hour service: official

Seoul Metro is considering operating its subway line No. 2 around the clock. Kim Tae-ho, managing director of Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corporation said it will run Subway Line No. 2 all night every Friday and Saturday during a test period.  (Yonhap)Subway Line No. 2 is the most used line in Seoul and connects the city’s key areas. There has been an increasing demand for late night service.By Im Eun-byel (silverstar@heraldcorp.com)

Today   Social affairs

Paris Baguette ordered to directly hire over 5,000 bakers

The government on Thursday ordered Paris Baguette, a leading bakery brand of food giant SPC Group, to directly hire nearly 5,400 bakers currently dispatched by its partner firms. 　The Ministry of Employment and Labor concluded that Paris Baguette directly supervised jobs of the bakers employed and dispatched by partner firms, constituting illegal dispatch of workers under the local labor law.  (Yonhap)The ministry ordered Paris Baguette to directly hire all of the 5,378 bakers who are working at

Sep 21, 2017   Defense

Army general arrested on bribery charges

South Korea's military court issued a warrant for the arrest of Army Gen. Park Chan-ju accused of receiving bribes from a civilian firm seeking favors in a base-related project during his service as the commanding general of the 2nd Operational Command. (Yonhap)Park was removed from the commanding post last month amid fierce public criticism over his alleged abuse of power and human rights violations against "housekeeping soldiers," who were assigned to serve at his residence.ABMilitary prosecut

Today   Industry

Dongbu Group chief steps down over alleged sexual harassment

Dongbu Group Chairman and CEO Kim Jun-ki resigned from his post on Thursday after being sued by his secretary for alleged sexual harassment two days prior.“Deeming that my personal problem should not burden the company, I resign from the chairman and CEO posts of Dongbu Group,” Kim said in a statement, apologizing to the members, investors, shareholders and customers of the firm.Kim is accused of sexually molesting a secretary, whose name was withheld, regularly between February and July this ye

Sep 21, 2017   Expat Living

Expat musicians to show passion, love, volume at Zandari

With Zandari Festa around the corner, several expat groups are gearing up to show their stuff at Korea’s biggest indie music showcase. Zandari, a three-day showcase festival across 10 venues in the Hongdae area of Seoul, will host 120 acts from across Korea and overseas this year.　Among them is Koncept, a US rapper relatively new to the local scene. With three albums under his belt, he was invited to play two shows here in November, but as word got around, he was asked to play more shows and sta

Today   Defense

US-based artillery unit comes to South Korea for firing drill

The United States military on Thursday deployed an artillery unit to South Korea and conducted a live-fire exercise, showcasing the ability to rapidly deploy its units in the event of contingency on the Korean Peninsula. According to the 8th Army in Seoul, its components and the US-based 18th Field Artillery Brigade conducted the joint training in Daecheon, South Chungcheong Province. The artillery brigade departed on Wednesday from its base in Fort Bragg, North Carolina.Titled as “Emergency Dep

Today   Social affairs

[Newsmaker] 9 in 10 Koreans say anti-corruption law effective

Nearly a year after the implementation of an anti-corruption law, 9 in 10 Koreans said the law was effective, a recent survey showed, despite an ongoing debate on whether to raise price ceilings, as the law bans those subject to it from receiving meals and gifts exceeding designated prices.A flower shop owner looks at the empty store. YonhapAccording to a survey conducted last month by professor Lim Dong-kyun from University of Seoul, 89.5 percent of some 1,202 respondents said that the new law

Sep 21, 2017   World

[Graphic News] Ring of Fire

　The Ring of Fire is a 40,000-kilometer horseshoe-shaped area of intense volcanic and seismic activity that follows the edges of the Pacific Ocean. The Ring of Fire includes 75 percent of the world‘s active volcanoes and is also responsible for 90 percent of the world’s earthquakes.　The Ring of Fire is an arc of mountains, volcanoes and oceanic trenches that stretch from New Zealand northward along the eastern edge of Asia, then east across the Aleutian Islands of Alaska and south along the west

Today   Social affairs

3 in 10 divorces happen after 20 years of marriage

Three out of 10 divorced couples in South Korea last year were married for at least 20 years, setting a new record in “gray divorces,” a judicial yearbook showed Wednesday. According to 2017 Judicial Yearbook released by the Supreme Court, 32,594 couples got a divorce after living together for more than 20 years, accounting for 30.4 percent of all the divorces last year. The proportion of divorces accounted for by couples who have lived together for more than 20 years has been gradually increasi

Today   Finance

US fiscal tightening to have little impact on Korea: BOK chief

The central bank said Thursday that the US Federal Reserve’s belt-tightening gesture should have a limited impact on Korea’s economy.“I do not think that the Fed’s decision will have a big impact on domestic financial markets,” Bank of Korea Gov. Lee Ju-yeol told reporters on the way to his office.The US central bank on Wednesday announced it will shrink its portfolio of bonds by $10 billion a month starting in October and gradually increase the amount over the next year to $50 billion, signalin

Today   Finance

Exim-Indonesia seek to expand infrastructure investment

Seeking to expand the investment opportunities of South Korean companies in the profitable Southeast Asian infrastructure market, the Export-Import Bank of Korea has hosted a forum to encourage business in Indonesia, according to officials Thursday.The Indonesia Infrastructure Investment Forum was held Wednesday at Millennium Seoul Hilton jointly by Eximbank and Indonesia’s Ministry of National Development Planning, upon the sponsorship of Korea’s Ministry of Strategy and Finance. From fourth fr

Sep 21, 2017   Industry

Indian minister listens to difficulties facing Korean businesses on the subcontinent

India's commerce minister met with South Korean company leaders Thursday to listen to the difficulties they experience while doing business in the rapidly growing Indian market, an industry group said. At the meeting -- which is being held separately from the seventh ASEM Economic Ministers' Meeting that runs for three days through Saturday in Seoul -- Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu met Korean business leaders from Samsung Electronics Co., Kia Motors Corp. and POSCO. In this photo

Sep 21, 2017   Technology

Uber launches car pool service in Seoul for diversification

US ride-hailing company Uber Technologies Inc. on Thursday launched its car pool service in South Korea from which it sees a "big opportunity."The uberSHARE car pool service comes after Uber launched the restaurant delivery app UberEATS last month as it seeks to diversify its business portfolio in Asia's fourth-biggest economy. The "eco-friendly and affordable" car pool service, initially available in Seoul, will help alleviate traffic congestion during commuting hours, Brooks Entwistle, chief b