Following the ouster of former President Park Geun-hye and the election of President Moon Jae-in, some foreign investors in Korea have heaved a sigh of relief in anticipation that the country’s economic instability during the turbulent political times will finally begin to normalize. Foreign-invested firms make up 20.9 percent of the nation’s total exports and 5.7 percent of jobs. Of these firms...

Actress Lee Ha-nee can be described as many things: an icon of healthy beauty, Korean traditional music performer, and an all-around cheerful person. In the recently concluded drama series “Rebel: Thief Who Stole the People,” however, she let go of who she was, or seemed, as a person. Lee says Nok-su’s feelings for Yeonsangun would also have been intensely complicated. For her, making the king ...

Joining the global rise of artificial intelligence, South Korean mobile carrier KT is currently working on the development of English and Chinese versions of a voice-activated AI device, the company’s AI chief said Tuesday. In an email interview with The Korea Herald, Lee Phill-jai, executive vice president of the GiGA Genie business division of KT, confirmed the mobile carrier had completed and...

Following the peace agreement with armed guerilla group FARC, Colombia has entered an environment of security and stability ideal for investors, according to the country’s trade minister. In an interview with The Korea Herald last week, Colombian minister of trade, industry and tourism, Maria Claudia Lacouture, highlighted the freshly available opportunities in infrastructure, agriculture, housi...

Actor Lee Jung-jae has come to symbolize the sleek, sophisticated modern male in Korean cinema. But in his most recent film “Warriors of the Dawn,” directed by Jeong Yoon-chul, Lee sheds his usual slim-fitting suit for rags, dirt and disheveled hair. “Appearances are important for viewers,” Lee said at an interview Thursday at a cafe in Palpan-dong in central Seoul. “Then, only afterwards, are v...

As a member of the once-sensational K-pop group Crayon Pop, Heo Min-seon used to dance in a helmet and bright tracksuit that recall the Power Rangers. She has now moved on to acting onstage. Also known by the name Way, Heo recently took on her first theater gig with a role in the historical play “Jjamppong,” acclaimed for its depiction of the May 18 Democratic Uprising in Korea. “I used to act ...

For most of his career, Yeo Jin-goo has played the younger versions of characters. He acted out the childhood of a Robin Hood-esque hero in the 2008 TV series “Iljimae.” He played a youngster who grows up to be a gambler in the crime film “Tazza: The High Rollers.” His character in the TV drama “Giant” later became the charismatic founder of a building company. In 2012, he stole viewers’ hearts ...

Even before Shoes Tree, a giant art installation made from thousands of worn-out shoes, was officially unveiled in front of Seoul Station, it drew mixed responses. Some called it a giant pile of garbage. Others, refraining from premature judgment, expressed curiosity over its artistic intention and meaning. The artist, Hwang Ji-hae, sat down with The Korea Herald on Monday, two days after its u...

It all started from pure scientific curiosity when Merck decided to develop liquid crystal in 1903. The organic substance, however, remained in the research and development territory for more than 50 years until it started to be applied to wrist watches, calculators and computers -- products that ushered in a new era of technology in the 20th century. Therefore, the German company based in Darms...

Without the gloss and glitter, seven street boys are back in the K-pop music scene amid growing anticipation toward their reunion with fans in Korea. Likening themselves to the “boys from backstreet,” rising K-pop group iKON dropped its long-awaited second single “New Kids: Begin” on Monday. The release came after the group held its first Japanese dome concert in Osaka on Saturday, which was a ...

MACAU -- Amid Macau’s gaming revenue comeback this year following three consecutive years of financial blunders, the annual three-day Global Gaming Expo Asia concluded Thursday with experts eager for the future of Macau beyond a gambling destination. In an industry that has heavily relied on high-rollers and VIPs to account for the vast majority of its revenue, Macau’s gaming heads are looking t...

When Norway voted for the second time not to join the European Union through a referendum in 1994, the country had just brokered the Oslo peace agreement between the Israelis and Palestinians and hosted the Winter Olympics in Lillehammer. Confidence was in the air, recalled Norwegian Ambassador to Korea Jan Grevstad. Norway, an affluent, benevolent and confident country always “on the doorstep”...

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- When Korean water purifier company Coway first entered the Malaysian market in 2006, household water purifiers were something of a status symbol. Before Coway, the existing water purifier companies in Malaysia were selling the machines outright, rather than offering them at low-cost monthly leases. “The fact that we brought our Korean rental scheme here was important,”...

Im Si-wan is among the few Korean entertainers who have completed their transition from K-pop singer into actor, but the 28-year-old is careful not to overestimate himself or his sensibilities. The fact that his latest film, the upcoming crime flick “The Merciless (Bul Han Dang),” is set to screen at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival still feels surreal to him, the actor said in an interview...

Export-reliant Korea’s overall economic growth in past years has been clouded by a prolonged weakness in global trade, a report by the United Nations Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific stated earlier this month. While the economies of the Asia Pacific region are expected to achieve a 1.2 percentage point lower economic growth on average this year, uncertainty will be the biggest ...