The Korea Exchange is seeking to encourage local listed companies to disclose their mandatory financial information in English by the end of this year, officials of the country’s stock market operator said Monday. Korea Exchange's headquarters in Seoul (Yonhap)This plan is in line with efforts for the Korean stock market to be classified as an “advanced market” in the Morgan Stanley Capital Investment’s global stock indices, officials said.The KRX noted that during investor relations roadshows o

Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering is expected to issue additional new shares worth 600 billion won ($507 million) this year, as part of efforts to improve its capital base, according to the listed shipbuilder’s main creditor Korea Development Bank on Monday.Shipyard of Daewoo Shipbuilding (Yonhap)The new share issuances will most likely be allotted to the state-run creditor bank and the company’s employees, much like the last time the shipbuilder issued new shares worth 460 billion won to

The Ministry of Finance and Strategy has enforced a disciplinary measure against 57 employees of the Export-Import Bank of Korea for extending bad loans to Moneual and causing losses for the state-run bank, according to Korea Eximbank on Wednesday.“The bank’s internal auditors have been notified of the measure by the Finance Ministry against those employees, and the bank is following necessary procedures,” a spokesperson for Korea Eximbank said.“We, however, cannot yet reveal on the level of the

Logen Logistics, a privately held package delivery company, is expected to open preemptive bids from potential buyers on March 17, according to news reports. Corporate logo of Logen Logistics (Logen)Shuttle Korea Holdings, a wholly owned investment firm of Hong Kong-based Baring Private Equity Asia, has a 100 percent stake in Logen, according to an audit filing. J.P. Morgan is Baring Private Equity’s adviser for the sale of Logen.Shuttle Korea did not respond for comments, and J.P. Morgan could

Four months into his new job as the general manager of Grand Hyatt Incheon, Adam Myott is trying to learn everything he can about Korea -- its language, people, food. Adam Myott, Grand Hyatt Incheon general managerComing to Korea for the first time from Australia, the 51-year-old Hyatt executive said it was always a challenge when relocating to a new place with a different culture, people and business climate.“Although it is challenging to learn about different culture, that’s what makes this jo

Key North Korean Web sites shut down for hours before recovering accessibility on Tuesday possibly due to a cyberattack, a source said.The Web sites of North Korea's two key official news outlets -- Rodong Sinmun and Korean Central News Agency -- had been inaccessible from Tuesday morning before restoring connectivity at around 5:00 p.m. that same day. They were the only North Korean Web sites that went down during the outage, with the country's other official Internet sites operating normally d

A team of professional Korean alpine skiers began their downhill and Super-G training last week for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics following the International Ski Federation Ski World Cup held on Feb. 6-7 at the Jeongseon Alpine Centre.International alpine ski racers practice at the Jeongseon Alpine Centre ahead of the 2016 FIS Ski World Cup early this month. (2018 PyeongChang Olympics Organizing Committee)The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism backed eight athletes of the Korea Ski A

He’s no stranger to Seoul, but that didn’t stop British artist Mika from drawing in thousands on Friday night, performing at a sold-out concert in Seoul as part his three-day South Korean “Heaven” tour.British singer-songwriter Mika performs at a concert in Seoul last Friday. (Yonhap)The singer songwriter lit up Jamsil Arena with sparkles, sequins and confetti in his return to Seoul for the first time in 2016 on Feb. 12. “Good evening, Seoul,” the artist announced, stepping onto the stage in a g

Ritz-Carlton offers Spring Festival packageThe Ritz-Carlton, Seoul is presenting the “New Year’s Prestige Getaway” package in celebration of the Spring Festival, China’s most important public holiday. The package is available from Feb. 1-18.Available to guests staying for two or more nights during the promotion period, the package includes buffet breakfast at The Garden and dinner at Oksan Buffet for two, for the duration of each stay. The price of the package starts from 300,000 won per night.

With Lunar New Year upon us, there is no escaping the elbow-to-elbow crowds that flood the nation’s train stations as millions of locals travel out of the cities to reunite with their loved ones. While long lines at ticket booths are not surprising, over the past few years, a new food culture of has also developed there, with long lines at food places have also started appearing in train stations.  Interior look at Daejeon Station‘s bakery Sung Sim Dang. (Julie Jackson/The Korea Herald)Rather th

INCHEON -- On the 12th floor of Grand Hyatt Incheon, guests can get a panoramic view of Incheon International Airport from the lounge and a line of airplanes taking off and landing down on its runway.It is somewhat hard to resist peeking out the window at the Boeing 777s or Airbus A350s coming and going every 5-10 minutes against the beautiful skyline in the background in this quiet and tranquil hotel. It makes you want to disconnect your mobile phone, laptop, and drop everything and just hop on

Sentinel has appointed Hong Jung-gi, professor at Kookmin University’s College of Physical Education, as its health advisor, the provider of high-functional and intensive crossfit and boot camp training services said. Hong Jung-gi (Emerson K)Hong, who used to be a professional weight lifter, will be providing his expertise in three areas -- educate Sentinel’s crossfit and boot camp coaches; develop and implement new training programs; and offer regular health seminars to members.“My goal is to i

The Culture Ministry has accepted the resignation of Bang Suk-ho, president & CEO of Arirang TV, Korea’s state-run English satellite and cable broadcaster. Bang submitted his resignation to the ministry on Monday after local media reported allegations of misuse of the company funds during his overseas trips last year. The ministry will continue its probe into the allegations, which began late Monday night, his resignation notwithstanding. “Bang is currently under investigation. The ministry will

Set in 1930s and 40s Korea, two young writers in their 20s seek to change the world in their own way in director Lee Joon-ik’s new biographic film “Dong-ju.” The period was one of despair and turmoil in Korea, whose spirit and culture had been suppressed by Japan.A scene from “Dong-ju,” starring Kang Ha-neul as poet Yun Dong-ju. (Megabox PlusM)Warm-hearted, passive but logical Yun Dong-ju wanted to write poetry despite objections from his father, who wanted his son to become a doctor. Song Mong-

It is safe to say that Lee Joon-ik is one of Korea’s foremost film directors of all time. His body of work explains it all with a string of hits such as “Once Upon a Time in a Battlefield,” “King and the Clown” and “The Throne.”Director Lee Joon-ik at a cafe in Buam-dong, Seoul, last Saturday. (Park Hyong-ki/The Korea Herald)Some film critics label Lee a “master filmmaker of period movies,” while others say he has a “knack for telling stories by blending fictional stories with historical charact

Savoring traditional Korean soju requires five steps, similar to wine tasting. You have to look at the color, smell the aroma, sip and hold it in the mouth for several seconds before letting it slide down the throat and enjoying the slowly spreading scent inside the nose and throat. “A good soju is soft and makes you smile,” said artisan Kim Taek-sang at his brewing studio at Samcheong-ro in Jongno, central Seoul. Kim, who was named Seoul Intangible Cultural Asset No. 8 in 1990, has carried on t

During normal get-together parties at the year-end, Koreans chat and share past memories while roasting their beef and pork bellies over hot grills. But these parties can’t start without shots of distilled liquor soju or boilermaker drinks -- mix of beer and soju.After endless and unstoppable shots of drinks not only in glasses but also bowls, some get up quietly and leave early, while others who stay behind get emotional which sometimes leads to tussles while their minds go blank, with no memor

There’s an ancient folktale that tells the story of a monkey who blushed and smiled uncontrollably after gorging on a fermented apple he found on the ground. After a farmer noticed the monkey’s pleasant reaction to eating the old piece of fruit, he wondered if humans could enjoy the same blissful side effect, which led to the invention of alcohol. Visitors learn the history of traditional Korean liquor products at the Sansawon gallery in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province. (Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Heral

Amid the unprecedented boom of Korean art in the global art scene driven by the popularity of dansaekhwa, monochrome painting, Korean galleries are raising their antennas to search out the post-dansaekhwa generation.  Untitled-12050 by Lee Kang-wook (Arario Gallery)In their relentless search for new artists, Arario Gallery has introduced artist Lee Kang-wook in its first exhibition of the fresh new year.  Lee has just returned to the local art scene after a seven-year hiatus. In 2009, Lee left K

Chef Kwon Woo-joong has been losing sleep recently, contemplating how to best prepare and present Korean seafood cuisine in front of hundreds of global star chefs and business executives at the upcoming Madrid Fusion in Spain.Kwon Woo-joong (Kwon Woo-joong)Together with the Korean Food Foundation, Kwon will lead a team of five chefs from his Korean restaurant Kwon Sooksoo to represent Korea and introduce three seafood dishes at the global food congress on Jan. 25-27. The Korean Food Foundation i