SPOTLIGHT

• Social affairs

  

  Police to summon K-pop star Seungri, YG Entertainment chief over gambling charges

  Police plan to summon this week Seungri, a former member of popular K-pop boy band BIGBANG, and the former chief of the band's music label on charges of overseas gambling, according to officials Sunday. Seungri and Yang Hyun-suk, the former CEO of YG Entertainment, were booked by the police earlier this month on charges of gambling in a foreign country and securing gambling money in violation of the country's Foreign Exchange Transaction Act. Cable network JTBC earlier reported that Yang an

• Automode

  

  Korando gasoline upgrades style, sophistication

  The name Korando, SsangYong Motor’s signature sport utility brand and the oldest such brand in Korea, has represented power, firmness and masculinity for the last 37 years. The all-new Korando that returned to the market early this year after an eight-year hiatus, however, flips the common image of the SUV on its head. It is stylish and sophisticated, yet affordable. The Korando gasoline model, launched six months after the 2.0-liter diesel version, showed no major flaws throughout the med

• More sports

  

  S. Korea beats China to finish 3rd at Asian women's volleyball tourney

  Host South Korea finished third at the Asian Women's Volleyball Championship on Sunday with a straight-set victory over China. South Korea took care of China 3-0 (25-21, 25-20, 25-22) at Jamsil Arena in Seoul for its second consecutive third-place finish. At the biennial event in 2017, South Korea also prevailed over China to take the third spot.South Korea is a first-time host of the Asian championship, which was inaugurated in 1975. The country has never won the event, with seven runner-up fin

• Arts&Design

  

  MMCA initiates new art project with Hyundai Motor

  The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Korea announced Friday it has started “Project #” to promote new artists.  Starting this year, it will annually select two art teams and provide them with financial support for exhibitions until 2023. Each team will be given 30 million won ($24,790) by Hyundai Motor for exhibitions, while the MMCA will provide studios at its residency in Chang-dong for six months and exhibition space at the museum’s main branch in Seoul

LATEST NEWS

• 

  Politics

  Cheong Wa Dae refutes analysis on widening income inequality

  The office of President Moon Jae-in on Sunday refuted analysis of the government's latest data claiming that household income inequality widened during the second quarter, defending the administration's fiscal policy.On Thursday, Statistics Korea announced the average household income for the April-June period, with most media reports analyzing that household income inequality widened to the worst level in more than a decade despite the government's efforts to bridge the gap for the low-income b

• 

  Culture

  Buddhist activities to be offered at Insa-dong cultural festival

  The Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism, an affiliate of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, is offering a variety of events connected with its Templestay program at this week’s 32nd Insadong International Culture Expo. The annual event takes place Aug. 29 to Sept. 2 on the main street of Insa-dong, central Seoul, where vendors in the area will showcase the traditional appeal of the historic district. During the expo, the Buddhist institution will operate a booth from 1 to 5 p.m. every

• 

  Business

  ICT exports fall for 9th month in July

  　South Korean exports of information and communications technology products dropped for the ninth straight month in July on sluggish demand for chips, mobile phones and displays, data showed.　Outbound shipments totaled $14.51 billion last month, down a whopping 21.8 percent from a year ago, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Science and ICT.　Korea’s ICT exports have been on the decline since November last year, with overseas shipments plunging 22.5 percent in June. (Yonhap)

• 

  Viewpoints

  ASEAN should guarantee safe return of Rohingyas to Myanmar

  ASEAN has a lot of work to do for the sake of its own relevancy as Myanmar and Bangladesh make another attempt to repatriate thousands of Muslim Rohingyas to strife-torn Rakhine state while the situation on the ground remains unsafe.The authority in Myanmar’s capital Naypyitaw announced last week that Myanmar would accept 3,450 refugees from the list of 22,000 provided by Bangladesh earlier this month, as the first batch of people to resettle in Myanmar.It is not known publicly how the lis

• Editorial

  Crumbling alliance

  Termination of intel-sharing deal causes concerns on diplomatic alienation and security vacuum

• 

  Viewpoints

  An obvious proviso for readmitting Russia to G-7

  As the G-7 gathers this weekend in Biarritz, President Donald Trump has expressed hope for the return of Russia, the missing guest at the table. But any consideration of this issue requires dealing with his least favorite subject -- Russian cyber-meddling in US elections. The stark reality is that the United States is now fighting a low-level cyberwar to combat Kremlin political interference and other malign actions. US Cyber Command launched this “hunt forward” campaign last summer

• 

  Foreign Affairs

  Japan must show ‘sincere, consistent contrition’ toward Koreans: US scholar

  An op-ed piece on the trade row between Korea and Japan, published Aug. 11 by the Washington Post, has grabbed the spotlight in both nations. Written by Gregg A. Brazinsky, a professor of history and international affairs at George Washington University in the US, the piece blamed the bilateral spat on Japan’s lack of apology for past wrongdoings.  Specializing in East Asian history and diplomacy, the scholar is an expert on Korea’s international relations and has written two bo

• 

  North Korea

  North Korea boasts test-firing of newly developed ‘super-large multiple rocket launcher’

  North Korea on Sunday boasted the successful test-firing of what it called a “newly developed super-large multiple rocket launcher,” a day after it fired two projectiles into the East Sea. Releasing pictures of the new weapon system, the state-run daily Rodong Sinmun said North Korean leader Kim Jong-un highly praised the new system after overseeing the test-firing. “The test-fire proved that all the tactical and technological specifications of the system correctly reached the

• 

  Defense

  Does 52-hour workweek rule create more jobs?

  A survey on 181 companies in South Korea reveals less job creation growth by companies subject to 52-hour workweek rule

• 

  Industry

  GS Group braces for low-growth era at strategic meeting

  GS Group Chairman Huh Chang-soo called for preemptive measures to respond to the sluggish economy at a strategy meeting held on Saturday and Sunday. Under the theme “Strategies for Growth in Low-Growth Era,” the meeting was attended by some 60 CEOs and managers of group affiliates, the firm said.“I hope this conference will be the first step in providing insights amid the changes and uncertainties we are facing in the low-growth era,” Huh remarked.At the two-day meeting,

GRAPHIC NEWS

OPINION

• Viewpoints

  

  ASEAN should guarantee safe return of Rohingyas to Myanmar

  ASEAN has a lot of work to do for the sake of its own relevancy as Myanmar and Bangladesh make another attempt to repatriate thousands of Muslim Rohingyas to strife-torn Rakhine state while the situation on the ground remains unsafe.The authority in Myanmar’s capital Naypyitaw announced last week that Myanmar would accept 3,450 refugees from the list of 22,000 provided by Bangladesh earlier this month, as the first batch of people to resettle in Myanmar.It is not known publicly how the lis

• Viewpoints

  

  An obvious proviso for readmitting Russia to G-7

  As the G-7 gathers this weekend in Biarritz, President Donald Trump has expressed hope for the return of Russia, the missing guest at the table. But any consideration of this issue requires dealing with his least favorite subject -- Russian cyber-meddling in US elections. The stark reality is that the United States is now fighting a low-level cyberwar to combat Kremlin political interference and other malign actions. US Cyber Command launched this “hunt forward” campaign last summer

THE INVESTOR

• Mobile & Internet

  

  Line Man becomes popular personal assistant in Thailand

  Company’s internet bank unlikely to be set up in the near future due to regulations

• Industrials

  

  GS Group braces for low-growth era at strategic meeting

  GS Group Chairman Huh Chang-soo called for preemptive measures to respond to the sluggish economy at a strategy meeting held on Aug. 25 and 26.Under the theme “Strategies for Growth in Low-Growth Era,” the meeting was attended by some 60 CEOs and managers of group affiliates, the firm said. “I hope this conference will be the first step in providing insights amid the changes and uncertainties we are facing in the low-growth era,” Huh remarked.At the two-day meet

• Economy

  

  Does 52-hour workweek rule create more jobs?

  Despite the government’s efforts to create more jobs by mandating companies to cut their employees’ maximum weekly work hours to 52 hours, it has not contributed to creating more jobs, a report claimed on Aug. 25.According to a survey by corporate research firm CEO Score, those who adopted the 52-hour workweek rule last year saw their annual hiring increase by up to 1.8 percent compared to a year earlier. But the growth was almost the same as the time when the policy was not implemen

• The Investor

  

  Kia’s Soul EV picked ‘most competitive compact EV’ by Auto Zeitung

  Kia Motors said on Aug. 25 its subcompact crossover Soul EV has been picked as the most competitive compact-size electric vehicle by German automotive magazine Auto Zeitung, beating rivals including BMW’s i3s and Nissan’s Leaf e+. Soul EV received the highest marks in most evaluation categories including body, driving comfort, powertrain and environment/cost, except in driving dynamics, winning 2,989 out of 5,000 points. BMW’s i3s and Nissan’s Leaf e+ received 2,894

K-POP HERALD

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  Review: Enjoying Monsta X’s LA concert at home in Seoul

• 

  Interview: ‘Chameleonlike’ Jinu of Winner sometimes obsesses over things

• 

  Review: BTS’ ‘Bring The Soul’ delves into blood, sweat and tears of stardom

HERALD INTERVIEW

• Social affairs

  

  Sports bodies need to make own assessments of Fukushima: Greenpeace nuclear specialist

• Industry

  

  Raising the bar of ethical farming, startup offers ‘disruptive’ agritech

• People

  

  Four generations of family carry on Jeju’s brewing legacy

• Fashion

  

  Park Seung-gun still pushing the envelope

PHOTO NEWS

• Culture

  

  Japanese colonial history in Korea at a glance

  On Thursday, a national holiday marking Korea’s independence from Japanese colonial rule on Aug. 15, 1945, the Museum of Japanese Colonial History in Korea was very crowded with visitors wanting to better understand the history of the two neighboring countries amid a deepening diplomatic and trade rift. The two-story museum, which sits in a small alley in Yongsan, central Seoul, opened in August last year through donations from the public, civic groups and academics. It exhibits the h

VIDEO

• Industry

  

  How far are we from printing hearts for transplant?

• Foreign Affairs

  

  Views of South Koreans on boycotting Japanese products

• Food&Beverage

  

  Behind South Korea’s ‘fatcaron’ sensation

• Food&Beverage

  

  Behind jewelry shops, pairing pork, kimchi and oysters in Jongno

FEATURES

• Economy

  

  Korea marks 20th anniversary of FTA talks across globe

  SEJONG -- It has been two decades since South Korea took its first steps into the free trade market, seeking bilateral deals with major world economies in hopes of enjoying tariff benefits.Since launching negotiations toward a free trade agreement with its first partner, Chile, in 1999, Korea has put 15 FTAs in place with three continental trade blocs (that involve 42 countries collectively) and 12 countries.The three trade blocs are the 28-member European Union, the 10-member Associat

• Politics

  

  Moon to pass halfway point with challenges at home and abroad

  SEJONG -- President Moon Jae-in will pass the halfway point in November, finishing the first 30 months of his 60-month term.The Moon administration launched in May 2017, several months after a political scandal involving former President Park Geun-hye and her confidante Choi Soon-sil swept the nation and ignited public fury.The people pinned great hopes on Moon, who stressed justice and fairness in his inaugural speech.Moon’s approval ratings hovered around 70-80 percent during the first y

• Social affairs

  

  Single-person households on the rise in S. Korea

  Seoul, South Jeolla top 1-member household portion

• Social affairs

  

  More than 10,000 centenarians reside in Seoul metropolitan area

  SEJONG -- The population of South Korea increased by less than 1.2 percent over the past five years from 51.25 million in July 2014 to 51.84 million in July 2019, amid the record-low birthrates.According to the Ministry of Interior and Safety, the number of Koreans increased by only 595,000 over the five-year period. This indicates a growth of less than 10,000 a month on average.Apart from the rapid reduction of newborns and those aged under 15, the working population aged between 15 and 64 has