Most Popular
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Yoon sorry for shortcomings but insists policies were right
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1 in 3 Koreans live alone, family types becoming diverse
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S. Korea ‘strongly’ protests Japan’s claim over Dokdo in diplomatic bluebook
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Korea, Japan finance chiefs vow to tame rampant FX market volatility
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US 'incredibly concerned' about suspected NK-Iran military ties
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Korean won weakens amid heightened uncertainty
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Seoul says will cut power to porn festival planned on Han River
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Sewol victims commemorated on tragedy's 10th anniversary
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K-pop group's manager dismissed for setting up spycam in theater dressing room
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Chanel, Louis Vuitton see muted growth in Korea
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[Herald Interview] Korean-American director wins big at Spirit Awards
As Hollywood was making its final preparations for the glitz, glamor -- and gaffes -- of this year’s Oscars, on Saturday the film world’s purveyors of lower-budget films gathered in Santa Monica, California, for the 2017 Film Independent Spirit Awards. Among those in attendance was Andrew Ahn, who won the John Cassavetes Award presented for the best feature film with a budget under $500,000 for “Spa Night,” and who was also a nominee for the Someone to Watch Award.“Spa Night,” a story Ahn called
FilmFeb. 28, 2017
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[Herald Interview] Ahn So-hee observes, listens and empathizes
Soft-spoken Ahn So-hee seemed to put a great amount of thought into her answers before vocalizing them. One of her hobbies is simply to “observe people” as she herself isn’t “very outgoing or talkative,” Ahn said at an interview Wednesday at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Seoul.“People say that observing others, (and) seeing and feeling lots of things will help me even more in my future acting,” said the budding actress, who stars in the recent film “A Single Rider” alongside Lee Byung-hun and Gong H
FilmFeb. 26, 2017
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[Herald Interview] After 14 years, actress Go Ara has only just begun
Go Ara’s breakthrough came in 2013, when she starred in the nostalgic drama series “Reply 1994.” Forgoing her previously pristine look, she cut her hair in a frizzy bob to portray the spunky university student Sung Na-jung, in a performance for which Go nabbed praise both critically and with viewers.The role, to a certain extent, enabled the actress to break free from the prejudice that she was “too pretty” to embody diverse characters, which is in fact her ultimate goal, Go said at an interview
TelevisionFeb. 23, 2017
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[Herald Interview] ‘Seoul needs trust-building mechanism more than anything’
Michael BerkowitzWhat Seoul needs more than anything to become a resilient city is people’s trust in the government, said Michael Berkowitz, president of 100 Resilient Cities under the Rockefeller Foundation. “Building trust in the government is an important part of building a resilient city,” he said in an interview with The Korea Herald on Monday. The president took Hurricane Katrina-hit New Orleans in 2005 as an example of people not believing in the state government due to corruption. “When
IndustryFeb. 21, 2017
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[Herald Interview] Behind the charisma, Lee Byung-hun is drawn to subtlety
In one of his most acclaimed performances, Lee Byung-hun plays a gang member ordered to spy on his boss’s wife in director Kim Jee-woon’s 2005 noir “A Bittersweet Life.”The character starts out as a ruthless perfectionist trusted to unquestioningly execute orders. But struggling between his dreams and real life, he begins to act on his own impulses.Lee was strongly reminded of that tortured mobster he had portrayed over a decade ago while playing his recent role in the psychological drama “A Sin
FilmFeb. 21, 2017
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[Herald Interview] Chef dreams of sustainable food ecosystem
America’s dinner table has been quintessentially defined by the corn-fed, seven-ounce steak, served with steamed baby carrots. While the dish may be savory, the agricultural practices involved in its creation have not been so kind to the soil, sapping it of vital nutrients. That needs to change, according to Dan Barber, chef and co-owner of the Blue Hill restaurant in Greenwich Village, New York City. Barber says it’s time to move beyond the “farm-to-table” model and espouse a holistic paradigm
FoodFeb. 20, 2017
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[Herald Interview] Korea can tap Gulf's urban development needs: CEO
With their competitive edge in building infrastructure, South Korean companies can tap the growing needs of urban development in the Persian Gulf region, a Qatari bank CEO said.Raghavan Seetharaman, CEO and president of Doha Bank Group, recently visited Seoul to hold a seminar for Korean builders and financial firms interested in investing in the region.“It is the strength of Korea -- building, contracting, procurement, supply chain systems and logistics for airports, roads, rails, sea ports and
Feb. 20, 2017
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[Herald Interview] Actor Go Soo still unsure after 20 years
With chiseled features and deep dark eyes, Go Soo has earned himself the nickname “the statue of David” among Korean fans -- but his identity as an actor has been less defined. Now nearing 20 years since his debut, the actor had a busy but less-than-noticeable 2016, starring in the TV period drama “The Flower in the Prison” as a mysterious tradesman and making a brief appearance in the film “The Age of Shadows.” Actor Go Soo (Young Hwa In)Go returns to the big screen as the lost, confused, tired
FilmFeb. 19, 2017
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[HERALD INTERVIEW] Ericsson-LG to join hands with Korean mobile stars: chief
Ericsson-LG CEO Patrick Johansson (Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald)Ericsson-LG, a network equipment and solution provider, will expand its business in South Korea to mobile and media services, taking advantage of the country’s fast internet speed, said the company’s CEO Patrick Johansson. The company, established between Sweden’s largest network business and LG Electronics in 2010, is now in talks with leading mobile businesses such as Naver and Kakao in order to help improve the efficiency of mo
TechnologyFeb. 16, 2017
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[Herald Interview] ‘Trump, rising oil will boost MLP funds’
The Donald Trump administration’s massive support to build energy infrastructure in the US and a recovery of global oil prices will boost the performance of MLP funds for the next several years, a chief investment officer of a US asset management firm has said.MLP funds are those investing in US companies called master limited partnerships, which operate energy pipe lines and transportation and storage firms for shale gas and oil. In Korea, there are two MLP funds operated by Korea Investment Ma
Feb. 14, 2017
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[Herald Interview] K bank will offer best rates among first-tier lenders: CEO
South Korea’s first internet-only banking firm K bank will seek to offer the best interest rates for both deposits and loans among first-tier commercial lenders in the country, leveraging its cost savings from not running brick-and-mortar branches, its CEO said.At its headquarters in Gwanghwamun in central Seoul, K bank’s some 200 employees are busy making sure all its financial transaction systems and the user interface of K bank’s smartphone app does not have any glitches, prior to the officia
Feb. 13, 2017
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[Herald Interview] Kumho and Kuhmo join hands to highlight young talents
Jet lag is part of the life of internationally renowned musicians these days. Vladimir Mendelssohn, a Romanian-born violist and composer now based in the Netherlands, is no exception. In Seoul for the three-day Kumho & Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival, Mendelssohn said he fell asleep at 9 a.m. for about an hour before leaving his hotel for the interview held Thursday morning at the Kumho Art Hall in downtown Seoul. Artistic director of the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival since 2005, Mendelssohn is used
PerformanceFeb. 9, 2017
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[Herald Interview] Suwon, a city for the citizens, by the citizens
Suwon, a city just south of Seoul, is known mostly for being home to the headquarters of the world’s No. 1 chipmaker Samsung Electronics and the UNESCO-designated Hwaseong Fortress. Its mayor now wants to make the city famous for something else: democracy. “I will work to make a government for the citizens, by the citizens,” said Suwon Mayor Yeom Tae-young in an interview with The Korea Herald. “What people demanded during the candlelight protests (against President Park Geun-hye) is to build a
PoliticsFeb. 9, 2017
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[Herald Interview] Mosaicoon out to revolutionize video marketing
We’ve all been there. Waiting to binge watch fun videos on YouTube, we’ve zoned out while enduring a painful 15-second commercial and clicked the “skip ad” button as soon as it appeared. What does this say about today’s digital consumers? It means a lot of people love to watch online videos that are interesting or relevant but they will shut off videos they dislike or have no interest in – which means most corporate advertisements on the web. Eyeing the rise of online video and relevant consumpt
TechnologyFeb. 1, 2017
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[Herald Interview] Garosu-gil properties expect 5% returns this year
Seoul’s commercial leasing market is highly likely to be affected by the expected US interest rate hikes and weakening of the Korean won this year. But Richard Hwang, managing director of Cushman & Wakefield Korea, a global consulting agency on real estate investment, is still optimistic about high returns of investments in Garosu-gil, southern Seoul, one of the most faddish commercial districts in the city. “While most Korean investors view investing in Garosu-gil as having come to an end, the
Jan. 22, 2017
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[Herald Interview] Jung Woo-sung, from idol to gentleman to man of convictions
To most Korean moviegoers and fellow actors, Jung Woo-sung is best known for his role in Kim Sung-su’s 1997 gangster film “Beat.” He plays a teenager who drops out of high school -- something Jung also did in real life, due to his family’s poverty and his desire to pursue an acting career -- and is forced into the world of gangsters. Jung is often referred to as “the celebrity’s celebrity” here. Many actors who debuted in later years, including Hyun Bin and Park Hae-jin, confessed to having idol
FilmJan. 19, 2017
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[HERALD INTERVIEW] ‘US-China clash could reset inter-Korean ties’
With US President-elect Donald Trump amplifying his pugnacious rhetoric on China, foreign policy pundits have sounded their jitters about the fallout on the Korean Peninsula and North Korean nuclear impasse.While cooperation between the US and China has generally expanded diplomatic room for South Korea and vice versa, the coming clash of the two titans is “not necessarily a bad thing,” according to John Delury, associate professor at Yonsei University’s Graduate School of International Studies.
Foreign AffairsJan. 16, 2017
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[HERALD INTERVIEW] ‘Time to tap China’s explosive carbon market’
With global pressure mounting on South Korea to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, it is now time for Korean companies to tap China’s emissions trading market, which will be 20 times bigger than the Korean one, a climate change expert said.Kim Sung-woo, regional head of KPMG’s climate change and sustainability in Asia Pacific, predicted Beijing would launch a nationwide emissions trading scheme in the second half of the year.“China’s seven provinces have already launched pilot markets and they wil
IndustryJan. 15, 2017
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[Herald Interview] Yoo Hae-jin still finds each film set ‘new’
The public perception of actor Yoo Hae-jin has changed over the years. In the early years of his career, he was regarded primarily as a comical sidekick before being recognized as a colorful supporting actor in Korean cinema. Last year, Yoo nabbed his first lead role after 24 years in show business. He starred in the action-comedy flick “Luck-Key” as an assassin-turned-struggling actor, and the film was a box office success here, selling over 6.5 million tickets and marking a breakthrough for Yo
FilmJan. 15, 2017
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[HERALD INTERVIEW] Polaroid Swing expresses the world in movement
Since the moment the camera lens landed on the smartphone, users have been busy snapping the world around them. The market for new ways to capture photographs and make adjustments to them has exploded further with the rise of Instagram and selfies. Despite the saturated market, two former business consultants from London saw a chance to “re-imagine” photographs through a new app called Polaroid Swing. Intrigued by the app’s new take on photography, Polaroid came on board as a shareholding partne
TechnologyJan. 15, 2017