SPOTLIGHT

• Economy

  

  Job growth remains slow despite signs of economic recovery

  South Korea's job growth has remained anemic in recent months despite the national economy showing signs of a recovery with robust exports, according to data on Sunday.The South Korean economy added about 112,000 new jobs in March and 104,000 new jobs in February, the data by Statistics Korea showed.It is the first time in almost two years that the number of new jobs remained at the 100,000-mark for two consecutive months.South Korea's exports rose 6.1 percent in March from a year earlier, thank

• Film

  

  Kim Joo-hyuk’s energetic performance to be a factor in ‘Believer’

  It has been half a year since Kim Joo-hyuk passed away in a car crash, but the Korean actor’s character acting has left a lasting impression via his filmography.“Believer,” directed by Lee Hae-young, is a crime action film that will give the audience one of the last -- and supposedly the most impressive -- glimpse of his talents.“He is the most heated character, and it is impossible to know what his boiling point is. He makes the others nervous as he is impossible to predict,” said director Lee

• Social affairs

  

  Top court finds man not guilty of security law breach over NK books

  The Supreme Court said Sunday that it has ruled a Military Manpower Administration employee not guilty of possessing books published in North Korea.The administration employee, surnamed Kang, was accused of possessing North Korean books, an act in violation of the National Security Law. (123RF)The suspect had been indicted in March 2012 on charges of having North Korean books including a collection on the North’s notion of “juche,” or self-reliance.The suspect said, “The texts from North Korea w

• Defense

  

  Korea, US to kick off annual military drills as scheduled: official

  South Korea and United States will hold their annual Key Resolve training exercise starting this week as scheduled, a military official said Sunday.The simulation-based, command-post drill between the two allies is set to begin Monday and run for the next two weeks, the official said. The two countries started their four-week Foal Eagle field training at the beginning of this month.But it's unclear whether the training will take place this Friday, when leaders of South Korea and North Korea are

LATEST NEWS

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  Automode

  FTC chief calls Hyundai Motor’s reform plan ‘most desirable’

  A plan by South Korean auto giant Hyundai Motor Group to spin off and merge affiliates as part of its corporate governance reform drive, is “the most desirable” case for conglomerates here attempting voluntary restructuring method under state pressure, the head of antitrust watchdog said.In a meeting with foreign press in Seoul on Friday, Kim Sang-jo, chairman of the Fair Trade Commission said the carmaker’s announcement of the owner family paying 1 trillion won ($935 million) came “unexpectedly

• 

  Industry

  Korean tech firms to lead niche market of AR, VR

  ROME -- South Korean companies will take the lead in the development of augmented and virtual reality technology although it may still be a niche market, an executive at a German consumer market research institute said during a preview of IFA, held in Rome, Saturday. “While Korea has emerged as a digitally mature country, we see Koreans willing to spend money for premium devices, like gadgets for VR contents. If you look at AR, VR and also artificial intelligence, I think these are the technolog

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  Industry

  IFA 2018 to showcase smart appliances, AI solutions and mobility

  IFA organizers say Samsung, LG’s foray into built-in market in Europe ‘surprising’

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  Industry

  SMEs seeking overseas expansion amid difficulties at home: poll

  South Korea's small and medium enterprises into overseas markets as they face mounting challenges at home, a poll by a local think tank showed Sunday.According to the Center for Large and Small Business Cooperation, 85.5 percent of all SMEs in the country said they are interested in setting up operations abroad.The findings were based on responses from 482 companies to questions on the latest market developments, with 412 saying they are considering diversifying within two years. (Yonhap)Of the

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  Economy

  Chaebols' financial affiliates urged to sell non-financial shares

  The top financial regulator has called on financial affiliates of family-run business conglomerates, or chaebol, to map out plans to sell their stocks in non-financial affiliates. The remarks by Financial Services Commission Chairman Choi Jong-ku on Friday were seen as a veiled warning to Samsung Life Insurance Co., which holds an 8.27 percent stake in Samsung Electronics Co.Lawmakers proposed a bill that bans insurers from holding a more than 3 percent stake in non-financial affiliates. If the

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  Politics

  Police raid blogger's office in opinion rigging probe

  Police on Sunday raided a local publishing company run by an influential blogger as part of a probe into allegations that he ran a massive scheme to manipulate online comments in news articles about President Moon Jae-in. Police sent investigators to search the premises in Paju, north of Seoul, and confiscate evidence, including digital files and surveillance footage, officials said.  (Yonhap)Law enforcement authorities are investigating the suspected rigging of Internet news comments by the 48-

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  Economy

  Korean washer exports to US almost halved after safeguard action: KITA

  South Korean washer exports to the United States plunged 45.4 percent on-year as safeguard measures took effect, an international traders organization here said Sunday.The data released by the Korea International Trade Association  showed outbound shipments standing at around $30 million in the first three months of 2018 compared to $55 million a year earlier.Under the safeguard measure that took effect on Feb. 7, 20 percent tariff have been slapped on the first 1.2 million imported washers in t

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  Sports

  Dodgers' Ryu Hyun-jin throws gem to win 3rd consecutive start

  Los Angeles Dodgers' South Korean starting pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin has won his third consecutive start with yet another gem in what's shaping up to be a fine season.Ryu held the Washington Nationals scoreless on two singles over a season-high seven innings at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday (local time), striking out eight and walking three as the Dodgers took the game 4-0.After outdueling Nationals ace Stephen Strasburg, Ryu improved to 3-0 and lowered his ERA from 2.87 to 1.99. He leads

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  Social affairs

  Opposition party leaders explore special probe into 'Druking' scandal

  Leaders of three opposition parties are set to put their heads together early this week to discuss ways to boost their push for a special probe into the sprawling online opinion rigging scandal involving a ruling party lawmaker, parliamentary sources said Sunday. The leaders and whips of the Liberty Korea Party, Bareunmirae Party and the Party for Democracy and Peace will hold a meeting in the National Assembly on Monday, according to the sources. They are expected to share views on the bills pr

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  Economy

  Korea, US to strengthen policy coordination: finance ministry

  Economic chiefs of South Korea and the United States agreed to strengthen their policy coordination at a time when inter-Korean relations are facing a dramatic turn, Seoul's finance ministry said Sunday.South Korean Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon held a meeting with his US counterpart Steven Mnuchin in Washington on Saturday on the sidelines of the G-20 finance ministers and central governors meeting.They shared the view that it is a critical time for the two countries to engage in close policy

GRAPHIC NEWS

OPINION

• Columnists

  

  Mexico didn’t hit the NAFTA jackpot

  Since 1993, the year before the North American Free Trade Agreement went into effect, per capita gross domestic product in Mexico is up about 26 percent in real terms. That’s a lot better than the outright decline in per capita GDP that the country had experienced over the course of the 1980s. But it’s nowhere close to the 41 percent gains in real GDP per capita experienced by Canada and the US, the other signatories of Nafta, not to mention China, where GDP per capita is up more than 600 percen

• Columnists

  

  Why China won’t yield to Trump

  Last month, US President Donald Trump enacted steel and aluminum tariffs aimed squarely at China. On April 2, China retaliated with tariffs on 128 American products. Trump then announced 25 percent tariffs on another 1,300 Chinese products, representing some $50 billion of exports. In response, China threatened 25 percent tariffs on 106 US exports (including soybeans, cars, and airplanes), to go into effect whenever the US tariffs do.Yes, if these measures go into effect, it will amount to a tra

THE INVESTOR

• Industrials

  

  How Korean Air's Cho family smuggled their stuff: sources

  As Korean Air heiress Cho Hyun-min is facing public backlash for the so-called “water rage” incident, fresh allegations cropped up on April 20 that the family used to frequently smuggle personal goods into Korea.According to sources, the family members abused their status as an airliner operator to smuggle in all kinds of goods including clothes in bulk and furniture. They were brought in under the code name “KIP,” which is short for Korean Air VIP. “The goods were brought in thro

• Automobiles

  

  GM Korea union losing ground following due diligence

  GM Korea’s union may lose some ground following the release of interim results of a due diligence conducted on the carmaker showing it would be more lucrative to keep it afloat than to opt for liquidation. The report also said the firm could swing to the black from 2020 under normalizations plans committed by all concerned parties.Of course, this would be assuming that all concerned parties, including the US headquarters and shareholders like Korea Development Bank, do their part

• Mobile & Internet

  

  IFA 2018 to showcase smart appliances, AI solutions and mobility

  ROME -- This year’s IFA, Europe’s biggest exhibition of consumer electronics, will see smart and connected devices for home appliances as well as artificial intelligence-incorporated consumer electronics take center stage, including those from South Korean tech giants Samsung and LG.“While AI is a key for the connected world, I see Samsung and LG leading the market. Korean companies are building huge research centers overseas and from what I see so far, I think they are doing it i

• Industrials

  

  Past comes back to haunt Korean Air’s Cho family

  As public backlash builds over the misconduct of Korean Air's Cho, some of their past deeds are coming back to haunt them. News reports are now shedding light on events dating back to 2015 when the Fair Trade Commission zeroed in on Hanjin Group’s affiliate Cyber Sky for being too reliant on inter-subsidiary sales. The government steps in when more than 80 percent of a conglomerate unit’s sales come from other affiliates. Cyber Sky's shares -- all non-listed -- were consecutively

K-POP HERALD

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  Luna to release new single

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  iKON drops video for upcoming show

• 

  Lee Ha-nee wears jeans like no other

HERALD INTERVIEW

• Industry

  

  Kayak targets Korea’s travel market with one-stop solution

• Music

  

  Woogie sets new trend by going off-trend

• Culture

  

  A transformation from model to shaman

• Finance

  

  Banksalad relieves financial information overload

PHOTO NEWS

• Culture

  

  Back to the Joseon era

  While time machines are the stuff of movies and fairy tales, it is possible to get a taste of what life was like in the Joseon era (1392-1910) at the Korean Folk Village in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, this spring.The living history museum is holding the “Welcome to Joseon” festival until June 24, under the pitch “Would you time travel to Joseon Dynasty with us?” vThe Korean Folk Village, which was once most commonly associated with school field trips, found a new lease of life in 2013 when it sta

VIDEO

• Food

  

  Diversity of Korean seaweed rice roll ‘gimbap’

• Culture

  

  Barbershop offers a cultural space for gentlemen

• Fashion

  

  77 student models strut down catwalk ‘cherry blossom way’

• Travel

  

  Tour service to link Korean ‘oppa’ with foreign visitors

FEATURES

• Health

  

  Smoking cafes no longer oasis for ostracized smokers

  Local coffee shops to enforce smoking ban with upcoming revision to smoking law in Korea

• Industry

  

  Competition heats up in growth of health, beauty stores

  When South Korean versions of drugstores were first introduced here in the 2000s, it took time for people locally to grasp what they actually were.They sold makeup, over-the-counter medicine and even snacks, a product lineup that at first seemed random, with items people were used to buying separately in specialty stores -- pharmacies, department stores and convenience stores.It took little time for the concept of health and beauty stores, or H&B, to become common among consumers here, boosted b

• Automode

  

  Hyundai overtakes BMW in Europe, Kia sales also grow

  The number of cars South Korean auto giants Hyundai and Kia sold in Europe grew last month despite declining auto sales in the region, data showed Thursday.According to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association, the number of newly registered cars in March fell 5.3 percent on-year, falling for the first time since 2014. Hyundai Motor, meanwhile, sold a total of 60,663 units, a 3.6 percent increase from the same month last year. Its sister company Kia Motors sold 56,725 units, a 4.8 perce

• Technology

  

  Raonsecure aims for US operation momentum with RSA presentation

  Raonsecure, a biometric technology solution provider to financial firms in South Korea, offered a theater presentation at RSA Conference 2018 in San Francisco, California, highlighting the “momentum for overseas business in America,” the company said Thursday. Raonsecure‘s presentation was made on Wednesday along with some 30 companies at the conference. Raonsecure was the only Korean company to be invited by US company Intel to give presentation.  (Raonsecure)The 30-minute session involved an o