SPOTLIGHT

• Film

  

  Luc Besson explains why ‘Valerian’ is a bit unusual

  By Rumy Doo

  Acclaimed filmmaker of ‘Leon’ says his new sci-fi epic aims to make adults dream

• Music

  

  Electrifying show by Gallagher, Foo Fighters; could’ve been more?

  By Yoon Min-sik

  The fans waited a very long time for a kick-ass show, which they got but not for very long.Liam Gallagher and Foo Fighters sent tremors down the city of Seoul and shivers down the spines of music fans gathered at Jamsil Stadium in Songpa-gu, Seoul on Tuesday. “Live Forever Long” offered Korea a chance to see Gallagher and Foo Fighters for the first time in five and two years, respectively. And it did not disappoint.Liam Gallagher performs during the “Live Forever Long” concert in Seoul on Tuesda

• Music

  

  DIA returns full of love with ‘Love Generation’

  By Hong Dam-young

  K-pop act DIA returned fully charged with powerful energy with its third EP “Love Generation.” Clad in black-and-white school uniforms, the group’s nine singers sparkled as they took to the stage at a media showcase for their new EP in Seoul on Tuesday. DIA is short for “Diamond.”(Yonhap)“Love Generation” marks DIA’s first release since its second full-length album “YOLO” four months ago. The EP delves into the feelings of a teenage girl dabbling in love. Each track features a different musical

• North Korea

  

  Drug trafficking hits major cities in North Korea: report

  By Kim Min-joo

  North Korea faces growing problems linked to drug trafficking, Japanese news media reported Wednesday. According to the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper, about 500 people were apprehended in the month of May last year for drug trafficking in an unidentified North Korean city and nearby areas.  (Yonhap)The reclusive regime’s crackdown suggests drug trafficking, which initially emerged along its Chinese border, is now spreading across other major cities. The Japanese daily based its report on a lecture

LATEST NEWS

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  World

  China urges US to drop new sanctions on Chinese companies

  BEIJING, (AP) - China on Wednesday urged US to withdraw new sanctions it imposed on Chinese companies that Washington says are supporting North Korea as it carries out increasingly ambitious missile tests.On Tuesday, the Trump administration imposed sanctions on 16 mainly Chinese and Russian companies and people for assisting North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs and helping it to make money to support those programs.(Yonhap)Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told r

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  World

  Four dead as typhoon smashes into Macau and Hong Kong

  HONG KONG, (AFP) - Typhoon Hato left three dead in the gambling hub of Macau Wednesday as it brought chaos and destruction to the enclave after sweeping through neighboring Hong Kong, where one man also died.Local media showed severe flooding had left cars underwater and people swimming in Macau's city streets, with the territory's mega-casinos running on back-up generators. Three men aged 30 to 65 died, the Macau government said, while two people were missing. One of the men died after being in

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  Politics

  Foreign, Unification ministries to lead Moon’s two-track approach on NK

  President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday reiterated his policy of Seoul taking the lead in resolving North Korean issues and stressed the roles of the foreign and unification ministries in the two-track approach to inter-Korean issues. Speaking at a briefing of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Unification, Moon said that South Korea is facing grievous diplomatic challenges and that Seoul must take the lead, and approach such issues from the point of view of national interests. “(North K

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  Politics

  Former PM Han released after 2-year sentence

  Former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook was released from prison Wednesday, after completing her two-year sentence over bribery. Han was convicted of receiving some 900 million won in illicit political funds from a local businessman in 2007, during her stint as prime minister. Han, the country’s first woman to become prime minister and the first former premier to serve a prison term, was long considered a heavyweight within the liberal camp.As she came out from prison in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Provin

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  Politics

  Ahn Cheol-soo stresses path of ‘radical centrism’

  Ahn Cheol-soo’s political fortunes seem to have reached a low point lately. The party that he founded, chaired and represented during the presidential election in May is now battling record-low popularity, after a disappointing third-place finish at the presidential race and a humiliating scandal involving some of Ahn’s loyal supporters fabricating a smear campaign against then-presidential candidate Moon Jae-in. Ahn Cheol-soo (Park Hae-mook/The Korea Herald)But in an interview with The Korea He

• 

  Columnists

  How to beat North Korea at nuclear blackmail

  “Strategic patience” is out as the US approach to North Korea, and “strategic accountability” is the new term of art. That’s according to an op-ed article by Secretary of Defense James Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. “The object of our peaceful pressure campaign,” they write, “is the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”While I heartedly approve of finally providing clarity beyond President Donald Trump’s bombastic statements, we should be realistic. I understand the reasons fo

• Columnists

  commentary-Ana Palacio

  Guardian of liberal world order By Ana Palacio The global financial crisis, which began 10 years ago this month, showed that the Western-led rules-based international order’s long-term survival is not inevitable. It is often assumed that if and when the United States loses its place as the global hegemon in that system, China will be the country to lead the world. But what would a Chinese-led order look like?Events this summer hinted at an answer. In June, a subsidiary of Spanish oil company Rep

• Columnists

  Why Iran nuclear deal is still historic challenge for Trump

  In July 2015, The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board called the agreement that the United States, Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the European Union had just reached with Iran a “historic gamble.” In exchange for reduced economic sanctions and the return of up to $150 billion in seized assets, Tehran agreed to sharp limits on its uranium enrichment program -- which could have been used to make nuclear weapons -- and to regular inspections of its nuclear facilities.We lauded the

• Columnists

  Is there anyone left willing to defend Trump?

  When a van plowed into pedestrians in Barcelona last week, President Trump didn’t wait for investigators to determine who the attackers were. Within minutes of the first reports, he tweeted: “The United States condemns the terror attack in Barcelona, Spain, and will do whatever is necessary to help.”But when a car rammed into a crowd in Charlottesville, Virginia, five days earlier, Trump decried violence “on many sides” and explained that he needed to wait for the facts to come in. Later, under

• Columnists

  The US Navy’s deadly collision course

  The circumstances of the crash of the USS John S. McCain near Singapore, which killed at least one US sailor and has left nine missing, remain unclear pending a Navy investigation. The bigger picture, however, is already in focus: Four major accidents this year involving ships of the 7th Fleet highlight a systemic problem that imperils American dominance on the high seas.At any given time, about 100 of the Navy’s roughly 275 ships are deployed. Yet the fleet is half the size it was 30 years ago,

GRAPHIC NEWS

OPINION

• Columnists

  

  How to beat North Korea at nuclear blackmail

  By Bloomberg

  “Strategic patience” is out as the US approach to North Korea, and “strategic accountability” is the new term of art. That’s according to an op-ed article by Secretary of Defense James Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. “The object of our peaceful pressure campaign,” they write, “is the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”While I heartedly approve of finally providing clarity beyond President Donald Trump’s bombastic statements, we should be realistic. I understand the reasons fo

• Columnists

  

  Moon needs courage to be hated

  By Lee Joo-hee

  It is literally impossible to please everyone, yet we constantly make the mistake of believing one should, or can.Imagine trying to please 51,744,948 people. That is what President Moon Jae-in set out to do, vowing to become “everyone’s president” as he was sworn in as the 19th leader of the fastidious crowd three months ago. With the dust of political chaos barely settling down, Moon’s inauguration promise seemed an invitation to criticism. It was comparative to, for instance, former US Preside

THE INVESTOR

• Shareholders

  

  Naver founder reduces stake amid heightened antitrust scrutiny

  [THE INVESTOR] Naver founder Lee Hae-jin has reduced his stake in the internet giant ahead of the change of its legal status as chaebol, which will lead to heightened antitrust scrutiny. According to a regulatory filing on Aug. 23, Lee, who is currently serving as global investment officer, sold 110,000 shares worth 81.8 billion won (US$72.30 million) in a block deal. The selling price, 743,990 won apiece, was about 3 percent discount on the closing price on Aug. 22. He now owns 4.31 percent sta

• Industrials

  

  SK hynix may be far from acquiring Toshiba

  [THE INVESTOR] Amid news of the ongoing meeting between the top management of Japan’s Toshiba and US-based hard drive manufacturer Western Digital in Tokyo, industry observers are raising the possibility that South Korea’s SK hynix may be far from acquiring Toshiba’s chipmaking unit, according to news reports on Aug. 23.  According to a report by Japan’s Nikkei, the meeting of the chiefs of the two longtime business partners -- Toshiba CEO Satoshi Tsunakawa and Western Digital CEO Stephen Millig

• LG

  

  LG to build EV-parts factory in US

  [THE INVESTOR] LG Electronics said on Aug. 23 it will build a factory for the production of electric vehicle parts in the US with an estimated US$25 million.The construction of the plant in Hazel Park, near the industrial city of Detroit, will be completed early next year, LG said. The factory will produce battery packs for electric cars and gradually expand the scope to other key parts, it added. Battery packs produced by LG Chem for Chevrolet BoltLG already operates its vehicle-components offi

• Mobile & Internet

  

  SK Planet mulls exit from Indonesia

  [THE INVESTOR] SK Planet, operator of the nation’s top online open market 11st, is considering selling its stake in an Indonesian joint venture aiming to exit the highly-competitive market, according to news reports on Aug. 23. SK Planet set up a 50:50 joint venture Elevenia with Indonesia’s telecom operator XL Axiata in 2014. The Korean firm invested about 50 billion won (US$44.21 million) at the time. Reports said the Indonesian retail giant Salim Group is considering acquiring Elevenia in its

K-POP HERALD

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  Pristin returns with rebellious ‘Schxxl Out’

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  Lee Sa-gang on 'Autumn in My Heart'

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  Lee Gi-kwang on his solo album

HERALD INTERVIEW

• Film

  

  Lee Jong-suk on playing a delicate serial killer

• Social affairs

  

  How comfort women statues got to ride Seoul buses

• Film

  

  Actor Jang Dong-gun once thought himself unattractive

• Technology

  

  Neofect eyes global lead in smart rehabilitation device market

PHOTO NEWS

• Culture

  

  Lotus flower, miracle of unwavering purity

  By Korea Herald

  Nothing is more divine than this immaculate and pure flower. Gazing into its large colorful blossoms that rise high above broad green leaves, you’ll be drawn to their blithely beautiful figures, and even find yourself unburdened from worldly cares. The lotus, which comes to its beautiful full bloom in the summer, is a flower that defies logic. With its roots deep in the murky pool, the flower slowly emerges toward the surface and bursts out of the water to reveal its fragrant petals, bearing no

VIDEO

• Social affairs

  

  Campaign on to spread basic floating skills, curb drowning deaths

• Social affairs

  

  Coin-op game arcades struggle to find appeal beyond nostalgia

• Social affairs

  

  Gay pride parade in Seoul draws record number

• More sports

  

  Stephen Curry thrills fans, hosts youth clinic on Korea trip

FEATURES

• Finance

  

  Banks sway between recruitment and downsizing

  By Bae Hyun-jung

  Major banks are holding off their second-half employment notice, pressed between their financial need for downsizing and the Moon Jae-in administration‘s drive for job creation.While the central bank and a partially state-controlled bank vowed to expand recruitment, most commercial banks prolonged their ambiguous silence, apparently reluctant to make pre-emptive moves.The Bank of Korea said Tuesday that it will hire 70 new employees in the latter half of the year, increasing its recruitment by s

• Social affairs

  

  Human rights watchdog examines care facilities for signs of abuse

  By Bak Se-hwan

  The National Human Rights Commission of Korea announced Monday that it will release human rights abuse data from local care facilities that serve people with physical and mental disabilities.(Yonhap)In a joint national survey conducted by the watchdog and three activist groups, some 292 care facilities users nationwide have been interviewed since last month on whether they have experienced abuse. “The in-depth research is part of our effort to look into possible violations of human rights among

• Music

  

  DJ duo Garenz hopes to fill clubs with own music

  By Hong Dam-young

  The Korea Herald is introducing Korean singers, musicians and actors poised to join the next wave of top stars in a twice monthly series. -- Ed.

• Politics

  

  Political parties experience internal frictions in push for reform

  By Jo He-rim

  Three months into the new Moon Jae-in administration, political parties across the aisle are experiencing internal friction as they push for reforms before local elections slated for June next year. Ruling Democratic Party of Korea lawmakers are divided over their chairwoman’s plan to establish a committee to improve the party, and change nomination rules for the local elections.Rep. Choo Mi-ae, the party leader, said current party regulations should be changed to allow the nominations of new fi