SPOTLIGHT

• Social affairs

  

  Kazakh man suspected of hit-and-run extradited to Korea

  A Kazakhstan national who fled the country after allegedly hitting a 7-year-old boy in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, with the vehicle he was driving was extradited to South Korea on Monday and handed over to Jinhae Police Station.The suspect, whose name is being withheld, is accused of a hit-and-run accident at around 3:30 p.m. on Sept. 16, resulting in serious injuries to the victim. He fled to his home country via Uzbekistan the next morning.He was an undocumented immigrant and did not

• Music

  

  K-pop superband SuperM tops Billboard 200

  Brand new K-pop act SuperM topped a main Billboard chart upon its debut in the United States, according the chart result re-released on Monday.The supergroup's first release, "SuperM: The 1st Mini Album," debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart for the week of Oct. 19, making the septet the first K-pop band to do so following global phenomenon BTS, Billboard said.The achievement was made only two weeks after the group's official release on Oct. 4."The set ... launches w

• Finance

  

  LVMH set to lose W8b from drop in YG’s stock value

  Despite YG Entertainment’s scheduled return of a 67 billion won ($56.6 million) investment to LVMH this week, the French luxury giant is still projected to lose around 8 billion won due to the decline in the K-pop agency’s stock value, local reports said Monday. According to reports citing financial industry sources, LVMH also purchased 503,588 common shares of YG worth 20.3 billion won when it bought 1,359,688 redeemable convertible preferred shares in the entertainment agency via i

• Technology

  

  LTE speed gap in Seoul metropolitan area widens: lawmaker

  　The fourth-generation Long Term Evolution internet speeds are not consistent and vary across the Seoul metropolitan area, a lawmaker said Monday. 　Citing a 2018 survey conducted by the Ministry of Science and ICT, Rep. Park Gwang-on of the ruling Democratic Party said the LTE speed gap between the fastest and slowest neighborhood was as much as three times.　Of the 85 areas in Seoul and surrounding metropolitan areas, residents of Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, experienced the fastest speed of 201

LATEST NEWS

• Social affairs

  Police officially book suspect in Hwaseong serial killings

  SUWON -- Police have officially booked Lee Chun-jae, a 56-year-old man already in jail for a separate crime, as a suspect in a series of infamous murders that took place in Hwaseong, south of Seoul, following his confession, officials said Monday.The move could lead to the disclosure of his personal details and current appearance though he will not be punished for the killings as the statue of limitations has expired. Investigators booked Lee on rape and murder charges as he confessed to 14 murd

• 

  Social affairs

  Sulli confirmed dead on the scene: police

  Sulli was already dead when authorities arrived at the scene, according to police.Police said a report was filed by a staff member at her agency at around 3:20 p.m. The agency staffer, who visited Sulli’s home in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, discovered Sulli’s body in her bedroom on the second floor.  The agency employee had gone to the two-story house after phone calls to the entertainer went unanswered, although she had an engagement on Monday. Their last telephone call ended

• 

  People

  Sulli leaves behind 15-year entertainment career

  Singer and actress Sulli, also known as Choi Jin-ri, was found dead Monday at her home outside Seoul. She was 25. 　Sulli entered the entertainment industry at just 10 years old, making her debut in 2004 in SBS drama “Ballad of Seodong.”  In 2009, Sulli joined the highly competitive K-pop scene as a member of five-piece girl group f(x). She was 15 at the time. While she was the youngest of the act, she was also the tallest, leading fans to affectionately call her “Giant Bab

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  Social affairs

  Liberal, conservative fronts divided over Cho Kuk resignation

  News of embattled Justice Minister Cho Kuk’s resignation on Monday did little to close the stark gap between liberals and conservatives still unwilling to conciliate their opposing views on the former justice minister’s appointment.Liberals expressed appreciation for Cho’s efforts to carry out prosecutorial reforms. “It is highly regrettable that Cho resigned before finishing his promised reforms,” said Hong Ik-pyo, a spokesman for the ruling Democratic Party.&ldquo

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  World Business

  New York world’s top financial center

  　New York has extended its lead as the world’s top financial center, with London barely holding on to second place ahead of Hong Kong, as uncertainty over Brexit takes its toll on the UK capital, a Z/Yen Group survey showed.　Singapore, Shanghai, Tokyo, Beijing, Dubai, Shenzhen and Sydney make up the remainder of the top 10 centers, the Global Financial Centers Index said in a statement. 　South Korea’s two largest cities, Seoul and Busan, ranked Nos. 39 and 43, respectively.　The GFCI

• 

  Politics

  What lies ahead for prosecution reform?

  With Justice Minister Cho Kuk’s resignation on Monday, questions remain on the future course of prosecution reform -- a key Moon Jae-in agenda.In his resignation letter, Cho said he was a “kindling” to spark the fire of the reform drive, and that his resignation was necessary to complete the bigger goal of prosecutorial reform. The second reform draft hereleased on Monday morning centers on scaling down the prosecution’s special investigation divisions, known for dealing

• 

  Defense

  Newspaper reports defense minister sent letters stating S. Korea’s approval needed for UNC expansion

  South Korea has told members of the United Nations Command that its approval must be granted for any expansion plans, a local media outlet reported Monday.According to the Kyunghyang Sinmun, Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo sent a letter to the embassies of 16 sending states here in July stating that the US-led UNC would have to obtain approval from South Korea to proceed with its plans to “revitalize” the organization. In the letter, Jeong is said to have stated that the UNC would

• Editorial

  Take stock

  Commission effectively defers permanent closure of Wolsong Unit 1 until BAI audit is done

• 

  Viewpoints

  Five unpopular policies the US should adopt

  Not every good policy is going to be popular. Sometimes either the public, activists or the commentariat -- or all three -- just get something wrong. This can happen for ideological reasons, or simply because of a lack of information. I’m more optimistic than most pundits, in that I think the public usually gets at least the outlines broadly right. But there are a few issues where the tide of opinion simply seems to be against me. Here are a few:No. 1. The Trans-Pacific PartnershipThe TPP

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  Industry

  Low-cost carriers to go on leading Korea’s flight industry: Boeing

  Low-cost carriers are expected to continue to lead the growth of South Korea’s flight industry and to expand the country’s passenger transport capacity and air traffic, an executive from American aircraft manufacturer Boeing said Monday. Randy Tinseth, Boeing’s vice president of commercial marketing, said in a press conference in Seoul that South Korea’s low-cost carriers lead the market in Northeast Asia, accounting for 65 percent of the region’s total capacit

GRAPHIC NEWS

OPINION

• Viewpoints

  

  Five unpopular policies the US should adopt

  Not every good policy is going to be popular. Sometimes either the public, activists or the commentariat -- or all three -- just get something wrong. This can happen for ideological reasons, or simply because of a lack of information. I’m more optimistic than most pundits, in that I think the public usually gets at least the outlines broadly right. But there are a few issues where the tide of opinion simply seems to be against me. Here are a few:No. 1. The Trans-Pacific PartnershipThe TPP

• Viewpoints

  

  Whither nuclear-arms control?

  Is nuclear-arms control unraveling? The 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty has collapsed, the 2015 Iran nuclear deal is teetering, and North Korea has continued to expand its nuclear and ballistic missile arsenal. Worse, it is unclear whether the United States will stick with the New START Treaty when it expires in 2021. That agreement limits (at 3,000) the number of strategic weapons Russia and the US have pointed at each other.Fortunately, history offers some solace. During and afte

THE INVESTOR

• Stocks & Bonds

  

  Lime Asset fund freeze might take years, spills to W243.6b trade finance

  Top officials of Lime Asset Management vowed to normalize liquidity of the fund’s portfolio assets worth a combined 846.6 billion won ($713.2 million) in a plan that might take more than a year for some of its end-investors to have their money back, at a press conference held Oct. 14.On the same day, the troubled investment house -- South Korea’s largest hedge fund by assets under management to date -- announced a freeze of its multimanager trade finance fund for pooled investments i

• Samsung

  

  Samsung SDI vows to improve safety of battery storage products

  Battery maker Samsung SDI said Oct. 14 that it will adopt a new fire control solution for its new and existing energy storage systems.The safety measure involves using chemicals and materials that can prevent flames from spreading from one battery cell to another. “Samsung SDI will make all-out efforts to guarantee the safety of the firm’s ESSs,” said Kwon Young-no, chief financial officer of the company, during a briefing in Seoul.“The implementation of the new fire

• Startups & Investors

  

  Startup Gikuin Company secures W4b fund for plant-based meat

  Plant-based meat developer and startup Gikuin Company announced Oct. 14 that it had secured 4 billion won ($3.38 million) in series A round funding from multiple investors.According to the company, the investors included Primer Sazze Partners, SG Dinehill, Michigan Venture Capital, A Ventures and Yellowdog. Including the recent funding, the Korean startup has received 4.6 billion won so far.Over the past year and a half, Gikuin Company has worked to develop a meat alternative called “Unlim

• Retail & Consumer

  

  Starbucks Korea mulls new headquarters

  Starbucks Korea is mulling a move of its headquarters, leaving the current offices at a Shinsegae Group building, industry sources said on Oct. 14. Starbucks Korea, which has more than 1,260 outlets in Korea, is reviewing a plan to move to State Tower Namsan, owned by Mirae Asset Global Investments, as it seeks more space. The coffee chain has been occupying an area at Westin Chosun Hotel, owned by retail giant Shinsegae Group, since 2005 when Starbucks Korea had slightly more than 100 stores.&n

K-POP HERALD

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  BTS writes history with Arab fans at Riyadh concert

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  ATEEZ gears up for first full-length album

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  Mnet launches another audition show amid Produce 101 controversy

HERALD INTERVIEW

• Social affairs

  

  ‘Korea should stop funding coal power in Indonesia’

• Foreign Affairs

  

  Time to focus on people to create sustainable community with ASEAN

• People

  

  ‘What is Korean is what is most global’

• People

  

  ‘Better working conditions for staff lead to better service’

PHOTO NEWS

• Culture

  

  Racecourse Park in Gwacheon

  Gwacheon, just south of Seoul, is South Korea’s horse-racing capital. At the Racecourse Park Subway Station, the compound of the Korea Racing Authority, the country’s sole race administrator, boasts the nation’s largest thoroughbred flat tracks with a 450-meter home stretch and two grandstands accommodating over 70,000 people. Originally built for the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games, it covers more than 1.1 million square meters, with two artificial sandy tracks, sable areas for

VIDEO

• Politics

  

  Politics of ‘head shaving performance’

• Industry

  

  Mobile orders and unmanned serving: Robot restaurant lands in Seoul

• Food&Beverage

  

  Trendy treats on offer at Seoul Dessert Fair 2019

• Industry

  

  How far are we from printing hearts for transplant?

FEATURES

• Economy

  

  Portion of optimists over economy stays at 13%: poll

  SEJONG -- A variety of polls show that the public disapproval rating for President Moon Jae-in now outstrips his approval rating.According to a survey from Gallup Korea, the portion of respondents who expressed negative opinion toward the president, exceeded the supporters for him for the sixth consecutive week since August.In the pollster’s latest survey, conducted on Oct. 1-2, 51 percent of the 1,000 citizens polled expressed disapproval of Moon’s performance, while the approval ra

• Social affairs

  

  2 in 5 South Koreans aged 50 or over

  Number of 50s-and-above up 47% in the last decade, while population growth stays at 4.3%

• Economy

  

  Real estate mortgages hinder economic growth

  Outstanding loans to household sector up 49% in 5 years

• Politics

  

  Prosecution reform stands at crucial crossroads

  4,000 Korean professors and researchers at home and abroad demand urgent reformation