SPOTLIGHT

• Music

  

  BTS to issue remake of 'Make It Right' featuring Lauv

  A new version of K-pop boy band BTS' song "Make It Right" featuring Lauv will be released Friday afternoon, the band said.The remade version of the BTS song, which comes from its latest album, "Map of the Soul: Persona," will be released at 6 p.m. (Korean time) through major online music distributors in and outside of Korea, the band said on its official social media accounts. The new version has revised lyrics and vocals. American singer-songwriter and producer Lauv wrote so

• Culture

  

  A kindergarten for puppies

  Pet day care centers pop up in Seoul

• Culture

  

  Pets onboard

  Uber-like taxi service aims to meet pet owners’ traveling needs

• Culture

  

  Seonyudo, a place of peace and tranquility inside Seoul

  Seonyudo is one of several natural islands on the Han River in Seoul. Located west of Yeouido -- the biggest of those islands -- it is a popular destination for those seeking peace and tranquility inside the concrete jungle of Seoul. The 110,400-square-meter island was the site of a water treatment plant for more than two decades, until the facility closed in 2000. City officials decided to turn it into an urban park, and Seonyudo Park opened to the public in 2002. Its current look is the w

LATEST NEWS

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  Politics

  ‘Cho Kuk’s resignation did not douse ideological flames’

  Liberals press for judicial reform, conservatives applaud prosecutors

• 

  North Korea

  FAO projects N. Korea's food situation to worsen in Q4

  The UN Food and Agricultural Organization forecast North Korea's food situation will worsen in the fourth quarter due to Typhoon Lingling and African swine fever, a US broadcaster reported Saturday.Citing the FAO's Early Warning Early Action report on food security and agriculture released Thursday, the Voice of America said North Korea is among nine high-risk countries that face further food shortages in the October-December period. The FAO picked drought, natural disasters, such as typhoo

• 

  Social affairs

  Pork prices in S. Korea on wane amid African swine fever outbreaks

  The average wholesale price of pork in South Korea decreased nearly 40 percent in October from a month earlier, as consumers shunned the meat amid the outbreak of African swine fever here, data showed Saturday.A kilogram of pork cost 2,969 won ($2.52) as of Friday morning, down 38 percent from a month earlier, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.  Compared with 2018, the price surrendered 24.1 percent.The retail price of pork belly, one of t

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  Foreign Affairs

  S. Korea, Australia to strengthen currency ties: ministers

  Finance ministers of South Korea and Australia discussed ways to strengthen the two countries' currency swap and other financial cooperation in Washington, the finance ministry said Saturday. Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki met with his Australian counterpart Josh Frydenberg to discuss cooperation in currency swap, hydrogen economy and external policies in Washington, D.C. on Friday (local time), according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance. Hong is in the U.S. capital for the Group of 20 finan

• 

  Foreign Affairs

  US likely to release report on cargo ship accident next year

  The United States is likely to issue a final report next year on its joint probe with South Korea into the capsizing of a cargo ship off the US east coast, an official has said.The 71,000-ton, Marshall Islands-flagged Golden Ray carrying about 4,000 cars capsized in St. Simons Sound near the Port of Brunswick, Georgia, on Sept. 8. The Golden Ray was operated by Hyundai Glovis Co., a logistics unit of South Korea's Hyundai Motor Group. Last month, officials of South Korea and the Marshall Islands

• 

  Economy

  Seoul stocks to move in tight range next week

  South Korean stocks are expected to move in a tight range next week as investors remain wary over the US-China trade row, analysts said Saturday. On Friday, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index ended down 17.25 points, or 0.83 percent, at 2,060.69 as China's third-quarter growth slowed to a 27-year low of 6 percent.This week, the KOSPI gained 0.79 percent. In a widely expected move, the Bank of Korea slashed its key rate to 1.25 percent from 1.5 percent this week -- the second rate cu

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  Industry

  S. Korean beauty retailers vying to secure customers amid Sephora's debut

  South Korean big-name beauty retailers are set to vye for a lion's share in the country's already saturated market, as the global heavyweight, Sephora, is set to open its first outlet in the country next week, industry sources said Saturday.Sephora will be coming to Parnas Mall in the posh district of Gangnam in southern Seoul next Thursday, Sephora Korea said. Spread across 547 square feet, the store will feature hundreds of cosmetics, skin care, body and fragrance brands, along with its own pr

• 

  Sports

  Defending champion Koepka withdraws from CJ Cup with knee injury

  Defending champion Brooks Koepka has withdrawn from the CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges, the lone PGA Tour stop in South Korea, after aggravating a knee injury.The world No. 1 will not have a chance to win his second straight title in Jeju Island, after taking himself out of the no-cut event before the start of Saturday's third round. Koepka opened his title defense with rounds of 69-75 to sit in a three-way tie for 51st place at even par, 13 strokes behind the 36-hole leader Justin Thomas at the Club @ N

• 

  World News

  World's 1st female spacewalking team makes history

  The world's first female spacewalking team is making history high above Earth. NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir exited the International Space Station on Friday, the first time in a half-century of spacewalking that a woman floated out without a male crewmate. Their job is to fix a broken part of the station's solar power network. America's first female spacewalker from 35 years ago, Kathy Sullivan, is delighted. She says it's good to finally have enough women in the astronau

• 

  Technology

  Samsung to update software to prevent security flaw in Galaxy S10, Note 10

   Samsung Electronics announced late Friday that the tech giant will update its software due to potential security breaches in flagship smartphone models Galaxy S10, S10 Plus, S10 5G and Note 10 next week. The announcement was made in response to recent reports of a case in the United Kingdom in which a user claimed that when her Galaxy S10 screen was covered with a silicon protective case, the device was unlocked with someone else’s fingerprint. The issue involved ultrasonic fing

GRAPHIC NEWS

OPINION

• Viewpoints

  

  Korean police lead in world peace, security through ‘K-Cop Wave’

  The Korean National Police Agency hosts the International Police Summit Seoul, 2019 with police chiefs from 30 countries around the world on the margins of the 74th celebration of Police Day. The summit will discuss “Global Partnership for Smart Policing” on the advent of the “fourth industrial revolution.” The event is possible owing to Korean police efforts to contribute to international policing cooperation.The Korean police have been actively pursuing the “K-Cop

• Viewpoints

  

  Economics Nobel for three pragmatic poverty-fighters

  This year’s economics Nobel prize went to three worthy economists: Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Michael Kremer of Harvard University. The prize, awarded “for their experimental approach to alleviating global poverty,” shows several important ways that the economics discipline is changing. A popular conception of economists is that they’re the high priests of the free market, downplaying the role of government and givin

THE INVESTOR

• Stocks & Bonds

  

  HK-based Value Partners looks to pool money from S. Korean retail investors

  Hong Kong-based asset management firm Value Partners is looking to pool money from retail investors and high net worth individuals in South Korea into its flagship high dividend fund by teaming up with Seoul-based Hanwha Asset Management. Hanwha Asset said Oct. 18 it would join hands with Value Partners to raise funds from Korean retail investors for Value Partners High Dividend Stocks starting Oct. 28, after four years of talks.This would mark the first attempt for Value Partners’ funds t

• Mobile & Internet

  

  Huawei set to continue foldable hype with Mate X launch

  Chinese tech firm Huawei will reportedly start receiving preorders for its first foldable smartphone Mate X from Oct. 23 in China, posing a challenge against its South Korean rival Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy Fold, which was launched last month. The device will be officially released on Nov. 11, according to news reports. Only 300,000 units of the Mate X are expected to be available in China, compared to 700,000 units of Samsung’s Galaxy Fold foldable smartphone, targeting global con

• Deals

  

  Nasdaq-listed Cognex acquires S. Korean AI startup Sualab

  South Korean artificial intelligence startup Sualab has been acquired by Nasdaq-listed Cognex, the companies said Oct. 18. With a price tag of $195 million, Cognex will take up the entire company and its intellectual properties. “Deep learning will enable Cognex to solve many challenging inspection applications in factories, which, until now, could only be done by large teams of human visual inspectors,” said Cognex President and CEO Robert J. Willett. “Sualab’s IP,

• Industrials

  

  Eastar Jet denies sale rumor

  South Korea’s low-cost carrier Eastar Jet on Oct. 18 denied a recent news report the company is up for sale. A local news outlet reported that Eastar Holding decided to sell its 39.6 percent stake in Eastar Jet for around 96 billion won (81.37 million).It also added that the holding firm has already started discussing the sales with a few local conglomerates and private equity firms.“The news is not true, and we are officially not proceeding with any process to sell our company,&rdqu

K-POP HERALD

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  Did Korean sales send SuperM’s debut album to top of Billboard chart?

• 

  BTS writes history with Arab fans at Riyadh concert

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  ATEEZ gears up for first full-length album

HERALD INTERVIEW

• Industry

  

  Is it a go or a no for Korean bio investment?

• Diplomatic Circuit

  

  S. Korea, Poland to work closely for nuclear energy, defense, cybersecurity: Polish FM

• Social affairs

  

  ‘Korea should stop funding coal power in Indonesia’

• Foreign Affairs

  

  Time to focus on people to create sustainable community with ASEAN

PHOTO NEWS

• Culture

  

  Seonyudo, a place of peace and tranquility inside Seoul

  Seonyudo is one of several natural islands on the Han River in Seoul. Located west of Yeouido -- the biggest of those islands -- it is a popular destination for those seeking peace and tranquility inside the concrete jungle of Seoul. The 110,400-square-meter island was the site of a water treatment plant for more than two decades, until the facility closed in 2000. City officials decided to turn it into an urban park, and Seonyudo Park opened to the public in 2002. Its current look is the w

VIDEO

• Social affairs

  

  Gimpo nursing home fire leaves 2 dead, 47 injured

• 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

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