SPOTLIGHT

• Music

  

  BTS charts on Billboard list of 200 albums for 8th week

  K-pop boy band BTS' latest album "Love Yourself: Tear" charted on the key Billboard ranking of 200 popular albums for the eighth week in a row, the American music chart showed Wednesday.The 11-track album ranked 48th on the Billboard 200 chart, retaining its presence since it landed atop the competitive chart less than two weeks after its release on May 18.This week's result marks one step below the 47th place recorded last week. (Big Hit Entertainment)It was a further extension of BTS' record a

• Social affairs

  

  Heat blamed for two deaths in South Korea last week

  At least two deaths have been linked to the heat wave that has gripped South Korea over the last few days, health authorities confirmed Tuesday.As of Tuesday afternoon, heat wave warnings have been issued in most regions across the country, including Seoul, South Jeolla and South Gyeongsang provinces. Daytime highs reached 35 degrees Celsius in most provinces nationwide.The “tropical night” phenomenon -- defined by nighttime low temperatures staying above 25 degree Celsius -- has prevailed in ma

• Health

  

  Korean menstrual cup crashes Tumblbug, reaches crowdfunding target in under half hour

  Eve Cup, the third menstrual cup to gain the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety’s approval for sales in Korea, was heatedly received on Monday when it launched on social crowdfunding platform Tumblbug.The only campaign to begin at half past noon on the day, the launch of Eve Cup crashed the Tumblbug site due to excessive traffic. Once back online, Eve Cup reached its target of 10 million won ($8,900) within 25 minutes and twice the target amount within six hours. 　As of noon, Tuesday, more than 88

• Industry

  

  Kakao's character licensing arm gets new name: 'Kakao IX'

  Kakao Friends Corp., a character licensing arm under South Korea's top mobile messenger operator Kakao Corp., said Wednesday it has decided to change its name to Kakao IX after merging with JOH, a brand consulting firm, earlier this month.Kakao IX said its new name stands for "Innovative Experience," explaining that the title reflects the company's vision of providing new experiences to clients in their everyday lives. The company holds license over Kakao Friends, a group of popular characters u

LATEST NEWS

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  Economy

  Korea cuts growth estimate, set to spend more for underprivileged

  South Korea's government plans to increase spending to create more jobs and expand the social safety net, as Asia's fourth-largest economy is set to lose its steam down the road in the face of rising uncertainties, including the growing trade war between major economies and a slowdown in facility investment, Seoul's finance ministry said Wednesday.Charting out its second-half economic policy plans, the ministry cut its growth estimate to 2.9 percent this year from its earlier projected 3 percent

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  Industry

  Private deals make up bulk of chaebol's internal trading: data

  Private contracts accounted for the bulk of transactions among affiliates of South Korea's major family-controlled conglomerates in 2017, data showed Wednesday, fueling criticism of their shady business practices.According to the data from corporate tracker CEO Score, those units struck 93.7 percent of inter-affiliate transactions worth 161.4 trillion won ($143 billion) through closed negotiations last year, up 0.4 percentage point from the previous year. The tally covered 977 subsidiaries of 52

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  North Korea

  Trump: No time limit on N. Korea's denuclearization

  WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that there is "no time limit" on dismantling North Korea's nuclear weapons program, appearing to take a step back from earlier demands for immediate denuclearization.Trump's remarks came a month after his historic summit with Kim Jong-un, during which the North Korean leader committed to work toward the "complete denuclearization" of the Korean Peninsula in exchange for security guarantees from the United States."We have no time limit. We have

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  Industry

  Processed food prices jump on rising costs

  Prices of processed foods and eating-out costs in South Korea have been rising sharply this year due to increased labor and raw material expenses, industry sources said Wednesday.The government raised the minimum wage by 16.4 percent to 7,530 won ($6.48) per hour on Jan. 1 this year, the biggest hike in nearly two decades. Next year's minimum wage has been set at 8,350 won, up 10.9 percent from this year. (Yonhap)According to the sources from the convenience store industry, Ottogi Co., Korea's s

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  World

  EU, Japan sign massive trade deal as US puts up barriers

  Japan and the EU signed a sweeping free trade deal Tuesday saying they were sending a "clear message" against protectionism, as Washington puts up barriers and threatens a trade war.  The deal signed in Tokyo is the largest ever negotiated by the EU and creates a massive free trade zone, eliminating tariffs for everything from Japanese cars to French cheese.It also provides a stark counterpoint to US President Donald Trump's aggressive "America First" protectionism, which has seen Washington imp

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  North Korea

  N. Korea to return remains of up to 55 Americans killed in Korean War: report

  North Korea has agreed to return up to 55 sets of remains believed to be of American soldiers killed during the Korean War, a report said Tuesday.Citing an anonymous United States official, Stars & Stripes, a US military newspaper, also said North Korea has agreed to allow the United States to fly these remains out of the country next week.According to the report, these details emerged after US and North Korean officials held working-level talks on Monday in the truce village of Panmunjom. (Yonh

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  Automode

  FCA Korea launches new Compass compact SUV

  Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Korea released the new Compass compact sport utility vehicle, eyeing a share of Korea’s expanding imported compact SUV segment, the company said Tuesday.Designed to target urban drivers, the Compass SUV stands between the Jeep Renegade compact SUV and Cherokee midsize SUV. Local drivers will first be introduced to the all-new Compass Longitude 2.4 gasoline model and all-new Compass Longitude Limited 2.4 gasoline trims.  Jeep new Compass compact SUV (FCA Korea)Over 260,0

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  Automode

  Hyundai, Kia‘s regional reps in Seoul for biannual meeting

  Hyundai and Kia Motors, South Korea’s top two automotive companies, will hold their biannual meeting this week with representatives of regional headquarters and overseas branches to discuss the issue regarding a possible US car tariff, alongside ways to bolster sales in the second half of the year, the companies said Tuesday.This week’s meeting is the first since the auto giants established regional headquarters in the US, Europe and India last month as part of Hyundai Motor Group’s strategy to

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  Social affairs

  Marine Corps helicopter crash in Pohang leaves 5 dead, 1 injured

  A Marine Corps helicopter crashed in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, on Tuesday, leaving five dead and one injured, according to the authorities.Gyeongbuk Fire Service Headquarters said the Surion (MUH-1) carrying six passengers crashed on the landing strip at the Navy’s Sixth Air Command in Pohang around 4:45 p.m. The helicopter was landing when it crashed from 10 meters above ground and caught fire, according to the authorities. (Yonhap) This photo provided by the Marine Corps on July 17 sh

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  Automode

  Can Hyundai Motor win big on Europe?

  Record-high sales growth in EU suggests market potential amid waning sales in US, China, though questions linger over fate of premium brand

GRAPHIC NEWS

OPINION

• Columnists

  

  A passage to India and Korea

  Reading Salman Rushdie’s novels, one can find some striking similarities between Korea and India. For example, both countries were victims of imperialism, colonized by Japan and Britain, respectively. Right after liberation, both countries were divided by ideological differences, whether political or religious. In both countries, rampant attitudes of moral superiority and self-righteousness justified hate and massacre. Violence and terrorism were legitimated in the name of the “grand cause.” Tod

• Columnists

  

  Going beyond the minimum wage

  The recent announcement that the government plans to raise the minimum wage by 11 percent to 8,350 won ($7.40) next year has sent shock waves through the business community. Small business rallied to protest the move, saying that it would put them out of business. The government plans to raise the minimum wage to 10,000 won an hour by 2020 in the hopes of promoting economic equality and stimulating consumption.　Korea is not the only country to face a debate over the minimum wage. In the 2016 US

THE INVESTOR

• Blockchain

  

  For US$9.99, Hooch brings back human touch

  Those in their 20s and early 30s -- often called the smartphone generation -- do almost everything on their mobile devices. They make friends and date online. Instead of going out to grab a bite, they order in gourmet meals with just a couple of tabs. Even going to bars or clubs seems like a thing of the past as there is a much more efficient way to find a date, by swiping on the mobile screen.In this digital era, US startup Hooch is encouraging the smartphone generation to go old

• Blockchain

  

  Why Korea is the world’s hottest place for ICOs, blockchain

  Despite the latest boom and bust in Korea’s cryptocurrency market, industry experts believe the tech-savvy nation is still the hotbed for testing and developing blockchain projects, and to advertise initial coin offerings. “We don’t live in a single country, but within a global network. This means, if a project has great value, it can raise capital from all over the world,” Simon Kim, CEO and founding partner of Hashed, Korean blockchain project accelerator and investor, said in h

• Startups & Investors

  

  [Q&A] SoCar CEO Lee Jae-woong hints at aggressive investments

  Lee Jae-woong is Korea’s first generation of entrepreneurs. The 50-year-old founded internet giant Daum Communication, now Kakao Corp. After stepping down as Daum CEO in 2007, he has focused on investing in startups and social ventures. In April, while announcing that SoCar secured an investment of 60 billion won (US$53 million) from Private equity firm IMM PE, Lee made a comeback as CEO by heading Korea’s largest car-sharing platform. He is also the largest shareholder of the com

• Bio & Medicine

  

  YD Global Life Science files IND for diabetic retinopathy drug

  YD Global Life Science said on July 17 that it filed an application with the US Food and Drug Administration for phase 2a clinical trials of its diabetic retinopathy drug candidate YD-312. Diabetic retinopathy is the most common eye disease that affects millions of people with diabetes and a leading cause of vision loss. “YD Global Life Science’s YD-312 has achieved an increase in potential for global market entry by nearly completing filing patent applications in major markets li

K-POP HERALD

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  BTS to return with new album

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  Uee to star in ‘My Beautiful Side’

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  Black Pink pursues happiness

HERALD INTERVIEW

• People

  

  ‘Culture, education critical in reaching out to the world’

• Industry

  

  Hong Kong lures investment in AI, robotics

• Technology

  

  Travel startup embraces chatbot to offer intelligent budget options

• Social affairs

  

  Romanian nun helps Jeju’s Yemeni asylum seekers, migrant families

PHOTO NEWS

• Music

  

  International pop group Now United poses for the camera

  International pop group Now United posed for the camera in a studio in Yongsan, Seoul, as part of the promotion for their debut album “Summer in the City” in South Korea. Now United poses in a studio in Seoul. (Yonhap)Formed by English producer Simon Fuller, the group consists of five boys and nine girls from across the world including the US, Germany, Russia, China, Finland, India, Japan, Brazil and South Korea.The 14 members were put together after taking part in the final audition in Los Ange

VIDEO

• Social affairs

  

  LGBT people share what Pride means

• Food

  

  Chicken bathing in hot soup, samgyetang

• Technology

  

  Google finally brings Android Auto to Korea with Kakao, Hyundai Motor

• Industry

  

  Samsung heir leaves for India with two missions

FEATURES

• Automode

  

  Can Hyundai Motor win big on Europe?

  Record-high sales growth in EU suggests market potential amid waning sales in US, China, though questions linger over fate of premium brand

• Arts&Design

  

  Fulfill your nostalgia for the past with Technicolor motion pictures

  Movie buffs will soon have a rare chance to watch old films in Technicolor on proper widescreen.Starting Wednesday, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Seoul will hold “The History of Visual Magic in Technology Pt. 2: Technicolor,” featuring 12 films produced in Technicolor from the 1930s to the 1950s.“Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” (Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp.)Technicolor is one of the earliest film coloring systems developed by the American company Technicolor Motion Picture

• Politics

  

  Cheong Wa Dae says it did not realize seriousness of martial law document

  Cheong Wa Dae said Tuesday the presidential office had not realized the seriousness of a martial law document when it was first reported last month, amid the escalating controversy over the defense minister and presidential aides’ handling of the case. In a meeting with reporters, a senior presidential official said Cheong Wa Dae officials “gradually” began to realize the political significance of the document, which contains a plan to consider declaring martial law at the time of massive protes

• North Korea

  

  S. Korea investigates N. Korean coal trans-shipped to its ports

  The Foreign Ministry said Tuesday it is looking into cases in which North Korean coal was allegedly shipped to South Korea via Russia last year in violation of United Nations sanctions. 　According to an annual UN sanctions committee report summited by a panel of experts, North Korean coal shipped to the Russian port of Kholmsk was unloaded at docks and reloaded onto two vessels that took it to South Korean ports of Incheon and Pohang in October.　North Korean coal was transported from the North’s