Most Popular
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Opposition-led Assembly unilaterally passes bill to probe Marine's death
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Inflation eases in April, continues bumpy ride
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Golden chance to liquidate babies’ gold rings?
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Seoul to more than double military drones by 2026 to counter NK threats
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Seoul alerts overseas missions to NK terror threats
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Russia sent more than 165,000 barrels of refined petroleum to N. Korea in March: White House
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[New faces of Assembly] Architect behind ‘audacious initiative’ believes in denuclearized North Korea
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Over 60% of S. Koreans support W100m childbirth incentive: survey
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‘Inside Out 2’ adds four new emotions, explores teenage life
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Questions raised over fair promotion of RM, NewJeans
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[Herald Interview] Data analysis helps Memebox find beauty market niche
Memebox is a relatively new face in the South Korean beauty industry which is largely dominated by cosmetics giants such as Amorepacific, Estee Lauder and MAC. Entering a market occupied by such established corporations poses challenges for any newcomer. But Memebox saw an opportunity in what seemed an already crowded market. It jumped into the sector as a cosmetics subscription and delivery service in 2012. “Other cosmetic companies are good at making products. What we do better is to try to
IndustryJuly 15, 2016
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[Herald Interview] Gaon’s modern take on Joseon royal cuisine
The kings of the Joseon era (1392-1910) tucked into a total of seven meals daily and each one involved meticulous planning. The day would begin with a medicinal herbal soup early in the morning, followed by breakfast, lunch and dinner with light meals and snacks between the three meals. All the meals were carefully planned and prepared by court doctors and kitchen staff, who regarded King’s food as an important part of national politics in the kingdom, which existed more than 500 years before Ko
FoodJuly 14, 2016
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[Herald Interview] China slowdown weighs on Korea
Economic challenges in China such as slow growth, market restructuring and an aging population, are expected to hurt the Korean economy in the mid to short term, according to Brian Jackson, a senior economist at IHS, a global business analytics provider. “China’s slowing growth by itself is a negative for Korea, given Korea is exposed to Chinese domestic demand, supply chains, and the same global factor impacting China -- sharply slower growth in global trade,” Jackson said in a recent interview
July 10, 2016
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[Herald Interview] Korean indie's awkward couple
The members of indie duo Kim Sawol X Kim Haewon were nearly complete strangers when they recorded their award-winning album “Secret” back in the summer of 2014 in a cramped studio in Seoul. At first, it was “intensely awkward” to be cooped up together, writing songs and recording for long hours that often stretched into dawn, the band told The Korea Herald in an interview last week at a café in Itaewon. But if it hadn’t been for that shabby room, the sweltering heat and that tension between them
PerformanceJuly 10, 2016
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[Herald Interview] KATUSA fraternity aims to be voice of alliance
When U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump started accusing Seoul of getting a “free-ride” from Washington for its defense, many South Koreans reacted angrily, since they collectively pay nearly 1 trillion won ($865 million) each year for the upkeep of U.S. troops here. There were also concerns about the future of the security alliance. For Kim Jong-wook, the chairman of the KATUSA Veterans Association, Trump’s remarks highlighted the sheer absence of robust voices at home and in t
DefenseJuly 8, 2016
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[HERALD INTERVIEW] Go grandmaster gets first taste of politics
Long before South Korea’s Go master Lee Se-dol was thrust into the limelight for his historic match against Google’s artificial intelligence AlphaGo, many of his predecessors left indelible marks on the history of the Chinese board game. Topping the list is inarguably Cho Hun-hyun, the 63-year-old who became the first Korean Go player to be promoted to 9th dan, the highest level assigned to professional players. Throughout his more than 50 years playing the game, Cho amassed 160 titles, more t
PoliticsJuly 6, 2016
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[Herald Interview] Park Yoo-jin blazes trail for violins in jazz
While the thought of jazz may conjure up images and sounds of Miles Davis on the trumpet and John Coltrane on the saxophone, it’s a safe bet to say few would ever consider, or know of, a jazz violinist. The jazz scene is dominated by the uniquely free-styled sounds of brass, woodwinds and percussion. Up-and-coming Korean jazz violinist Park Yoo-jin is looking to slowly tear away at this genre stereotype. “It is true that the world does not have that many well-known jazz violinists, I mean you ca
PerformanceJuly 6, 2016
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[HERALD INTERVIEW] Gyeongju takes lead in Korea's immersive media venture
Gyeongju, a city better known for its well-preserved historic treasures, is taking on a rather unlikely venture by spearheading the central government’s scheme to develop the country’s immersive media industry.With support from the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, as well as North Gyeongsang Province, the coastal city is working to take the lead in the realistic media industry such as by recently launching the Gyeongju Smart Media Center. Gyeongju City Mayor Choi Yang-sikThe organi
Social AffairsJuly 5, 2016
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[Herald Interview] Expert sees more reasons for Korea Discount
Korea Inc. is in a generational transition. From Lee Kun-hee to Lee Jae-yong at Samsung and from Chung Mong-koo to Chung Eui-sun over at Hyundai Motor, Korea’s top business groups are preparing for father-to-son transfers of ownership and managerial control. This, according to corporate-governance expert Kim Woo-chan, poses a greater risk to global investors considering Korean stocks. Kim Woo-chanThe “Korea Discount” -- lower equity valuations of Korean companies due partly to pas
June 30, 2016
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[Herald Interview] Busan-Jinhae FEZ closer to becoming global business hub
Once a wasteland, the Busan-Jinhae Free Economic Zone in South Gyeongsang Province is now closer to its goal of becoming a global business and logistics hub, a top official said.With a land area of 51.2 square kilometers, Busan-Jinhae FEZ is a specially designated region to attract foreign investment in order to strengthen competition for businesses by supporting regional development and improving the business environment as well as living conditions. Busan-Jinhae FEZ Commissioner Jin Yang-hyun
June 29, 2016
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[Herald Interview] Korean-British artist duo creates physical expressions of light and space
GWANGJU -- The name of the Seoul-based artist duo Kimchi and Chips pretty much tells where the artists are from. Korean-British artist duo Mimi Son and Elliot Woods formed an art studio in 2009, adopting the quirky name. Since then, the two have been creating installations that challenge people’s perception of light and space and presenting them at museums and galleries throughout the world. One of the most well-known works is the first edition of the “Light Barrier” series in which the artist
PerformanceJune 28, 2016
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[Herald Interview] CICI chief Choi takes modern look at Korean culture
Choi Jung-wha, a professor at the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, has released the English version of her new book, “K-Style: Living the Korean Way of Life,” which delves deep into the evolution of modern Korean living. Through her book, the founder and president of the Corea Image Communications Institute intended to arouse interest and curiosity about all things Korea and the Korean way of life. Choi said her desire to raise international interest in Korean society was first ignited dec
BooksJune 27, 2016
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[Herald Interview] Kisum gets ready to make her ‘Musik’ heard
Hip-hop artist Cho Hye-ryung, better known by her stage name Kisum, released her second EP “Musik” at midnight on Wednesday. “Musik,” which is Kisum spelled backwards, consists of five tracks – the two lead tracks “No Jam (Boring)” and “Ocktabbang (Rooftop house),” “2 Beer,” “Freedom” and “Cover Up.” She wrote all the lyrics while collaborating on the music, marking the first time she participated in composing.Rapper Kisum (Mapps Entertainment) It was not as a musician that she first gained pub
PerformanceJune 23, 2016
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[Herald Interview] Korean conductor Park June-sung wins big at Aram Khachaturian
Germany-based Korean conductor Park June-sung is celebrating his multiple wins at this year’s 12th Aram Khachaturian International Competition, including a joint first place crown for conducting and three additional special prizes. Along with sharing his first place win with Miran Vaupotic of Croatia, Park was also awarded the Orchestra Award, Best Interpretation of Aram Khachaturian and the Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra Special Prizes during the international competition, which was held in Y
PerformanceJune 22, 2016
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[Herald Interview] Poetry in a world with no answers
When Brother Anthony was teaching English literature at Sogang University in the 1980s, he would frequent bookstores on weekends -- bookstores that were filled with students of all ages sitting on the floor, reading poetry. “They expected to find sincerity in poetry,” he told The Korea Herald last Friday in an interview at his office in Seoul, filled to the brim with books and teapots -- Brother Anthony is a renowned Korean tea enthusiast. “If you’re searching for some kind of in-depth meaning i
BooksJune 22, 2016
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[Herald Interview] Korea’s Army fund mulls investment in foreign venture capital
Korea’s Military Mutual Aid Association, one of the largest institutional investors in the country with 9.4 trillion won ($8 billion) under management, is reviewing plans to invest in foreign venture capital to secure higher returns, the association’s investment chief said.“We may open opportunities not only to private equities, but to venture capital next year when investing in overseas blind pool funds,” Lee Sang-ho, the chief investment officer of the association, said in an interview with Th
June 21, 2016
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[Herald Interview] Soprano Kim Eun-kyung discusses homage to childhood
Once again tackling nonclassical operatic repertoires, Baekseok Arts University professor and soprano Kim Eun-kyung has returned to the music scene with “Beautiful Season,” a homage to the sounds of her childhood. The album, which was released on June 9, comes more than four years after her first studio album “The Letters,” which featured operatic renditions of Korean song-poems. Veering away from the stereotypical opera album that features modern interpretations of classical scores by maste
PerformanceJune 21, 2016
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[HERALD INTERVIEW] Generous state investment buoys Norwegian literature
When Norwegian author Jostein Gaarder set out to work on what would become the international classic “Sophie’s World” in the early 1990s, he had no other option but to write it quickly. As a well-versed but cash-strapped teacher, time was not on his side. In a matter of weeks, Gaarder authored the philosophical tome, making thrifty use of a government scholarship for writers. “Sophie’s World” -- a surreal fantasy about a teenage girl in Norway who is tutored on philosophical thinking and the his
Foreign AffairsJune 20, 2016
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[HERALD INTERVIEW] Youths are solution to faltering democracy: Lawmaker
One of the most talked-about campaign ads in the last general election featured a candidate mimicking the main character of “House of Cards,” a popular U.S. show depicting the behind-the-scenes power struggle in the world of politics. In a parody video clip that went viral, then-candidate Keum Tae-sup plays Frank Underwood, a Machiavellian politician played by actor Kevin Spacey. As the main theme music of the show plays in the background, Keum exchanges text messages with one of his campaigner
PoliticsJune 16, 2016
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[HERALD INTERVIEW] ‘Long-term engagement key to investing in Iran’
Following the lifting of international sanctions on Iran’s nuclear program, fresh opportunities have dawned across the country’s vast, rising economy, opening doors to long-term investments, according to the top Iranian envoy to Korea. In an interview with The Korea Herald, Iranian Ambassador Hassan Taherian stressed that in order to make the most out of the second-largest market in the Middle East and North Africa region, Korean companies should have a long-term vision for business engagement.
Foreign AffairsJune 12, 2016