Most Popular
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Exports to US reach all-time high, widen gap with China
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Trump rekindles criticism: US forces defending 'wealthy' S. Korea 'free of charge'
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[Music in drama] Rekindle a love that slipped through your fingers
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S. Korea discussed possible participation in AUKUS Pillar 2 with Australia: defense minister
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[New faces of Assembly] Architect behind ‘audacious initiative’ believes in denuclearized North Korea
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Seoul Metro to seek legal action against malicious complaints
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On May Day, labor unions blast Yoon's foreign nanny proposal
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Illit, mired in controversy, remains on Billboard charts for 5th week
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[KH Explains] Will alternative trading platform shake up Korean stock market?
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Opposition-led Assembly unilaterally passes bill to probe Marine's death
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[Herald Interview] Woogie sets new trend by going off-trend
Just like top K-pop producers Park Jin-young and Brave Brothers who credit their songs with their own signature sounds -- “JYP” and “Brave Sound,” respectively -- Woogie is a versatile producer who uses his signature line “Woogie on and on” that is heard in many hip-hop tracks. As a producer signed under hip-hop label H1ghr Music, Woogie rose to fame by creating hits such as Loco’s “Still,” Jay Park’s “Stay With Me” and Sik-K’s “Ring Ring,” all of which are characterized by a laid-back sensitivi
PerformanceApril 15, 2018
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[Herald Interview] A transformation from model to shaman
Pang Eun-mi has chosen a very dramatic career change: from model to shaman. She is “mudang,” a modern-day shaman practicing Korea’s oldest folk religion.Skepticism lingers over the role and authenticity of Korean shamans who are known to harness their powers from nature. They allegedly interact with the dead, communicate with the spirit world and allocate the mysterious energies into the human world. Korean mudang also perform a ritual dance called “gut” to dispel evil spirits. Embattled individ
CultureApril 13, 2018
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[Herald Interview] Banksalad relieves financial information overload
The Korea Herald is publishing a series of interviews on promising startups in the financial technology industry. This is the 13th installment. - Ed.Despite having easy access to thousands of financial products in South Korea, as one of the world’s most wired countries, consumers often find most of them irrelevant and largely fail to figure out which offers the biggest financial advantage. In a bid to simplify the myriad of choices, former owner of a street food vender Kim Tae-hoon co-foun
MarketApril 12, 2018
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[Herald Interview] ‘Public diplomacy critical for peace in perilous times’
As the United States and North Korea gear up for a historic summit in May, exchanging views vigorously through public diplomacy is paramount in order to rationalize debates and reduce policy excesses, according to Korea Foundation President Lee Si-hyung. “Ahead of the Pyongyang-Seoul summit on April 27 and Pyongyang-Washington summit in May, only airtight cooperation between the US and Korea can strengthen their negotiating leverage and bring about the North’s substantive changes,” Lee told The
Diplomatic CircuitApril 9, 2018
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[Herald Interview] ‘Despite challenges, steel key for sustainable future’
After years of prosperity, the steel industry is facing slower demand due to market saturation and the increasing reuse of steel amid rising concerns over its impact on the environment. Director general of World Steel Association Edwin Basson (World Steel Association)Steelmakers around the world, however, should face these challenges and join efforts to convince customers that the metal product still remains the foundation of a sustainable future, said the head of World Steel, an organization re
IndustryApril 8, 2018
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[Herald Interview] Discovering new ways to farm and sell produce from rural Hwacheon
When the sun rises at 5 a.m., Song Ju-hee begins her day. After applying a lot of sunscreen on her face and wearing the most comfortable outfit she has, Song drives to her family’s farm in Hwacheon, Gangwon Province. She spends nearly 10 hours on the farm, where she grows corn, perilla, chili pepper and watermelon.The 29-year-old farmer also runs a company named Neorean, which makes about 100 million won ($94,000) in annual sales by producing bottles of perilla and sesame oils. Song is regarded
PeopleApril 6, 2018
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[Herald Interview] Winner says it has never stopped growing
A K-pop idol act’s full-length album means more than just setting out another promotional cycle, especially if it is packed with 12 self-created tracks. Four members of Winner, a prominent K-pop boy band under YG Entertainment, was confident in that the act’s second full-length album “EVERYD4Y” was a result of its continuous efforts to reinvent and hone themselves.“For the last few years since our debut, there was no single time we have stopped to become better Winner. I can confidently say that
PerformanceApril 5, 2018
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[Herald Interview] ‘Strong foundation of mother tongue important in learning English’
Korean parents’ emphasis on education, in particular their keen interest in early English language education, are well-known. Teaching children a foreign language while they are still learning their first language may raise concerns. However, Stacy Molnar, the head of the elementary school at St. Johnsbury Academy on Jeju Island, said it is crucial to build a foundation for children’s mother tongue in order for them to more effectively learn another language.St. Johnsbury Academy Jeju Elementary
Social AffairsApril 2, 2018
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[Herald Interview] ‘Career at ICRC immensely rewarding, gratifying’
Boris Michel, a Swiss citizen working as regional director for the Asia-Pacific region at the International Committee of the Red Cross, believes he grew up in a “privileged environment where the culture of neutrality, consensus and altruism” piqued his interest in humanitarian work.“A lawyer by training, I have learned quickly that a society without rules and principles can lead to abuse and suffering,” he told The Korea Herald last week, adding he has worked in conflict zones in Africa, Central
Diplomatic CircuitApril 2, 2018
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[Herald Interview] ‘Small is beautiful’
It was over a meal with a foreign friend that Yeol Chairwoman Kim Young-M’Young’s interest in conserving Korean culture was sparked. Today, what originated from three friends brainstorming has grown into a non-profit organization with the mission of conserving, developing and promoting Korean cultural heritage with some 620 members. Yeol Chairwoman Kim Young-M’Young poses at the organization‘s headquarters in Bukchon, Seoul, on March 22. (Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald)“We wanted to start small,
CultureMarch 30, 2018
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[Herald Interview] ‘There will be no hiccups in two-way commerce after Brexit’
Before starting his tenure here in early March, British Ambassador Simon Smith spent six months last year learning the Korean language in Seoul. “I’ve had a lot of experience learning different languages over the last 33 years as a diplomat, and Korean was the most difficult,” he told journalists at the British Embassy in Seoul last week, adding he aims to improve his Korean to deepen his understanding of the country. “I also want to be able to read major works of Korean literature and travel an
Diplomatic CircuitMarch 27, 2018
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[Herald Interview] Facing regulatory bar at home, QARASoft robo adviser heads overseas
The Korea Herald is publishing a series of interviews on promising startups in the financial technology industry. This is the 12th installment. - Ed.Regulatory hurdles were high for local financial technology venture firm QARASoft, as its investment platform, the first of its kind in South Korea, was suspended shortly after its launch last year.QARASoft’s now-defunct platform, called “QARA,” connected individual asset managers with funds pooled -- or borrowed -- from peer-to-pe
MarketMarch 25, 2018
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[Herald Interview] Rookie director Lee Chang-hee shows potential in toying with human psychology
Despite the disadvantage of not being distributed by powerhouses like CJ E&M, crime thriller “The Vanished” managed to stay afloat in the Korean box officer for nearly three weeks. This is thanks to a strong story and good acting, along with solid directing by Lee Chang-hee. The first feature-length film of the young director knows how to depict the tumultuous state of men pushed to the edge, and use a plot twist effectively. Lee Chang-hee is seen during a press conference after the premiere of
FilmMarch 23, 2018
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[Herald Interview] Breaking stigma against 2-year vocational college
South Korea is well-known for its society’s great fervor toward education, but activists say that the country must break away from its relentless focus on credentials. More than 98 percent of the teenage population graduates from high school, and in 2017, 68.9 percent of those in the 18 to 21 age group advanced to college, according to the Education Ministry. The figures are among the highest in the OECD. Lee Ki-woo (Korean Council for University College Education)However, this fervor for educa
Social AffairsMarch 22, 2018
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[Herald Interview] ‘Korea should apologize, launch probe into Vietnam War massacres’
In South Korea, soldiers who fought alongside the US against communist forces during the 1960-1975 Vietnam War are widely hailed as patriots whose dedication and sacrifice contributed to the nation’s rapid economic rise. Some Vietnamese, however, testify that they still have vivid memories of Korean troops killing their families, friends and neighbors and burning their homes in the US-led conflict five decades ago. “Beyond admitting that South Korea has a debt of heart to Vietnam, the country sh
Foreign AffairsMarch 21, 2018
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[Herald Interview] ‘Turkey, Korea can reap economic fruits from historic ties’
Since successfully completing several joint infrastructure construction projects in Turkey -- including the Eurasian Tunnel, an underground tunnel bridging Europe and Asia beneath the Bosporus Strait, and Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, one that carries rail and motor vehicles above the strait -- Turkish and Korean companies have gone beyond Turkey to win bids in third markets. One of them is a consortium consisting of Korea Highway Corp., SK Engineering and Construction and Turkish companies Alarko
Diplomatic CircuitMarch 19, 2018
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[Herald interview] Unbridled, yet peaceful rock spirit
Yoon Do-hyun, founder and lead vocalist of YB Band, is one of many celebrities who minimize interaction with the press out of concern that their words may be distorted by the media, stir up controversies, or even be exploited by the government. “I think this is my first interview in over four years. I don’t even remember when was my last one,” said the 47-year-old folk rock singer to The Korea Herald. The energetic and versatile musician has also never been careless with music in his 24-year ca
PerformanceMarch 16, 2018
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[Herald Interview] Blending design to humanize future technologies
Designing technology projects for the future requires a radical change in thinking as social demographics shift and ubiquitous connectivity changes the way people interact with the world around them, says Ju Da-young, an assistant professor at Yonsei University who heads the Technology and Design Research Center.The center is part of the Yonsei Institute of Convergence Technology, a school set up to explore how different disciplines can come together to create new ideas.“We’re seeing completely
TechnologyMarch 14, 2018
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[Herald Interview] So Ji-sub wants to be a good man than a good actor
When So Ji-sub was approached to take on the leading role for “Be With You,” the actor first turned it down due to pressure of playing a dad.“I couldn’t imagine myself as a father, so I didn’t think I would be able to do it. If I started shooting, feeling like that, I would hinder the production,” he said in a group interview on Friday. “But I just couldn’t pass it up. I wanted to work in a film that makes me feel good.”In the movie, he plays the role of a young father lamenting the death of his
FilmMarch 13, 2018
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[Herald Interview] Son Ye-jin has special place in heart for melodrama
Despite decades of prevailing in Korean cinema, melodrama appears to have relinquished its crown to darker and grittier thrillers and action films. Playing her first role in a melodrama film in years in “Be With You,” Son Ye-jin said she has been wanting to present the audience with a quality melodrama flick for a while.“It’s not so much that I wanted to sustain my nickname ‘Melodrama Queen,’ as that the genre has always been something that I wanted to do,” she said in a group interview in Seoul
FilmMarch 13, 2018