SPOTLIGHT

• K-pop

  

  SuperM spreads message of hope with ‘One’

  K-pop supergroup SuperM returned with its long-awaited first full-length album “Super One – The 1st Album” with a hopeful message to endure stressful times as one. “We wanted to show the significance of our existence. While we’ve gathered from distinct teams, we’d like to show you the unity, synergy, our message and hope through the album,” said Kai in the group’s online media conference Friday morning, a few hours before the album release. The

• K-pop

  

  BTS' October concert to only be held virtually: agency

  K-pop supergroup BTS' upcoming Seoul concert in October will be held virtually only, according to the band's management agency Friday, canceling the in-person element that was planned together. The Oct. 10-11 Seoul concert, "BTS Map Of The Soul ON:E," was announced in August as an in-person show with government-mandated seat distancing measures for COVID-19 prevention. Big Hit also planned to livestream the two-day event online as paid content. Big Hit Entertainment announced on its

• Arts&Design

  

  KIAF's art talk offers tips on purchasing art for younger generation

  An art talk show on collecting art for the millennial generation was livestreamed Thursday on the sidelines of the Korean International Art Fair -- the largest art fair in Korea, which kicked off Wednesday online due to the pandemic -- as purchasing art has become a growing trend among the younger generation. “The popularity of artwork collection has increased dramatically among the millennial generation,” said Jackline Byun, founding director of K Artists Art Advisory, at the tal

• Theater

  

  Short-form online musical in the works

  Adjusting to the turbulent times caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, an online-only musical will be launched in November. In the past few months, it has become the norm for musical production companies to stream their shows online, as in-person performances have been barred with tight restrictions to restrain the spread of COVID-19. Though the musical industry has been trying to establish a for-pay model, it has not been easy to bring audiences online, tying them down at home to watch the two- to

LATEST NEWS

• 

  Defense

  S. Korea to repatriate 117 sets of remains of Chinese troops

  The remains of 117 Chinese soldiers killed in the 1950-53 Korean War were casketed Saturday to be sent back to their homeland the following day, the defense ministry said. In 2014, Seoul pledged to repatriate the remains of fallen Chinese soldiers in a symbolic gesture of friendship, and 599 sets have since been returned, including 10 last year. This year's repatriation ceremony will take place at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, on Sunday, according to the ministry. Of the

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  Travel

  [Eye Plus] Incheon Airport still battling COVID-19

  Will we ever be able to feel the excitement and joy that we had at airports before the COVID-19 outbreak?  After eight months of border shutdowns, the Incheon International Airport, one of the largest and busiest airports in Asia, appears to be trying to return to normalcy.  Yet, the third-floor departure area remains eerily quiet, as people continue to refrain from flying abroad under travel restrictions.  On the first floor for arrivals, hundreds of quarantine officials are s

• 

  Culture

  Are webtoons uniquely prone to offend?

  Although webtoons shown on major portal sites have been popular for almost two decades, they have never been subjected to as much criticism as they are getting now. Controversy over webtoon content has been especially heated since August, when popular webtoon author Kian84 uploaded an episode that was criticized by fans. The most recent controversy occurred Sept. 18, when author Joo Ho-min of “Along With the Gods” made a contentious remark during a Twitch broadcast after a viewer as

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  Music

  [Weekender] Bringing the theater experience to homes

  People all over the world have been stuck at home for several months now due to COVID-19. More and more concerts and performances have moved online, and some movies have been released on Netflix or other online content platforms exclusively or prior to opening in theaters. With myriad offerings available in these quarantine times, some people are looking to enhance the online experience by setting up sound systems for their homes. The visual experience of an online performance can also be enha

• 

  Music

  [Eye Interview] Korean Peninsula laid out on music sheets

  NK defector pianist Kim Cheol-woong hopes to bridge two Koreas through music

• 

  Viewpoints

  [Digital Simplicity] IU, 8K display and next-generation gaming

  Last Saturday, singer IU’s newest live performance video was revealed on YouTube. It was a landmark event since the video was formatted in 8K resolution, which easily outperforms 4K display. A small number of those who purchased the prohibitively expensive and visually expansive 88-inch OLED TV from LG Electronics were lucky enough to get a glimpse of what the 8K technology could offer, thanks to the stunning image featuring IU’s equally exquisite live performance. Just in case y

• 

  Culture

  K-beauty meets 18th century Princess Hwahyup

  The National Palace Museum of Korea on Tuesday announced that it will revive cosmetics products used by Princess Hwahyup from the 18th century jointly in conjunction with the Korea National University of Cultural Heritage and local cosmetics maker Cosmax before the end of this year. The three entities will jointly launch a new brand named “Princess Hwahyup” that will be developed based on findings of cosmetic products that were presumably used by Princess Hwahyup (1733-1752), the

• 

  World News

  Japan's new PM says stable Japan-China ties key to region

  New Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said he and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed in talks Friday to work closely together by holding high-level meetings including summits, but did not discuss the possibility of a visit by Xi to Japan.  "I told (Xi) that the stability of Japan-China relations is crucial, not only for the two countries but also for the region and for international society,'' Suga told reporters after their phone conversation.  His talks with Xi late Fr

• 

  Foreign affairs

  N. Korean apology for killing incident a 'helpful step':State Dept.

  North Korea's apology over its recent fatal shooting of a South Korean government official is a "helpful step," the U.S. State Department said Friday, while reaffirming its support for South Korea's condemnation and demand for a full explanation. The reaction came shortly after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said he felt "very sorry" in a message sent to South Korea. "We understand that the DPRK has conveyed an explanation and apology to the ROK. This is a helpful s

• 

  K-pop

  BTS agency wins defamation suits against malicious online troll

  Big Hit Entertainment, the label-management agency of BTS, has won multiple defamation suits against an individual who has repeatedly posted malicious comments about the global K-pop group on the internet. According to Big Hit Entertainment, the person, whose identity was withheld, was recently fined 4 million won (US$3,400) in total by the Seoul Eastern District Court for three separate criminal complaints for defamation. Big Hit added that the company was filing additional separate crimina

GRAPHIC NEWS

OPINION

• Viewpoints

  

  IU, 8K display and next-generation gaming

  Last Saturday, singer IU’s newest live performance video was revealed on YouTube. It was a landmark event since the video was formatted in 8K resolution, which easily outperforms 4K display. A small number of those who purchased the prohibitively expensive and visually expansive 88-inch OLED TV from LG Electronics were lucky enough to get a glimpse of what the 8K technology could offer, thanks to the stunning image featuring IU’s equally exquisite live performance. Just in case y

• Viewpoints

  

  South Korea as a Middle Power

  On Monday this week, President Moon Jae-in addressed world leaders by satellite in a special event to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the United Nations. In his address, Moon focused on the multilateral efforts among the MIKTA countries -- Mexico, Indonesia, Korea, Turkey and Australia -- to address the COVID-19 pandemic and other pressing global issues. He stressed that nations and international organizations should work together to ensure that developing countries have access to COVID-19 v

THE INVESTOR

• Finance

  

  Lotte Insurance denies rumors of self-delisting plan

  　Lotte Insurance said on Sept. 25 that it would not consider delisting itself from the country’s main bourse Kospi, refuting rumors by some local media reports. 　Followed by the nation’s sole bourse operator’s call for explanation on the delisting rumors, the insurance firm made its official announcement via DART -- the Financial Supervisory Service’s electronic disclosure board. 　“This is to confirm that we are not considering to be delisted from the local mar

• Startups & Investors

  

  Proptech startup Kasa Korea attracts W9.2b in series B funding

  Kasa Korea, a property technology startup, said on Sept. 24 it has raised some 9.2 billion won ($7.8 million) in a series B funding round. The latest funding was led by the state-run Korea Development Bank. 　Silicon Valley venture capitals and domestic investment firms, including Northern Light Venture Capital, and Kona I Partners, participated in the fundraising round as financial investors and interior firm Kukbo Design was involved as a strategic partner. 　The proptech startup has so far

• Finance

  

  Korean lenders struggle with New York hotel-retail project investment

  Major South Korean lenders’ decision to invest some $100 million in a hotel and retail project at 20 Times Square in New York in 2018 has come back to bite them two years later, with the property’s foreclosure last year continuing to wreak havoc, local reports said on Sept. 24. 　In 2018, French Bank Natixis syndicated to local banks KB Kookmin, Hana and NH Nonghyup – three of the five major lenders here – and other Korean institutional investors. Some combined $100 mill

• Mobile & Internet

  

  Netmarble launches storytelling game BTS Universe Story, second collaboration with BTS

  　Netmarble launches storytelling game BTS Universe Story, second Netmarble said on Sept. 24 that it has launched BTS Universe Story in 173 countries, a storytelling game featuring 3D-scanned avatars of RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook. 　According to the South Korean game maker, in BTS Universe Story, users can create and participate in interactive, choose-your-own-adventure-style stories where their choices throughout the game lead to different outcomes.  　"BTS Unive

K-POP

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  BTS agency wins defamation suits against malicious online troll

• 

  K-pop buzz on Twitter grows substantially despite COVID-19

• 

  BTS' October concert to only be held virtually: agency

HERALD INTERVIEW

• Film

  

  Shin Min-ah says ‘Diva’ is like flesh to her

• Technology

  

  Pandemic brings virtual care front and center

• Technology

  

  ‘Masks can become new type of wearable device’

• Music

  

  Lang Lang hopes to ‘reach people’s heart and soul’

PHOTO NEWS

• Travel

  

  Walking from Seoul's first park to northern city gate that overlooks Seoul

  Sitting on the lower slopes of Bukaksan is Samcheong Park.  Samcheong Park is the first officially designated park in Seoul, and still among the more popular areas for a stroll in the Samcheong-dong area. This park is busiest in April for its cherry blossoms, but many locals and tourists visit year-round. The park has a library as well as a learning center for children and sports facilities.  Located around 500 meters to the north from Samcheong Park is Malbawi, a popular spot to lo

VIDEO

• Social affairs

  

  College students in Korea adapting to online classes amid virus fears

• Culture

  

  Celebrating the 30th episode of ‘The Trend Herald’

• Culture

  

  Indoor Games go wild to combat quarantine boredom

• Culture

  

  Communication in a world where facial expressions are unseen

FEATURES

• Social affairs

  

  Daejeon fastest, Gyeonggi slowest in growth of single-person households

  Of 16 areas nationwide, Busan, Daegu, Gwangju rank within top 4

• Money

  

  Woori Financial Group on long road to privatization

  W12.7tr government bailout saved lender in 1998, but led to questions about bank’s identity as private institution

• Social affairs

  

  India fast-approaching US in coronavirus infections

  Top 10 includes 4 South American nations

• Culture

  

  Time running out for large rescued dogs

  With international travel halted by pandemic, backlog of dogs awaiting foreign adoption grows