Prosecutors are looking into about 10 people suspected of drug abuse, including a famous actor, a chaebol scion, an entertainment agency CEO and a well-known fashion designer, SBS reported Thursday. Those suspected allegedly got habitual propofol injections for non-medical purposes over the past several years at a plastic surgery clinic in Seoul’s Gangnam, the broadcaster said.　 The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety requested for an investigation, as the clinic used excessive amounts of

Samsung Electronics flatly denied Thursday allegations that its heir apparent and Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong illegally received injections of propofol, a short-acting sedative and anesthetic drug. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office began looking into the accusations after the state anti-corruption watchdog, which received a tip from a whistleblower on Lee’s alleged drug use, referred the case to the prosecution last month. The case came to light after investigative local new

SAN FRANCISCO -- There are more things that can be done on a tiny 1.1-inch display on the cover of Samsung Electronics’ palm-sized foldable Galaxy Z Flip than many would have thought, which maximizes both fun and convenient elements of the brand new mobile form factor. The Korea Herald got a chance to check out the new flip-type foldable gadget at the Galaxy Unpacked 2020 held in San Francisco on Tuesday. The tech giant highlighted that its foldable device can now be folded into a sma

In light of Korean filmmaker Bong joon-ho’s historical victory at the Oscars with his film “Parasite,” the Korean manufacturer of instant noodles featured in the film is riding high on the bandwagon. Jjapaguri -- translated as “ram-don” in the English subtitles -- is a mixture of Chapaghetti black bean instant noodles and soup-based Neoguri ramen. Having aroused the curiosity of cinemagoers around the world, the recipe quickly spread via social media, with Bong&rs

When “Parasite” became the first non-English-language movie to win the top honor of best ensemble cast at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, actor Lee Sun-kyun joked, “I am a little embarrassed. It feels like we are parasites of Hollywood now.” He was being humble. Bong Joon-ho’s satire-thriller “Parasite” on Monday won best picture, best director, best international feature film and best original screenplay at the Academy Awards, becoming the first Kor

Rival presidential hopefuls to face off in April general election

Foreign language speakers seeking assistance with their queries on the novel coronavirus are finding it difficult to get help through Korea Centers for Disease Control’s hotline 1339. Korea Tourism Organization announced on Thursday that people who need advice in foreign languages could call 1339 and press 4, which would connect them to a three-way call service with interpreters to accommodate callers who do not speak Korean. The service is available in eight languages, including Englis

  GS Home Shopping said Thursday it has decided to close its headquarters until Saturday morning as one of its employees was infected with the new coronavirus. “As an employee was confirmed to be infected by the new coronavirus, the company has closed the headquarters building in Seoul in case of emergency,” the company said. During the period, the firm said it would thoroughly disinfect the entire building. All of its home shopping broadcasts will be replaced by rebroadcas

A Taiwanese person arrested for voice phishing repeatedly coughed and said he felt feverish Thursday morning, prompting police to take precautions against the novel coronavirus. The 35-year-old, locked up at the Gwangju Bukbu Police Station for allegedly stealing cash through telephone fraud, was taken to a clinic, where he was declared well as he had a normal temperature and no symptoms of pneumonia. Medical staff assumed that his persistent coughing was due to excessive smoking. Police ha

With face masks running out fast as the new China-borne virus spreads, the government is cracking down on hoarding and illicit trading of hygiene goods in high demand. Vice Health Minister Kim Gang-lip announced Wednesday a joint clampdown on market cornering and price gouging of face masks and hand sanitizers. A response team comprising 180 officials of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, Fair Trade Commission, National Tax Service and National Police Agency will monitor unfair trading pr

February and March are usually the most celebrated and busiest months in the Korean school calendar. Schools hold graduation ceremonies in February and welcome freshmen at the beginning of March. But things are likely to be different this year as more and more schools reschedule the milestone events with the potentially fatal new coronavirus showing no signs of abating here. South Korea has confirmed 18 cases of infection since Jan. 20. A majority of universities based in the country's cap

The coronavirus is forcing general election candidates to find ways to reach voters apart from street canvassing, with many turning to social media. 　 Campaign rally events often involve face-to-face conversations, handshakes and canvassing trucks with loudspeakers blaring music at places with a large flow of people and dense crowds. But fears over the contagious disease are driving candidates to run online campaigns. The ruling Democratic Party of Korea has suggested party leaders suspend ele

The prosecution called in Choi Gee-sung, a former senior Samsung executive, on Tuesday for its probe into suspicions surrounding Samsung Group's controversial merger of two affiliates in 2015. Choi, former head of Samsung's now-disbanded strategy control tower, was questioned by prosecutors over his role in heir apparent Lee Jae-yong's managerial succession process related to the merger of Samsung C&T Corp. and Cheil Industries. The prosecution is looking into allegations that senior Sams

The southern resort island of Jeju is struggling to track down those who came into contact with a Chinese tourist who tested positive for a deadly coronavirus after returning from a trip there. As fears mounted, health authorities said Monday that the Wuhan resident was unlikely to have had symptoms while traveling around the island for five days last month.  “The Chinese health authorities informed us that the patient was quarantined after showing symptoms like a fever on Jan.

The father of two children who were airlifted from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the new coronavirus outbreak, voluntarily checked into the quarantine center in Asan to look after the kids, authorities said Sunday. The children, aged 8 and 10, were among the hundreds of Korean residents who were flown in from the city in Hubei province on Jan. 31 and are currently staying in isolation at two locations. Their mother could not accompany them for the trip because of her Chinese nationality. A