A glimpse into South Korea’s strange obsession with ‘character trials’ of sports stars

A North Korean hacking group has broadened its scope of attack from the South Korean government and private sector to other nations as well, according to a top cybersecurity firm report.  Workers at the Korea Internet and Security Agency in Seoul, South Korea, monitored the spread of ransomware cyberattacks. (Yonhap)US cybersecurity firm FireEye said the state-backed “Reaper” hacking organization, which it dubbed “APT 37,” expanded its target list to include Japan, Vietnam and the Middle East la

There was something odd about the way the South Korean female skaters performed in the 500-meter team pursuit quarterfinals event at PyeongChang on Monday. 　　The three-member team -- Kim Bo-reum, Noh Seon-yeong and Park Ji-woo -- looked almost as if they were competing in an individual race, not a team pursuit. When Noh Seon-yeong, one of the team members, fell a long way behind during the race, the remaining two skaters -- Park and Kim -- left her behind and crossed the finish line without her.

After winning silver in the women’s 500-meter speedskating Sunday, Lee Sang-hwa, South Korea’s two-time defending Olympic champion, burst into tears.　PyeongChang was her fourth and possibly her last Olympics, and Lee was aiming for a third straight gold in front of her home crowd. But it was Japan’s Nao Kodaira who took the gold with an Olympic-record 36.94 seconds, becoming the first Japanese female speedskater to win an Olympic title. Lee, a longtime friend of Kodaira, had to settle for silver

Despite an inter-Korean detente that came with North Korea’s participation in the Winter Olympics, uncertainty continues to loom over the reunion of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War. South Korean Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon visits a 94-year-old member of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War on Feb. 13, ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday. The South Korean members, mostly in their 70s and 80s, have lost contact with their families in the North after the reunion events

Japan's Yuzuru Hanyu clinched the first back-to-back men's Olympic figure skating title in more than six decades on Saturday to cement his status as the "Ice Prince" of the modern era.The 23-year-old superstar made light of a three-month injury hiatus to emulate American Dick Button, who won gold in 1948 and 1952.Hanyu led a Japanese one-two as Shoma Uno took silver, ahead of Spain's Javier Fernandez with bronze. (AFP)"I'm relieved to be able to skate here as a lot of people supported me," Hanyu

South Korea’s female curling team, which ranks eighth in the world, defeated second-ranked Switzerland Friday after dispatching first-ranked Canada in a surprise victory Thursday. The Korean team won 8-6 against Canada and 7-5 against Switzerland.The four-member Korean team is composed of Kim Yeong-mi, Kim Seon-yeong, Kim Kyeong-ae and Kim Eun-jung. The women’s team still have to win four more games to advance to the semifinals, having lost to Japan on Thursday evening. After the preliminary rou

After suffering two shutout losses against Switzerland and Sweden, the unified Korean women’s ice hockey team made Olympic history by scoring its first and only goal in its match against Japan on Wednesday.Although Korea ended up losing to Japan in a 4-1 loss, the goal was celebrated by South Korean and American spectators as well as North Korea’s all-female cheerleading squad at the Kwandong Hockey Center.Takeuchi Aina of Japan (left) in action against Randi Heesoo Griffin of Korea (right) duri

PARKLAND, US (AFP) - A former student armed with an AR-15 rifle opened fire at a Florida high school on Wednesday, killing at least 17 people, officials said, in a harrowing shooting spree that saw terrified students hiding in closets and under desks as they texted for help.　Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel identified the gunman as Nikolas Cruz, 19, a former student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland who had been expelled for “disciplinary reasons.”　Cruz was arrested without

The prosecution’s special investigation team is likely to summon a former Justice Ministry official suspected of sexual misconduct after the Lunar New Year’s holiday, as it speeds up fact-finding efforts into the sexual harassment scandal revealed by a female prosecutor. According to the prosecution Wednesday, the team is looking into data seized in a rare raid at the Justice Ministry conducted the day before. Senior prosecutor and the head of Seoul Eastern District Prosecutor's Office Cho Hee-j

17-year-old dominate women’s halfpipe while tweeting she’s ‘hangry’

Old rumors of GM Korea’s potential pullout from South Korea recently resurfaced, following moves and comments made by the automaker’s global management.Last week, General Motors International President Barry Engle visited Korea, following a trip last month, although the details of his meetings here were not disclosed. GM CEO Mary Barra, meanwhile, also called Korea a challenge last week during a public conference call with industry analysts, eluding to potential changes and restructuring. All th

Mask used during unified Koreas’ ice hockey game stirs controversy

S. Korean president stresses need for US-NK talks, accepts invitation under right circumstances

PYEONGCHANG, Gangwon Province -- When Kim Yuna lit the cauldron at the PyeongChang Olympic Stadium, her appearance was hardly surprising, though her name had been a closely guarded secret before the opening ceremony. By all accounts, Kim was a deserving choice.  Kim Yuna lights the Olympic cauldron (Lee Sang-sub/The Korea Herald)The former Olympic champion on Friday lit the Olympic cauldron to officially kick off the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics -- an honor typically bestowed on a sporting h