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Book author: Kim Jong-nam was a small hope for hope

North KoreaFeb 17, 2017

TOKYO (AP) -- A Japanese author of a book about Kim Jong-nam, the North Korean leader's half brother who was killed this week at a Malaysian airport, says Kim opposed his family's hereditary rule and wanted economic reforms. Tokyo-based journalist Yoji Gomi's book "My Father, Kim Jong-il, and Me,'' provides a rare view into North Korea's ruling family, including Kim Jong-nam, who was apparently assassinated on Monday. Gomi said Kim Jong-nam, the son of late North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il a
10 air-purifying houseplants

Social affairsJan 13, 2017

Looking for plants to clean the air in your home? Here are some low-maintenance plants which are powerful natural air purifiers, recommended by The Korea Herald.
Park's attorney rejects prosecution's interim investigation results

PoliticsNov 20, 2016

President Park Geun-hye's attorney on Sunday rejected the prosecution's investigation results, saying he cannot accept any allegations that implicated the president as an accomplice in the corruption and influence-peddling scandal involving her confidante. Casting doubts over the fairness and credibility of the prosecutorial probe, Yoo Yeong-ha claimed the interim results were based on "imagination and conjectures." The attorney also stressed he will not respond to any requests for a direct in
Park loyalists stage counter-protest

Social affairsNov 19, 2016

Some 4,000 people gathered in front of Seoul Station to voice support for President Park Geun-hye and oppose the rallies calling on her to step down over the scandal surrounding her confidante Choi Soon-sil. The participants were mostly senior citizens from some 80 hard right groups, including the Korea Parent Federation, Mothers’ Platoon and the Preparation Committee for the Centennial Anniversary of the Birth of Park Chung-hee. PArk Chung-hee was a military strongman and the father of the curr
[DECODED] Timeline of Samsung reorganization since 2013

IndustryJul 19, 2016
N.K. leader gained 40kg in four years: spy agency

North KoreaJul 2, 2016

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is currently suffering from insomnia, as well as diseases caused by obesity, South Korea's intelligence agency said Friday, adding he has gained 40 kilograms over the past four years.The National Intelligence Service said in its report to a meeting of the parliament's intelligence committee that Kim is presumed to weigh 130 kilograms, a jump from 90 kilograms when he took office in 2012. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (Yonhap)Rep. Lee Cheol-woo of the ruling Saen
Hyundai Motor keeps fourth spot in Brazil's auto market

TransportJul 2, 2016

SAO PAULO (Yonhap) -- Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea's top automaker, stayed at No. 4 in Brazil's auto market in the first half of this year, according to Brazil's main internet portal.Hyundai sold a cumulative 95,965 units in Brazil during the January-June period, accounting for 10.1 percent of Brazil's auto market, said UOL, the main internet portal in the South American country.U.S. carmaker General Motors Co. took the first spot with a 16.6-percent market share, followed by Fiat Chrysler Aut
Gunmen storm Dhaka cafe, take diners hostage

World NewsJul 2, 2016

DHAKA (AFP) -- Gunmen stormed a crowded restaurant popular with foreigners in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka on Friday night, taking dozens of people hostage and triggering a deadly firefight with police, witnesses and officials said.The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack on the Holey Artisan Bakery restaurant in Dhaka's upmarket Gulshan diplomatic quarter in which two police officers were killed.Bangladeshi security forces stand guard as they seal off the streets close to
PyeongChang formally nominates ex-commerce minister as new chief

Olympic GamesMay 4, 2016

Organizers of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics on Wednesday formally nominated former Commerce Minister Lee Hee-beom as their new president.The PyeongChang Organizing Committee for the 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games made the decision at its executive committee meeting in Seoul, a day after Lee was tapped to replace Hanjin Group Chairman Cho Yang-ho.Cho abruptly resigned Tuesday to tend to pressing issues at Hanjin Shipping, one of the group‘s affiliates mired in debts.Lee will be o
IMF slashes Korea’s growth outlook to 2.7%

Apr 13, 2016

The International Monetary Fund said Tuesday that Korea’s economic growth in 2016 would be 0.2 percentage point lower than it had previously forecast, as waning global trade continues to drag down the export-driven economy. It now expects Korea’s economy to expand 2.7 percent this year, down from 2.9 percent projected in January and 3.2 percent in October last year. The revised outlook is lower than the Korean government’s prediction of 3.1 percent and Bank of Korea’s forecast of 3 percent, but
Seoul to roll out W21tr in Q1 stimulus

Feb 3, 2016

Korea will pump an additional 21 trillion won ($17.4 billion) of fiscal stimulus into the economy until March to combat sagging exports and revitalize growth, the government said Wednesday. The Ministry of Strategy and Finance said that public spending in the January-March period would rise by 6 trillion won to 144 trillion won, with 2 trillion won of the amount to come from the central government. The government’s total budget for 2016 stays unchanged at 386.4 trillion won. Containers are seen
Korea aims for MSCI upgrade

Jan 27, 2016

Korea will introduce an omnibus account system for foreign investors and explore ways to improve the local currency’s convertibility in order to help get its stock market upgraded by MSCI global equity indexes, the Financial Services Commission said Wednesday. MSCI indexes are some of the world’s most widely tracked benchmarks and serve as the basis for over 500 exchange-traded funds. Financial Services Commission chief Yim Jong-yong attends a meeting in Seoul on Wednesday. (Yonhap)“Given the re
[Photo News] Visit to traditional market

Jan 26, 2016

KB Financial Group chairman Yoon Jong-kyoo (center) and Financial Supervisory Service Gov. Zhin Woong-seob (right, front row) at a visit to a traditional market in Seoul on Tuesday. The visit was part of efforts to revive business in conventional markets ahead of the Lunar New Year holidays. KB Financial Group
[Newsmaker] Deutsche Bank trader sentenced to jail

Jan 26, 2016

On Nov. 11, 2010, with just 10 minutes for the stock market to close in Seoul, three traders in Hong Kong dumped 2.4 trillion won ($2 billion) worth of Korean shares, triggering a 2.7 percent drop on the country’s main KOSPI index. The massive and coordinated sell-off by Deutsche Bank employees wiped out 28 trillion won in value from Korea’s equity market, but those involved in the transaction made a combined profit of 44.9 billion won through derivative positions they had arranged in advance. M
Seoul seeks to bolster loans for mid-credit borrowers 　

Jan 22, 2016

Korea is moving to encourage local banks to lend more to mid-credit borrowers, a segment typically underserved in Korea’s retail loan market, polarized between cheap, but hard-to-get, bank loans and expensive nonbank loans. According to industry sources and multiple local reports, the Financial Services Commission is currently devising measures to bolster retail banks’ middle-market lending, with its sights set on borrowers with credit scores just below levels that would qualify them for a bank