A lone capybara sits behind a glass pane in its enclosure. Surrounded by coffee-sipping patrons in a cafe, it is a long way from its native home of South America. Animal cafes in Korea are becoming increasingly numerous, and the wildlife on display increasingly diverse. For example, in some of Seoul’s most popular establishments, you can now meet meerkats, raccoons, fennec foxes and even wallabies. But is it a good idea to keep animals in cafe environments?  A capybara at an animal cafe (Chantel

As the world ponders the meaning of President Donald Trump’s threat of “fire and fury” on North Korea, it’s worth asking why his predecessors never took those steps to stop its nuclear program.When Bill Clinton was confronted with the threat of North Korea’s exit from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, he considered military force. But he ended up going for negotiations in what became known as the Joint Framework Agreement. The North Koreans froze their plutonium program in exchange for fuel

Be careful what you say, his mother had warned him as a young boy. “What I said had a funny way of coming true,” said Jung Ku-ho recently in an interview with The Korea Herald at a cafe in Itaewon, Seoul. Divine intervention probably has little to do with Jung’s trailblazing success as a fashion designer and, now, creative director. Rather, creativity, drive and being at the right place and at the right time probably explain Jung’s ability to realize his dreams, as far-fetched as those dreams ma

(Yonhap)The Seoul Central District Court ruled this week that Hankook Tire was partially responsible for the death of a factory worker surnamed Ahn who died of lung cancer caused by toxic chemicals in 2015.This marks the first ruling that holds the local tiremaker responsible for the death of its factory worker.The company is South Korea’s largest tiremaker and No. 7 by sales globally. The verdict ordered Hankook Tire to compensate the plaintiffs -- the worker’s wife and three children -- a tota

Although the sea is usually the top choice for exciting water activities, it is not easy for busy Seoulites to carve out time to travel to the nearest beach. But for water sports fans who desire to beat the heat with a rush of adrenaline, the Han River is a more practical destination with a splash of summer fun. The river that runs through South Korea’s capital will help ease the stress of city-dwellers. Family-friendly activities, including waterskiing, kayaking, and windsurfing, are offered wi

South Korea’s opposition parties on Friday reiterated their criticism of the government, claiming that it was failing to play a leading role in resolving escalating tensions with North Korea. The main opposition Liberty Korea Party accused the Moon Jae-in administration of inaction amid the verbal exchanges between the North and the US, which are raising concerns of a possible armed clash. “US President Donald Trump is making statements hinting at a possible war, and the North is talking about f

With less than two weeks to go before Samsung Electronics debuts its new flagship phablet Galaxy Note 8 in New York, numerous leaks and rumors have surfaced, revealing the device’s specifications, price and release dates. According to latest news reports citing insiders, the Galaxy Note 8 will sport a 6.3-inch display, which is the largest display ever to be featured on a premium smartphone and 0.6-inch larger than its predecessor, the Note 7. It will also feature a near edge-to-edge display lik

Black Pink is holding a promotional event in Japan with international fashion brand Dior, as it kicks off its musical career in the country.Since Wednesday, the K-pop group has been holding the promotion at Isetan department store in Shinjuku, Tokyo, with the Dior product Rouge Dior Liquid. The event will continue until Tuesday. (YG Entertainment) (YG Entertainment)Black Pink’s Japan debut has been garnering attention in the country, with the group featured on the covers of popular magazines suc

K-pop group BTS on Friday announced the start of a new conceptual series, “Love Yourself,” ahead of the upcoming release of its new album in September.The boy band revealed a poster featuring Jungkook to promote the series, which will include a collection of music under a single concept. It showed Jungkook holding a flower while sitting on a wheelchair.  A poster for “Love Yourself” featuring Jungkook of BTS (Bit Hit Entertainment)“The poster hints at the entire story of the ‘Love Yourself’ seri

A decision by unionized workers at Hyundai Motor to stage partial strikes is likely to further burden the South Korean automaker, which is suffering from sluggish overseas sales partly due to a diplomatic dispute between Seoul and Beijing.Calling for wage hikes and job security, union members of Hyundai Motor said they would stage a strike Thursday and Monday for two hours at 11:30 a.m., and at 8:20 p.m. by another group of workers on the afternoon shift. The automaker’s unionized workers have s

South Korea‘s tech giant Samsung Electronics registered an average of 19 patents per day in the United States in the first seven months of the year, industry data showed.According to the data by US online journal Quartz, a total of 4,143 patents were registered by Samsung Electronics through Aug. 1, with a daily 19.5 patents on average.It ranked second among technology firms in terms of patent registers in the world’s largest economy, after IBM, which posted 5,797 patents in total over the same

Imposing United Nations sanctions on North Korea is the first major foreign policy success of the Donald Trump administration. The effort has a chance of working -- provided Trump keeps following a model borrowed from President Barack Obama’s dealings with Iran. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. And the only way to pressure a nuclear or near-nuclear power to the table is with economic sanctions that weaken the regime without threatening its existence.To get the UN Security Council to