Benois de la Danse winner Kang Mi-sun comes back with 'Don Quixote'

This year’s Benois de la Danse winner, Kang Mi-sun, is set to perform the classic ballet “Don Quixote” at the Seoul Arts Center’s Opera Theater next month. Kang, a principal dancer at Universal Ballet in Seoul, clinched the top prize at the prestigious Benois de la Danse, an esteemed annual ballet competition held in Moscow. Kang is the fifth Korean national to win the prize. The upcoming performance is Kang's return to the stage with a full-length production at the

PerformanceSept. 25, 2023

[Photo News] Dondeokjeon reopens after century

Dondeokjeon, a Western-style building next to Deoksugung in central Seoul, opens to the public Tuesday after a six-year restoration. The building was once used as a royal guesthouse and venue for diplomatic events during the Korean Empire (1897-1910). The two-story structure, built between 1902 and 1903 during the reign of King Gojong to commemorate the 40th anniversary of his enthronement, was destroyed by the Japanese in the 1920s. The Japanese subsequently turned the palace into a children�

CultureSept. 25, 2023

[Herald Interview] Honoring Korean descendants who fought for their legal rights

Until the 1970s, blatant forms of discrimination against foreign nationals existed in Japan. For example, non-Japanese citizens were banned from entering law school regardless of their qualifications or if they had passed the bar exam, and many ethnic minorities were denied permanent residence, forcing them to reapply for permission to live in Japan every three years. Kim Kyong-duk, a Korean descendant born and raised in Japan, passed the Japanese bar exam in 1976. He was offered the chance to b

Social AffairsSept. 25, 2023

KB chief hopes successor transforms group into 'Samsung of finance'

KB Financial Group's outgoing chair, Yoon Jong-kyoo, said Monday that he hopes his successor will realize his unattained goal to grow the group as a top-10 financial firm in the world. "I previously said I want to turn the group into the 'Samsung of finance,' but now that I look back, I feel a lot of regret when thinking about how much progress we've made (on global stage)," Yoon said at a press conference held at the group’s headquarters in Seoul. He will ste

IndustrySept. 25, 2023

Rebellions' AI chip to undergo IBM quality testing

Korean AI semiconductor startup Rebellions said Monday that its chips were set to undergo quality testing at data centers of IBM Research's AI Hardware Center in New York. IBM Research's AI Hardware Center conducts exhaustive quality testing for enterprise-grade data center processors. It evaluates the reliability of the chip until it reaches an acceptable level of performance. Earlier this year in April, Rebellions gained global attention when its Atom chip outperformed Nvidia's

IndustrySept. 25, 2023

SK Earthon starts first independent oil production in South China Sea

SK Earthon, a subsidiary of South Korean energy giant SK Innovation specializing in oil exploration and production, said Monday that it has commenced its first independent crude oil production in the Lufeng 12-3 oil field, part of Block 17/03 in the South China Sea, starting this September. Located approximately 300 kilometers from Shenzhen, China, the oil field is projected to cater to over 1 percent of South Korea's daily oil consumption, with an output of around 29,500 barrels at its pea

IndustrySept. 25, 2023

Growth hormone treatment for children spiking in Korea

The number of adolescents receiving growth hormone therapy is increasing rapidly, with the number for the first half of the year already surpassing that of last year. According to data released by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service on Sept. 22, 25,900 adolescents received growth hormone therapy in the first half of this year. This figure was 25,300 last year, which was about double the number recorded in 2020. Growth hormone therapy is prescribed following precise diagnoses throu

Social AffairsSept. 25, 2023

[Bills in Focus] Holding CEOs accountable for lack of internal financial control

Proposed bill: Partial Amendment to the Act on Corporate Governance of Financial Companies Proposed by Rep. Yoon Han-hong (People Power Party) ● The frequent occurrence of financial accidents has raised the need for financial companies to strengthen the monitoring of their internal control system. To ensure financial companies operate an effective internal control system, this amendment establishes an internal control committee under the board of directors to strengthen the board's responsibilit

PoliticsSept. 25, 2023

[Herald Interview] Love is what defines artist Dawn

Dawn opened a new chapter in his journey as a solo artist this year, coinciding with some meaningful changes in his life. His single “Dear My Light,” released early this year, opened listeners' hearts to a heartfelt message. It was his first release since the end of a long-term relationship, and after joining a new agency. “Entering my 30s next year, I wanted to start off anew and open a new chapter in my life. For that, I wanted to convey who the artist Dawn is through my

K-popSept. 25, 2023

N.Korea blasts Yoon for denouncing military ties with Russia at UN

North Korea released scathing criticism filled with abusive language on Monday in response to South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's denunciation of internationally prohibited, potential military transactions between Moscow and Pyongyang during his speech at the UN General Assembly. South Korea, however, has opted to disregard the criticism, considering it unworthy of a response. North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency, primarily oriented toward an international audience, re

North KoreaSept. 25, 2023

[Herald Interview] Kim Jee-woon has high hopes of Korean cinema revival through 'Cobweb'

Just like director Kim Yeol in “Cobweb,” the film's 58-year-old director, Kim Jee-won, is adamant about what he does as a filmmaker. “Amid the unprecedented crisis that Korean cinema is facing, all I ask for (regarding the release of my film) is for ‘Cobweb’ to create a momentum for the revival of the Korean cinema,” Kim told The Korea Herald in an interview in Seoul on Sept. 21. Kim was behind hit projects like “The Good, The Bad, The Strange&rdquo

FilmSept. 25, 2023

Political strife may delay Korea’s launch of new space agency

The plan to establish South Korea’s new space body inspired by the US' NASA, called the Korea Aerospace Administration (KASA) before the end of the year is now apparently off the table, as lawmakers have yet to find the middle ground for KASA’s legislation. The lawmakers of the Science ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee announced on Sept. 5 that they would set up an agenda coordination committee to conduct a series of meetings to come to a conclusion for the special

PoliticsSept. 25, 2023

Yoon's approval rating edges up after 6-day trip to New York

President Yoon Suk Yeol emphasized his diplomatic outreach with 47 heads of state during his trip to New York last week and amplified commitments to boost government assistance at a Cabinet meeting Monday. These diplomatic efforts are expected to lay a cornerstone for enhancing energy infrastructure using atomic and hydrogen power in countries vulnerable to climate change and boosting the international community's access to digital infrastructure, he said. During the livestreamed meeting,

PoliticsSept. 25, 2023

Military out to stern rise in drug use

Drug-related crimes have increased in South Korea’s military according to data that shows a consistent rise in the number of cases inside the barracks in recent years. According to a local news report on Friday, a sergeant first class in the Army was caught purchasing birth control pills containing methamphetamine in March 2019 but was handed a suspended prosecution disposition from the military prosecutor’s office. In April, six soldiers stationed in a division in Yeoncheon, Gyeongg

DefenseSept. 25, 2023

[Korea Beyond Korea] ‘Korea should support Korean history studies, research abroad’

Ever since its inception in 2006, South Korea’s state-funded Northeast Asian History Foundation has conducted research and analysis on issues involving Northeast Asian history and the Korean Dokdo islets to develop policies aimed at promoting peace and prosperity in the region. “The foundation has held countless academic seminars with Japan and China, and made constant efforts for reconciliation, but the neighboring countries’ differences on historical issues have only gotten w

hashtag KoaeaSept. 25, 2023

[Korea Beyond Korea] Early Koreanists 'on verge of extinction overseas'

Compared to the ancient and medieval history and archaeology of China and Japan, those of Korea have been substantially understudied overseas, with only a small number of scholars interested in the field. But the number has dwindled even more over the past years due to a lack of job opportunities and funding, according to Jack Davey, a US-based scholar of early Korean history and archaeology. A 2019 symposium on the archaeology of Korea, for instance, brought together just 12 scholars -- and s

hashtag KoaeaSept. 25, 2023

[Herald Review] ‘Cobweb’ sends fresh, new breeze through Korean cinema scene

Hit filmmaker Kim Jee-woon has returned with black comedy “Cobweb,” joining forces with Cannes-winning actor Song Kang-ho to bring a breath of fresh air to the box office where plot-missing disaster flicks and childish romantic comedy films have been dominating recently. “Cobweb” follows a fresh plot development, storyline and characters. The weighty question “What is film?” penetrates the 130-minute running time, anchoring the scenes of witty, funny and sad m

FilmSept. 25, 2023

[Photo News] Warming ties with Ho Chi Minh

Korea Enterprises Federation Chairman Sohn Kyung-shik (eighth from left) and Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Chairman Phan Van Mai (ninth from left) pose with business leaders from Korea and Vietnam during an event to welcome Vietnamese delegation’s visit, at Lotte Hotel Seoul on Monday. Some 30 people from KEF member companies and Ho Chi Minh City government attended the meeting to discuss ways to improve economic cooperation between the two countries. (Korea Enterprises Feder

IndustrySept. 25, 2023

SKC to build bioplastics plant in Vietnam

South Korea's advanced materials maker SKC said Monday that it had decided on a location in Vietnam’s northeastern city of Hai Phong to establish a manufacturing plant for biodegradable plastics, as it pushes to expand its eco-friendly business. Amid mounting global calls to reduce plastic waste, the international market size for bioplastics is expected to grow at an annual rate of over 20 percent. SKC and its joint venture Ecovance officials and top executives visited Vietnam on Fr

IndustrySept. 25, 2023

[Herald Interview] Mimiirose hopes to make a name for itself

Rookie K-pop bands rarely remain off the radar for even a month after debuting, but Mimiirose stayed out of the limelight for over a year after it debuted in September 2022. After a yearlong break, the five-piece girl group said it felt more than ready to reintroduce itself as a brand new group. "There was a time when we felt anxious after having our comeback postponed several times, although we had just debuted. But every time, the members stayed together and encouraged each other," Y

K-popSept. 25, 2023