Girls’ Generation in crisis
Scandals reveal management loophole, cracks in unity Is Girls’ Generation in crisis? Will it disband in the near future? Eight years have passed since the nine-member K-pop girl group burst onto the domestic music scene. During that time, it has grown up as undisputed K-pop kingpin adored by scores of fans at home and abroad […]
NK chooses stability over change
North Korea apparently chose stability of its leadership and policies over change in its latest leadership reshuffle, experts said Thursday. During the first session of the newly formed Supreme People’s Assembly (SPA), Wednesday, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was re-elected as head of the North’s powerful National Defense Commission. Kim Yong-nam, the North’s ceremonial head […]
Flea markets booming
If you find old clothes, toys or small home appliances during your spring cleaning, don’t throw them away. Take them to a flea market. Flea markets are gaining popularity in Korea, with several new ones popping up across the country in the last few years. They include the Songdo Good Market in Incheon and one […]
‘Apple should rather focus on innovation’
A former Wall Street Journal reporter says that Apple should shift the focus of its business to “innovation” from patent disputes with Samsung Electronics. In a written interview with The Korea Times, Yukari Iwatani Kane said that Apple’s consistent claims that its design patents were copied by Samsung are rather “excessive” and “overblown.” “To be […]
Top court rules for cigarette maker
The Supreme Court upheld Thursday a high court ruling in favor of tobacco manufacturer KT&G against family members of smokers who died from “non-specific cancers.” The top court said the link between the “non-specific cancers,” of which two of the smokers died, was difficult to prove. It added that evidence showed neither defects in the […]
Ha tries to stare down new crisis
Citigroup Korea Chairman Ha Yung-ku, a heavyweight in the Korean banking industry, is battling the biggest challenges of his career. Chief among them are reports that the parent company has left him to grapple with the fallout of recent troubles alone. It comes in the wake of the theft of the personal information of some […]
Opinion poll deals Ahn body blow
Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo, co-chairman of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD), lost one of his biggest strategic goals, Thursday, but it remains to be seen whether he will gain two others from the shifting sands of politics. The NPAD decided to retain the existing practice of the party nominating candidates to stand in lower-level […]
Philippines turns into death trap for Koreans
The death of a female college student in Manila has renewed concerns about the safety of Koreans in the Philippines, a popular destination for students, businessmen and retirees. She was the fourth Korean killed in the country this year. Last year, 12 Koreans were shot or stabbed to death; but no suspects have been taken […]
Guidebook gives tips for going abroad
‘Students, parents should be careful not to make mistake’ More than 200,000 students who left Korea to study abroad at a young age have come back, but many have had difficulties, especially due to a lack of preparation. Jeon Yong-hoon, 31, a professional counselor working at a counseling center in the Seoul Metropolitan Office of […]
Poor governance saps Kookmin
KB Kookmin Bank used to be the leading bank in Korea in terms of size and profit. However, the lender fell into disgrace after a series of mishaps and incidents of corruption. Banking industry analysts and market watchers say that Kookmin’s chronic and fundamental problems in governance and organizational structure are to blame for the […]