Herald Interview In series
A series of in-depth interviews.
#Interview
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Herald Interview In series
A series of in-depth interviews.
Would you like to subscribe?
Louvre director shines new spotlight on hanji, Korean traditional paper
Xavier Salmon, who oversees the print collection at the Louvre Museum in Paris, considers himself, in a way, an ambassador for hanji, Korean handmade mulberry paper. What fascinates him is its duality in practical use and poetic texture for creating art. During his visit to Korea last year, Salmon traveled through Seoul and major Buddhist monasteries, including Haeinsa and Bulguksa. Having selected 12 photographs, he matched them with 12 Parisian heritage sites, forming a visual dialogue — all p
Dec. 1, 2025 - 12:54:58
‘Unrivaled end-to-end solutions’: Merck aims to anchor Korea’s R&D ecosystem
Basic science is regarded as the starting point for numerous industries as it is essential not only to discovering new drugs but also to advancing cutting-edge technologies such as semiconductors and secondary batteries. With a portfolio of about 300,000 reagents and chemicals, Merck, which has been practically “everywhere,” looks to further bolster its presence in Korea. “Our biggest distinction is that we are capable of offering a broad selection of consumables ranging from chemistry to biolog
Nov. 30, 2025 - 14:22:48
From fragmented memories of shame, adoptee author weaves a home in language
We rarely remember childhood with clarity. What remains are flashes, blurred images capturing only that which faintly surfaces. The past does not unfold like a film with a neat beginning and end. That, perhaps, is the beauty of memory. The same is true for Laure Mi Hyun Croset, a writer who was born in Korea and adopted to Switzerland at 10 months old. Her early memories, too, resist coherence, surviving only as isolated images, blurred at the edges like “a scattered series of uneasy Polaroids s
Nov. 30, 2025 - 09:45:14
Kim You-jung reinvents herself in Tving’s year-end bet 'Dear X'
Kim You-jung — long celebrated as the nation’s “little sister” since her early days as a child star — steps into her darkest role yet, shedding her bright image to play a cold-blooded sociopath in one of Tving’s biggest swings for the latter half of 2025. In “Dear X,” Kim stars as Ah-jin, a top actor with a traumatic past marked by childhood abuse, who strategically cycles through lovers as stepping stones to fame. The 12-episode thriller traces her ascent as she weaponizes charm, beauty and cal
Nov. 29, 2025 - 16:00:00
Korea’s customs chief aims to lead ‘fair growth’ with AI, digital border control
South Korea’s customs chief has pledged to use artificial intelligence and digital tools to strengthen fair growth at home while deepening cooperation with developing countries, positioning the Korea Customs Service as a “border guardian” for both trade and national security. In a recent interview with The Korea Herald, the KCS head said the agency is moving beyond its traditional image as a tax collector to become a strategic actor in trade security, digitalization and global standard-setting.
Nov. 26, 2025 - 13:47:04
After 70 years in Korea, Rieckermann doubles down on high-tech growth
Hamburg-headquartered industrial solutions provider Rieckermann has been a quiet but consequential player in Korea’s industrial development for more than seven decades. Founded in 1892, the privately owned German group has grown into a global organization with over 750 employees across 26 offices in 18 countries. Its Seoul branch, established in 1953, is one of its earliest and longest-running Asian operations. “There is a long tradition of cooperation between Korea and Germany, and I believe th
Nov. 26, 2025 - 13:33:59
Shaw Prize winner Baumeister on breakthroughs that changed cell imaging
HONG KONG — Wolfgang Baumeister has spent decades trying to see what the human eye never could. This year, the German biophysicist was awarded the Shaw Prize in life science and medicine for pioneering cryo-electron tomography, a breakthrough that allows scientists to observe the molecular architecture of living cells in unprecedented detail. “It’s a wonderful recognition,” he said at an interview with The Korea Herald on the sidelines of the Hong Kong Laureate Forum 2025. “But after 30 years of
Nov. 25, 2025 - 15:05:14
'My last chance': Eric Lu on overcoming pressure to win Chopin Competition on second try decade later
American pianist Eric Lu returned to the 2025 Chopin Competition 10 years after taking fourth prize, a move that fits a familiar story in classical music: artists coming back to one of the world’s toughest stages, pushed by ambition, pressure and a highly competitive field. “I felt that while my career was going well, it was not at the level that I have the ambitions for,” the 27-year-old pianist told reporters Monday in Seoul. But when the final results came out, Lu’s story took a turn. Instead
Nov. 25, 2025 - 11:49:39
‘Korea is closing LFP gap with China’: Innometry CEO on yields, tech edge
Amid a global slowdown in electric vehicle demand, China has tightened its grip on cost-efficient lithium iron phosphate, or LFP, batteries, while Korea — long focused on premium nickel-cobalt-manganese — has only recently begun scaling up LFP output. Yet the CEO of a leading battery inspection equipment-maker says Korea is closing the gap far faster than many assume and could even gain an edge as Chinese battery exports face mounting tariff pressure. “If you look at LFP mass-production capabili
Nov. 24, 2025 - 14:45:10
‘We export safety expertise, not just reactors,’ says Korea’s nuclear watchdog chief
As the global race to build energy-hungry AI data centers accelerates, nuclear power is reemerging as one of the few scalable, carbon-free baseload energy solutions — and with it, an unprecedented surge in demand for strict regulatory oversight. In South Korea, that responsibility falls squarely on the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, a 13-year-old state regulator that now sits at the center of nearly every major decision shaping the country’s nuclear future. From licensing next-generatio
Nov. 24, 2025 - 13:56:21
AI must be human-centered to protect public: German envoy
As artificial intelligence continues to evolve at unprecedented speed, experts from Germany and Korea are urging democratic nations to deepen cooperation to ensure AI is developed in ways that uphold human dignity, civil liberties and the rule of law. Speaking on the sidelines of the German Innovation Days — an initiative hosted by the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Seoul and The Korea Herald publisher Herald Media Group — German Ambassador to Korea Georg Schmidt and AI ethics exp
Nov. 23, 2025 - 15:04:41
‘Busan plant is key to our North America strategy,’ says Polestar CEO
Polestar, the Swedish electric vehicle manufacturer, is poised to leverage its Busan plant into a strategic export base to North America, marking a broader push to diversify its once China-heavy supply chain. “We’re focusing on Europe, North America and Asia, and within this three-pillar approach … this Busan factory is of highest importance, especially because of its link to North America,” said Polestar CEO Michael Lohscheller during a group interview at Polestar Seoul in Yongsan, Seoul, on Th
Nov. 21, 2025 - 08:00:00
'We want representation': SNU's foreign student body speaks out
A cheerful atmosphere filled a large hall at Seoul National University on Friday as students roamed the aisles in search of their assigned groups. Korean students mingled with their peers from abroad, exchanging hellos, holas and bonjours. The Language and Culture Exchange event paired international students with Korean students based on their language interests. Through on-campus missions and group activities, participants helped each other learn their native languages while building personal c
Nov. 20, 2025 - 09:37:34
Sound of Slovenia reverberates in Korea for first time
The Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra — one of Europe’s oldest ensembles, with a history stretching back more than 300 years — makes its Korean debut this week with a three-city tour visiting Daegu, Seoul and Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. Although Slovenia and South Korea have maintained diplomatic relations since 1992, exchanges between the two countries remained limited until recently. The opening of the Slovenian Embassy in Seoul in 2022, followed by Korea’s establishment of its own mission in Lj
Nov. 19, 2025 - 12:20:20
Infinite's Jang Dong-woo looks to China despite restriction
Even as K-pop idols continue to face restrictions under China's unofficial ban on Hallyu, Infinite's Jang Dong-woo has expressed hopes of engaging more with Chinese fans in his new album and future projects. "Up until this year, I've been frequently invited to Chinese-speaking regions, including China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao and even Jakarta (in Indonesia), so I started thinking about focusing more on the Chinese market. I've been taking Chinese lessons for the past three months, too," the 34-
Nov. 18, 2025 - 14:37:59
