Most Popular
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Korea enters full election mode
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Seoul bus drivers go on general strike, cause morning rush hour delays
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Immigrant woman stabbed to death by Korean husband
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Official campaigning kicks off for April 10 elections
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Lee Jong-sup resigns as envoy to Australia
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Yellow dust engulfs S. Korea, advisory alert issued
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S. Korea to boost support for single-parent families
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Court upholds jail term for man who attempted to murder ex-girlfriend
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Kia EV9 wins world car of year
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Korea misses out on global bond index boost
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Siemens Seoul promotes over 200 employees
Siemens Seoul promoted more than 200 employees including seven of the company’s top executive positions, the company said on Monday.Jrn Elbracht, head of the company’s legal and compliance department, was promoted to executive managing director, while six managing directors including Ahn Young-keun of the company’s infrastructure and cities department and Lee Dong-ki of the strategy and business development department, were promoted to managing director posts. In total, 26 executives were promot
IndustryJan. 14, 2013
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Top-end mattress sales bounce as more Koreans seek quality sleep
Like Coca-Cola, nobody knows what it is made of.The viscoelastic material was initially developed to cushion and support astronauts’ backs from the massive pressure during lift-off in the early 1970s. The pressure-absorbing material was temperature-sensitive and it evenly distributed body weight. NASA released this material to the public in the 1980s.It took about a decade for scientists in Sweden to develop it into Tempur material for use in mattresses.Ju Jong-kyu, chief of the Korean arm of Te
Jan. 14, 2013
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Empty praise can harm children: psychologist
Excessively complimenting children can harm their confidence, a U.S. psychologist claimed.Stephen Grosz, who teaches psychoanalytic theory at University College London, alleged that parents may be putting their children’s confidence at risk by bombarding them with “empty” compliments, such as “You really are an artist,” or “You’re so clever.”“Empty praise is as bad as thoughtless criticism -- it expresses indifference to the child’s feelings and thoughts,” Grosz was quoted by the Daily Mail as s
TechnologyJan. 14, 2013
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Seoul shares gain 0.52 pct amid currency jitters
South Korean stocks rose 0.52 percent Monday but gains were capped as a weaker Japanese currency kept investors wary about making more bets on local shares, analysts said. The Korean won lost ground against the U.S. dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) advanced 10.37 points to finish at 2,007.04. Trading volume was moderate at 441.5 million shares worth 4.07 trillion won (US$3.84 billion) with gainers outstripping losers 419 to 378. "A weaker Japanese yen has become a
Jan. 14, 2013
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iPhone’s low popularity reflected in price fall
Prices of Apple’s iPhone 5 has slid to one-fourth of its shipping price after only a month since the official release. Apple’s latest smartphone was offered at 199,000 won ($188) at ppomppu.co.kr among other group purchase sites beginning on Friday.The shipping price of the iPhone 5 was originally set at 814,000 won. However, the handset price has dropped to 329,000 won thanks to the telecom and device manufacturer’s massive subsidies. When the additional promotion fee of 130,000 won kicks in, a
IndustryJan. 14, 2013
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Urgent CO2 cuts may spare millions hardship: report
Tens of millions of people may be spared droughts and floods by 2050 if Earth-warming carbon emissions peak in 2016 rather than 2030, scientists said on Sunday.Climate researchers in Britain and Germany said emission cuts now would delay some crippling impacts by decades and prevent some altogether.By 2050, an Earth heading for warming of 2-2.5 degrees Celsius (3.6-4.5 degrees Fahrenheit) by 2100 could have two very different faces, depending on the route taken to get there, said their study pub
TechnologyJan. 14, 2013
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White House uses humor to kill 'Death Star' petition
With the U.S. national debt standing at more than $16 trillion, the White House says it absolutely cannot spend $850 quadrillion on a "Star Wars"-inspired "Death Star" super-weapon.Sensing a chance to show off its lighter side, the Obama administration paid tribute to legions of "Star Wars" fans with its playful rejection of the "Death Star" proposal submitted on its "We the People" petitions website."The administration does not support blowing up planets," wrote Paul Shawcross, an adviser on sc
TechnologyJan. 14, 2013
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Seoul shares up 0.21 pct in late-morning trade
South Korean stocks reverted to gain 0.21 percent late Monday morning after opening lower, led by bullish telecom and utilities shares, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 4.22 points to 2,000.89 as of 11:20 a.m.Leading mobile carrier SK Telecom surged more than 5 percent, with state-run electricity provider Korea Electric Power Corp. umping nearly 3 percent. In contrast, chemical companies and brokerages trended downward. LG Chem lost about 2 percent and
Jan. 14, 2013
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S. Korean exporters feared to face growing protectionism: report
South Korean exporters will likely continue to face growing protectionism this year as major economies struggle to create jobs and shield their local industries from a prolonged economic slowdown, a report said Monday.According to the report compiled by the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), China, South Korea's top trading partner, is imposing anti-dumping tariffs on 16 South Korean products such as synthetic rubber as of December.The neighboring country is also considering raisin
Jan. 14, 2013
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MUFON investigating flying saucer in Texas
A photograph of an alleged flying saucer hovering over a Texas oil field that surfaced on the Internet may be authentic, a UFO investigator says.The photo, which has a July 5 time stamp, appeared on the Mutual UFO (Unidentified Flying Object) Network website last week and was allegedly taken by a security camera at an oil drilling site in Eagle Ford, the San Antonio (Texas) Express-News reported.Charles Stansburge, a veteran MUFON investigator, said the photo has passed two authenticity tests."I
TechnologyJan. 14, 2013
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Seoul shares open lower on corporate earnings woes
South Korean stocks opened 0.16 percent lower Monday as investors were jittery over future corporate performances due to a strong local currency and the Japanese yen‘s weakness, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 3.16 points to 1,993.51 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Auto and tech shares lost ground, with No. 2 automaker Kia Motors shedding more than 1.5 percent and market bellwether Samsung Electronics falling 0.13 percent. The local currency was
Jan. 14, 2013
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Ministry proposes spending cuts to secure welfare budget
The Ministry of Strategy and Finance on Sunday suggested downsizing government expenditures in an effort to secure welfare resources for the incoming Park Geun-hye administration.In its report to the presidential transition committee, the ministry offered to reassess several of the government’s ongoing tax-spending projects, sources said.President-elect Park earlier pledged to secure 135 trillion won ($127 billion) to realize her welfare plans for the next five years by bringing the “underground
IndustryJan. 13, 2013
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Korea low on Big Mac buying power
The lowest-paid Korean could afford to buy fewer than one and a half hamburgers after working for an hour in 2012.The price of a Mac Donald’s Big Mac stood at $3.21, leaving Koreans’ purchasing power below that of almost two dozen countries on the list, said Albain, an online part-time job portal, using the Big Mac Index data.Meanwhile, Koreans received a minimum wage of $4.32 an hour, it explained.Korea’s Big Mac buying power ranked 23rd among 44 countries evaluated in the index, with one of lo
Jan. 13, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Tragic death of online activist Aaron Swartz
A dreadful, if not downright scary, scenario is the end of free content on the Internet. What if you had to pay a fee for each and every piece of digital content you browsed on the Web? What if there were no Wikipedia, and no free news feeds from tens of thousands of media outlets? Aaron Swartz, a pioneering programmer, envisioned a cyberspace where online content is freely available. But before his vision was realized in full, he tragically ended his life at the age of 26, U.S. authorities conf
TechnologyJan. 13, 2013
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Korea’s global bestselling items unshaken
Despite Chinese manufacturers’ aggressive push amid a global economic recession, most high-tech products at Korean exporters have maintained their leadership status, industry sources and the Korea International Trade Association said on Sunday.Korea had a total of 45 exported items that enjoyed the world’s largest market share for two consecutive years since 2010. Semiconductors, steel, shipbuilding, petrochemicals and auto parts are among this list. Adding to this feat, in 2011, over a dozen ex
IndustryJan. 13, 2013
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Listed firms’ rights offerings tumble in 2012
Rights offerings by South Korea’s listed companies plunged 40.6 percent in 2012 from a year earlier mainly due to the protracted global economic slowdown, the securities depository agency said Sunday.The value of rights issues by 189 listed firms reached 7.7 trillion won ($7.3 billion) last year, compared to 13 trillion won from a year earlier, according to the data by the Korea Securities Depository.The decrease came as the prolonged economic slowdown, including the eurozone fiscal crisis, made
IndustryJan. 13, 2013
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Seoul shares to trade in tight range
South Korea’s stock market is expected to trade in a tight range this week with economic indicators from China and the currency exchange being among the major factors that will determine its direction, analysts said on Saturday.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) closed at 1,996.67 last week, down 0.75 percent from a week earlier after undergoing choppy trading.The local currency’s ascent against the U.S. dollar and the weakening yen of Japan could weigh on the market amid wo
Jan. 13, 2013
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Schreyer to head design of both Hyundai, Kia
Peter Schreyer, president of Kia Motors in charge of design, will now be leading the design segment of both Hyundai and Kia cars, Hyundai Motor Group said on Sunday. Schreyer’s official title will be president of Hyundai, Kia Design Center. The recent promotion follows in quick succession after a previous personnel reshuffling last year when Schreyer was appointed to president and designated to head the design of Kia cars. “The latest move reflects our company’s efforts to further enhance the d
IndustryJan. 13, 2013
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Outlets in outskirts prevail; department stores shunned
Homemaker Lee Suh-young picks premium outlets on the outskirts of Seoul as her favorite shopping havens without hesitation.“Outlets are the best for people who want high-quality or brand-name products at reasonable prices,” she said. “I try not to miss the sale seasons each year.”Lee belongs to the growing group of trendy shoppers who buy their high-end outfits, shoes and handbags at premium outlets for special occasions and shop at “fast fashion” brands like Uniqlo for daily clothing. During we
IndustryJan. 13, 2013
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Honda to cut 800 U.K. jobs as European car market shrinks
Honda Motor Co., Japan’s second-largest carmaker by market value, said it will eliminate as many as 800 jobs in the U.K. this year as the European auto market may shrink for the sixth year in a row. The manufacturer will start talks with labor representatives for the cutbacks, which it plans to implement by about the second quarter, Tokyo-based Honda said today in an emailed statement. The company’s plant in Swindon, England, has a workforce of 3,500 people, said Fiona Cole, a spokeswoman. “Thes
MobilityJan. 13, 2013