The Navy has held a memorial ceremony to honor dozens of sailors killed in North Korea's 2010 deadly sinking of a South Korean warship ahead of its 10th anniversary, the military said Tuesday. The warship Cheonan went down near the Northern Limit Line, the de facto maritime border between the two Koreas, on March 26, 2010, killing 46 sailors. After an international probe, the South concluded that the sinking was caused by a torpedo attack by a North Korean submarine. On Monday, service membe

Defense March 24, 2020

The daily number of moviegoers in South Korea dropped to a record low out of fear of the novel coronavirus, data showed Tuesday. According to the data from the Korean Film Council (KOFIC), 25,873 people went to cinemas on Monday, the smallest daily figure since January 2004 when KOFIC started to compile local box office data. Due to the outbreak of the infectious COVID-19 virus, local movie theaters have been struggling with a sharp drop in ticket sales. A daily average of 64,000 people saw

Film March 24, 2020

벌레구멍 화석 옆서 추정만 해온 최초 좌우대칭 동물 확인 인간을 포함해 모든 동물의 조상인 쌀알 크기의 작은 화석이 발굴돼 학계에 보고됐다. '이카리아 와리우티아'(Ikaria wariootia)라는 학명이 부여된 이 동물은 양 측면이 대칭을 이루고 앞, 뒤 끝의 구멍이 장과 연결돼 있는 최초의 좌우대칭 동물로 나타났다. 동물의 진화에서 좌우 대칭은 목적을 갖고 몸을 움직일 수 있는 능력을 부여하는 것으로 벌레나 곤충부터 공룡이나 인간에 이르기까지 모두 이를 기본으로 삼고있다. 에디아카라 생물군의 해면이나 조류(藻類) 매트와 같은 초기 다세포 생물의 화석이 이카리아보다 더 오래되기는 했으나 입이나 장과 같은 동물의 특징을 갖고 있지는 못하다. 미국 리버사이드 캘리포니아대학(UCR)에 따르면 이 대학 고생물학자 스콧 에번스 박사가 이끄는 연구팀은 호주 남부 닐페나에서 발굴된 약 5억5천500만년 전 에디아카라기 벌레 구멍(窟) 화석 인근에서 이카리아 화석을 찾아내 분석한 결

한국어판 March 24, 2020

화상으로 주례·하객 연결해 집에서 결혼식 올려 신종 코로나바이러스 감염증(코로나19) 확산을 막기 위해 전 국민이 의무 격리 중인 아르헨티나에서 한 커플이 온라인으로 결혼식을 올려 화제다. 23일(현지시간) AFP통신에 따르면 아르헨티나 코르도바에 사는 디에고 아스피티아(42)와 소피아 쿠기노(32)가 올해 3월로 결혼 날짜를 잡은 것은 1년 전이었다. 설레는 마음으로 결혼식을 준비하던 중에 코로나19 위기가 전 세계를 덮쳤고 20일부터는 아르헨티나 정부가 전 국민 격리 조치를 내렸다. 의약품이나 생필품을 살 때 등에만 예외적으로 외출이 허용되기 때문에 신랑, 신부도, 하객도 결혼식 장소로 이동할 수조차 없게 된 것이다. 예비 부부는 그러나 결혼식 일정을 취소하거나 연기하는 대신 21일 '온라인 결혼식'을 열기로 했다. 부부가 집에서 스스로 예식을 준비하고, 소셜미디어를 이용해 주례를 설 목사와 하객을 화상으로 연결해 결혼식을 진행한 것이다. 갓 이사 온

한국어판 March 24, 2020

수도권 대학 졸업, 재학 당시 학보사 기자 활동 레그램에서 '박사방'을 운영하며 여성에 대한 성 착취물을 제작하고 유포한 혐의로 구속된 일명 '박사' 조모 씨의 신원이 확인됐다. 23일 연합뉴스 취재 결과 조씨는 수도권의 한 대학을 졸업한 조주빈(25)씨로 드러났다. 그는 대학 재학 당시 학보사 기자로도 활동한 것으로 알려졌다. 조씨는 2018년 12월부터 이달까지 텔레그램에서 박사방을 운영하면서 아르바이트 등을 미끼로 피해자들을 유인해 얼굴이 나오는 나체사진을 받아냈다. 이를 빌미로 성 착취물을 찍도록 협박하고, 이를 박사방에 유포한 혐의를 받는다. 박사방 피해자는 경찰이 현재까지 확인한 바로만 74명이며, 이 가운데 미성년자가 16명 포함됐다. 조씨는 3단계로 나뉜 유료 대화방도 운영하며 후원금 명목으로 일정액의 암호화폐를 받은 뒤 유료회원을 입장시켜 성 착취물을 제공한 것으로 파악됐다. 그는 박사방에 적극적으로 동조하는 회원들은 '직원'으로 호칭하며 자금 세탁,

한국어판 March 24, 2020

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha spoke by phone with her Dutch counterpart, Stef Blok, Monday and discussed ways to cope with the global spread of the new coronavirus, her ministry said. 　 In the telephone talks, made at the Netherlands‘ request, Kang explained that although Korea has seen a marked decline in daily new infection cases, the country has been actively taking measures to prevent the inflow of COVID-19 from overseas and community transmission. 　 Blok praised Korea’s effec

Foreign Affairs March 23, 2020

China sent an additional one million surgical masks to South Korea on Monday, the Chinese Embassy in Seoul said, as part of efforts to help its neighbor cope with the novel coronavirus outbreak. 　 The stock, delivered from Shanghai, is the latest batch of relief goods Beijing has provided to Seoul via the Red Cross in support of its fight against the COVID-19. The previous relief supplies from China included 1 million medical masks, 100,000 N95 respirator masks and 10,000 items of protective

Social Affairs March 23, 2020

South Korea issued a “special travel advisory” Monday calling on its citizens to cancel or postpone their trips abroad over the spread of the new coronavirus, the foreign ministry said. 　 The special travel advisory, effective as of Monday, applies to all countries except those that are already under higher alerts that call for withdrawal of citizens or are subject to a travel ban. It is valid for the next four weeks unless it is extended. 　 The special advisory also calls for peopl

Social Affairs March 23, 2020

The Ministry of Environment said Monday it will proclaim a revision of the current law regulating humidifier sterilizers this week, seeking to expand the scope of diseases caused by the use of the chemical products and facilitate victims' lawsuits against their manufacturers. A revision of the Special Act on Remedy for Damage Caused by Humidifier Disinfectants will be proclaimed Tuesday before being enforced six months later, the ministry said. Under the revised law, people who become sick wi

Politics March 23, 2020

President Moon Jae-in expressed a negative view Monday about formally considering a change to South Korea's academic year in response to a call for a review of whether to introduce the autumn semester system. He said it's "not desirable to discuss" the issue in connection with the current situation, receiving a report from Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae, according to Cheong Wa Dae's deputy spokesman Yoon Jae-kwan. Yoo, who doubles as deputy prime minister for social affairs, briefed

Politics March 23, 2020

A foreign ministry official on Monday left open the possibility of a change in South Korea's policy to shoulder all coronavirus quarantine costs for people flying from overseas, as more countries quarantine inbound travelers at their own expense. The South Korean government has so far covered all the costs of its beefed-up quarantine program for both citizens and foreigners, fueling criticism that the efforts to curb imported infections could chip away at state coffers. "We are closely m

Foreign Affairs March 23, 2020

Hyundai Motor Group's heir apparent Chung Euisun on Monday bought 19 billion won ($15 million) worth of stocks in two key affiliates to prop up their declining prices. Hyundai Motor Executive Vice Chairman Chung Euisun purchased 139,000 shares of Hyundai Motor Co. and 72,552 shares of Hyundai Mobis Co. before the stock market closed on Monday, the companies said in separate regulatory filings. Chung bought the two companies' stocks for 19 billion won--Hyundai Motor stocks at 68,435 won per s

Market March 23, 2020

K-pop boy band BTS sent out a message of encouragement for South Koreans Monday as the country struggles to stem the spread of COVID-19. The video message was uploaded on BTS' official YouTube account and its "Love Myself" campaign account on Twitter, in response to a request by a group of nurse officers at the Korea Armed Forces Nursing Academy. "Taking the stage of an empty auditorium, we are acutely feeling how meaningful it was to breathe with you in the same space," m

K-pop March 23, 2020

President Moon Jae-in called Monday for a thorough investigation into shocking sex crimes against women, including underage girls, in which group chat rooms of the Telegram messenger service were used. He described the acts of the offenders in the so-called Nth room case as "cruel" behavior that destroyed the lives of victims and said he "feels sympathetic" to the "justifiable" public fury over it. At least 74 women, including 16 minors, were sexually abused and

Social Affairs March 23, 2020

Just a few weeks ago, when Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) clubs were wrapping up their spring training in places like the United States, Japan and Taiwan, their foreign players, most of them Americans, were rushing to return to their home country. South Korea was struggling to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, while the US appeared to be safe. But the tables have since turned, and those players are now on their way to South Korea. The COVID-19 outbreak forced the KBO to cancel i

Baseball March 23, 2020