A record 70 South Korean business leaders are expected to accompany President Park Geun-hye on her visit to China set to begin on June 27, business and political sources said Sunday.Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Kun-hee has reportedly decided not to travel to China, but most other business leaders, including Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Mong-koo and LG Group Chairman Koo Bon-moo, will be included in the delegation, said the sources. "The list of the business delegation to China is close

불한당이 힙합씬에 등장하기까지는 오랜 기간이 걸렸다. 불한당이라는 크루는 작년에 정식으로 출범했으나, 멤버들은 지난 12일에 발매 되었던 최신 앨범을 제작하기 위해 3년동안 노력을 기울였다.한국 힙합 1세대로 활동했던 21명의 래퍼, 디제이, 프로듀서로 이루어진 불한당은 존재 자체만으로도 그 위엄을 과시한다. 　코리아헤럴드와의 인터뷰에서 MC 메타는 “형, 동생 사이로 짧게는 8년, 길게는 15년 정도 알고 지냈다”라고 말했다. 현재 MC 메타는 엠넷에서 방영중인 “쇼미 더 머니 시즌 2”에 출현하고 있다. 프로듀서 아티잔 비츠는 “불한당이 여러 크루가 하나로 모인 것이기 때문에 모든 인원이 서로 의견을 조합하는데 어려움을 겪었다”고 설명했다.　이번에 발매된 세 번째 앨범 “절충: Vol.3”의 의미는 새롭다.　“예전 한국 언더그라운드 힙합은 음악적이면서 실험적이면서 동시에 자기 멋과 낭만이 있었다. 그런데 지금의 언더그라운드 힙합씬에서는 자기음악의 구현보다는 (상업적인) 성공이 너

The FBI uses drones for surveillance of stationary subjects, and the privacy implications of such operations are ``worthy of debate,'' FBI Director Robert Mueller said Wednesday.He said the law enforcement agency very seldom uses drones now, but is developing guidelines that will shape how unmanned aerial vehicles are to be used.There will be a number of issues regarding drones ``as they become more omnipresent, not the least of which is the drones in airspace and also the threat on privacy,'' M

In a move that could send interest rates higher, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke ended weeks of speculation Wednesday by saying the Federal Reserve will likely slow its bond-buying program this year and end it next year because the economy is strengthening.The Fed's purchases of Treasury and mortgage bonds have helped keep long-term interest rates at record lows. A pullback in its extraordinary $85 billion-a-month program would likely mean higher rates on mortgages and other consumer and business loan

The U.S. has accused China and Russia of failing to meet minimum standards in fighting human trafficking, ranking them on a par with North Korea and Syria.The State Department downgraded China and Russia in rankings on how 188 governments around the world have performed in fighting the flesh trade and other forms of exploitative labor.Rights activists are welcoming the move, but it could further strain Washington's touchy relations with the two world powers.The U.S. also downgraded Uzbekistan ov

Italy rallied from a two-goal deficit to beat Japan and countryman Alberto Zaccheroni 4-3 Wednesday, earning  a spot in the Confederations Cup semifinals.First-half substitute Sebastian Giovinco scored the winner in the 86th minute of an entertaining match at the Arena Pernambuco, pounding home a cross from Claudio Marchisio.After a dismal start for the Azzurri that saw Japan score twice in the opening 33 minutes, Daniele De Rossi pulled one back with a header in the 41st, Japan defender Atsuto

Neymar made the difference for Brazil again on Wednesday, scoring in the ninth minute and making one for Jo to give the hosts a 2-0 win over Mexico and virtually secure a spot in the semifinals of the Confederations Cup.The Brazilian striker scored his second goal of the tournament with a left-footed volley from just inside the penalty box after Mexican defenders failed to clear a cross, then slipped past two defenders at once to set up Jo for an easy goal in second-half injury time.``I'm happy

By saying he intends to bargain with Russia over new reductions in nuclear weapons, rather than make cuts on his own, President Barack Obama is asking for cooperation from a former Cold War foe in no mood to agree.Relations between Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin are tense, reflecting U.S. concerns about human rights abuses in Russia, the two leaders' disagreement over Syria's civil war and other points of contention.That does not mean the U.S. won't eventually shrink its arsenal beyo

Sales at the country's major department stores grew slightly from a year earlier but sales of three major discount outlet chains here continued to drop last month, the government said Thursday.According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, combined sales of three department store chains rose 1 percent from the same month last year in May.The ministry did not reveal the actual amount, but said May sales marked a 7.1 percent gain from the previous month, when the department store chains

South Korea's top nuclear envoy, Cho Tae-yong, urged North Korea Tuesday to take "actions" to assure that it is serious about denuclearization as he began a three-day trip to Washington for consultations on ways to deal with Pyongyang."North Korea should show its will for a real denuclearization through actions," Cho, who serves as South Korea's special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, told reporters upon arriving.His trip comes amid renewed efforts to revive negot

The Taliban and the U.S. said Tuesday they will hold talks on finding a political solution to ending nearly 12 years of war in Afghanistan, as the international coalition formally handed over control of the country's security to the Afghan army and police.The Taliban met a key U.S. demand by pledging not to use Afghanistan as a base to threaten other countries, although the Americans said they must also denounce al-Qaida.But President Barack Obama cautioned that the process won't be quick or eas

Thousands of demonstrators flooded into a square in Brazil's economic hub, Sao Paulo, on Tuesday for the latest in a historic wave of protests against the shoddy state of public transit, schools and other public services in this booming South American giant.  Sparked earlier this month by a 10-cent hike in bus and subway fares and organized via social media, the nationwide protests are giving voice to growing discontent over the gap between Brazil's high tax burden and the low quality of public

President Barack Obama, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other G-8 leaders attempted to speak with one voice Tuesday on seeking a negotiated Syrian peace settlement _ yet couldn't publicly agree on whether this means President Bashar Assad must go.Their declaration at the end of the two-day Group of Eight summit sought to narrow the diplomatic chasm between Assad's key backer, Russia, and Western leaders on starting peace talks in Geneva to end a two-year civil war that has claimed an estima

“Nanjung Ilgi,” or “War Diary,” by 16th-century naval hero Yi Sun-shin, and archives of Korea’s Saemaul Movement in the 1960s have been listed to the UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register, the Cultural Heritage Administration said Wednesday. Their inclusion brings the total number of South Korea’s heritage items on the UNESCO list to 11, the highest for an Asian country. The decision was made during the 11th session of the International Advisory Committee that opened in Gwangju on Tuesday when t

Samsung Group, the country's top conglomerate, has expanded its overseas operations aggressively in the past four years with the number of its affiliates in overseas markets surging 58 percent, data showed on Wednesday.The number of Samsung's overseas affiliates stood at 446 at the end of last year, compared with 281 at the end of 2008, according to the data compiled on the basis of regulatory filings.Samsung Group had the largest number of its operations in China with 79 affiliates at the end o

페이스북의 공동창립자겸 최고경영자인 마크 저커버그가 18일 이재용 삼성전자 부회장과 신종균 삼성전자 사장 등 삼성전자 임원진을 “페이스북친화적인” 휴대전화 개발을 요청한 것으로 알려졌다. “페이스북은 제 2의 구글이 되기를 원하며 저커버그가 삼성에게 페이스북 인터페이스를 탑재한 스마트폰을 개발함으로서 협력관계를 한 단계 더 발전시키자고 제안했다”라고 익명을 요구한 한 관계자가 말했다.하지만, 삼성은 이러한 페이스북의 요청을 받아들일 가능성이 적다고 전문가들은 예측하고 있다.한 전문가는 “삼성의 휴대전화 사업에 강력한 라이벌이 되는 제 2의 구글은 원하지 않을 것”이라고 전망했다.모토로라와 계약을 맺은 구글은 이번에 모토 X 폰을 출시할 예정이다.페이스북은 삼성이 추구하는 프리미엄 이미지를 가지고 있지 않기 때문에 “페이스북친화적인” 휴대전화가 삼성전자에 실질적인 이익을 가져오지 못할 것이라는 전망이다.짧은 한국 방문의 주요 일정인 이번 미팅은 페이스북의 많은 요청이 있었을 것이라고

암 환자 중 고소득층의 생존율이 저소득층에 비해 뚜렷하게 더 높은 것으로 조사되었다. 한국보건사회연구원에 따르면 소득 5분위(상위 20%)에 속하는 남성 암환자들은 5년 생존율이 37.84%였으며, 이는 소득 1분위(하위 20%)의 5년 생존율인24.04%보다 13.80% 높은 수치다. 3년과 1년 생존율 격차도 각각 14.32% 포인트 14.69% 포인트 차이 났다.이 연구는 윤태호 부산대 교수 등이 건강보험공단 및 국가암등록자료을 바탕으로 실시한 것이다.이러한 소득에 따른 건강 불평등은 치료 과정에서부터 차이가 난다. 고소득층은 남녀 불문하고 한국 상위 4대 병원을 이용하는 반면, 저소득층은 동네 종합병원이나 병의원을 주로 이용하는 것으로 나타났다.심지어 이러한 현상이 대물림 되는 추세로 보여지는데 “건강상태가 좋지 않다”라고 덥변한 남학생의 비율이 학력이 대졸이상 보다 중졸이하인 아버지의 가정에서 높게 나왔다.흡연비율도 역시 저학력인 아버지들 밑에서 자란 남학생들이 8.5% 높

Deep differences over Syria's fierce civil war clouded a summit of world leaders Monday, with Russian President Vladimir Putin defiantly rejecting calls from the U.S., Britain and France to halt his political and military support for Syrian leader Bashar Assad's regime.But there were also fissures among the three Western nations, despite their shared belief that Assad must leave power. Britain and France appear unwilling _ at least for now _ to join President Barack Obama in arming the Syrian re

Protesters massed in four Brazilian cities Monday in what they hoped would be their biggest demonstrations yet against a hike in public transport fares, stoking fears of more clashes with police and raising questions about security during big events like the current Confederations Cup and a papal visit next month.With the nation's reputation on the line, authorities vowed to avoid the sort of bloody confrontations that shocked Sao Paulo last week. Police commanders said publicly they would not f

The United States sees no difference between North Korea's latest offer of bilateral talks and its previous ones because a sincere intent is apparently lacking about denuclearization, the State Department said Monday.It emphasized that the international community has been very consistent and clear that Pyongyang should verifiably end its nuclear program and engage in "authentic and credible negotiations that produce concrete denuclearizataion actions.""So is it different than that? No," departme