North Korea has denied its alleged involvement in a March cyber attack in South Korea, claiming related "rumors" are aimed at deepening tensions on the peninsula.Reports that North Korea is behind the March 20 hacking incident that crippled networks of some South Korean banks and broadcasters are a "deliberate provocation," a spokesperson for the General Staff of the (North) Korean People's Army (KPA) was quoted as saying by Pyongyang's propaganda media on Friday.The unnamed official argued the

3개월간의 해외여행을 마치고 지난주 말 귀국 한 삼성전자 이건희 회장이 다음주 파리를 방문할 것으로 알려졌다.삼성 측에서는 아직 구체적인 날짜나 시간표 등을 밝히지 않았다.이번 유럽 방문은 하와이와 일본에서 3개월간의 브레인스토밍 직후에 이루어 지는 것이다. 업계관계자에 따르면 이회장은 이번 주 화요일 이태리에서 개막한 밀라노 가구 박람회를 둘러본 후 파리로 이동할 예정이다.이회장은 과거 2005년도에 삼성의 “제 2 디자인 혁명”을 주문할 때에도 밀라노 가구 박람회를 방문해서 임원들과 삼성 디자인의 새로운 전략을 세운 적이 있어 밀라노는 삼성과 인연이 깊은 곳이다. <관련 영문 기사>Lee Kun-hee heading off to Paris Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Kun-hee is headed for yet another trip abroad, this time to Paris. The undisclosed itinerary for the vi

BMW 전시장에서 복근을 뽐내고 서 있는 남자 모델들. 이번 서울 모터쇼에서 BMW는 이색적으로 레이싱걸이 아닌 레이싱보이들을 등장시켜 화제가 됐다. 쇼의 시작을 알리는 음악소리와 함께 옷을 찢어 버리며 등장한 남자 모델들이 줄을 이어 BMW 미니 페이스맨 곁을 지키고 있다.　<관련 영문 기사>Ripped body, ripped BMW Bare-chested BWM models strut their stuff at Seoul Motor Show this week. BMW were some of the few automakers that boldly featured men, and not the usual lineup of scantily dressed "racing girls" to promote their vehicles. 　

South Korea's Navy carried out maritime drills in the tensely guarded western sea on Monday ahead of the third anniversary of the sinking of the Cheonan warship by North Korea, amid high tensions with the communist country that has issued repeated threats of war.The 1,200-ton Navy corvette with 104 personnel aboard sank in waters of Baengnyeong Island in Yellow Sea on March 26, 2010, killing 46 sailors. A multinational investigation team concluded that a North Korean torpedo was responsible for

Samsung Electronics Co. has launched a suit against rival LG Electronics Inc. demanding 50 billion won (US$45 million) in compensation for denting its brand value, sources said Monday.In the lawsuit filed with the Seoul Southern District Court on Friday, the world's top maker of smartphones, memory chips and flat-panel TVs demanded its home-turf competitor to pay the cited amount in damages, according to the legal sources.The move marks the latest development in the ongoing advertising row betwe

Robert Downey Jr., the hero of the "Iron Man" film series, is scheduled to visit South Korea in April to promote the latest edition of the Marvel Comics piece.The Hollywood actor will arrive here on April 3 for an "Iron Man 3" press conference the following day, according to Sony Pictures Korea, the local distributor of the superhero film.Downey Jr.'s visit, the first leg of his global promotion tour, comes in line with the world premier of the movie in South Korea scheduled for April 25, a week

South Korean comedy "Miracle in Cell No. 7" became the third most-viewed Korean film of all time on Friday, attracting 12.32 million moviegoers since it debuted here, the film's local distributor said."Miracle in Cell No. 7" reached the number 52 days after opening, outperforming the previous No. 3 "Gwanghae: the Man Who Became the King" (2012), which was seen by 12.31 million people, NEW said. But the official box-office tally from the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) has yet to be released.Directed

The top diplomats of South Korea and the United States will hold phone talks this weekend to discuss a range of issues, including North Korea, Seoul officials said Friday.Other topics of the scheduled phone talks between South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Saturday will include a planned visit to Washington by South Korean President Park Geun-hye in May, said the foreign ministry officials.The phone conversation will be the first between the top d

최근 공정거래위원회에서 착수한 수입차에 대한 전방위 조사가 큰 파문을 일으키고 있다.업계에서는 억울하다는 하소연도 있지만, 이번 조사는 한국에서 판매하는 수입차에 대한 여러가지 측면을 조명하고 있다. 첫째는 수입차에 대한 일반 국민의 생각이다. 수입차 판매가 시장의 20%를 차지고 있으며, 시장점유율도 10%나 되지만, 여전히 한국 소비자들은 수입 차에 대한 로망만을 간직채, 구입은 꿈도 못 꾸고 있는 형편이다. 이런 상황에서 수입 차는 매년 매출이 오른다고 자랑이다. 그러면서 부품비, 도정비는 국내차보다 여전히 높다. 여기에 한국인의 정서법이 작용하면서, 탈 수도 없는 수입차에 이제는 소비자를 우롱한 괘씸죄가 추가된 셈이다. 둘째는 수입차의 책임의식이다. 일부 브랜드를 제외하고, 대부분의 수입차는 말그대로 잘 나가고 있다. 반면, 사회공헌은 매출에 훨씬 못 미친다. 미미하게나마 활동하지만, 소비자의 인식은 여전히 싸늘하다. 기업의 사회적 책임이 이미 당연시되는 시점에서 수입차가 한

A former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher on the South Korean national team said Friday some of the criticism against Ryu Hyun-jin, a new pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, is unfair.Taking a break from the national team's training camp for the World Baseball Classic (WBC) here in Taiwan, Seo Jae-weong addressed flak Ryu has taken over his smoking habits.Ryu huffed and puffed his way at the back of the crowd during the first conditioning run at the Dodgers' training camp in Arizona earlier

Kim Jong-sung, the Superintendent of Education  for South Chungcheong Province was summoned by the police on Friday on allegations that he was involved in a case where government officials took bribes from teachers seeking to become state education advisors. The police had recently arrested several officials in charge of supervising the curriculum for schools in the province for taking bribes worth over 200 million won from teachers who had taken tests last year for selecting new supervisory off

Grand Korea Leisure Co. (GKL), the South Korean operator of a casino business for foreign tourists, will beef up its marketing activities to attract China's wealthy customers, company officials said Friday.GKL, which operates three casinos in Seoul and Busan under the brand name Seven Luck, has increased the number of marketing personnel for Chinese VIP gamblers, or high rollers, from 29 to 60.In the fourth quarter of last year, GKL saw the drop amount, which is the total amount of money and mar

Incoming President Park Geun-hye appealed to the opposition party Friday, asking them to accept her government reorganization proposal and help launch her administration on time.With Park's inauguration only 10 days away, the National Assembly has yet to approve the reorganization plan that centers on transferring the foreign ministry's trade negotiating functions to the commerce ministry. Talks between the ruling Saenuri Party and main opposition Democratic United Party (DUP) have been deadlock

BlackBerry, a Canadian smartphone maker, may pull out of the South Korean market in the first half of this year due to sluggish sales, industry sources said Friday.Speculation arose of BlackBerry's possible exit from South Korea following its recent announcement that it plans not to unveil new products in Japan. Industry analysts took it as a move by BlackBerry to leave from South Korea and other countries in the region.Canadian-based Research in Motion (RIM) changed its name to BlackBerry in Ja

South Korean stocks closed marginally higher Friday as investors took a breather following a two-day rally and weak output data in the eurozone, analysts said.The local currency strengthened against the U.S. dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) edged up 1.57 points, or 0.08 percent, to finish at 1,981.18. Trading volume was heavy at 590.5 million shares worth 3.86 trillion won (US$3.56 billion) with gainers outpacing decliners 422 to 374."Lackluster corporate performan

　Ilsung Corp., a local manufacturer of equipment for oil refining and petrochemicals, said on Friday that as of last week, it was on track to get back on its feet.　The company said that on Feb.7, the court issued an approval for its self-restructuring plans, which involved lay-offs and other efforts to trim down and stay more efficient.  　The move came less than a year since Ilsung first entered into court receivership in April of 2012. 　Ilsung, which had been recording sales of an annual 200 bi

애플과 삼성간의 세기의 특허전이 잠시나마 휴전의 양상을 보이고 있다. 애플 CEO 팀쿡의 발언에 대한 최근 미국 발 보도 때문이다. 로이터에 따르면, 팀쿡이 본인은 애초부터 삼성과 특허전쟁을 치를 생각이 없었다고 관계자들에게 밝혔다고 한다. 문제는 팀쿡 외에도 처음부터 소송에 반대했던 애플 임원들이 하나 둘 목소리를 높이고 있다는 점이다. 애플이 돈은 돈대로 잃고, 주요 공급처였던 삼성과의 관계만 나빠지고, 경쟁력까지 저하되는 등, 아무 소득 없는 싸움을 하고 있다는 판단에 이른 듯 하다고 업계 관계자이 전했다. 게다가 최근 1차 본안소송에서 미국의 루시 고 판사는, 여전히 삼성이 애플의 디자인을 침해한 점은 인정되지만, 의도적인 범행은 아니었다는 (not willfully) 판결을 내려 삼성에게 희망을 주고 있다. 삼성은 작년 8월에 디자인 침해로 애플에게 10.5억불을 배상하라는 판결을 미국에서 받은 바 있다. 현재 삼성은 배상액을 줄여달라고 요청한 상태다. 애플이 건립 이후 가

“한류 바람을 타고 우리 농산물도 고급화해서 제대로 한번 팔아봅시다.”20년여 세월을 한국 농수산 발전을 위해 한길을 걸어온 농수산식품유통공사 김재수 사장의 간절한 바램이다.일인당 국민소득 2만불 시대의 한국이지만, 글로벌 시장에서 한국의 존재는 여전히 조금은 미미하다는 점이 안타깝다는 김 사장은 한국사람이 한국음식으로 대접받는 시대가 오기를 기원한다고 인터뷰에서 밝혔다. 싸이도 하는데, 우리 농수산도 충분히 할 수 있다는 김 사장. 그는 “우리 음식에 대한 세계적 호기심이 한국 음식의 소비를 증대시키고 있다. 게다가 우리나라 고유 음식은 헬씨 (HEALTHY), 즉 건강이라는 글로벌 키워드와도 딱 맞아떨어진다,” 며 수출 100만불 시대가 곧 도래하리라고 예상했다. 문제는 스타 상품의 부재다.다양한 한국국적의 음식상품이 있기는 하지만, 정작 눈에 띄는 품목은 없다. 이를 극복하려면 경쟁력이 뛰어난 품목을 정해 고가의 제품으로 가공해 프리미엄 시장을 노려야 한다. 또, 한국의 맛을

The U.S. military in South Korea said Friday it will again be unable this year to normalize tours of its troops here where more troops will be accompanied by their family members.The U.S. military has been trying since 2008 to increase the number of troops on "normal" or family-accompanied tours to about half of its 28,500 soldiers stationed in South Korea by 2020, but it has been unable to begin the process largely due to lack of funds.The U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) said in a statement that its c

President-elect Park Geun-hye could name more members of her transition committee this weekend, her spokesman said Saturday.On Thursday, Park named former Constitutional Court chief Kim Yong-joon to lead her transition team and appointed several other people to serve in senior positions within the committee.She made her first appointments as president-elect on Monday by naming her chief of staff, senior spokesman and two other spokespeople."President-elect Park still has to make her final decisi