WASHINGTON (Yonhap) -- The Obama administration on Monday urged Congress to begin discussions for the ratification of a pending free trade deal with South Korea as a prelude to presenting it to Congress.In a letter to Rep. Dave Camp (R-MI), chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk said his office "has completed its preparatory work on the U.S.-Korea trade

SEOUL (AFP) - A South Korean company that penalised tubby workers for failing to lose weight was guilty of employment discrimination, the country's human rights watchdog said Monday. Hyun Byung-chul, chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, speaks at a meeting of the panel executives in Seoul on Monday. (Yonhap News)The National Human Rights Commission accepted an appeal by a 31-year-old

South Korea's household savings rate stayed far below the average for major economies in the world, a report showed Monday, apparently indicating that the latest economic crisis resulted in a decline in income reserved for banksavings.According to the report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), South Korea's household savings rate -- the ratio of savings to total di

LONDON (AP) _ Patrick Hetzner tried diets and exercise, just about everything short of stomach stapling to lose weight. Nothing worked. Five months ago he tried something new: a stomach pacemaker that curbed his appetite. (MCT)Since having it implanted, Hetzner, a 20-year-old Munich mailman, has knocked off more than 10 kilos (22 pounds) from his earlier weight of 104 kilos (229 pounds).Hetzner go

Samsung Electronics Co., the world's second-largest maker of mobile phones, sees the slim design and competitive price of Apple Inc.'s new iPad 2 as its biggest obstacles, a senior official said Friday.Apple unveiled the latest generation of the iPad tablet computer this week, touted by its chief executive officer Steve Jobs as "dramatically thinner" than its previous model.   The iPad 2 is one-th

  Lady Gaga shows a creation of Thierry Mugler Fall-Winter ready-to-wear 2012 fashion collection presented in Paris, Wednesday, March 2, 2011. (AP)PARIS (AP) _ If the singing thing doesn't pan out, Lady Gaga can always fall back on modeling. Lady Gaga shows a creation, part of French designer Thierry Mugler Fall-Winter ready-to-wear 2012, fashion collection, presented in Paris, Wednesday, March 2,

PARIS (AP) _ John Galliano, long a top fashion-world provocateur on and off the runway, went too far this time.The storied French label Christian Dior said Tuesday it was firing the zany British bad boy after video showing him spouting ``I love Hitler'' in a drunken rant went viral online _ sending shock waves through the start of Paris Fashion Week. John Galliano arrives at the police station in

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) _ Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi on Sunday was ditched by yet another close confidant _ the Ukrainian nurse thought to have a close relationship with the leader.Halyna Kolotnytska, 38, joined senior government officials, diplomats and pilots who have deserted Gadhafi after he brutally suppressed anti-government protests. (AP)Kolotnytska arrived in Kiev in the early hours of Sun

The South Korean warship sent to Libya from Somali waters to help evacuate South Koreans from the strife-torn nation is expected to arrive Wednesday at the port of Benghazi, an official said.The 4,500-ton destroyer Choi Young, capable of accommodating about 100 people in addition to its 300 crew members, was ordered last week to head to Libya where conflicts between anti-government forces and rule

South Korea's antitrust watchdog said Tuesday that it has slapped major digital music providers with a combined 18.8 billion won (US$16.6 million) in fines for rigging prices of digital music content and online download services.Loen Entertainment and Mnet Media were fined 9.58 billion won and 1.98 billion won, respectively, while SK Telecom Co. and KT Corp., the nation's two leading mobile servic

South Korea's defense minister instructed his troops on Tuesday not to hesitate to act immediately if they are attacked by North Korea, as he toured the western inter-Korean border wrought with tension after Pyongyang threatened to fire if provoked."During an operation, don't ask whether to shoot or not. Report after taking action first," Kim Kwan-jin said during his visit to the First Army Corps,

About one in five South Korean firms doing business in the Middle East expressed their intention to reduce operations in the region mired in an intensifying anti-government protest, a survey here showed Tuesday.According to the survey of 300 companies by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, 18.7 percent said that they consider reducing their business with the Middle East countries as part o

The captain of a South Korean freighter, who was shot during a rescue operation against Somali pirates, completely regained consciousness Monday and expressed thanks for the support that South Koreans have rallied for him.The health of Seok Hae-kyun, the captain of the 11,500-ton Samho Jewelry, has drawn wide national attention since South Korean naval special forces on Jan. 21 stormed the ship se

Seoul National University decided Monday to sack a music professor accused of habitually using violence against her students and other alleged misconduct,officials said. Seoul National University decided to sack Professor Kim In-hye accused of habitually beating and taking high-priced gifts from her students. (Yonhap News)The top South Korean university has looked into allegations raised late last

A high-speed KTX train bound for Seoul from the southern port city of Busan temporarily halted near a tunnel south of the capital on Friday due to a heat sensor malfunction caused by unknown reasons, officials said.The incident forced Seoul-bound KTX lanes to shut down for more than 40 minutes, starting at 8:24 a.m.Korea Railroad Corp. (KORAIL) said electric sensors malfunctioned and the captain h

South Korean prosecutors said Friday they have discovered that some of the five Somali pirates arrested for the hijacking of South Korean freighter in the Arabian Sea last month had participated in the kidnapping of its sister ship last year, which was released after a huge ransom was paid.The five Somali pirates were captured in the South Korean naval commando's Jan. 21 operation to rescue the 11

South Korea on Friday confirmed an additional bird flu case at a farm near Seoul, despite a recent plunge in the number of suspected cases.The farm ministry said tests showed that 30,000 birds at the egg-laying chicken farm in Yeoju, about 100 kilometers southeast of Seoul, were infected with the virulent H5N1 strain of the avian influenza (AI).The farm was quarantined as of Wednesday after a larg

South Korea's stock market operator said Friday it will fine the local brokerage unit of Deutsche Bank a record 1 billion won (US$885,000) fine for violating trading rules.The fine comes two days after Deutsche Securities Korea Co. was banned from some trading activities for six months for placing massive sell orders in the closing minutes of trading on Nov. 11, which sent the benchmark stock inde

Some of the five Somali pirates arrested for the hijacking of South Korean freighter Samho Jewelry in the Arabian Sea in January turned out to have participated in the kidnapping of its sister ship, the Samho Dream, that wasreleased last year after the payment of a huge ransom, prosecutors here said Friday.Two dozen crew members of the Samho Dream were released last November from seven months of c

A Seoul court on Friday ordered Hyundai Motor Chairman Chung Mong-koo to pay 82.6 billion won (US$73.1 million) in compensation to his own company for inflicting damage on the top South Korean automaker by unfairly supportingHyundai affiliates.A group of 14 minority shareholders and the NGO Solidarity for Economic Reform had filed a suit against Chung and Kim Dong-jin, vice chairman of Hyundai Mob