South Korean financial authorities plan to announce a set of measures to expand their surveillance of price rigging on the country's stock markets, sources said Wednesday.The Financial Services Commission is to hold a meeting with governmental authorities, including the Ministry of Justice, the National Tax Service, the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS), and the Korea Exchange, on Thursday to prepare countermeasures against price manipulations.Sources said the envisioned plan includes giving i

포스코가 M&A 전담 부서를 개편하면서 앞으로도 M&A를 진취적으로 추진할 움직임을 보이고 있다.18일 관계자에 따르면 포스코는 최근에 기업 내 M&A 전담 부서인 전략사업실을 경영기획1실에 통합했다.전략사업실은 2009년 정준양 회장의 의지에 따라 설립된 이후로 계속해서 적극적인 M&A를 추진해왔고, 경영기획1실은 회사의 장기 비전과 미래 사업을 구상하는 핵심 부서에 해당한다.회사 관계자는 "전략을 담당하는 부서와 이를 실행하는 부서를 통합함으로써 회사 전체의 업무 효율성을 도모했다"고 전했다.아울러 전략사업실의 전우식 상무가 전무로 승진함과 동시에 통합된 경영기획1실을 맡게 되었다. 이로써 포스코는 앞으로도 M&A를 계속 적극 지원할 것으로 전망되고 있다.전상무는 최근 몇년 동안 종합 상사인 대우 인터네셔널과 동남아 최대 규모의 스테인리스 업체인 타이녹스 등을 인수하는 데에 핵심적인 역할을 맡은 바 있다.포스코는 연이은 거액의 M&A로 재무구조를 악화시켰다는 평을 받으면서 계열사

서울 중심부의 용산을 랜드마크 국제사업지구로 재개발하겠다던 야심찬 계획이 수포로 돌아갈 위기에 처하게 되었다.용산개발 사업의 시행자인 드림허브가 13일 끝내 자산담보부기업어음의 이자를 갚지 못하면서 채무불이행을 선언했고 이에 따른 부도의 위험이 현실화됐기 때문이다.최악의 경우에는 대주주인 코레일 또한 자본잠식에 빠지고 민자 투자사들과 서부이촌동 주민들이 연루된 수천 억 원 단위의 다각적 법정 공방이 일어날 수도 있는 상황이다. 애당초 59억 원 이자의 최종 만기 시점은 13일 오전 9시였으나 은행권에서는 이를 12시로 연장해준 바 있다. 그러나 현재 자본액이 10억 수준인 드림허브는 이를 자체적으로 변제할 능력이 전혀 없는 상태다.코레일은 드림허브가 우정사업본부에게서 받아야 하는 부지 무단 사용에 대한 법적 보상금을 대한토지신탁에 지급 보증함으로써 사태를 막아보려 하였으나 관련 협상은 끝내 결렬되었다.국토해양부와 지식경제부 측에서는 현재의 채무불이행 사태가 곧바로 부도로 이어지는 것

장기화된 경제 침체에도 불구하고, 외국어를 자유자재로 구사하는 국제적 마인드의 전문 인력에 대한 수요는 여전히 높은 것으로 나타났다.외국어 구사 인력의 채용을 전문으로 하는 로버트월터스는 최근에 2012년 연봉조사 보고서를 발간해, 한국의 고용과 연봉 트렌드, 그리고 올해의 산업 전망을 제시하였다.올해에도 기업들은 여전히 사업 확장과 신규 인력 채용에 대해서 소극적이지만 영어 구사가 가능한 고급 인력에 대해서는 채용 경쟁이 더 치열해졌다고 안토니 모드릭 한국 지사장은 말했다.따라서 이에 해당하는 인재들은 이직시에 상당한 연봉 인상을 받을 수 있게 되었다.이것은 다국적 기업들이 경쟁사들과 차별화를 꾀하기 위해서 더 서구화된 업무 인프라를 구축하려고 나섰기 때문이라고 그는 설명했다.전체적인 채용 규모는 늘지 않았지만 고용주들은 단 한 명을 채용하더라도 외국어 구사와 전략적 기능 수행이 가능한 고급 인력을 선호하는 성향을 보였다.이런 현상은 특히 회계와 금융 분야에서 가장 뚜렷하게 나타난

One in 10 female migrant workers in South Korea has been raped or subjected to sexual harassment, a report said Monday.The findings by the Korea Support Center for Foreign Workers and MNTV, an Internet broadcasting company for migrant workers, showed that 10.7 percent of the 1,218 people polled said they were victims of sexual abuse.Of the 975 male and 205 female workers surveyed, 22 women and 15 men claimed they were abused or harassed at their workplaces by their Korean employers or co-workers

South Korea's retail giant E-mart, apparently under pressure, granted 10,000 dispatch workers regular employee status Monday after the government ruled that they were working for the company illegally.These dispatch workers, who E-Mart had previously paid a sub-contractor for them to work in 146 stores nationwide, will now be directly hired by the company.Regular employees are ensured employment until retirement age, various welfare benefits including medical care, education support and pay up t

South Korean police say they are questioning U.S. soldiers over a high-speed car chase that resulted in a Seoul officer shooting a soldier after being hit by a car.The soldiers reportedly fired a BB gun at pedestrians on a Seoul street Saturday night before fleeing in a car.Police say an officer chased them in a taxi and fired at the car as it rushed by him. Police say the officer was injured and one U.S. soldier was shot in his shoulder but their injuries aren't life threatening.Police say two

The South Korean economy is likely to expand at a slower pace than expected this year due to the negative impact of the Japanese currency's depreciation on its overseas shipments, Goldman Sachs said Friday.In its latest forecast, the global investment bank said Asia's fourth-largest economy will likely grow 3.1 percent this year, down from its earlier estimate of 3.4 percent made in December.Kwon Goo-hoon, the managing director and co-head of research at Goldman Sachs Asia, attributed the lower

South Korea is ready to request the U.N. Security Council hold an emergency meeting if North Korea follows through on its plan to conduct a nuclear test, a senior Seoul diplomat said Friday.Predicting when North Korea will carry out the nuclear test is difficult, but the North's threats of a third nuclear test have kept officials in South Korea on tenterhooks.South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan is scheduled to visit New York early next week to preside over the Security Council's open deb

A North Korean media outlet on Friday claimed that the United States is using the Unha-3 rocket launch as an excuse to develop its own missile defense system, as part of its grand plan to dominate the world.Rodong Sinmun, an organ of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea, said in an article monitored in Seoul that Washington aims to create a global missile interception network to ensure its continued military supremacy.A missile defense system aids in the detection, tracking, and destruction of att

South Korea's central bank said Friday it provided a net 4.35 trillion won (US$3.98 billion) in liquidity into the financial system to help money smoothly flow ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday.The Bank of Korea (BOK) said that its money injection for the 10 business days leading up to the holiday was slightly down from a net 4.39 trillion won provided the previous year.The BOK said the reduced supply mainly came as this year's Lunar New Year holiday is one day shorter than last year.The Lunar

Kia Motors Corp., South Korea's second-largest automaker, said Friday that it has unveiled a concept car of its large hybrid crossover vehicle at the Chicago Auto Show as it looks into offering a full-size luxury crossover.The Cross GT -- 8.4 inches longer, 4.9 inches wider and 1.6 inches shorter than Kia's award-winning Sorento -- features Kia's signature grille and cuts an imposing figure."The debut of the GT in 2011 heralded a new frontier for Kia, both from a design and a business perspectiv

A Seoul court on Friday sentenced a pro-North Korean activist to four years in prison for making an unauthorized trip to the communist country.Ro Su-hui, the vice-chairman of the South Headquarters of the Pan-national Alliance for Korea's Reunification, was found guilty of illegally visiting North Korea by way of China in March of last year, in violation of the National Security Law.The Seoul Central District Court also ordered that his rights, such as suffrage, be stripped for three years after

박근혜 대통령 당선인은 새 정부의 첫 총리직에 전직 검사이자 새누리당의 공천위원장으로 활약했던 정홍원 변호사를 지명했다고 인수위원회 부위원장 진영 의원이 금요일에 밝혔다.국가안보실장에는 전 국방장관인 김장수, 그리고 대통령 경호실장에는 박흥렬 전 육군참모총장이 임명되었다.진영 부위원장은 정홍원 후보자에 대해 “30년간 검찰에 재직하면서 확고한 국가관과 엄격한 공사구분, 원만한 인품으로 법조계의 신망을 받아왔다” 며 “중앙선관위 상임위원으로 재직하면서 선거제도 개혁과 창의 행정을 구현했다”고 인선 배경을 설명했다.정 후보자는 지난 주에 투기와 아들 병역 문제 등으로 사퇴한 김용준 전 총리 후보자의 뒤를 잇게 되었다.당선인이 총리 임명동의안을 국회에 제출하면, 국회는 특별 인사 청문 위원회를 구성해서 15일 이내로 청문회를 열도록 규정되어 있다.정 후보자의 임명에 대해서 각 당은 엇갈린 반응을 보였다.새누리당의 이상일 대변인은 서면 브리핑을 통해 “정홍원 후보자는 공천 후에는 곧바로

President-elect Park Geun-hye on Friday named Chung Hong-won, a former prosecutor who worked as the ruling Saenuri Party’s election nomination chief, as the first prime minister of her incoming government.Park also named former Defense Minister Kim Jang-soo as chief of the presidential national security office and former Army Chief of Staff Park Heung-ryul as head of the security service.“Chung, during his 30 years in the prosecution, won respect and trust from within the judicial circles for hi

Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., South Korea's leading shipbuilder, is expected to see its business slump continue throughout the first quarter of the year, largely due to weak demand for new ships, analysts said Friday.On Thursday, the world's largest shipyard said its 2012 earnings dropped 62 percent to reach 1.04 trillion won (US$953 million) as it built low-priced ships.Sales gained 2.35 percent on-year to 54.97 trillion won last year, while operating income dropped 56.3 percent on-year to 1.99

North Korea may open its borders to more foreign news media as part of its efforts to increase contact with the outside world, a senior official of the Associated Press (AP) said Friday after a visit to the communist country.AP was allowed to open a bureau in North Korea in January last year, becoming the first Western media outlet in the country. Other foreign media that had been allowed in the country before were all from the old Soviet Union, its successor Russia and China."I suspect that the

VIENNA (AP) -- U.N experts returned from Tehran on Friday without sealing a long-sought deal that would restart a probe of suspicions that Iran worked on atomic arms, adding to doubts that upcoming separate talks between six world powers and the Islamic Republic will succeed in reducing fears about Iran's nuclear ambitions.Herman Nackaerts, who headed the team of International Atomic Energy Agency experts, said the two sides would meet again in the Iranian capital Feb. 12. But  even if those tal

South Korea will speed up the development of longer-range missiles capable of striking all of North Korea and deploy them as early as possible, an official on the presidential transition team said Monday.In October last year, South Korea announced a new missile agreement with the U.S. that allows Seoul to extend the range of its ballistic missiles from 300 kilometers to 800 ㎞, a distance long enough to reach the northern tip of North Korea."We will work toward quickly putting in force ballistic

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- US President Barack Obama will on Monday nominate White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan as CIA director, an administration official said."Brennan has the full trust and confidence of the president," the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP. "Over the past four years, he has been involved in virtually all major national security issues and will be able to hit the ground running at CIA."