롯데그룹의 사내 캠페인 포스터가 “직원을 소에 비유했다”라는 이유로 뒤늦게 도마에 올랐다. 문제의 발단은 지난 3월 롯데그룹 인재교육원이 배포한 황희 정승의 ‘검정 소 누렁 소’ 포스터 삽화에서 시작됐다. 포스터 삽화의 에피소드를 보면 한 선비가 농부에게 “어떤 소가 더 일을 잘하냐”라고 묻자 농부가 조심스럽게 선비에게 귓속말로 “아무리 미물이지만 짐승이라도 저 안 좋은 말을 알아듣습니다”라며 “둘 다 저의 소중한 소입니다”라고 말한다. ‘무심코 한 말이 상처를 주지 않도록 주의하고 칭찬과 배려의 말을 독려하자’ 라는 것이 본 캠페인 취지라는 회사 측 설명에도, 선비는 경영진, 농부는 관리자, 소는 사원으로 해석되면서 직원들의 비난이 쏟아지자 결국 그룹은 포스터를 폐기시켰다. 해당 포스터는 롯데그룹의 80개가 넘는 계열사에 배포되었던 것으로 알려졌다. 롯데제과에 근무하는 A씨는 “우리가 소처럼 (시키는) 일만 하는 대상으로 바라보는 것인지 굉장히 기분이 나빴다”며 “상하관계, 명령

Oil prices rose on Monday as dealers focused on crunch Greek debt talks and a possible return of Iranian supplies to the market. US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for July delivery gained 56 cents to $60.17 a barrel compared with Friday's close.  Brent North Sea crude for August won 54 cents to $63.55 a barrel around  midday in London."Hopes that agreement could be reached in the debt dispute with Greece at today's EU summit are lending buoyancy to oil prices as the new week begins," said Com

South Korea said Tuesday it plans to come up with measures to improve its special pardons by next month in a bid to ensure that they are granted in a more fair and transparent manner.In South Korea, presidents usually grant special pardons in commemoration of major national holidays, though the practice has long been under fire for being abused to give favors to their friends and business leaders who have been jailed for corruption.The government held a meeting earlier in the day to discuss how

Police found two more camps Tuesday believed to have held human trafficking victims in southern Thailand -- one recently abandoned and the other containing a buried skeleton -- days after the grim discovery of 26 bodies at a separate location exposed a thriving human smuggling network in the country."We will keep searching, because this means the traffickers are still on the run and taking people with them," said police Maj. Gen. Amphon Buarubporn, the commander of police for Songkla province, w

Tours by Chinese people to North Korea have been showing signs of getting back on track after Pyongyang lifted its months-long entry ban on foreign travelers imposed as part of efforts to prevent the spread of the Ebola virus, Chinese tour firms said Saturday. North Korea is half a world away from Ebola-hit West Africa, but the reclusive regime closed its doors to foreign tourists last October. The ban, which took a toll on Chinese travel firms specializing in tours to the North, was lifted earl

U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Mark Lippert said Saturday he plans to return to work later next week after an attack by a South Korean extremist, expressing gratitude to people here for support. (Yonhap)The top envoy to Seoul has been recovering from wounds on his face and wrist after being slashed by the man during a breakfast forum in Seoul last week. The  assailant said he did so in opposition to the Seoul-Washington joint military exercises."Thanks for all of the friendship and support! Mean

The South Korean stock market is likely to see a gradual gain next week as investor sentiment improves after the central bank's rate cut, analysts said Saturday. The country's key stock market index KOSPI closed 1.35 percent lower than a week ago at 1,985.79 on Friday. Seoul shares were able to pare some of its earlier losses this week after the Bank of Korea unexpectedly decided to cut the key rate to a record-low of 1.75 percent on Thursday. Analysts said the effect of the BOK's surprise rate

One Coast Guard officer died and three others went missing after a helicopter on a rescue mission crashed near an island off South Korea’s southwestern coast, officials said Saturday.The Coast Guard helicopter crashed in waters off Gageodo Island at around 8:27 p.m. Friday, while trying to land near a seawall to carry out a mission to transport an emergency patient to an inland hospital.     Of the four aboard the helicopter -- two pilots, one helicopter mechanic and a relief worker -- the mecha

Iran could allow Internet giants such as Google to operate in the Islamic republic if they respect its "cultural" rules, Fars news agency said Sunday quoting a senior official."We are not opposed to any of the entities operating in global markets who want to offer services in Iran," Deputy Telecommunications and Information Technology Minister Nasrollah Jahangard told Fars."We are ready to negotiate with them and if they accept our cultural rules and policies they can offer their services in Ira

Amy Yang of South Korea captured her second career LPGA Tour win here in Thailand on Sunday.Yang won the Honda LPGA Thailand by two strokes over three golfers on Pattaya Old Course at Siam Country Club in Chonburi, after shooting a three-under 69 on Sunday for a four-round total of 15-under 273.Yang, who joined the LPGA in 2008, had last won on the tour in 2013. She is the third South Korean winner in four events so far in 2015. Yang, the runner-up at the ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open last

China warned Thursday that the possible deployment of an advanced U.S. missile defense system in South Korea could undermine the "overall interest of bilateral relations" between Seoul and Beijing, underscoring a long-standing rift between the neighbors despite their growing warmth on bilateral ties.The warning by China's foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei came a day after China's defense minister Chang Wanquan held talks with South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo in Seoul on Wednesday, dur

An auction to sell state-run Woori Bank failed on Friday due to a lack of bidders, the financial regulator said, the fourth such failed attempt by the government to privatize South Korea's No. 3 bank.“After closing the bid for Woori Bank's managerial rights, only China's Anbang Property & Casualty Insurance Co. applied for it,” said the Financial Services Commission.At least two bidders are needed to make the auction valid, according to local laws.Anbang Insurance is a leading Chinese insurer, w

China urged the international community Friday not to "politicize" the issue of North Korea’s human rights record, again opposing a U.N. move to hold its young leader accountable for alleged rights violations.The remarks by Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei were the latest signal from Beijing that it would veto any U.N. move to condemn North Korea for its alleged dismal human rights record, as the U.N. General Assembly is expected to vote on a resolution next week against the North's h

Students occupying the area outside Hong Kong's government headquarters agreed Sunday to remove some barricades that have blocked the building's entrance during weeklong pro-democracy protests, as police warned of taking ``all necessary measures'' to clear the streets by the beginning of the work week.Television footage from the scene showed a protest representative shaking hands with a police officer, but it was not immediately clear whether all the students had decided to withdraw. The move ap

South Korea's central bank is expected to slash its key interest rate in October in the wake of its August rate cut due to a slow recovery in the country's economy and volatile foreign exchange rates, market watchers said Sunday.In August, the Bank of Korea cut the base rate to 2.25 percent from 2.5 percent, the first rate reduction in 15 months, in an effort to lend support to the government's efforts to boost the economy. Last month, the central bank froze the rate as widely expected.The BOK i

President Barack Obama said Wednesday that the United States will not be intimidated by Islamic State militants after the beheading of a second American journalist and will build a coalition to ``degrade and destroy'' the group.Obama still did not give a timeline for deciding on a strategy to go after the extremist group's operations in Syria. ``It's going to take time for us to be able to roll them back,'' the president said at a news conference during a visit to Europe.The president's comments

김보헌 외환은행 노조 전문위원은 지난 23일 코리아헤럴드와의 인터뷰에서 “하나-외환 조기 합병 논의는 외환 직원들과의 신뢰를 전제로 해야”한다고 강조했다. 김 위원은 “외환 직원들 입장에선 은행의 경쟁력과 정체성을 지키고 싶은 마음이 2017년까지 독립경영 보장을 골자를 하는 2.17 합의로써 보장된 것이다”라고 말하며 합의를 파기하는 행위는 곧 노사간의 신뢰를 져버리는 것과 같다고 말했다.이달 초부터 하나금융지주은 하나은행과 외환은행의 조기통합을 위한 움직임을 보여왔다. 노조 측은 하나금융이 외환은행 인수 후 5년이 되는 2017년까지 투뱅크 체재를 보장해준다는 약속을 어겼다며 크게 반발했다.2012년 1월 하나금융지주는 론스타로부터 외환은행을 인수하면서 노조에 5년간의 독립경영을 보장한 바 있다.그러나 지난 3일, 김정태 회장은 기자회견을 통해 조기통합을 공론화 했고 그 뒤로 다양한 루트를 통해 조기통합이 두 은행 모두에게 이득이 될 것 이라는 것을 재차 강조했다. 김 회장은 또

A North Korean defector known for his satirical paintings on North Korean society plans to hold a rare exhibition in Beijing this week, an organizer of the exhibition said Friday. The painter from North Korea, who uses the pseudonym Sun Mu, fled the North in 1998 and resettled in South Korea in 2001, has been called a "faceless" artist as he does not allow himself to be photographed out of fears that his family left behind could suffer retribution. Sun Mu, who was trained to paint propaganda pic

Two clubs fighting to keep their playoff hopes alive in the Korea Baseball Organization announced their acquisitions of new foreign pitchers on Friday.The Doosan Bears said they've signed Cuban right-hander Yunesky Maya in a one-year deal worth $175,000.The 32-year-old represented Cuba at the 2006 and the 2009 World Baseball Classic. He signed with the Washington Nationals in Major League Baseball as a free agent in 2010 and made 16 big league appearances in 2010, 2011 and 2013, with a record of

President Park Geun-hye is considering whether to present a motion to parliament seeking confirmation of her latest choice for prime minister after she wraps up her ongoing trip to Central Asia, an official said Wednesday.Park will decide whether to "approve the motion by fully taking into account various situations after returning home," presidential spokesman Min Kyung-wook told reporters traveling with Park to theUzbek city of Samarkand.Park will focus on important economic and diplomatic iss