Kia Motors Corp., South Korea's second-largest carmaker, said Thursday it has opened a community center in Malawi, the company's second such project as part of its global social outreach program.   The center opened in Salima near the shores of Lake Malawi on Wednesday, and is designed to improve the quality of life of the local people and lower infant mortality rates in the area, said Kia.   It also said it has donated three buses to the center to help enhance the mobility of local people in a

   BEIJING -- An agreement between Seoul and Pyongyang to reopen their joint industrial complex was a welcome sign for inter-Korean relations, but much work is still needed for the two sides to put their relations on a positive footing, a Chinese scholar said Thursday.    South and North Korea agreed on Wednesday to reopen the Kaesong industrial complex in the North's border city, which was shut down in April amid soaring tensions following Pyongyang's third nuclear test.   However, they failed

GAESEONG  -- South and North Korea reached a five-point agreement Wednesday to reopen a shuttered joint industrial park that has been idle for more than four months, the government said."The agreement was signed by Kim Ki-woong, Seoul's chief delegate and his North Korean counterpart Park Chol-su,“ a Unification Ministry official said.Ministry officials said the two sides adopted the agreement after day-long negotiations in the North's border city of Gaeseong.The joint complex has been closed si

   Prince William's wife, Kate, has given birth to a prince who is now third in line to the British throne.    The child was born Monday, after many Britons woke up to the news that Kate, also known as the Duchess of Cambridge, had gone into labor with the couple's first child.    The birth announcement, via a press release from Kensington Palace, said the boy was born at 4:24 p.m. weighing 8 pounds, 6 ounces. William was present for the birth, the statement said. The announcement did not includ

  윈도·PC·모바일 사업부 통합…애플·구글 겨냥 포석세계 최대 소프트웨어 업체인 마이크로소프트 (MS)가 애플과 구글이 주도하는 정보기술(IT) 업계의 새로운 흐름을 따라잡기 위해 대규모 구조조정을 단행키로 했다고 파이낸셜타임스(FT) 인터넷판 등 외신들이 12일 보도했다.    외신에 따르면 스티브 발머 MS 최고경영자(CEO)는 최근 직원들에게 보낸 이메일 을 통해 이 같은 구조조정 계획을 알렸으며 이번 구조조정을 통해 MS가 컴퓨터 경험의 중심이 모바일 위주로 이동하는 시대의 추세를 따라잡을 수 있도록 할 방침이다.    MS는 사업부를 축소하고 임원들을 물갈이하는 내부 구조조정을 통해 모바일  시 대에 걸맞은 하드웨어와 웹기반 서비스 사업에 역량을 집중하기로 했다.    MS는 또 전 세계 개인용 컴퓨터(PC) 시장이 침체를 겪는 반면 스마트폰과  태블 릿PC 등 모바일 기기 시장이 급성장하고 있다는 점을 감안, 분할된 여러 사업부문을 하나로 통합해 업무 효율을 높인다는 복

국토부 "정상작동 판단은 FDR과 비교해봐야""항공기 정비도 문제없어"…사고 관련 비행자료 220건 분석중국토교통부는 12일 아시아나항공  여객기 사고와 관련, "오토스로틀(자동출력조절장치)의 정상 작동 여부는 FDR과 다른 기 록장치를 비교해봐야 알 수 있다"고 밝혔다.    오토스로틀 기능에 문제가 없었다는 미국 당국의 발표가 조종사 과실로  몰아가 려는 것 아니냐는 의구심이 이는 상황에서 미국측의 다소 성급한 결론에 대해  이의를 제기한 것으로 풀이된다.    장만희 국토부 운항정책과장은 이날 오후 브리핑에서 "(미국  국가교통안전위원회(NTSB)의 발표내용의) 정확한 의미가 무엇인지 파악중"이라면서 "오토스로틀이 정 상 작동했는지를 확인하려면 FDR과 다른 기록장치를 비교해봐야 알 수 있다"고 밝혔다.     NTSB 데버라 허스먼 위원장은 앞서 이날 브리핑에서 FDR 분석 결과 이강국 기장이 작동하지 않았다고 진술한 오토스로틀을 비롯해 오토파일럿(자동항법장치) 등의 장치에

   A look at Saturday's crash of Asiana Airlines flight 214 at the San Francisco International Airport:    WHAT HAPPENED: The Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 crashed while landing after a likely 10-hour-plus flight from Seoul, South Korea. The flight originated in Shanghai and stopped in Seoul before the long trek to San Francisco.    PACKED FLIGHT: There were 307 people aboard -- 291 passengers and 16 crew members. Two people aboard the plane died, but the rest were accounted for late Saturday. Of t

South Korea's Transport Ministry said on Sunday that two dead victims in the Asiana crash are Chinese nationals. The Asiana Airlines passenger jet carrying 307 people crashed upon landing at San Francisco International Airport Saturday, killing at least two people and injuring dozens of others on board.The Boeing 777 plane, which departed from Shanghai, China and stopped over at Incheon International Airport, was carrying 291 passengers and 16 crew members.

   LAC-MEGANTIC, Quebec (AP) -- A large swath of a town in eastern Quebec was destroyed Saturday after a train carrying crude oil derailed, sparking several explosions and forcing the evacuation of up to 1,000 people.    Several people were reported missing but Quebec provincial police Lt. Michel Brunet said it was too early to say if there are any casualties in the town of Lac-Megantic, about 155 miles (250 kilometers) east of Montreal.    The explosions ignited a blaze that sent flames shootin

   An Asiana Airlines flight crashed while landing at San Francisco International Airport on Saturday, killing at least two people, injuring dozens of others and forcing passengers to jump down the emergency inflatable slides to safety as flames tore through the plane. One person was unaccounted for from among the 307 passengers and crew, said airport spokesman Doug Yakel. He said 181 people were taken to local hospitals. There were 291 passengers and 16 crew members. San Francisco Fire Chief Jo

   SAN FRANCISCO -- Apple is throwing out most of the real-world graphical cues from its iPhone and iPad software in what it calls the biggest update since the iPhone's launch in 2007.    The new operating system, called iOS 7, strives for a clean, simple, translucent look. Apple is redesigning all its applications and icons to conform to the new look, driven by long-time hardware design chief Jony Ive.    Apple demonstrated the new software at the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisc

 Microsoft Corp. on Tuesday launched its own tablet computer Surface in South Korea in a bid to bolster its presence in the market dominated by rival gadgets manufactured by Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co.   The U.S. software giant said consumers will be able to buy the Surface RT tablet computer and its upgraded version, the Surface Pro, at local retail shops starting from June 11.      The tablet computer has been already released in over 20 countries, including the United States and Ch

North Korea fired another short-range missile into the East Sea on Monday, marking the third straight day of launches, South Korea's defense ministry said."North Korea again launched what appears to be a KN-02 short-range missile," said a ministry official. "We are closely watching the movements of the North's military in case of further launches."Monday's launch occurred between 11 a.m. and noon.North Korea has launched a total of five short-range missiles in the past three days, including thre

Lee Nam-ki, senior presidential secretary for public relations, offered to step down Friday, taking responsibility for a burgeoning sexual assault scandal involving the now-fired spokesperson Yoon Chang-jung, Cheong Wa Dae said Sunday.Presidential Chief of Staff Huh Tae-yeol apologized to the nation for the “embarrassing, unsavory” incident, for which the main opposition Democratic United Party demanded all senior presidential secretaries bow out.The apology came a day after Yoon denied all alle

LOS ANGELES -- President Park Geun-hye on Thursday (Friday Korea time) dismissed her spokesman Yoon Chang-jung as rumors spread that he engaged in "inappropriate conduct" during the delegation’s stay in Washington. “The decision was made as it was deemed that Yoon showed inappropriate conduct as a high-ranking official and damaged the dignity of the country by being involved in a disgraceful event personally while accompanying President Park in her U.S. visit,” said Lee Nam-ki, senior secretary

Google, HTC, Red Hat and Rackspace reportedly filed friends of the court briefs in support of Samsung Electronics on Monday urging the U.S. Federal court of Appeals to rule against Apple’s request for a sales ban on Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus smartphone and Galaxy Tab. The support from the Google-led group comes amid an ongoing mobile device patent infringement battle between Samsung and Apple. The briefs stated that companies shouldn’t be restricted because of what they see as a trivial feature tha

Namyang Dairy, one of Korea’s biggest dairy giants, is taking a turn for the worse following a nationwide uproar caused by one of its salesmen ranting and swearing at its distributor.Ever since an audio file that contained the conversation between Namyang’s salesperson and the distributor was exposed last week on the net, including YouTube, consumers have posted messages on their blogs or taken to the street holding placards urging the general public to stop buying its products ranging from milk

Joint Declaration in Commemoration of the 60th Anniversary of the Alliance between the Republic of Korea and the United States of AmericaFor six decades, the U.S.-ROK Alliance has served as an anchor for stability, security, and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula, in the Asia-Pacific region, and increasingly around the world.  President Barack Obama of the United States of America and President Park Geun-hye of the Republic of Korea, meeting in Washington, D.C. on May 7, 2013, present this Joint

 Korean Air Lines Co., South Korea's top air carrier, said Friday its net loss sharply widened in the first quarter of 2013 from a year earlier due to foreign exchange loss.   Consolidated net loss reached 300.6 billion won ($285 million) in the January-March period, up from a 64.2 billion won loss a year earlier, the carrier said in a regulatory filing.    The figures also represent a sharp decline from a profit of 140.1 billion won in the fourth quarter of last year.   The carrier said its for

　SK하이닉스가 늦어도 6월부터 삼성전자에 모바일 디램과 낸드 메모리를 공급할 예정으로 알려졌다. 　공급량은 삼성전자의 무선수요의 약 5분의 1 가까이 될 것이라고 관계자들은 전했다. 　이미 지난주, 삼성전자 IM부문의 신종균 사장은 삼성이 하이닉스에 공급요청을 할 수도 있다고 밝힌바 있다. 　업계 관계자들에 따르면 이미 생산물량까지 확정이 된 상태이며, 6월 출고만 기다리고 있다고 전했다.　현재 스마트폰 세계 1위 업체로서 27일 갤럭시 S4를 세계 60개국에 전격 출시한 삼성전자는 갤럭시 S 시리즈의 고공판매 덕분에 메모리수요가 부족한 행복한 고민에 빠져있다. 　하반기에 출시될 갤럭시 노트 3와 3분기라는 계절적인 수요부족 요인과 맞물려 공급을 맞추기 더욱 어려워질 것으로 전문가들은 예측했다. 　세계 1,2위 메모리 업체간의 보기드문 파트너십으로 인해 SK하이닉스로부터 메모리를 공급 받고 있는 애플은 당분간 가격조정에 대한 압박에 시달릴 전망이다. (코리아 헤럴드 김지현 기자)