South Korea's credit rating won't be affected by the impact from the unwinding of the U.S. monetary easing, as Washington's indication of an exit strategy means the world's No. 1 economy is improving, which will serve as a positive factor for Korea, a global credit appraiser said Thursday. "Withdrawing the quantitative easing (QE) can mean the United States is shifting to growth, which can lead to more fresh orders for some ailing industries like shipbuilding and shipping in Korea.It won't likel

South Korean football star Park Ji-sung on Thursday admitted to dating a local television personality, giving the public a rare peek into his personal life.At a press conference in his hometown of Suwon, south of Seoul, the 32-year-old said he has been dating announcer Kim Min-ji, 27, since the beginning of this summer.This was Park's first public appearance since photos were published by an online newspaper on Wednesday showing him and Kim out on a date in Seoul.Park, the midfielder for Queens

The U.N. committee on sanctioning North Korea plans to discuss as early as next month whether to impose further penalties against North Korea for carrying out its third nuclear test in February, sources with direct knowledge of the committee said Wednesday.During a meeting, the North Korean sanctions committee chaired by Luxembourg's Ambassador Sylvie Lucas put forth reports on its activities with regard to its latest sanctions and recommended blacklisting four more North Korean institutions and

South Korea's cell phone replacement rate is the highest among major OECD countries as local mobile carriers' fat subsidies and aggressive marketing lure customers to change their gadgets frequently, a report said Thursday.About 15 million South Koreans, or 28 percent of mobile phone users in the country, replace their handsets every year, according to the report compiled by DigiEco, a research unit of KT Corp.The mobile replacement rate is the highest among major OECD countries, the report said

South Korean stocks got off to a weak start Thursday as the U.S Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke hinted at a possible tapering of its monetary easing, analysts said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) nosedived 24.68 points, or 1.31 percent to 1,863.63 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Shares lost ground across the board, with tech giant Samsung Electronics falling 1.97 percent and No. 1 carmaker Hyundai Motor declining 0.24 percent. Top steelmaker POSCO moved down 1.4

A former University of Southern California professor arrested in Mexico for alleged sex crimes involving two children in the Philippines has been deported to the United States after a Mexican citizen recognized his picture in the newspaper and informed the U.S. Embassy, federal authorities said Wednesday.Walter Lee Williams, 64, will appear in a Los Angeles federal courtroom Thursday to face charges of sexual exploitation of children and traveling abroad for the purpose of engaging in sexual act

Hiroki Kuroda shut down his former team into the seventh inning, Ichiro Suzuki homered and drove in three runs, and the New York Yankees spoiled Don Mattingly's return to the Bronx with a 6-4 victory over the sloppy Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday in the opener of a day-night doubleheader. Lyle Overbay hit a two-run double against South Korean rookie Hyun-Jin Ryu (6-3) in the first game in New York between the old October rivals since Los Angeles clinched the 1981 World Series title with a vict

With massive protests by middle-class Brazilians demanding wholesale government reforms, people all over this continent-sized country have reached a verdict on the streets and online: “The giant has awakened.”President Dilma Rousseff has tried to placate the crowds by supporting their right to protest, and the Sao Paulo municipal government has rescinded the 10-cent hike in bus and subway fares that sparked the demonstrations in the first place. But as the protests grow even bigger, with two maj

Trying to tamp down concerns about government over-reach, President Barack Obama on Wednesday defended U.S. Internet and phone surveillance programs as narrowly targeted efforts that have saved lives and thwarted at least 50 terror threats.“This is not a situation in which we are rifling through ordinary emails” of huge numbers of citizens in the United States or elsewhere, the president declared during a news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. He called it as a “circumscribed, nar

미국대학입학자격시험(SAT) 문제 유출 의혹이 물의를 빚는 가운데, 규정을 위반한 서울 강남지역의 SAT 학원 중 8곳이 폐원조치되었다.교육당국에 따르면 서울시 교육청은 지난 5월 8일부터 6월 14일까지 두 차례에 걸쳐 강남일대 SAT학원 61곳을 특별점검한 결과 전체의 64%에 해당하는 39곳에서 88건의 규정위반 사실을 적발했다. 당국은 이 중 8곳을 등록말소(폐원), 2곳을 고발조치, 4곳을 교습정치했다고 밝혔다.적발사유는 교습비 관련(30건), 강사채용•해임관련(15건), 서류 미비치나 부실 기재(11건), 신고외 교습과정운영(6건), 시설변경관련(6건), 기타(20건)이었다.당국은 또한 학원을 폐원시킬 수 있는 사유에 시험유출 등 부정행위로 사회적 문제를 일으킨 경우를 추가하는 등 재발방지 대책을 내놓았다이번 특별 점검은 지난달, 일부 학원에서 SAT문제를 유출했다는 의혹으로 인해 SAT 국내시험 전체와 6월 생물시험이 최소된 이후 시작되었다. 점검 결과 일부 학원에서 강

Hopes dimmed for talks aimed at ending the Afghan war when an angry President Hamid Karzai on Wednesday suspended security negotiations with the U.S. and scuttled a peace delegation to the Taliban, sending American officials scrambling to preserve the possibility of dialogue with the militants.What provoked the mercurial Karzai and infuriated many other Afghans was a move by the Taliban to cast their new office in the Gulf nation of Qatar as a rival embassy. The Taliban held a ribbon-cutting cer

South Korean resort town PyeongChang is well on its way to hosting a successful Winter Olympics in 2018, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said Wednesday.The IOC's Coordination Commission wrapped up its two-day visit to PyeongChang, about 180 kilometers east of Seoul, on Wednesday.The commission, led by Gunilla Lindberg, a member of the IOC Executive Board, reviewed PyeongChang's preparations for the 2018 Winter Games in areas such as venues, marketing and communications. This was the co

The Seoul High Court on Wednesday denied petitions by Qualcomm and Intel to annul fines levied by South Korea's antitrust watchdog for unfair business practices.The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) in July 2009 had slapped 273.2 billion won ($241.7 million) in fines, the record amount the commission issued on a single company, against Qualcomm.The commission said the U.S.-based wireless chipmaker abused its dominant position in the Korean market by demanding discriminatory royalties and giving condit

The prosecution on Wednesday rejected a police request for an arrest warrant for a former vice justice minister accused of receiving sexual services in return for business favors.The prosecution instead instructed the National Police Agency (NPA) to refile an arrest warrant with a stronger argument on the charges against Kim Hak-ui who remains in a hospital following surgery.Kim's medical conditions should be considered when a warrant will be sought again, prosecution officials said.The NPA has

소위 ‘방판 언니’라고 불리우는 뷰티 컨설턴트가 4,50대의 중년 여성 고객층을 넘어 합리적인 가격에 화장품을 소비하려는 젊은 고객층을 끌어모으고 있다. 회사원 박수민 씨는 한 뷰티 컨설턴트를 통해 스무가지가 넘는 화장품을 구매한 ‘방판 매니아’ 다. 화장품이 떨어졌을 때 박 씨는 자신의 컨설턴트에게 카카오톡만 날리면 된다고 한다. “컨설턴트 언니를 통해 화장품을 사면 따로 시간을 들여 백화점을 가거나 온라인 구매 사이트를 방문할 필요가 없습니다. 아이템을 고르기만 하면 방판 언니가 집으로 택배를 보내주기 때문입니다” 라고 그녀는 코리아헤럴드를 통해 전했다. 소비자와 직접 대면해 물건을 파는 전략은 한국 화장품 업계에서 주로 중년 고객층을 대상으로 진행되어왔다. 하지만 최근에는 합리적인 가격뿐만이 아닌 추가적인 서비스를 받고자 하는 2,30대 젊은 고객층이 늘어나는 추세다. “고객에게는 체험후 1대1로 피부 상태에 대한 상담이 이루지며 종합적인 뷰티 체험이 가능해 피부 타입에 대한

A Korean War exhibit opened Tuesday at the Pentagon as U.S. officials endeavor to enhance public awareness on the historical significance of the so-called Forgotten War.It is part of various programs to mark the 60th anniversary of the alliance between South Korea and the U.S., which dates back to the 1950-53 conflict.The U.S. Department of Defense described the exhibit as a "lasting symbol" of its commitment to honor Korean War veterans and help educate the public about the Korean War for gener

 박지성 (32.퀸즈파크 레인저스)와 열애설에 휩싸인 김민지 SBS 아나운서의 어머니인 오명희 수원대 교수가 딸의 연애사실을 사실상 인정했다.오 교수는 19일 연합뉴스와의 인터뷰를 통해 “최근 딸한테 박지성 선수와 만난다는 이야기를 들었다”고 밝혔다. 오 교수는 결혼 계획에 대해서는 “결혼은 본인들이 진전이 있어야 하는 것”이라고 답했다.박지성의 소속사는 박지성이 20일 오전 9시 30분 수원월드컵경기장 컨벤션웨딩 홀에서 기자회견을 통해 열애설에 대한 공식입장을 밝힐 것이라고 전했다.두 사람 사이의 열애설은 18일 스포츠서울닷컴이 두 사람이 18일 밤 한강시민공원에서 데이트를 즐기고 있다고 보도하면서 온라인 상에서 확산되었다. 이 매체는 두 사람이 함께 손을 잡고 걷는 모습 등을 담은 사진도 실었다.한편 박지성이 열애설에 휘말린 것은 일주일동안 벌써 두 번째인데, 지난 14일에는 박지성이 미스코리아 출신 탤런트 김사랑과 결혼이 임박했다는 소문이 돌았다.. 김사랑 측은 이러한 소문에

Hong Myung-bo, a South Korean football legend who guided the country to the Olympic football bronze medal last year, was shortlisted for the vacant national head coaching job on Wednesday.A day after South Korea qualified for its eighth consecutive FIFA World Cup, the Korea Football Association (KFA) announced that Hong and three others will be vying for the senior national team post, following Choi Kang-hee's resignation.At a press conference, Huh Jung-moo, a vice chairman of the KFA, said the

The country’s general government sector and state-run nonfinancial enterprises led by the former administration of Lee Myung-bak saw their outstanding debt snowball to 915.6 trillion won ($808.8 billion) in first quarter of this year.It increased about 91 percent, or 435.2 trillion won, from 480.4 trillion won in the first quarter of 2008 when former President Lee took office, according to data by the Bank of Korea on Wednesday.The general government sector consisting of the central government,

경기 전부터 설전이 오갔던 한국대표팀과 이란과의 일전은 결국 이란의 승리로 끝났지만, 이란 대표팀은 형편없는 경기 매너를 보여주어 논란의 대상이 되었다.이란의 카를로스 케이로스 감독은 18일 울산 문수축구경기장에서 열린 2014 브라질 월드컵 최종예선 조별리그 A조 한국과 이란의 경기에서 1대0 승리를 거둔 후 한국 벤치로 다가와 속칭 ‘주먹 감자’를 날리는 비신사적인 행위를 했다.보통 양팀 감독은 경기 후 악수를 나누며 서로를 격려하기 마련이기 때문에 케이로스 감독의 비상식적인 행동은 한국 선수들의 분노를 일으켰다.한 대표팀 관계자는 “선수들이 발끈해 이란 코칭스태프 쪽으로 뛰쳐나가는 것을 만류했다”라면서 “그 정도의 수준을 가진 팀이 월드컵 본선에 나간다는 사실이 어이가 없다”고 비판했다. 이 관계자는 국제축구연맹 (FIFA)에서 파견된 경기 감독관 역시 이 사건을 목격, 경기 보고서에 올리겠다는 뜻을 밝혔다고 전했다.양팀 감독간의 신경전은 이번달 11일 우즈베키스탄을 상대로 대