South Korean stocks traded marginally lower late Friday morning, as automakers and shipping lines drove the key index down, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) slipped 0.69 points, or 0.03 percent to 1,978.92 as of 11:20 a.m.No. 2 shipyard Hyundai Merchant Marine plunged more than 4 percent following a market forecast that its earnings had dwindled in 2012. Industry leader Hyundai Motor fell 1.8 percent. In contrast, domestic-focused issues gathered ground, wit

A British woman who was attacked by a sexual predator on Valentine’s Day two years ago shared her story Thursday via British news outlets.According to the Daily Mail, the woman from Lincolnshire in England was attacked on Valentine’s Day by a stranger, who was caught by her husband-to-be just hours later.The victim said the incident took place around 10 p.m. when she went to a nearby supermarket to pick up groceries. There she was confronted by a 28-year-old man who offered to pay for her grocer

South Korean football player Park Jong-woo received his Olympic bronze medal on Friday, six months after he was denied the prize following his controversial celebration at the London Games, officials said.The Korean Olympic Committee (KOC) said Park was handed the medal by the KOC President Park Yong-sung at the KOC's headquarters in Seoul. Following a disciplinary hearing earlier this week in Switzerland, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided to award the player his medal, and Park

ING, a Dutch banking group, has sold its stakes in KB Financial, in an apparent move to rebuild its capital base and break away from its long-term relationship with the Korean banking group. The move comes after the sale of ING Life to KB Financial broke down between the two sides as KB backed away from the potential deal last year. ING is currently also looking to unload its shares in a KB insurance subsidiary.The Amsterdam-based company had been a major shareholder in KB Financial with a 5.02

A bipartisan group of senior U.S. senators has crafted legislation calling for Washington to take across-the-board measures to stop Pyongyang's development and transfer of weapons of mass destruction and to address its human rights record.The move is one of a raft of activities by Congress with regard to the communist nation following its underground nuclear experiment earlier this week.Titled "North Korea Non-proliferation and Accountability Act of 2013," the bill is aimed at preventing nuclear

The number of cancer-related deaths in Seoul rose more than 20 percent over the past 10 years, data showed Friday.According to a comprehensive analysis on the health and welfare of citizens by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, for every 100,000 people 119.6 died of cancer in 2011, up from 98 in 2001. Lung cancer was the No. 1 cause of cancer-related deaths in 2011, killing 24.5 out of every 100,000 citizens, followed by liver cancer with 17.4, stomach cancer with 15.3 and rectal cancer with 13.

Paralympic superstar Oscar Pistorius was charged Thursday with the murder of his girlfriend who was shot inside his home in South Africa, a stunning development in the life of a national hero known as the Blade Runner for his high-tech artificial legs. Reeva Steenkamp, a model who spoke out on Twitter against rape and abuse of women, was shot four times in the predawn hours in the house, in a gated community in the capital, Pretoria, police said.Hours later after undergoing police questioning, P

South Korean stocks opened higher Friday but then fell slightly as a decline in the quarterly output of European nations spurred losses in key local exporters, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) dropped 0.39 points to 1,979.22 as of 9:15 a.m.Market bellwether Samsung Electronics slid 0.6 percent and automaker Hyundai Motor dipped 1.4 percent. The 17-nation eurozone economy reported on Thursday its gross domestic product declined 0.6 percent on-year in the four

The U.S. Senate's top Democrat attacked Republican senators Thursday for blocking Chuck Hagel's nomination to be President Barack Obama's next secretary of defense, saying it was “shocking” and “tragic” that they would attempt such a move at a time when the U.S. military is engaged in so many places around the world.The vote on Hagel was expected Friday, but Senate Republicans want more information about what Obama was doing on the night of the deadly attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Ben

The price, smell and color should have been clear tipoffs something was wrong with shipments of horsemeat that were fraudulently labeled as beef, French authorities said Thursday. The government pinned the bulk of the blame on a French wholesaler at the heart of a growing scandal in Europe.Police in the U.K., meanwhile, announced the arrests Thursday of three men on suspicion of fraud at two meat plants inspected earlier this week by the country's Food Standards Agency.The two separate developme

North Korea is upgrading one of its two major missile launch sites, apparently to handle much bigger rockets, and some design features suggest it is getting help from Iran, a U.S. research institute said Thursday.A successful satellite launch in December and a nuclear test on Tuesday, both in defiance of U.N. Security Council resolutions, have intensified concern that North Korea is moving toward its goal of building a bomb small enough to be fitted on an intercontinental missile.An analysis wri

 국내 주택 수요 감소 및 경기 부진으로 경영난에 시달리는 쌍용건설은 비교적 활발한 해외시장을 사수함으로써 활로를 개척하겠다는 의지를 보였다.시공 능력 순위로 국내 13위를 차지한 쌍용건설은 작년 당기순손실이 4천억원에 달해서 사실상 완전자본잠식 상태인 것으로 14일 전해졌다.이에 앞서 한국거래소는 3월 말일까지 잠정적으로 쌍용건설의 모든 주식 거래를 중지한 바 있다.하지만 쌍용건설 측은 국내의 금융 사정과 해외 사업의 전망을 분리해서 봐야 한다는 입장이다."현재 위기설 등은 국내 주택 시장의 부진과 주주 채권단 간의 갈등으로 인한 것이며 해외시장에서의 시공능력이나 금융상황 등에는 영향이 없다" 고 쌍용건설 관계자는 말했다.쌍용건설이 지난 3년간 해외시장에서 벌어들인 이익은 1,843억 원에 달하며 이로 인해 국내에 총 3,000억 여 원의 유동성을 공급해왔다.대표적인 해외 건설 사업의 예로는 싱가폴의 랜드마크 격인 마리나 베이 샌즈 호텔 건립이 있다.현재 가장 큰 문제는 수년 간

Radioactive isotopes of xenon were not detected in the atmosphere after North Korea’s nuclear test, Seoul’s Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety said Thursday. Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety said radioactive xenon was not found in the first batch of samples collected using mobile collecting equipment in the East Sea on Wednesday.Radioactive isotopes of various elements are released into the atmosphere following a nuclear test, and the material -- plutonium or uranium -- used in the explosive dev

North Korea on Thursday warned it can acquire intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) to counter hostile forces and bolster its self-defense capabilities.The political review carried by the Rodong Sinmun, an organ of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, said if "imperialists" have a nuclear arsenal, ICBMs and other types of space-bound weapons, North Korea should have them as well. The North often uses the word "imperialist" to describe the United States. It said having such strong defensive

Global credit appraiser Fitch Ratings said Thursday that it maintains its sovereign ratings on South Korea despite heightened geopolitical tension following the recent nuclear test by North Korea.The credit ratings agency also said it maintains its rating outlooks at "stable."Last September, Fitch raised the ratings on South Korea from "A+" to "AA-," the fourth-highest of its rating system, and has maintained the level ever since.North Korea conducted its third nuclear test on Tuesday in defianc

South Korea's National Assembly on Thursday adopted a resolution condemning North Korea's nuclear test, calling it a serious threat to the lives and safety of the South Korean people."We cannot tolerate North Korea's nuclear test and strongly condemn it as a serious provocation threatening the lives and safety of the South Korean people," the resolution said."Responsibility for all issues arising from (the nuclear test) lies with North Korea."The resolution was adopted two days after the North c

Lee Kun-hee, chairman of South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics Co., has retained his position as the wealthiest shareholder in the country thanks to a surge in share prices of the company and a key affiliate, industry data showed Thursday.Lee held 12 trillion won (US$11 billion) worth of shares as of Wednesday, up 31.2 percent from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by Chaebul.com, which tracks the country's conglomerates.The researcher said the rise came as shares of Samsung E

국내 환경에너지 기업인 부강테크는 상반기에 코스닥 상장을 위해 주관사 미래에셋증권하고 준비 중이라고 회사 관계자는 말했다.부강테크의 상장규모는 약 300-400억 정도 예상 되며 공모자금으로 국내외 다양한 환경어네지 프로젝트 사업에 투자할 계획이라고 밝혔다.IPO통해 현금력이 커질 뿐만 아니라 회사의 신용도가 높아지므로 앞으로 프로젝트 위해 은행으로부터 자금을 더 쉽게 확보할 수 있다고 관계자는 설명했다.부강테크는 프로젝트 사업을 “10배” 더 수행할 수 있는 능력을 확보하기 위해 상장을 추진 중이라고 했다. 그리고 전문분야인 수처리 시스템 외에 바이오 플랜트 기술개발 및 운영할 수 있는 “복합 에너지사”로 발전하기 위해서이다. 미국 법인을 소유하고 있는 부강테크는 글로벌 프로젝트로 확장하면서 장기적으로 또는 10년 내 미국 나스닥 상장을 목표를 두고 있다.회사는 올해 말레이시아의 클랑강 복원 사업인 “리버오브라이프”에 참여를 기대하고 있다. <관련 영문 기사>Mirae Asset

U.S. Navy recruiter Juan Jose Pena was arrested at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston and charged with sexual assault, Alamo Heights, Texas, police said.Pena, 28, was arrested Monday. When a 19-year-old woman enlistee sought his guidance, he advised her how to leave the military, got drunk with her and her cousin and sexually assaulted her, the arrest warrant affidavit states.Pena could face additional charges, Alamo Heights police Sgt. Tom Vitacco said Tuesday.The U.S. Navy is cooperating

The Bank of Korea kept its key base rate unchanged at 2.75 percent for four consecutive months on Thursday as various economic indices show signs of recovery both at home and abroad.The inflation rate in South Korea remained stable, and geopolitical risks from North Korea concerning its provocative weapons tests had very limited effect on the South’s economy.However, BOK Governor Kim Choong-soo said that uncertainties remain as the U.S. and eurozone, Korea’s two major export markets, are still g