German Chancellor Angela Merkel cracked her pelvis during a skiing accident in the Swiss Alps and will have to cut back on her work schedule for the next three weeks, her spokesman said Monday.Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert told reporters the chancellor suffered what she first thought was just a bruise to her left rear pelvic area while cross-country skiing but doctors later determined it was an “incomplete'' bone fracture that will require her to rest for three weeks. As a result, Seibert s

South Korea's trade surplus widened to a new high of $44.19 billion in 2013 as its exports grew at a steady rate while imports dwindled, the government said Wednesday.In 2013, the country's outbound shipments came to US$559.72 billion, up 2.2 percent from the previous year, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Imports slipped 0.8 percent on-year to $515.53 billion over the cited period.Exports in 2013 also marked the highest in the country's history. The previous record of $5

"10년간 한국과 일본에서 콘서트 트랙까지 포함 해 1천 곡을 불렀더라고요. 우리가 팬들과 교감한 모든 스테이지가 가장 기억에 남고 행복한 순간이었습니다."(유노윤호) "몇 년 전 잠실종합운동장에서 열린 'SM 타운' 공연 때 와이어를 타고 본 무대로 날아오는 연출이 있었는데 둘이 두 손을 꼭 잡고 긴장했던 기억이 납니다."(최강창민)동방신기(유노윤호, 최강창민)가 데뷔 10주년을 맞은 26일 고양시 일산서구 대화동 킨텍스에서 기자간담회를 열고 가장 기억에 남는 순간을 이렇게 소개했다.  이 들은 SM 음악 페스티벌 'SM타운 위크'의 일환으로 이곳에서 열리는 단독 공연 '타임 슬립'(Time Slip)을 앞두고 취재진과 만났다.   아이돌 그룹이 한국과 일본에서 10년간 부침 없이 정상을 지킨 것은 의미 있는 기록. 이들은 올해도 일본 돔 투어를 열어 85만 명의 관객을 모았다. 26-27일 이곳에서 열리는 공연에도 총 2만 관객이 운집한다. "감회가 새롭다"는 유노윤호는 "10년

 [기사요약]2013년 방송가엔 유난히 표절 의혹을 받는 드라마가 많았다. SBS '너의 목소리가 들려’와 tvN '나인’을 포함해 꽤 많은 작품들이 논란이 됐다. 특히 SBS '야왕'은 극본을 집필한 이희명 작가가 표절 의혹으로 한국방송작가협회로부터 제명당하면서 이슈가 되기도 했다. 전지현, 김수현이라는 호화 캐스팅에 시청률 20%를 넘나드는 SBS '별에서 온 그대' 역시 마찬가지다. 하지만 ‘별그대’ 제작사와 만화 ‘설희’의 강경옥 작가의 치열한 공방전에도 불구하고 2회 분만에 놀라운 시청률을 기록하는 듯 드라마는 승승장구하고 있다.More TV dramas accused of plagiarism*Plagiarism: 표절*Accused of:~로 비난받다[1] After only its second episode, the newly aired SBS drama “My Love from the Star” featuring popular stars Kim Soo-hyun and

Korea Communications Commission said Friday that it would impose a combined fine of 106 billion won ($101 million) on the nation’s three telecom operators, the largest amount of its kind in the telecommunication sector. SK Telecom, the nation’s largest mobile carrier, was slapped with 56 billion won, KT with 29.7 billion won and LG Uplus with 20.7 billion won in fines for providing undue subsidies to attract customers from May to October, according to the telecom regulator. According to the surv

South Korean stocks ended 0.15 percent higher on Friday as overnight gains on Wall Street boosted market sentiment here, offsetting falls in high-dividend stocks, analysts said. The local currency rose against the U.S. dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 2.98 points to 2,002.28. Trading volume was light at 203 million shares worth 2.89 trillion won (US$2.75 billion), with gainers outnumbering decliners 425 to 374.Analysts said another strong performance of the U.S

아르헨티나 북부 로사리오시 인근 파라나강에서 25일(현지시간) 수영하던 시민 70여 명이 식인물고기로 불리는 피라냐의 유사어종 팔로메타 떼에 공격당해 다쳤다고 영국의 BBC방송과 AP통신 등이 26일 전했다.부상자 가운데 20명은 어린이며, 이 중 7명은 팔로메타의 날카로운 이빨에 손• 발가락이 잘려나가기도 했다.수도 부에노스아이레스에서 북쪽으로 300㎞ 떨어진 곳에 있는 이 강은 휴가철에 더위를 식히기 위해 사람들이 많이 찾는 장소로, 이날도 크리스마스 당일 38℃까지 치솟은 기온 때문에 많은 이들이 있었다.팔로메타 떼가 물속에 있는 사람들을 공격하는 것은 극히 드문 일로, 이번 습격은 2008년 40명이 물고기 떼에 물려 다친 이래 가장 심각한 사건이다.이번 공격은 어부가 남긴 생선 잔해 때문에 강변까지 온 팔로메타 떼가 수영하던 사람들과 마주치며 일어난 것으로 보인다.로사리오시 인명구조대장인 페데리코 코르니에르는 "한 명이 (피라냐 등에) 물리는 경우는 있었지만, 이번처럼 규모

Senior government officials painted a rosy picture on gross domestic product growth for 2014 in the administration’s economic policy direction revealed on Friday.“Economic growth will reach 3.9 percent on a year-on-year basis, outperforming the world’s overall GDP growth for the first time in four years,” the Finance Ministry said in a statement.The International Monetary Fund has predicted that the global economy will expand 3.6 percent next year.The forecast of 3.9 percent also surpasses Korea

South Korea's male job seekers are most interested in Samsung Electronics Co., while women are looking mostly at Nexon Co., the country's No. 1 gamemaker, for a career, a poll showed Friday.According to the data by the leading online job search portal JobKorea, 12 percent of its male members included the world's largest smartphone maker in their job basket, while 7.8 percent of its female members chose Nexon.Around 29,000 men and 31,900 women participated in the poll, the company said.Nexon came

Samsung Electronics Co., the world's No. 1 smartphone maker, said Friday it filed an appeal with a local court on a patent case it lost against Apple Inc. earlier this month.Samsung had filed a lawsuit against the U.S. rival in March last year claiming that Apple's devices copied three of its patents, including one related to text message display technology.The Seoul Central District Court ruled earlier this month in favor of Apple, concluding that two of the three patented technologies by Samsu

South Korea's National Assembly is expected to adopt a resolution next week to denounce Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for paying his respects at a war shrine in what was seen as an attempt to glorify the country's militaristic past.Leaders of the ruling Saenuri and the main opposition Democratic parties called in unison Friday for an anti-Abe resolution after the Japanese leader paid homage at Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine that honors the country's war dead, including class A war criminals.South

South Korean stocks traded 0.07 percent higher late Friday morning on gains in automakers and financial shares, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 1.36 points to 2,000.33 as of 11:10 a.m.Tech and financial shares led the overall market decline, with top market cap Samsung Electronics falling 0.05 percent.Automakers remained in the positive terrain. Industry leader Hyundai Motor rose 1.55 percent, and its smaller affiliate Kia Motors advanced 1.27 percent.

아베 신조 일본 총리가 정권 출범 1년이 되는 26일 오전 야스쿠니 신사를 참배한 것으로 전해져 논란이 일고 있다. 이에 대해 중국 인민일보의 자매지 환구시보는 “아베 총리가 악마를 숭배했다”고 맹비난했다고 서울신문이 전했다. 1기 정권 때 야스쿠니 신사 참배를 하지 않은 것을 ‘통한의 극한’이라고 말한 아베 총리는 지난해 12월 27일에 야스쿠니 신사 참배를 계획했지만, 한국과 중국 등 주변국들의 반발을 고려해 참배를 포기했다.그 대신 아베 총리는 지난 4월과 10월 제사 때 야스쿠니 신사 참배 대신 총리 명의로 공물만 봉납한 바 있다.보도에 따르면 일본 총리가 야스쿠니 신사를 참배한 것은 2006년 8월에 고이즈미 준이치로 총리가 참배한 이후 7년 4개월 만이다.중국 외교부 친강 대변인은 26일 아베 총리의 야스쿠니 신사 참배에 대해 “중일 관계 개선 및 발전에 큰 장애가 될 것”이라면서 “일본은 야스쿠니 신사 참배로 인한 나쁜 결과에 대해 모든 책임을 져야 한다”고 비난하며 항

Three celebrities, including TV personalities and a former K-pop singer, received suspended prison sentences Friday for betting on illegal sports gambling websites.The Seoul Central District Court sentenced comedian Lee Soo-geun, singer Tak Jae-hoon and Tony An, a former member of the popular 1990s boy band HOT, to six months in prison, suspended for one year.The three were found guilty of wagering hundreds of millions of won (hundreds of thousands of U.S. dollars) on football teams in the Engli

Arsenal is back on top of the Premier League with the season about to reach its halfway point as manager Arsene Wenger looks to win the trophy for the first time in a decade.Theo Walcott's double ensured Liverpool's stay atop the standings lasted less than a week as Arsenal came from behind to win 3-1 at West Ham and its title rival lost 2-1 at Manchester City on Thursday.As Liverpool dropped to fourth, City climbed a place to second to sit a point behind Arsenal after the traditional Boxing Day

The stock market continued its upward climb Thursday as traders went back to work after the Christmas holiday, adding to what has already been a historic year for the market.Traders were encouraged by an unexpectedly large drop in claims for unemployment benefits last week, the latest sign that the U.S. job market is improving. Trading volume was very low, however, as most portfolio managers have closed out their positions for the yearThe yield on the 10-year Treasury note, a benchmark for many

The bidding for Japanese star pitcher Masahiro Tanaka has begun.All 30 major league teams have been notified that the 30-day period to sign the 25-year-old right-hander began at 1300 GMT Thursday, according to Major League Baseball spokesman Michael Teevan. Clubs have until 2200 GMT on Jan. 24 to attempt to reach an agreement with the ace.If Tanaka and a MLB team come to terms, that franchise is required to pay his Japanese club, the Rakuten Eagles, a posting fee, now capped at $20 million under

Business sentiment among South Korean manufacturers inched up for January from a three-month low in December as the local economy shows signs of improvement, the central bank said Friday.The index that gauges manufacturers' outlook on business conditions reached 79 for January, up from 78 recorded for December, according to a monthly survey from the Bank of Korea (BOK). The index measures manufacturers' expectations for the coming month.A reading below the benchmark 100 means pessimists outnumbe

Amid speculation about how the Obama administration has responded to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to a highly controversial war shrine, the State Department reiterated Washington's explicit disappointment Thursday."The United States is disappointed that Japan's leadership has taken an action that will exacerbate tensions with Japan's neighbors," Jen Psaki, the department's spokeswoman, said in an emailed statement.Her four-paragraph statement contained exactly the same wording as t

A contingent of South Korean relief troops arrived in the Philippines on Friday to start their one-year mission to support the typhoon-stricken Southeast Asian nation's restoration efforts, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) here said. A total of 520 troops, mostly composed of engineers and medics, will carry out relief missions and provide humanitarian support in Tacloban, an area hardest-hit by Typhoon Haiyan last month. The unit is named "Araw," which means blessing and hope in Filipino. Two amp