Samsung, Korea’s largest conglomerate, is the first thing that comes to mind for many Europeans when they think of South Korea, according to the state-run Korea Investment Promotion Agency on Wednesday.In a KOTRA survey of some 480 Europeans in seven countries, including Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom, Samsung topped the list as the most recognized item associated with Asia’s fourth largest economy.KOTRA surveyed 249 ordinary European citizens and 232 professionals, including journalists,

 프랑스 여배우 마리옹 꼬띠아르가 ‘세계서 가장 아름대운 얼굴’로 꼽혔다.지난 23일(현지시간) 미국 소재 영화 비평가 TC캔들러(TC Candler)와 인디펜던트크리틱스(IndependentCritics.com)은 ‘2013 세계에서 가장 아름다운 얼굴 100인’(The 100 Most Beautiful Faces of 2013)을 선정해 발표했다.1위에 오른 마리옹 꼬띠아르(Marion Cotillard)는 1975년생으로, 깊은 눈매와 흰 피부, 붉은 입술이 특징인 프랑스 배우다. 2007년 기욤 까네와 약혼, 슬하에 1남(마르셀 까네)를 두고 있다.마리옹 꼬띠아르는 1993년 TV 시리즈 ‘하이랜더’로 데뷔, 영화 ‘택시’, ‘러브 미 이프 유 데어’, ‘인게이지먼트’ 등에 출연해 인기를 누렸다. 에디트 피아프의 일생을 그린 영화 ‘라 비앙 로즈’ 주연을 맡아 미국-영국 아카데미 상, 세자르 상, 골든 글로브상 여우주연상을 휩쓸기도 했다.그녀는 프랑스를 넘어 할리우드에도 진출

Nearly two out of five South Korean companies listed on the main bourse are expected to see their earnings fall on-year in 2013, data showed Wednesday, due to losses in shipbuilders and steelmakers.According to the data by market researcher FnGuide, 92 out of 231 listed firms for which three or more brokerage houses have offered earnings forecasts for 2013 are anticipated to suffer a decline in their operating profits.Market watchers said the stagnant earnings outlook came as the prolonged globa

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited an Army unit and urged the military to maintain high combat readiness, its state media reported Wednesday, amid heightened tension on the peninsula following the shocking execution of the leader's uncle. Kim visited the Command of Large Combined Unit 526 near the western port city of Nampo on Christmas Eve, the day when his late father Kim Jong-il was appointed as supreme commander of the Korean People's Army, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. "H

Through financial turmoil, court battles and humbling setbacks in recent years, Liverpool has risen to the top this season and reached a noteworthy milestone in England.Ahead of Arsenal on goal difference, the Reds lead the Premier League heading into the traditional Boxing Day games on Thursday.“It is a nostalgic time and people always want to know where the team is at around Christmas Day,” Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers said Tuesday.  “It is brilliant for supporters. I am not going to deny

U.N. investigators discovered a mass grave in a rebel-held city in South Sudan, the United Nations said Tuesday, as a possible opening occurred for negotiations to avert civil war in the world’s newest country where ethnic violence has erupted.In New York, the U.N. Security Council voted unanimously to beef up its peacekeeping force in South Sudan. It condemned targeted violence against civilians and ethnic communities and called for “an immediate cessation of hostilities and the immediate openi

Thousands of Christian pilgrims from around the world packed the West Bank town of Bethlehem for Christmas Eve celebrations on Tuesday, bringing warm holiday cheer to the biblical birthplace of Jesus on a cool, clear night.The heavy turnout, its highest in years, helped lift spirits in Bethlehem as leaders expressed hope that the coming year would finally bring the Palestinians an independent state of their own.“The message of Christmas is a message of peace, love and brotherhood. We have to be

Pope Francis lauded Jesus’ humble beginning as a poor and vulnerable baby as he celebrated his first Christmas Eve Mass as pontiff Tuesday in St. Peter’s Basilica.“You are immense, and you made yourself small; you are rich, and you made yourself poor; you are all-powerful and you made yourself vulnerable,” Francis said of Jesus as he delivered his homily in the basilica, packed with faithful.Francis has dedicated much of his nine-month-old papacy to drawing attention to the plight of the poor, o

The U.S. government on Tuesday noted South Korea's role in global efforts to counter piracy in waters off Somalia.South Korea is among more than 80 member states of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia, a voluntary ad hoc forum created in 2009 under a U.N. Security Council resolution.The Contact Group has five working groups aimed at drawing on a wide range of international expertise and taking a problem-solving approach to piracy in cooperation with Somali officials.South Korea

Virginia's state legislators next month will begin discussing bills on naming the waters between South Korea and Japan, which are at loggerheads over their shared history.There are three pending bills which require public schools in the state, just south of Washington D.C., to use textbooks identifying the East Asian body of water as the East Sea, as well as the Sea of Japan. Shortly after convening next year's session on Jan. 8, Virginia's legislature is expected to start discussing the bills,

Hyundai Motor, which together with its affiliate Kia Motors ranks fifth in global vehicle sales, has set a new milestone in the all-important Chinese market, with its car sales surpassing the 1 million mark for the first time this year. Its Chinese joint venture Beijing Hyundai said Wednesday that they are on track to sell more than 1 million vehicles in China this year, possibly up to 1.03 million by the end of this month. Hyundai, which entered the market back in 2002, has become the second gl

Andres Iniesta signed a three-year contract extension Monday that will keep him at Barcelona at least through the end of the 2017-18 season.The contract includes a clause that from 2018 the midfielder will automatically extend his contract on a yearly basis if he plays in a non-disclosed number of games per season.The 29-year-old Iniesta has helped Barcelona win 21 trophies, including three Champions League titles and six Spanish league titles. He has scored 48 goals for Barcelona.Iniesta has al

Two jailed members of the Russian punk bank Pussy Riot were released Monday following an amnesty law that both described as a Kremlin public relations stunt ahead of the Winter Olympics. Maria Alekhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova were granted amnesty last week in a move largely viewed as the Kremlin's attempt to soothe criticism of Russia's human rights record ahead of the Winter Olympics in Sochi in February. The third member, Yekaterina Samutsevich, was released on a suspended sentence months a

Opposition lawmakers accused the military Monday of trying to cover up more pervasive election meddling in last year's presidential poll by purposely carrying out a shoddy investigation into an alleged online smear campaign by the cyber warfare command.The defense ministry last week announced that military prosecutors will indict the director of the psychological warfare unit and 10 other cyber warfare officials for posting political writings in connection with last year's presidential election.

Senior diplomats and defense officials of South Korea and China on Monday exchanged views on recent developments in North Korea after the stunning execution of leader Kim Jong-un's uncle, in their first high-level security talks, a Seoul diplomat said. The so-called "two-plus-two" talks in Beijing had been planned for months, but the North's internal situation following the Dec. 12 execution of Kim's uncle, Jang Song-thaek, topped the agenda, the diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity

Comedian and movie director Shim Hyung-rae came under a hailstorm of criticism on Monday after a picture emerged of him sitting at a nightclub with supposedly underage girls.Earlier in the day, a young woman uploaded a photo that she said was of herself with Shim. The photo shows Shim and scantily-clad girls sitting in what appears to be a private room at a nightclub with alcohol and food placed on the table in front of him.There was a furor among netizens when it was learned that the person who

개그맨 심형래가 술집에서 찍은 근황 사진이 공개돼 논란이 일었다.최근 온라인 게시판에는 `심형래 근황`이라는 이름의 사진이 게재됐다. 사진 속 심형래는 클럽으로 보이는 술집에서 여성들과 함께있는 모습이다. 이는 한 네티즌이 자신의 페이스북에 공개한 사진으로, 해당 여성들은 19살에 불과한 미성년자인 것으로 알려져 네티즌들의 따가운 눈총을 받고 있는 것.이에 사진을 올린 누리꾼은 페이스북에 “안녕하세요. 심형래 아저씨와 찍은 사진을 페이스북에 올린 학생입니다. 언니들과 친구 두 명이랑 놀고 있다가 우연히 심형래 아저씨를 보게 돼서 팬이라고 사진 한 장만 찍어도 되냐고 여쭤봤더니 흔쾌히 허락해줬습니다”라고 전했다.이어 “저희는 정말 심형래 아저씨와 사진 한 장만 찍었을 뿐이고 그 자리에서 감사합니다라고 하면서 나왔습니다. 저희랑 같이 간 언니들이 너희 클럽 구경 시켜주는 대신에 술 마실 생각 죽어도 하지 말라고 해서 그날 술 한 잔도 입에 대지도 않았지만 제 나이와 맞지 않게 저런 모습

Teenage golf star Lydia Ko has split with the only coach she has had since she took up the sport as a 5-year-old.Ko told Television New Zealand on Monday she was sad to have ended her partnership with Guy Wilson, who she called a great coach and friend. But she said she and her family had decided it would be impossible to continue the relationship because she will be based in the United States and he in New Zealand.“It doesn't really work, him being here and him coming on the weeks that I'm not

 남녀가 생각하는 미인의 견해차가 극명하게 드러났다.최근 온라인 커뮤니티에는 ‘남녀가 생각하는 미인’ 사진이 올라왔다. 이 금발과 흑발의 미녀 사진은 최근 영국의 한 향수 판매 업체가 남녀가 생각하는 미인상을 조사한 결과를 바탕으로 조합한 얼굴이다.  조사 결과에 따르면 여자는 프리다 핀토의 머리카락에 나탈리 포트만의 이마, 블레이크 라이블리의 코, 스칼렛 요한슨의 입술, 카라 델레바인의 눈썹, 키이라 나이틀리의 볼을 최고로 꼽았다. 반면 남자는 샤키라의 머리카락과 영국 왕세손비 케이트 미들턴의 눈썹, 미란다 커의 코, 안젤리나 졸리의 입술과 볼, 제니퍼 애니스톤의 이마를 최고로 꼽아 다른 의견을 보였다. 이 중 밀라 쿠니스의 눈과 메간 폭스의 턱은 남녀 모두 최고로 꼽아 누리꾼들의 시선을 모았다. 남자가 선호한 미인상은 금발 머리에 다소 두꺼운 입술, 옅은 눈썹과 날씬한 코를 가진 화려한 미인인 반면 여성들이 선호한 미인상은 흑발에 도톰한 입술, 짙은 눈썹 등 동서양이 조합된 모습

South Korean stocks rose 0.68 percent Monday as investors were cheered by strong growth data from the United States, analysts said. The local currency rose against the U.S. dollar. The country's key stock index, the KOSPI, advanced 13.54 points to finish at 1,996.89. Trading volume was light at 218 million shares worth 3.17 trillion won ($2.99 billion) with gainers outpacing decliners 491 to 310. Analysts said sound economic growth data from the world's largest economy underpinned investor senti