The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) said Monday it will boycott all parliamentary standing committees over the next three days in protest of the prosecution's disciplinary action against a whistleblower.The boycott comes amid an ongoing political dispute between the ruling and opposition parties over a string of controversies, including state agencies' alleged meddling in last year's presidential election.On Friday, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office (SPO) reportedly decided to recommend a th

Fresh off his first career hat trick in Germany, South Korean footballer Son Heung-min said Monday he will now shift his focus to the country's two upcoming friendly matches.Son landed at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, early Monday, to join the national team training camp set to open on Tuesday. South Korea will host Switzerland at 8 p.m. Friday at Seoul World Cup Stadium, and will travel to Dubai to face Russia on Nov. 19.Playing for Bayer Leverkusen in the top German league Bund

South Korea plans to scale down the amount of its foreign currency stabilization fund for next year as part of efforts to reduce mounting losses from its operation, the finance ministry said Monday.According to the ministry, the government set the amount of the money being operated under the fund at 72.07 trillion won ($67.5 billion) for next year, which is down 10.5 percent, or 8.42 trillion won, from this year.The government runs the fund, aimed at protecting the local financial market from ex

They're still in their 20s, yet their rivalry is already one of the most heralded in men's tennis history.Rafael Nadal vs. Novak Djokovic has become a classic.The pair met for the first time at tour level seven years ago and, when they go head-to-head in the final of the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals on Monday, it will be for the 39th time.The Spaniard and the Serb have been dominant this season, with Nadal replacing Djokovic for the No. 1 ranking last month on the back of a stunning comeb

Survivors of a super typhoon that may have killed more than 10,000 people in the Philippines were growing increasingly desperate for aid Monday, as authorities struggled to cope with potentially the country's worst recorded natural disaster.As the sheer scale of the devastation slowly became clear, rescue workers appeared overwhelmed in their efforts to help countless survivors of Super Typhoon Haiyan, which sent tsunami-like waves and merciless winds rampaging across a huge chunk of the archipe

Barcelona lost Lionel Messi to another leg injury but still had more than enough firepower to win 4-1 at struggling Real Betis and capitalize on a stumble by title rival Atletico Madrid on Sunday.Things looked grim for the defending champions when Messi suffered his third leg injury of the season and asked to be substituted in the 21st minute, as Barcelona came under pressure.But Cesc Fabregas stepped in by scoring two goals and making another in a convincing victory before he was replaced late

South Korean speed skater Lee Seung-hoon set the national record en route to a third-place finish in the men's 5,000 meters at the Speed Skating World Cup in Canada on Sunday.Lee finished third in 6:07.04, 2.58 seconds behind the champ Sven Kramer of the Netherlands, in the opening leg of the International Skating Union (ISU) World Cup series in Calgary.Another Dutchman, Jorrit Bergsma, took second place in 6:06.93.Lee improved his own South Korean record by a whopping 7.63 seconds. He'd establi

South Korean teenager Shim Suk-hee captured three titles at the recently concluded World Cup Short Track in Italy.Shim swept up the women's 1,000 meters and the 3,000-meter relay in Torino on Sunday, the final day of the International Skating Union (ISU) competition. A day earlier, Shim had won the 1,500ｍ race.This was the third leg of the four-event World Cup season. The final two legs also serve as the qualifying event for the Sochi Winter Games, with the results determining how many skaters e

The defense quality control agency said Monday that 34 local providers of military equipment parts forged or doctored their quality test documents on 125 occasions over the past three years.The announcement sparked criticism that quality checks were inadequate and concerns that crucial military equipment with flawed parts could fail when tensions with North Korea still remain high.In an inspection of 136,844 products procured over the past three years, the Defense Agency for Technology and Quali

South Korean stocks opened higher Monday, tracking gains in U.S. peers overnight that were fueled by Washington's unexpectedly good payroll data, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 3.4 points, or 0.17 percent, to 1,988.27 in the first 15 minutes of trading. IT service companies and financial firms gathered ground, with NAVER, the top Internet portal provider, jumping more than 3 percent and Hana Financial Group, the country's No. 3 lender, gaining 1 perce

 박근혜 대통령의 유럽 순방에 특별수행원 자격으로 동행 중인 새누리당 김진태(49) 의원이 8일 프랑스 파리에서 열린 ‘부정선거 항의 집회’와 관련, “대가를 톡톡히 치르도록 하겠다”고 해 논란이 일고 있다.김 의원은 이날 오전, 페이스북에 글을 올려 “이번에 파리에서 시위한 사람들 그 대가를 톡톡히 치르도록 하겠습니다”라고 밝히면서 “그걸 (시위사진을) 보고 피가 끓지 않으면 대한민국 국민 아닐걸요”라고 적었다.김 의원은 첫 집회가 열린 다음날인 지난 3일에도 “여기에서도 촛불시위를 하는 사람들이 있군요. 통진당 파리지부 수십명이 모여서 했다네요”라며 “과김 의원이 언급한 언급한 파리 시위는 박 대통령이 유럽 순방 첫 방문국인 프랑스를 방문한 지난 2일부터 프랑스 거주 한인과 유학생 등이 연 ‘부정선거 항의 집회’로서, 이들은 “박근혜는 대한민국의 합법적인 대통령이 아닙니다”라고 적힌 플래카드를 들고 국가기관 대선개입 의혹에 대해 강하게 항의한 바 있다.이와 같은 김의원의 발언에

손바닥 안의 스마트폰, 공책만한 크기의 태블릿 PC 등 손쉽게 휴대할 수 있는 고성능의 스마트 기기들의 범람과 함께 소위 말하는 디지털 시대가 다가오면서 종이책이 설 자리가 점점 줄어들고 있다.통계청 자료에 따르면, 지난 2012년에 ‘2인 이상 전국 가구’의 서적 구입 지출은 가구당 월평균 1만 9026원으로 그 전해의 2만 570원보다 7.5% 줄어든 것으로 확인되었다. 조사 대상이 전국 가구로 확대된 2003년 이후 2만원 밑으로 떨어진 것은 처음이다.이러한 현상은 어린이나 고등학생들보다 성인들에게서 더욱 두드러진다. 문화체육관광부가 발표한 ‘2011년 국민독서 실태조사 보고서’에 따르면 지난해 성인 1인 연평균 일반도서 독서량은 전년도에 비해 약 1권 감소한 9.9권이다. 이는 초등학생 45권, 중학생 14.4권, 고등학생 15.4권에 비해 낮다. 우리나라 성인 독서량은 2007년부터 줄곧 하향세이며 1994년 86.8%였던 성인 독서율은 2012년 66.8%로 떨어졌다.이러

남북정상회담 회의록 유출 의혹 사건을 수사 중인 검찰은 다음주부터 김무성, 정문헌, 서상기 의원을 차례로 소환 조사할 계획이라고 8일 밝혔다.김 의원과 정 의원은 정상회담 회의록 유출 의혹으로, 서 의원은 국정원 회의록 공개와 관련해 각각 민주당으로부터 고발을 당했다. 남재준 국가정보원장도 고발됐다.김 의원은 지난해 대통령선거 유세에서 회의록 발언을 했으며 서 의원은 국정원 회의록을 공개할 당시 국회 정보위원장을 지냈고 정 의원은 정보위 소속이다. 서울중앙지검 공안1부(최성남 부장검사)는 김 의원 등 의원 3명을 각각 피고발인 신분으로 조사할 예정이다. 근거 법률에 따라 엄격히 제한적으로 공개돼야 할 회의록 보관본이 불법적으로 열람•유출됐는지가 핵심이다.이진한 중앙지검 2차장은 "김 의원의 경우 서면조사한 뒤 소환 조사 시기 등을 검토할 예정이었지만 김 의원 측에서 서면조사 없이 소환 조사에 응하겠다는 입장을 전해와 그 시기를 조율하고 있던 상황이었다"고 설명했다.이 차장은 "(구체

South Korean stocks fell to the lowest point in two months on Friday, as fear that the U.S. Federal Reserve could start the stimulus cut sooner on upbeat growth data unnerved investors, analyst said. The local currency lost ground against the U.S. dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) closed down 19.17 points, or 0.96 percent to 1,984.87, the lowest since Sept. 9, marking the first time it closed below the psychologically significant level of 2,000 since Oct. 7. Trading

Moody's Investors Service said Friday that it has retained its sovereign credit rating on South Korea at "Aa3," citing the country's "strong" fiscal fundamentals and "moderate" debt burden. The global credit appraiser added that it kept its ratings outlook for Korea at stable, also citing its economic resilience, export competitiveness and stabilized geopolitical risks stemming from North Korea."Korea demonstrates strong fiscal fundamentals, as reflected in consistent budget surpluses, a moderat

 16세 나이차를 극복하고 연인 사이를 인정해 화제가 됐던 토니안과 혜리가 교제 8개월 만에 결별했다.  8일 걸스데이 소속사 측은 “혜리가 토니안과 최근 연인관계를 정리하고 좋은 선후배로 남기로 했다”며 “서로 바빠서 자주 못 만나다보니 관계가 소원해진 것 같다”고 밝혔다. 두 사람이 갑자기 결별한 것은 아니고 각자의 활동으로 자연스럽게 멀어진 상태라, 혜리는 주어진 스케줄을 비교적 담담하게 소화하고 있다고 소속사 관계자는 덧붙였다. 토니안 측도 “두 사람이 최근 결별한 것으로 안다”면서도 “이와 관련해 아직 토니안으로부터 자세한 얘기는 듣지 못 했다”고 결별 사실을 인정했다.토니안과 혜리는 올초 열애설이 불거진 후 지난 4월 교제 사실을 공식 인정한 바 있다. 당시 16세 차의 연인으로 큰 화제를 모았으며, 이후 여러 방송에서 연인에 대해 솔직하게 언급해 눈길을 끌었다. <관련 영문 기사>Tony An and Hyeri split over ‘busy schedule’Singers

Prosecutors raided the headquarters of the Korean Government Employees’ Union in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province, and seized the server of its website early Friday in the first step of an investigation into the union’s alleged interference in the presidential election last year. Seoul Southern District Prosecutor’s Office has launched the probe last Monday after conservative civic group Young’s Liberty Union accused the union of allegedly conducting an illegal online election campaign in support of Dem

Prosecutors plan to question three ruling party lawmakers from next week as part of the high-profile probe into allegations that the transcript of the 2007 inter-Korean summit was illegally leaked last year for electioneering.The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said Friday that they would summon Saenuri Reps. Kim Moo-sung, Chung Moo-hun and Suh Sang-kee, who have been accused of illegally gaining access to a copy of the transcript.The main opposition Democratic Party berated the prose

One of the most powerful typhoons ever recorded slammed into the Philippines Friday, cutting communications and blocking roads in the center of the country amid worries of serious damage and casualties.Telephone lines appeared down as it was difficult to get through to the landfall site 650 kilometers southeast of Manila where Typhoon Haiyan slammed into a rural area of the country.Weather officials said that Haiyan had sustained winds at 235 kilometers (147 miles) per hour, with gusts of 275 kp

South Korean stocks traded 0.53 percent lower late Friday morning, as tech and insurance blue-chips drove down the shares, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) slid 10.57 points to 1,993.47 as of 11:20 a.m.Tech heavyweight Samsung Electronics sank 1.2 percent, with Samsung Life Insurance falling 1.4 percent. But autos and shipyards moved higher. Kia Motors was up 0.6 percent and Hyundai Heavy Industries, the world's top shipbuilder, gained nearly 2 percent.The l