A recent satellite image appears to show North Korea is restarting a plutonium reactor, in a move that could raise renewed international alarm over its nuclear weapons program, a U.S. research institute said Wednesday.The 5 megawatt reactor at the Nyongbyon nuclear facility was shuttered in 2007 under the terms of a disarmament agreement. Pyongyang announced plans in April to restart it amid a litany of threats toward the U.S. and South Korea after it faced tougher international censure over its

The South Korean military is apparently seeking to upgrade its missile defense capability to Patriot Advanced Capability (PAC)-III, with the purchase of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) systems in mind as a possible next step, a U.S. defense industry official said Wednesday.If confirmed, it would contradict South Korean Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin's statement that his country is just pushing for the so-called low-tier Korea Missile Defense (KAD) system.South Korea is reportedly unde

South Korean actress Clara announced Wednesday that she will no longer be posting comments on social networking services after her remarks became a target of fierce criticism.“I’ve wrote too much about my personal feelings these days. I will stop posting on SNS and focus on acting from now on,” the 27-year-old actress said on her Twitter account.Clara, who recently rose to stardom after years under the radar, found herself in hot water after netizens accused her off lying on television. In one p

SBS가 새로운 월화드라마 “수상한 가정부”의 제목변경을 요구하는 목소리에 제목변경은 누리지만 극중에 가정부라는 말은 쓰지 않도록 대본을 수정중이라고 11일 밝혔다.SBS는 언론과의 인터뷰에서 “원작에 충실하기 위해 제목 변경은 힘들다”면서 제막에서만 가정부란 단어가 나올 뿐 내용은 그렇지 않다고 설명했다.한국여성노동자회와 전국가정관리사협회는 지난 6일 “수상한 가정부”에서 “가정부”라는 용어가 직업을 비하한다는 이유로 제목변경을 요구한 바 있다.한 SBS 관계자는 극 중에서 가정부라는 표현을 최대한 자제할 계획이며, 또한 4회 중 어린이들이 주인공인 박복녀 (최지우 분)을 “가정부”라고 지칭하는 것을 지적하며 “가사도우미”라고 정정해주는 장면이 등장한다고 한다. “수상한 가정부”는 엄마를 잃고 아빠와 4남매가 사는 가정에 정체불명의 가정부가 들어오면서 벌어지는 이야기를 담은 작품이다. 기획의도에 따르면 “어딘가 조금씩 비틀려 있는 가족들”이 표정이나 감정 없이 웃지도 않는 가정부

The education minister said Wednesday the authority will review a controversial high school textbook criticized by opposition lawmakers and left-leaning historians for containing a conservative bias, along with seven other new textbooks, and revise them if necessary."We will, by late October, modify and supplement eight types of high school history textbooks that were approved by the National Institute of Korean History on Aug. 30," Seo Nam-soo said in a press conference at the ministry in Seoul

추신수 (31. 신시네티 레즈)의 새 행선지로 뉴욕 메츠와 시카고 컵스가 유력하다고 현지 언론이 예상했다.뉴욕 데일리의 칼럼니스트 앤디 마르티노는 10일 (현지시간) 이날 팀내 관계자를 인용하며 메츠가 추신수에 관심을 보이고 있다고 적었다. 다른 보도에 따르면 적어도 한 팀 -- 시카고 컵스 -- 가 추신수 영입에 뛰어들 것이 유력하다고 한다.메츠는 시즌 초부터 올 시즌이 끝나고 자유계약선수(FA)가 될 것이 유력한 추신수의 다음 행선지 후보로 꼽혀왔다. 마르티노는 메츠 단장 샌디 앨더슨의 의중에 대해 잘 알고 있다는 관계자의 말을 인용하며 메츠가 추신수를 상당히 마음에 들어하지만 “31살 먹은 스캇 보라스의 고객과 정신나간 (crazy) 입찰 경쟁은 하지 않을 것이다”라고 함으로서 시장 가치 이상의 금액을 지불하지는 않을 것이라고 시사했다.박찬호가 텍사스 레인저스와 계약할 당시 에이전트이기도 한 보라스는 그의 고객인 선수들을 위해 최대한 많은 액수의 계약을 따내기로 유명한데, 가끔

Consensus is building among government officials and lawmakers in support of a proposal to slash the maximum working hours from 68 to 52 a week starting in 2016, a move that is expected to improve quality of life and create more part-time jobs, the Labor Ministry said Wednesday. Saenuri Party Rep. Kim Sung-tae has proposed an amendment to the Labor Standards Act which would adopt a revised definition of a week, and in effect reduce maximum work hours by 16 hours. “Chances are high that the law w

About one in every five credit cards issued in South Korea are not in use, data showed Wednesday, amid card firms' unwillingness to clear them off citing market share. The number of dormant credit cards stood at 23.5 million at the end of June, accounting for 20.4 percent of the total issuance, according to the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS). The proportion has stayed around the 20 percent range since the first quarter of last year, but it is a sharp decline compared with 28.6 percent talli

Italy and the Netherlands became the first European teams to qualify for next year's World Cup, and the United States, Costa Rica and Argentina also grabbed spots in the field on Tuesday.Giorgio Chiellini scored in the 51st minute and Mario Balotelli converted a penalty in the 54th, giving Italy a 2-1 come-from-behind win over the Czech Republic in Turin. Goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon made his 136th international appearance, matching Fabio Cannavaro's Italian record.The Azzurri, a four-time World

The ability of South Korean listed companies to pay back their debts improved in the first half of this year due mainly to a rise in their operating profits and lower interest rates, data showed Wednesday.The average interest coverage ratio of 571 firms listed on the main bourse came to 4.97 in the January-June period, compared with 4.13 tallied a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Korea Exchange (KRX).The ratio, or a firm's operating profit divided by its interest costs, measur

South Korea returned the body of a North Korean soldier to his homeland through the truce village on Wednesday, the defense ministry said, over one month after the body was swept across the border by floodwaters.The South retrieved the body near the Peace Dam in Gangwon Province on July 31, just south of the Demilitarized Zone that separates the two Koreas. The United Nations Command (UNC), which oversees the truce agreement, handed the body over to North Korean officials at the truce village of

The United States could default on its obligations as early as Oct. 18 if Washington fails to agree on legislation to raise the government's borrowing cap, a new study predicted Tuesday.The Bipartisan Policy Center analysis says the default date would come no later than Nov. 5 and that the government would quickly fall behind on its payments, including Social Security benefits and military pensions.The think tank's estimate is in line with a warning last month by Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew tha

South Korean stocks opened almost flat Wednesday as investors sought after profit-taking amid the market's steep rise over the previous trading sessions, analysts said.After opening higher, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) moved down 0.54 points, or 0.03 percent, to 1,993.52 in the first 15 minutes of trading.Tech shares lost ground, with Samsung Electronics falling 0.29 percent and its local rival LG Electronics moving down 0.27 percent. Flat panel maker LG Display shed 1

The United States has no plans this year for tripartite ballistic missile defense exercises with South Korea and Japan despite Washington's continued push for bolstering three-way military cooperation with the key regional allies, according to a Pentagon source."I do not believe we have any trilat missile exercise scheduled this year," the source told Yonhap News Agency.The three countries had the Pacific Dragon exercise last year, in which they successfully tracked two near-simultaneous launche

A Russian plan for Syria to turn over its chemical weapons to avert Western missile strikes bogged down Tuesday when Moscow rejected U.S. and French demands for a binding U.N. resolution with “very severe consequences” for non-compliance.The surprise Russian proposal, which Syria and the United States both accepted, would put President Bashar Assad's regime's chemical stockpile under international control before its eventual dismantling. The initiative _ also cautiously endorsed by Britain and F

Within minutes of being elected to the top job in the Olympics, Thomas Bach got a phone call from a powerful leader he'll work with closely in the next few months: Russian President Vladimir Putin.Bach, a 59-year-old German lawyer, was elected Tuesday as president of the International Olympic Committee. He succeeds Jacques Rogge, who stepped down after 12 years.Bach, the longtime favorite, defeated five candidates in a secret ballot for the most influential job in international sports, keeping t

For the first time since introducing the device that changed cellphones forever, Apple will offer two distinct versions of the latest iPhones _ a cheaper one made of plastic and another that aims to be “the gold standard of smartphones” and reads your fingerprint.Apple unveiled the latest iPhone models, available on Sept. 20, during an event at its Cupertino, California, headquarters. The move comes as the company tries to fend off Samsung and other competitors that want to challenge Apple in th

South Korea's jobless rate inched down in August from a month earlier and job creation also accelerated, raising hopes that labor market conditions are improving, a government report showed Wednesday.According to the report by Statistics Korea, the jobless rate stood at 3 percent last month, down from 3.1 percent in July. The jobless rate adjusted for inflation also fell from 3.2 percent to 3.1 percent.Job creation is picking up speed. The number of employed people was 25.29 million in August, u

South and North Korea agreed Wednesday to resume the operation of a joint industrial complex in the communist country next week after a five-month hiatus, Seoul's unification ministry said.The deal, which came after overnight negotiations between the two sides, will revive the last-remaining major inter-Korean venture that has been shuttered since early April amid heightened tension on the peninsula.South Korean firms will be allowed to restart operations at the site just north of the inter-Kore

South Korea dropped to Croatia 2-1 in their football friendly match on Tuesday, suffering their second straight loss to the European squad.At Jeonju World Cup Stadium, about 240 kilometers south of Seoul, Domagoi Vida and Nikola Kalinic each scored in the second half, and Lee Keun-ho's header in injury time proved too little, too late for the home side.South Korea entered this match ranked 56th in the world, while Croatia is at No. 8 in the latest FIFA rankings. Croatia had defeated South Korea