Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke briefly with his Japanese counterpart at the Group of 20 summit in Russia, in the first contact between the two leaders amid yearlong tensions over disputed islands, state media reported Friday. China had earlier ruled out the possibility of a meeting between the two on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg summit. China has put relations with Japan in the deep freeze since last September when Tokyo nationalized a group of islands claimed by China. However, the o

Kang Dong-hee, a disgraced former basketball coach recently found guilty on match-fixing charges, on Friday was banned from the top domestic league.At its disciplinary meeting, the Korean Basketball League (KBL) decided to levy the heaviest punishment on the ex-bench boss for the Dongbu Promy.On Aug. 8, Kang was sentenced to 10 months behind bars for taking 47 million won ($43,000) from gambling brokers to fix four games between February and March in 2011. A district court said Kang played reser

South Korean stocks closed nearly flat Friday as investors sat on their hands due to uncertainties over U.S. jobs data and the Fed's move to taper its monthly debt purchases, analysts said. The local currency closed higher against the U.S. dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) gained 3.66 points, or 0.19 percent, to finish at 1,955.31. Trading volume was moderate at 318.8 million shares worth 4.23 trillion won ($3.87 billion) with losers outpacing gainers 446 to 344.Ana

추신수(신시내티 레즈)가 3년 만에 20호 홈런을 폭발시켰다.추신수는 6일(이하 한국시간) 미국 오하이오주 신시내티 그레이트 아메리칸 볼파크에서 열린 세인트루이스 카디널스와의 미국 메이저리그 홈경기서 선발 중견수 및 1번 타자로 출장, 2-0으로 앞선 4회 세번째 타석에서 가운데 담장을 넘기는 솔로 홈런을 터뜨렸다. 추신수는 올시즌 13승의 랜스 린을 맞아 첫 타석에선 2루수 땅볼로 물러났지만 두번째 타석에서 볼넷을 골랐다. 그리고 세번째 맞대결에서 2구째 시속 146㎞짜리 투심 패스트볼을 놓치지 않고 힘있게 때려 큼지막한 아치를 그렸다. 시즌 20호이자 통산 103호 홈런. 9월 들어 치른 5경기에서 홈런을 3개나 기록한 추신수는 특히 2010년 22홈런을 기록한 이후 3년 만에 20호 홈런 고지를 밟아 기쁨이 배가 됐다.현재 올 시즌 도루 17개를 기록한 추신수는 도루 3개만 더 보태면 개인 통산 세번째 20(홈런)-20(도루) 클럽에 가입한다. (조범기 기자) <관련 영문 기사

The Pentagon said Thursday it believes North Korea and Syria may have cooperated on the chemical weapons front as well as nuclear program."I think there's been sharing between North Korea and Syria on any number of fronts," George Little, press secretary for the Defense Department, said at a news briefing. "There has been a relationship and an exchange of information between North Koreans and the Syrian regime for some time."He cited the Al Kibar nuclear facility in Syria, allegedly built with N

삼성전자가 세계에서 최초로 55•65인치 커브드(곡면) UHD(초고해상도) TV를 출시했다. 삼성전자는 유럽 최대 가전 전시회 IFA(Internationale Funkausstellung) 2013 개막 하루 전인 5일(현지시간) 독일 베를린 만국박람회(Messe Berlin)에서 진행한 사전 부스 투어에서 이 제품을 깜짝 공개했다. 곡면 OLED(유기발광다이오드) TV는 올해 1월 미국 라스베이거스에서 열린 국제소비자가전전시회(CES•Consumer Electronics Show)에서 선보인 이후 세계 곳곳에 출시됐으나 곡면 UHD TV가 공개된 것은 이번이 처음이다.성일경 삼성전자 제품전략실 상무는 곡면 UHD TV를 소개한 뒤 "OLED는 휘어지는 특성이 있어 곡면 제품을 만들기가 수월한 편이지만 LED는 상대적으로 구부리기가 더 어렵다"고 설명했다.이 제품의 가격은 곡면 OLED TV보다 저렴하겠지만, 현재 판매되고 있는 UHD TV나 LED TV보다는 비쌀 것으로 성 상무

South Korea and China have reached an agreement on the modality or basic guidelines for their negotiations on a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA), the Seoul government said Friday.The agreement came at the end of three-day talks that ended Thursday in Beijing, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy."At this week's meeting, the two sides reached an agreement on the modality for the FTA, concluding the first stage negotiations for the Korea-China FTA that began in May last year

The chief prosecutor on Friday denied a news report as "groundless" that he has a child born out of an extramarital affair. Chosun Ilbo, the country's most influential daily, reported that Prosecutor General Chae Dong-wook has a son who was born in 2002. It claimed Chae first met the mother of the child in 1999."I've never heard of that," Chae told reporters. Chae and his wife have a daughter.He says that given the timing of the report there seems to be an intention to sway the prosecution over

South Korean President Park Geun-hye called Thursday for closer macroeconomic coordination among the world's top economies, urging advanced countries to be more careful when changing their monetary policies.Park made the appeal during the opening session of the summit of the Group of 20 major economies in Russia's second-largest city, saying economies around the world are interlinked so much that it is difficult for any one of them to grow alone."In a situation like this where global economies m

The U.S. government said Thursday it was contemplating whether to accept China's invitation to an informal multilateral meeting that would set the stage for a rare meeting with the North Koreans.China recently suggested a mid-September gathering with the U.S., the two Koreas, Japan and Russia attended by their senior officials and academics. China proposed Sept. 18 as a candidate date for the event, intended to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the six-way talks on Pyongyang's nuclear program.

President Barack Obama is using his last day in Europe to renew his quest for foreign support for a U.S. military strike in Syria. But three days after he left Washington, it's unclear whether the global coalition the president has been seeking is any closer to becoming a reality.China's a firm no. The European Union is skeptical about whether any military action can be effective. Even Pope Francis weighed in, urging leaders gathered here to abandon what he called a “futile mission.”Still, Obama

Andy Murray's first attempt to defend a Grand Slam title ended on Thursday as he bowed out quickly, if not quietly, in the U.S. Open quarterfinals, losing 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 to Stanislas Wawrinka.Two months on from his drought-breaking victory for British men at Wimbledon, the Scot was no match for the Swiss in a surprisingly one-sided encounter.Wawrinka's semifinal opponent will be top seed Novak Djokovic, who overcame a third-set wobble with an authoritative final frame to beat Mikhail Youzhny 6-3,

South Korean stocks opened higher Friday due to gains on Wall Street in the previous trading session amid improved industry data, analysts said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) moved up 2.75 points, or 0.14 percent, to 1,954.40 in the first 15 minutes of trading.Shares gathered ground across the board, with No. 1 carmaker Hyundai Motor rising 1.64 percent and top steelmaker POSCO rising 0.46 percent. Leading auto parts maker Hyundai Mobis advanced 0.18 percent.U.S. stocks

South Korea expanded its import ban on Japan's fisheries products to include all fisheries products from the radiation-hit Fukushima and seven other adjacent prefectures, the government said Friday.The move comes as a widespread radiation scare in South Korea is leading to a sharp drop in the consumption of fisheries products."The measure comes as our people's concerns are growing over the fact that hundreds of tons of radiation contaminated water are leaked daily from the site of Japan's nuclea

European Central Bank head Mario Draghi says the eurozone's economic recovery remains fragile and has a long way to go before the bank raises interest rates from their current record low. The ECB Thursday kept its main interest rate unchanged at the record low of 0.5 percent. Recent figures show the 17 European Union member countries that use the euro are only slowly recovering from an 18-month recession. Draghi told reporters Thursday after the monthly meeting of the ECB's governing council tha

An Jae-kyung (left), deputy commissioner general of the Korean National Police Agency, poses for a photo with his Thai counterpart Udom Raksiltham at the office building of the NPA in central Seoul on Thursday after talks on cooperation. (Kim Myung-sub/The Korea Herald)

내란 혐의로 구속된 통합진보당 이석기 의원과 관련해 여당 내에서국회의원직을 박탈하고 통진당을 해산해야 한다는 목소리가 높아지고 있다.새누리당은 5일 이 의원에 대해 국회 윤리특위에 제명을 요구하는 징계안을 제출하는 방안을 추진하기로 했다.이날 있었던 당 비공개 최고위원회의 참석자들이 전한 바에 따르면, 여당은 이번 사건에 대한 책임을 물어 국회의원직을 박탈하는 제명안을 이르면 금주 중 제출하기로 의견을 모았다고 한다.새누리당 심재철 최고위원은 이날 이 의원의 제명을 위한 징계안을 당론으로 추진할 것을 촉구하며 “경천동지 할 이번 일에 대한 징계안을 다시 제출해야 할 것”이라고 밝혔다. 국회법상 국회의원 제명을 위해선 의원 30명 이상의 동의가 필요하다.국가정보원은 5일 이 의원을 내란음모·선동 및 국가보안법상 반국가단체 찬양 등 혐의로 구속했는데, 현역 국회의원이 내란죄 관련 혐의로 구속된 것은 헌정 사상 처음이다.이날 수원지법 오상용 영장전담 부장판사는 이날 오후 "사안이 중대하고

서른일곱살. 함께 운동을 시작한 친구들이 하나둘 은퇴를 하는 나이가 됐다. 하지만 그는 세계에서 가장 큰 무대, 가장 높은 벽을 두드렸다. 많은 이들이 고개를 가로저었지만 그는 묵직한 자신의 공처럼 흔들림없이 전진했다. 그리고 어린시절부터 꿈꿔왔던 그 이름을 얻었다. ‘풍운아’ 임창용(37)이 마침내 빅리그에 입성하며 14번째 한국인 메이저리거가 됐다. 임창용은 5일(한국시간) 미국 메이저리그 시카고 컵스 구단이 발표한 40인 로스터에 포함됐다. 당초 임창용은 9월 확대 엔트리가 시작된 뒤에도 1군 명단에 이름을 올리지 못해 올해 입성이 무산되는 듯 했지만, 컵스가 이날 투수 마이클 보우든을 지명할당 조치하고 임창용을 40인 로스터에 포함시켰다. 임창용은 콜업 후 곧바로 유니폼을 입고 마이애미와 홈경기에 대기했지만 데뷔전은 다음으로 미뤘다. 컵스는 오는 10일부터 신시내티와 3연전이 예정돼 있어, 임창용-추신수의 맞대결이 성사될 가능성도 높아졌다.‘창용불패’ ‘애니콜’ ‘미스터 제로

South and North Korea are at odds over lodging arrangements for families planning to visit the Mount Kumgang resort during the upcoming family reunions event, the government said Thursday.The reunions of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War was agreed upon at talks held on Aug. 23, with 100 people from each side to meet long-lost relatives on Sept. 25-30. The gathering marks the first time in nearly three years that people will be able to meet loved ones they have not seen in six decades

South Korea continues to see its recovery momentum remain "subdued" but the latest indicators are pointing to a "moderate" improvement down the road, a state-run think tank said Thursday."Korea's economy remained subdued, but indicators are increasing turning positive, signaling a moderate improvement," the Korea Development Institute (KDI) said in its monthly report analyzing the latest economic trend. The report is based on major indicators recently unveiled by the government including corpora