삼성의 혁신도 한계에 봉착한 것인가. 삼성이 4일(현지시간) 출시한 스마트워치 ‘갤럭시기어’를 두고 엇갈린 반응이 나오고 있다.미국의 경제전문지 포춘은 “갤럭시 기어의 기능이 기존 스마트폰 기능에서 벗어나지 못한다”고 평가했다. 이 매체는 “갤럭시 기어가 갤럭시노트3와 같은 패블릿과 연동하지 않으면 활용도가 크게 떨어진다”며 “모든 사용자들이 패블릿 제품을 갖고 있는 것이 아니기 때문에 구매 매력이 크게 떨어진다”고 밝혔다.일부 이용자들은 배터리 수명에 대해 혹평하기도 했다. 갤럭시 배터리는 315mAh로 1회 충전으로 최대 25시간까지 사용가능하다. 국내 주요 IT전문 커뮤니티 ‘클리앙’에서 일부 누리꾼들은 “손목시계인데 충전을 매일 해야 하는 번거로움이 있다”며 “1회 충전으로 최대 3일까지 사용가능한 소니스마트워치에 비해 턱없이 부족하다”고 평가했다. 하지만 삼성이 구글, 애플, 마이크로소프트(MS) 등 경쟁사들보다 앞서 ‘웨어러블 컴퓨터(입는 컴퓨터)’ 제품을 출시하면서 입는

South Korean stocks traded 0.72 percent higher on gains in carmakers and insurers, analysts said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) gained 13.83 points to 1,946.86 as of 11:20 a.m.Carmakers gathered ground, with Hyundai Motor adding 0.41 percent and its smaller affiliate Kia Motors climbing 0.92 percent. Top auto parts maker Hyundai Mobis added 1.98 percent.Insurers also gathered ground, with Samsung Life adding 0.5 percent and Hanwha Life increasing 2.13 percent. Dongbu Ins

The U.S. Army will deploy an air cavalry squadron made up of 30 OH-58D armed reconnaissance helicopters to South Korea next month after the choppers complete a five-year mission in Iraq, the Combined Forces Command (CFC) said Thursday. The 4th Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington will be deployed to Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, just south of Seoul, on Oct. 1, the CFC said. Redeployment of the helicopters comes after they completed combat missions in Iraq from

The Barack Obama administration is still willing to send a special envoy to North Korea in a bid to secure the release of a Korean-American citizen incarcerated there, an official here said Wednesday."We are prepared to send Ambassador (Robert) King to North Korea if the DPRK (North Korea) reinstates the invitation," the State Department official told Yonhap News Agency on background, adding it's the department's formal position.Last week, King, special envoy on North Korean human rights issues,

South Korea has successfully sold dollar-denominated currency stabilization bonds worth US$1 billion, the finance ministry said Thursday.This comes a day after the ministry said that it launched the official process for the bond sale with the selection of its lead managers."We successfully sold $1 billion worth of dollar-denominated currency stabilization bonds with a 10-year maturity at 1:15 a.m.with a great amount of interest from investors in the U.S., Europe, Asia and across the world," the

Lim Chang-yong got called up from the minor league by the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday, becoming the 14th South Korean national to join Major League Baseball (MLB).The Cubs announced that they picked up Lim's contract from their Triple-A affiliate in Iowa and made him immediately available for the matinee against the Miami Marlins at Wrigley Field. The Cubs went on to win the game 9-7, but Lim didn't pitch.The right-hander received No. 12 for his jersey as he made the Cubs' 40-man roster.Lim joins

President Barack Obama's request for speedy congressional backing of a military strike in Syria advanced in the Senate, hours after the president left open the possibility he would order retaliation for a deadly chemical weapons attack even if Congress withheld its approval.A resolution backing the use of force against President Bashar Assad's government cleared the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on a 10-7 vote Wednesday after it was stiffened at the last minute to include a pledge of suppor

The South Korean economy grew at the fastest pace in over two years in the second quarter, unchanged from an earlier estimate, due to increased fiscal spending, the central bank said Thursday.Korea's gross domestic product (GDP), the broadest measure of economic performance, expanded 1.1 percent in the April-June period from three months earlier, quickening from a 0.8 percent on-quarter gain in the first quarter, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK).The data confirmed that the second-quarter dat

South Korean stocks opened higher Thursday as investors' sentiment was boosted by reports that the U.S.-led military action against Syria will be limited to 60 days, analysts said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) moved up 7.63 points, or 0.39 percent, to 1,940.66 in the first 15 minutes of trading.Carmakers also traded higher, with Hyundai Motor rising 0.62 percent and its auto parts affiliate Hyundai Mobis gaining 1.26 percent. Shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries added 0

Nearly 70 years after Dick Tracy began wearing a two-way wrist radio in the funny pages, the technology that once seemed impossibly futuristic will be widely available by Christmas.Samsung on Wednesday introduced a digital watch for the holiday season that will let users check messages with a glance at their wrists and have conversations secret agent-style. So-called smartwatches have been around for several years. But so far, they have failed to attract much consumer interest. That may change w

‘이석기 의원의 내란 음모 사태’에 대한 통합진보당의 궤변이 이어지고 있다. 이번엔 지난 5월 12일 회합 당시 “아이가 있었으니 지하조직이 아니었다”는 논리를 펼쳤다.이정희 통진당 대표는 4일 오전 기자회견을 갖고 ‘RO(혁명조직)’가 혁명조직이 아니라는 점을 강조하며 “5월 12일 모임에는 한 명이 갓난아이를 안고 있었다고 한다. 아이들을 데리고 무시무시한 지하조직 모임에 참가하는 사람이 어디 있겠느냐”고 말했다. ‘갓난아이가 있었기 때문에 지하조직이 아니다’는 설명인 셈이다.이 대표는 또 “남부권역으로 분류된 한 개 분반에서 ‘총기 탈취나 시설 파괴’ ‘총기 제작’ 등의 발언이 나온 것은 맞지만 이 말을 한 사람은 농담으로 한 말인데 발표자가 마치 진담인 것처럼 발표했다”며 “실제 이뤄진 대화 내용을 모으면 무슨 합의가 이뤄졌다고 할 수 없는 것이 분명하다”고 강조했다. 불리한 것은 ‘농담’이었으니, 확인하기 어려운 ‘전체 내용’을 보자는 주장이다. 이 대표는 “한두 명의 말을

The National Intelligence Service said Wednesday they will start questioning six individuals -- other than leftist lawmaker Rep. Lee Seok-ki and those already under detention -- for any connection with the rebellion conspiracy or North Korea starting this Friday.The six left-wing political and labor activists are among those whose homes and offices were raided last week. They were initially scheduled to be summoned on Wednesday but were delayed upon the request from their legal representative.Am

Former President Chun Doo-hwan's second son has expressed his intention to voluntarily pay the remainder of unpaid fines levied on his disgraced father convicted of taking bribes while in office in the 1980s, prosecution sources said Wednesday. Chun, a former Army general who seized power in a coup, was ordered by the Supreme Court in 1997 to return to state coffers some 220 billion won ($196.8 million) he was found to have illegally accumulated through bribery while in office as president from

South Korea ranked 117th in terms of economic growth last year, data showed Wednesday, apparently as the protracted slump in the global economy dealt a harsh blow to the export-reliant country.South Korea's real gross domestic product (GDP) grew 2 percent in 2012, with its ranking falling 60 notches from two years earlier, according to the World Fact Book released by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency.Asia's fourth-largest economy grew 6.3 percent to rank 57th among 189 countries in 2010, but

President Barack Obama gained ground Tuesday with his drive for congressional backing of a military strike against Syria, winning critical support from the top Republican in Washington while administration officials agreed to explicitly rule out the use of U.S. combat troops in retaliation for a chemical weapons attack.The Republican speaker of the House of Representatives, John Boehner, said taking action is something “the United States as a country needs to do.”Boehner emerged from a meeting a

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspected a front-line garrison on an islet near the inter-Korean sea border, a media report said Wednesday.The report by the Korean Central News Agency said Kim checked barracks, living quarters, schools and clinics, and lauded soldiers guarding the Wolnae Islet for their dedication to duty. The islet lies just 11 kilometers from South Korea's northernmost island of Baengnyeong along the northern limit line (NLL).The report marks the second consecutive day that P

South Korea's foreign-exchange reserves climbed to a fresh record high in August due to gains in investment profits, the central bank said Wednesday.The country's foreign reserves reached US$331.09 billion as of end-August, up $1.38 billion from the previous month, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK).The FX reserves rose for the second straight month in August after falling by the largest amount in 13 months in June.Foreign reserves consist of securities and deposits denominated in overseas cur

As a U.S. strike on Syria looks imminent, officials here are increasingly talking about North Korea to help make the case for such military action.They emphasize the need for setting a precedent for possible similar problems caused by North Korea, Iran and terrorist groups.Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel said the infamous groups are watching how the U.S. responds to the Syrian crisis."Our inaction would surely give them (Iran) a permission slip for them to at l

South Korea's ranking in global competitiveness dropped by six notches this year, affected by the prolonged low economic growth trend and the heightened geopolitical risks surrounding the Korean Peninsula, a report showed Wednesday.According to the report compiled by the World Economic Forum (WEF), the competitiveness index for South Korea ranked 25th out of 148 countries surveyed this year, down from 19th a year earlier.This was the lowest since 2004 when the ranking slipped to 29th in the same

야권이 일제히 이석기 통합진보당 의원의 의원직 사퇴와 출당을 요구했다. 정의당에서는 자수를 권하기도 했다.민주당 민병두 전략홍보본부장은 3일 내란음모혐의를 받고 있는 이석기 의원의 의원직 사퇴와 함께 통진당 자체 진상규명위원회 설치를 촉구했다.민 본부장은 이날 YTN 라디오에 출연, “통진당은 경기동부연합과 정체성을 같이했는지 여부에 대해 국민 앞에 소명해야 한다. 이를 밝히지 않고 (민주당에) 보호해달라고 하는 것은 이치에 맞지 않는다”며 이같이 밝혔다.그는 또한 이 의원과 경기동부연합에 대해 “고립된 친북주의자들의 피해망상과 영웅심이 결합돼 굉장히 이질적이고 광신교적 분위기를 스스로 만들어내고 용납될 수 없는 행동을 한 것”이라며 “이 의원은 스스로 국회의원을 그만둬야 한다”고 강조했다.박지원 전 민주당 원내대표도 “통진당은 이런 문제가 있다고 한다면 출당 조치를 하든지 이 의원 스스로 탈당을 하든지 해야 한다”고 말했다. 박 전 원내대표는 이날 PBC라디오에 출연 “현재 국정원