The fourth edition of the Formula One (F1) Korean Grand Prix will kick off this weekend in the southern part of the country, as the runaway leader in the drivers' standings looks to pad his already sizable lead.The Korean Grand Prix, the only annual F1 race in the country, will open with two practice runs Friday on the Korea International Circuit in Yeongam, South Jeolla Province, about 400 kilometers south of Seoul.The third practice session will be held on Saturday, followed by the qualifying

Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, closed a $250 million deal Tuesday to acquire The Washington Post, ending the longstanding ownership of the renowned Graham family, the newspaper announced.The 49-year-old Internet entrepreneur announced a plan in August to take the newspaper private, and seek to reverse the declines experienced at the Post as digital news takes hold.Tuesday's confirmation came in a short statement from the publicly traded Washington Post Co., which will retain its television a

South Korea has been named a council member of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for the fifth consecutive term, the government said Wednesday.The country garnered 156 votes from 176 member countries taking part in the ICAO assembly held in Montreal, Canada, coming in second among 14 countries competing in the election, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport."The country's fifth consecutive election to the ICAO council shows that the country has clearl

Much of the vast machinery of the U.S. government ground to a halt Tuesday as Democrats and Republicans blamed each other for a partial shutdown that closed federal agencies, national parks and research facilities across the nation.Ominously, there were suggestions from leaders in both parties that the shutdown, heading for its second day, could last for weeks and grow to encompass a possible default by the Treasury if Congress fails to raise the nation's debt ceiling. Speaking at the White Hous

1일(현지시간) 현실화된 미국 연방정부의 셧다운(부분 업무정지)이 당장 한국에 미치는 직접적인 영향은 크지 않을 것 이라는 게 중론이다. 정부가 문을 닫으면서 전반적인 재정씀씀이가 급감할 수밖에 없지만 한국에 영향을 미치는 분야들은 대체로 업무의 연속성을 유지할 것으로 예상된다. 특히 안보 문제에서는 지난 3월 미국 연방 정부가 시퀘스터(sequster•예산 자동 삭감)에 돌입하고 북한의 공격 위협이 고조되는 와중에서도 미국 국방 당국이 동 맹인 한국 방어에 투입되는 비용은 줄이지 않겠다고 강조한 바 있다.우리나라를 방문 중인 척 헤이글 국방장관은 또 미국 정부의 셧다운이 한국 안보에 전혀 영향을 주지 않을 것이라고 설명했다. 헤이글 장관은 지난달 28일 서울로 향하는 군용기에서 한 기자 간담회에서 "미국이 예산 감축 등에 집중하는 상황에서 한국 등 동맹에 지속적으로 방어 의무를 확신시키는 게 중요하다"고 말했다.반면 사태가 장기화하면 '폐쇄'의 폭과 강도가 커질 수밖에 없고 이는

 펄어비스가 개발하고 다음커뮤니케이션이 유통을 담당한 MMORPG(다중접속역할수행게임) ‘검은사막’이 비공개 테스트(CBT) 참가자를 모집한다. 1일 다음에 따르면 ‘검은사막’의 1차 CBT는 총 5000명을 대상으로 진행된다. 1일 오후 2시부터 10일 오전 10시까지 신청을 완료한 회원 가운데 5000명을 추첨해 선발하며, 만 18세 이상인 회원만 테스터로 참여할 수 있다. 신청을 원하는 이들은 ‘검은사막’ 홈페이지(black.daum.net)에서 다음 아이디로 로그인 후, 사양 체크 및 설문 조사를 거치면 테스터 신청이 완료된다. 당첨자는 11일 공식 홈페이지를 통해 확인할 수 있다.  1차 CBT는 17일부터 23일까지 일주일간 진행된다. 1레벨부터 40레벨까지의 콘텐츠가 공개되며, 워리어, 레인저, 자이언트, 소서러 등 대표 캐릭터와 발레노스, 세렌디아 지역의 콘텐츠를 경험해볼 수 있다. 또 270여개의 퀘스트와 전투, 탈것, 레이드, PK(Player Kill), 공성전

Around 30 former government officials will be called in next week for questioning over a missing record of a 2007 inter-Korean summit as part of efforts to determine its whereabouts, the prosecution said Tuesday. Prosecutors have been analyzing presidential records and other public documents seized at the National Archives of Korea in Seongnam, just south of Seoul, to determine whether the transcripts of the summit actually disappeared, and if so, who should be held responsible for the record's

 가수 정준영 (24)이 1일 데뷔 앨범의 선공개곡 “병이에요(Spotless Mind)”를 발표했다.“병이에요”는 발매 직후 엠넷과 벅스뮤직, 소리바다에서 1위를 차지하고 그 외 주요 차트에서도 상위권에 오르는 등 반향을 일으키고 있다. 정준영은 이날 자신의 공식 트위터를 통해 “정준영 ‘병이에요(Spotless Mind)’ 엠넷&벅스차트 1위! 감사합니다! 여러분 최고예요♥ 다른 차트들도 달려요!!! 흥해라 정준영!!!”이라는 글을 남기며 기대감을 나타냈다.정준영의 데뷔곡인 ‘병이에요’는 짐캐리와 케이트윈슬렛 주연의 미쉘공드리의 영화 영화 ‘이터널선샤인(Eternal Sunshine)’에서 영감을 받아 만들어진 독특한 곡으로 정준영만의 색이 도드라진 팝과 락적인 색의 곡.한편 예능에서도 활발한 활동을 하고 있는 정준영은 현재 MBC ‘우리 결혼했어요’에서 정유미와 이색적인 가상부부로 활약하며 대중들의 관심을 얻고있다.그의 공식 데뷔 앨범은 이번달 10일 발매될 예정이다.<관련 영

President Park Geun-hye on Tuesday vowed to step up efforts for stronger deterrence until Pyongyang made the “right” choice for peninsular peace, as Seoul marked the 65th anniversary of the founding of its armed forces. During Seoul’s largest military parade in a decade, Park said Seoul would strive to quickly acquire key assets, including a low-tier missile defense system, to counter threats from North Korea’s nuclear arms and other weapons of mass destruction. “The current security environment

시민운동가 강의석(27)이 1일 오전 서울 용산구 전쟁기념관 형제의 상 앞에서 국군의 날 행사를 반대하는 알몸 시위를 펼쳤다. 강씨는 1일 오전 페이스북을 통해 “(오늘) 전쟁기념관에서 이제는 전쟁을 기념하지 말고 평화의 시대로 나아가자는 ‘비무장' 누드를 하고 왔다”고 전했다.이날 강씨는 페이스북에 올린 발표자료를 통해 “대한민국은 전쟁을 ‘기념’하고 있다”며 “마치 결혼을 기념하듯이 전쟁을 기념한다니 얼마나 아이러니한가?”라고 밝혔다.이어 “북한은 매년 군사퍼레이드를 하며 무력을 과시하는데 한국은 이를 따라하고 있다”며 “올해 국군의 날 행사는 육·해·공군 장병 1만1000여명과 탱크 190여대, 항공기 120여대가 참가하는 대규모로 실시된다. 남한이 북한과 다르게 평화를 추구한다는 것을 알리려면 북한과 달리 이 같은 퍼레이드는 취소돼야 한다”고 주장했다.강씨는 “한국은 매년 30조원(세계 12위)이란 거대한 국방비를 사용하고 있지만, 이 엄청난 국방비와 강력한 군대로 박근혜정부

Japan's prime minister vowed Tuesday to press ahead with a sales tax hike seen as crucial to shrinking a huge national debt, although critics fear it would derail a budding economic recovery.The move marks a big political gamble for Shinzo Abe -- previous hikes have proved career-ending for his predecessors -- with the 59-year-old leader later Tuesday expected to spell out details of a stimulus package aimed at softening the blow.The tax increase ends months of uncertainty about whether Abe woul

The Education Ministry said Tuesday it would prohibit schools from taking disciplinary measures against students for being pregnant or in a relationship. The ministry ordered local education offices to revise related school regulations that it considers an improper breach of their rights to study. Controversy stirred earlier this year when two high school students received an official reprimand of volunteer work for being in a relationship. One of them was removed from a position as class presid

For the first time in nearly two decades, the U.S. government staggered into a partial shutdown Monday at midnight after congressional Republicans stubbornly demanded changes in the nation's health care law as the price for essential federal funding and President Barack Obama and Democrats adamantly refused.As Congress gridlocked, Obama said a “shutdown will have a very real economic impact on real people, right away,” with hundreds of thousands of federal workers furloughed and veterans' center

Nigeria has announced two major initiatives aimed at improving its woeful electricity supply, entering a $1.3 billion power plant deal with China and on Monday handing over state power assets to private investors.The privatization of most of state electricity firm PHCN has long been in the works in Africa's most populous nation, where blackouts occur multiple times daily despite the country's status as the continent's largest oil producer.Those taking over assets include Seoul-based Korea Electr

A new technique that coaxes an infertile woman's ovaries into producing eggs again has resulted in the birth of a baby in Japan, international scientists said Monday. A second woman has also become pregnant using the same method, according to the study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a peer-reviewed US journal. Researchers caution that the technique is still in its early stages, but could offer hope for young women whose ovaries are no longer producing eggs.This condition

South Korean stocks opened higher Tuesday, dispelling worries about a policy deadlock in the United States, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 6.63 points, or 0.33 percent, to 2,003.59 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Large-cap stocks led the gain, with market bellwether Samsung Electronics rising 0.44 percent and Hyundai Motor shooting up 1 percent. U.S. and European markets finished lower, as U.S. lawmakers failed to break the impasse over the fisca

South Korea's trade surplus widened from a year earlier last month despite a slight drop in exports as its imports shrank at a faster rate, the government said Tuesday.In September, the country's exports dropped 1.5 percent from the same month last year to $44.74 billion, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.Its imports dropped 3.6 percent on-year to about $41.03 billion with its trade surplus coming to $3.71 billion.The trade surplus for September compares with a surplus of $

South Korea's spy agency said Monday it has detained three more people affiliated with a leftist party for allegedly plotting to topple the government by destroying national infrastructure in support of North Korea in case of an inter-Korean war.The detention of Kim Hong-ryeol, the head of the Gyeonggi Province branch of the United Progresive Party; Kim Geun-rae, the branch's deputy head; and Cho Yang-won, a think tank head, comes after the prosecution indicted with physical detention UPP Rep. L

The U.S. government was on the brink of a partial shutdown Monday after the Democratic-led Senate and Republican-controlled House both refused to back down in a clash over scaling back President Barack Obama's landmark health law as the price for essential federal funding.Hours before a midnight deadline, the Senate voted 54-46 to reject a proposal by House Republicans for a temporary funding bill that would have kept the government open but would have delayed implementation of the health care l