The president of the national Olympic body will serve as an interim head of South Korea's first Winter Games, officials said Wednesday, two days after a sudden resignation of the former chief organizer.Kim Jung-haeng, who heads the Korean Olympic Committee (KOC), will also oversee operations of the organizing committee of the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, an alpine town about 180 kilometers east of Seoul, until it finds a full-time replacement for the former president of the committee, Ki

President Park Geun-hye will take a five-day summer vacation next week at a location yet to be decided, officials said Wednesday.Park's main concern in choosing a location for the holiday starting Monday is the message it will send to the public following April's deadly ferry sinking, the officials said."I understand that she is contemplating the situation surrounding the (ferry) Sewol, a return to everyday life and the vitalization of the public's livelihoods," presidential spokesman Min Kyung-

A district court ordered a local daily Wednesday to compensate Justice Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn for a defamatory report that said he took bribes from the nation's top conglomerate, Samsung Group, years ago.Siding partially with Hwang in a libel suit, the Seoul Central District Court ruled the Hankook Ilbo, flagship newspaper of the namesake media group, should pay 20 million won (US$19,500) in damages, saying that the article is not true. The media outlet published the article on Oct. 4, 2013, all

A growing number of Chinese film studios are casting influential South Korean stars in what appears to be an effort to reach out to a wider Asian audience who love Korean pop culture.Several South Korean movie stars have recently been chosen for lead and supporting roles in Chinese films, a departure from the past when their roles were largely limited to television dramas.Industry insiders said this is a sign that the Chinese film industry began to pay attention to ticket selling powers of South

Senior U.S. intelligence officials said Tuesday that Russia was responsible for ``creating the conditions'' that led to the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, but they offered no evidence of direct Russian government involvement.The intelligence officials were cautious in their assessment, noting that while the Russians have been arming separatists in eastern Ukraine, the U.S. had no direct evidence that the missile used to shoot down the passenger jet came from Russia.The officials b

A Hamas rocket exploded Tuesday near Israel's main airport, prompting a ban on flights from the U.S. and many from Europe and Canada as aviation authorities responded to the shock of seeing a civilian jetliner shot down over Ukraine. Israel declared that Ben-Gurion Airport was safe and said there was no reason to ``hand terror a prize'' by halting flights. The rare flight ban came as Israel grappled with news that a soldier went missing after an attack in the Gaza Strip, raising the possibility

One car from each train derailed after an accident that took place between Taebaek Station and Mungok Station in Taebaek, Gangwon Province, about 270 kilometers east of Seoul, authorities said. The accident occurred around 5:53 p.m.A 77-year-old woman surnamed Park was killed and 92 are being treated for injuries at nearby hospitals. According to state-run railroad operator KORAIL, an O-Train -- a sightseeing train -- appeared to have ignored a stop signal and crashed into a stationary Mugunghwa

North Korea criticized the United States on Tuesday for leading the international condemnation of its missile launches, saying it will never be daunted by such denunciation.Last week, the United Nations Security Council issued a statement denouncing the communist nation's launch of short-range ballistic missiles.The North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said in a commentary that "it is absurd to take issue with strategic rockets, a fruit of Pyongyang's defense industry."Under no cir

South Korea's foreign minister may encounter his North Korean counterpart during next month's Asia security forum, but it is unclear whether they will hold a formal meeting, a government official said Tuesday.This year's ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) will be held in Myanmar's capital of Naypyidaw on Aug. 9-10 amid nagging threats from North Korea's nuclear weapons ambitions and growing territorial disputes in the South and East China Seas.North Korea's new foreign minister Ri Su-yong, who assumed h

South Korean President Park Geun-hye has tapped a former four-term lawmaker with close ties to Japan as her new top envoy to Tokyo, officials said Tuesday.Yoo Heung-soo, the head of the Korea-Japan Friendship Association, was chosen for his wide network of personal relationships with members of the Japanese government and public, which is expected to help mend frayed ties between Seoul and Tokyo, the officials said.The officials spoke on condition of anonymity as Yoo's appointment is subject to

North Korea denounced Tuesday the international community's accusations of human rights violations in the country, calling them an attempt to topple its regime. The reaction from the North came amid heightening international calls on the North Korean regime to improve its human rights conditions. The United Nations Human Rights Council pledged concerted efforts to end crimes against humanity in North Korea in March after its Commission of Inquiry filed an official report, after a year-long inves

검찰이 지난 5월 25일 전남 순천 별장 수색 당시 유병언(73) 전 세모그룹 회장(청해진해운 회장)이 별장 내부에 숨어있었지만 발견하지 못했던 것으로 23일 확인됐다.인천지검 특별수사팀(팀장 김회종 2차장검사)에 따르면 유씨와 함께 순천 송치재 휴게소 인근 별장 '숲속의 추억'에 은신 중 구속된 아해프레스 직원 신모(33·여)씨는 지난달 26일 조사에서 "수사관들이 별장 문을 열려고 하는 소리가 들려 유씨를 2층 통나무 벽안에 있는 은신처로 급히 피신시켰다. 수사관들이 수색을 마칠 때까지 유씨는 은신처 안에 숨어있었다"고 진술했다.검찰은 진술을 청취한 이튿날인 6월 27일 순천 별장 내부를 다시 수색했지만 이미 유씨는 도피한 뒤였다.별장 2층에는 통나무 벽을 잘라서 만든 3평 정도의 공간이 있었던 것으로 전해졌다. 좌우 끝 부분은 지붕 경사면으로 돼 있고, 공간 안쪽에는 나무로 만든 잠금장치가 설치돼 있었다. 밖에서 볼 때는 통나무로 위장해 눈에 띄지 않도록 했다.검찰은 통나무 벽

키 190 센티미터에 몸무게 130 킬로그램, 그리고 가슴 사이즈 44DD컵의 거구 여성 모델. 평범치 않은 몸매의 모델이 많은 남성들을 맘껏 "뭉개며" 그들의 마음을 녹이고 있다. 영국 타블로이드지 미러에 따르면, 올해 38세 모델 아마존 아만다는 특정 행위를 좋아하는 남성들로부터 인기를 한 몸에 받고 있다. 신체적으로 눌리고 싶거나 레슬링을 좋아하는 남성, 혹은 거구의 여성과 공공장소를 걷고 싶은 남성들에게 가장 인기다. (YouTube)아만다는 침대에서 고객을 뭉개 주거나 레슬링 하듯 으스러뜨려 준다. 대부분의 요청은 다 받아주지만 그녀도 어쩔 수 없이 거절한 고객이 있다. 바로 압사시켜 달라고 부탁한 불치병 환자다.  (YouTube)미국 라스베이거스를 주 무대로 활동하는 그녀의 본명은 아만다 소울. 몸이 너무 큰 탓에 모델업계에서 주류로 활동하기 어렵겠다고 스스로 판단한 아만다는 자신의 몸매를 장점으로 승화시키기로 했다. 특정 남성들에게 이 방법이 통한 그녀는 현재 6천명

President Barack Obama sternly called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to compel Kremlin-backed separatists to stop hampering the probe at the Ukraine site of a downed passenger jet and allow international investigators unfettered access.``What exactly are they trying to hide?'' Obama said Monday from the South Lawn of the White House.Obama also warned Putin that he could face additional economic costs if he fails to take steps to resolve the crisis in Ukraine, but officials said new American

An inter-Korean factory park is seeking to obtain global certifications for its infrastructure as part of efforts to guarantee stable service and lure more foreign investors, the unification ministry said Tuesday.The management committee of the Kaesong Industrial Complex is pushing to win management quality certification from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) for the bus operating system as well as environmental management certification for the water purification and drain

North Korea carried out at least 17 executions last year and several others in the first half of 2014, a global human rights group against death penalty said.In its latest report, Hands Off Cain, headquartered in Italy, said all the known executions in North Korea in 2013 were conducted by firing squad. In the first six months of this year, at least six people were executed by firing squad, it added.The group pointed out the reclusive communist nation, like a number of other countries, do not is

A local court ordered the government Tuesday to disclose the whole process of negotiations on a botched military information-sharing deal between South Korea and Japan.In 2012, the two nations initialed a pact on sharing military intelligence to spur the exchange of information on North Korea. But Seoul suspended its signing due to strong opposition from civic groups, which claimed the deal was inked hastily and behind the scenes.In September 2013, the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democ

South Korea's domestic credit card spending by individuals dropped in May for the second consecutive month due to April's deadly ferry sinking that hurt consumer sentiment, central bank data showed Tuesday. Credit card spending by individuals fell 1.6 percent to 30.5 trillion won (US$29.7 billion) in May, from 31 trillion won a year earlier, according to the Bank of Korea. The data does not include cash services and overseas spending. It is the first time that the amount contracted year-on-year

Dozens of South Korean historians will visit North Korea in the coming weeks, as the two Koreas are restarting a joint excavation of an ancient royal palace site in the communist nation, officials here said Monday.Seoul's unification ministry plans to provide 276 million won (US$268,000) in assistance for the project, according to its spokesman Kim Eui-do.It would mark the resumption of the inter-Korean program, designed to excavate the site of Manwoldae, a Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392) palace, in t

공판 절차에 불만을 품은 한 변호사가 파리채로 판사 뺨을 수 차례 가격한 영상이 화제가 되고 있다. (YouTube)유산 상속 소송을 맡은 35세 카자흐스탄 변호사 이브제니브 탄코브는 공판이 제대로 진행되지 않자 “법 논쟁에 시간 허비하지 말고 이 파리채로 모든 것을 결정 짓자”며 파리채를 공중에 휘둘렀다. 곧이어 그는 판사의 뺨을 파리채로 세 차례 후려쳤다. 그러자 상대 측 변호사가 탄코브를 주먹으로 가격했고 이어서 판사도 가담해 탄코브와 몸싸움을 벌였다. 그 와중에 판사는 파리채를 낚아채 멀리 던져 버렸다. 파리채 하나로 공판을 난장판으로 만든 탄코브는 변호 업무가 정지 당했다고 법원 관계자는 말했다. 폭행 혐의로 최고 10년 징역의 형사 처벌도 받을 수 있는 것으로 전해졌다. (khnew@heraldcorp.com)