South Korea's antitrust watchdog has seen a large amount of corporate penalties revoked over the past five years as it loses lawsuits with companies or voluntarily reverses penalty impositions, a report showed Tuesday.In the report submitted to Rep. Park Yong-jin of the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea for an annual parliamentary audit of its affairs, the Fair Trade Commission said the amount of canceled corporate penalties stood at 995.5 billion won ($903 million) between 2012 and this yea

Lawmakers of South Korea's ruling Saenuri Party on Tuesday proposed a law to provide UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon with special privileges after his retirement from his post later this year."While presidents get special treatment after their retirement, we do not currently have a law that stipulates the support of those who headed major international organizations," Rep. Lee Jong-bae of Saenuri said.Lee added similar support must be granted to Ban considering his contribution to international

South Korea's National Assembly audit, which has been disrupted by the ruling Saenuri Party's boycott in the standoff over the political neutrality of the parliamentary speaker, resumed normal proceedings Tuesday.Saenuri decided to take full part in the audit sessions that kicked off last Monday after it walked out, protesting that National Assembly Chung Sye-kyun took the side of the opposition bloc ahead of a vote to sack a Cabinet minister last month.Saenuri chief Rep. Lee Jung-hyun also stag

The labor force participation rate for South Koreans in their 20s reached a 10-year high in the second quarter, government data showed Tuesday, due mainly to a surge in the number of jobless 20-somethings.According to the data by Statistics Korea, 65.7 percent of people aged 20 to 29 were inside the labor force during the April-June period. It was up 1.3 percentage points from a year earlier and the highest since 65.8 percent in the fourth quarter of 2005.In particular, the labor force participa

A policy bank has offered a refund guarantee for a new order won by Samsung Heavy Industries Co., helping one of the country's major shipyards proceed with the new shipbuilding order.Late last month, the shipyard secured a 420 billion-won ($380 million) deal to build two LNG carriers, marking its first contract in almost one year.The deal with a European customer came as local shipyards are suffering from a sharp decline in new orders amid a protracted industry-wide slump.Samsung Heavy is also s

South Korea's current account surplus hit the lowest in four months in August due to slowing exports and increased imports, central bank data showed Tuesday.The current account surplus reached $5.51 billion in August, compared with $8.67 billion in July, according to the preliminary data from the Bank of Korea.The August figure represents a drop from an $8.54 billion surplus from a year earlier and also marks the lowest in four months. The current account is the biggest measure of cross-border t

South Korea's air passenger traffic surged to a record monthly high in August with international passengers to and from the country also reaching a new all-time high, the government said Tuesday.Overall air passenger traffic came to 9.86 million in August, up 20.1 percent from the same month last year, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.The increase was largely attributed to a surge in international passengers to and from South Korea, which spiked 26.5 percent on-yea

The United States does not oppose the Philippines seeking better relations with China just as it encouraged other Asian allies South Korea and Japan to improve their ties with Beijing, the White House said Monday.White House press secretary Josh Earnest was reacting to comments reportedly made by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who is known for his combative rhetoric against the US, that he is willing to build closer relations with China and Russia."I've been asked this question both in th

Hyundai Motor Co. and its smaller affiliate, Kia Motors Corp. saw their combined sales in the United States rise slightly in September, thanks in large part to strong SUV sales, industry data showed Monday.The two South Korean auto giants sold a combined 115,830 units in the US last month, up 1.7 percent from 113,835 units sold in the same period last year, the data showed. Hyundai's sales rose 4 percent to 66,610 units, which marks the best September ever."Strong performances by our Santa Fe an

The US House of Representatives has adopted a resolution urging the government to look into the possibility of North Korea's involvement in the unexplained disappearance of an American citizen from China more than a decade ago.David Sneddon, a college student from Utah, disappeared in China in 2004. Recent media reports have alleged that he is living in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang after being kidnapped to teach English to current North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.But the State Department

영국 웨일스 출신 팝페라 가수 폴 포츠가 30일 개인 사회공유망서비스(SNS)를 통해 점심 식사로 한국 갈비를 먹은 내용을 알렸다.　 (사진=폴 포츠 트위터)　폴 포츠는 현재 방한 중이며 내달 중 다수의 내한 공연을 계획하고 있다.　　그의 트위터 계정에는 매일 한식 식사 사진이 올라오고 있어 한류에 긍정적인 영향을 끼칠 것으로 예상된다.　 (사진=폴 포츠 트위터) (사진=폴 포츠 트위터)　(khnews@heraldcorp.com)　

Rep. Lee Hae-chan, a seven-term lawmaker, officially returned to the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea on Friday, vowing to make full-fledged efforts to help the party win next year's presidential election.Lee left the Minjoo earlier this year after failing to win the party ticket for the April 13 polls. Although his return had been delayed due to the policy that a seceder cannot come back within a year, newly-elected party head Choo Mi-ae decided to make an exception in his case.The lawmake

South Korean stocks fell Friday as investors were spooked by the financial stability of German banking giant Deutsche Bank. The Korean won fell against the US dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index declined 25.09 points, or 1.21 percent, to close at 2,043.63. Trade volume was moderate at 317 million shares worth 5.6 trillion won ($5.1 billion), with losers outnumbering gainers 654 to 169.The local stock market opened lower following a sharp decline on Wall Street. Worries mounted

입대를 공언하고 돌연 한국 국적을 포기해 입국이 금지된 가수 유승준(미국명 스티브 승준 유·40)씨가 입국을 허락해달라며 낸 소송 1심에서 졌다.서울행정법원 행정1부(김용철 부장판사)는 30일 유씨가 주 로스앤젤레스(LA) 총 영사관을 상대로 낸 '비자발급 소송'에서 원고 패소로 판결했다.재판부는 "유씨가 공익근무 소집기일을 1차례 연기한 뒤 미뤄진 소집기일이 임박한 상황에서 국외여행을 허가받아 출국한 뒤 미국 시민권을 취득했다"며 "병역 의무를 피하기 위해 미국 시민권을 취득한 것으로 보인다"고 판단했다. (유승준 웨이보)또 "유씨는 자신의 대중적 인기, 우리나라 국민에 대한 영향력에도 불구하고 국방 의무를 이행하겠다는 입장을 번복하고 미국 시민권을 취득해 병역 의무를 면했다 "고 지적했다.이어 "유씨가 입국해 방송활동을 하면 자신을 희생하며 병역에 종사하는 국군 장병의 사기가 저하되고 청소년들 사이에 병역 기피 풍조가 만연해질 우려가 있다"며 "유씨의 입국은 '사회의 선량한 질서

A local court on Friday upheld the entry ban on a Korean-American singer who has been forbidden to visit South Korea after winning US citizenship in an apparent bid to evade conscription.Steve Yoo, who was once a mega-hit singer here, better known as Yoo Seung-jun, had filed a lawsuit against a South Korean consulate in the United States for refusing to grant him a visa. (Steve Yoo's weibo)"If Yoo returns to South Korea and resumes activities, it will demoralize soldiers who are devoting themsel

South Korea's financial regulatory body said Friday it will soon decide whether to issue a permit for the nation's first online-only bank.Two consortiums, one led by KT Corp. and the other by Kakao Corp., are preparing to enter the banking sector with their technical expertise.KT's consortium submitted an application earlier in the day for the government's approval for the establishment of K-Bank, the Financial Services Commission said.The envisioned Internet bank will be capitalized at 250 bill

The South Korean government on Friday urged Seoul city to adopt a performance-based wage system for the organizations under it, adding the change is necessary to make public bodies more competitive.The Ministry of the Interior, as well as finance and labor ministries, made a joint statement urging the Seoul Metropolitan Government to show more willingness to drop the outdated seniority-based wage system.Adopting the wage system based on workers' individual performances both in the private and pu

한국에서 활동하는 미국인 유튜버 ‘휘트니’가 드라마 오디션에 참가했다가 황당한 사건을 겪은 경험을 나누었다.　　지난 8일 게재 후 30일 기준 7만7천번 조회된 이 영상에서 휘트니는 ‘사기를 당했다’고 주장했다. 　　휘트니는 개인적으로 알고 지내는 캐스팅 감독을 통해 한 드라마 오디션에 지원하게 되었다.　 (사진=유튜브 whitneybaeIRL)　하지만 그가 소개해준 오디션은 다른 연예 기획사들과 동떨어져 있는 ‘수상쩍고 낡은 건물’의 지하 술집에서 진행되었다.　　오디션을 보러 온 사람은 그 뿐이었고 서른 중반의 남성과 중년의 여성 단 둘이 심사했다.　　기타 설명 없이 짧은 대본 하나만 주어진 휘트니는 줄거리와 역할을 물었고, 그제야 한인 재미교포의 절친한 미국인 친구 역할이라는 설명을 받았다. 　　그는 연기 자체는 ‘형편없다’는 평가를 받았지만 그 후 대중가요를 부르며 춤을 추자 ‘재능있다’며 칭찬을 받았다. 　　곧바로 ‘매니저를 해주겠다’는 제안을 받았고, 그와 동시에 술집에 손

올해 6월 서울대공원에서 태어난 멸종위기종 아시아 코끼리가 태어난 지 100일을 맞는다.서울대공원은 다음 달 1일 아기코끼리 탄생 100일을 기념해 이름을 짓는 투표를 하고, 건강을 기원하는 메시지 카드를 작성하는 등 다양한 이벤트를 한다고 30일 밝혔다.1일 오후 2시에는 관람객이 직접 아기코끼리 이름 후보 5가지 가운데 하나를 고르는 투표가 진행된다. 2시간 동안 관람객이 마음에 드는 이름에 스티커를 붙이는 방식으로 현장투표를 하면, 가장 많은 스티커를 얻어 결정된 이름을 서울대공원 페이스북에 게시한다.서울대공원에 따르면 아기코끼리의 이름 후보는 June(6월이)·코리랑카·희망이 ·블랑코·리우다.June은 초여름 6월에 태어난 아기코끼리가 푸른 자연처럼 무럭무럭 자라났으면 하는 의미를, 코리랑카는 '스리랑카'에서 온 아시아코끼리 부부의 자식이 '코리아'에서 건강하게 잘 자랐으면 바라는 뜻을 담았다.희망이는 1급 보호종으로 22년 만에 태어난 소중한 코끼리처럼 우리나라의 출산율도

South Korean air carriers have reached nearly 90 percent in reservation rate on flights to and from China for two weeks as Chinese travelers come to Korea during a long public holiday, industry officials said Friday.Officials expect up to 250,000 Chinese tourists to come to the country for the Oct. 1-7 National Day holiday, an increase from 203,000 last year.  The reservation rate for Korea-China flights came to 89.4 percent for Korean Air Lines during the Sept. 24-Oct. 10 period, the company sa