South Korean police said Thursday that North Korea was behind the latest hacking of a leading online shopping mall, which led to the leak of personal information of some 10 million customers.The remark came after police conducted a detailed probe into the server of Interpark Corp., after an unidentified entity broke into it and stole customer-related information in May.Police said the Internet Protocol addresses used by the hackers were identical to those used by North Korean hackers in previous

South Korea set out new tax code revisions Thursday, seeking to boost corporate investments in new future industries and household income and spending to cope with faltering exports and flaccid domestic demand.The government finalized the plan at a meeting chaired by Finance Minister Yoo Il-ho in Seoul, and will submit the bill to the National Assembly by Sept. 2 for approval.It is expected that the new tax code, which includes streamlining tax regulations, will result in 317.1 billion won ($281

North Korea's economy could face stronger shocks if international sanctions on the communist country persist, a report said Thursday.North Korea is under the toughest U.N. sanctions ever over its fourth nuclear test and its long-range rocket launch earlier this year.The sanctions call for, among other things, the mandatory inspection of all cargo going into and out of the North, and a ban on the country's exports of coal and other mineral resources to cut off North Korea's access to hard currenc

South Korea's Navy launched a new fast patrol boat to help counter North Korea's hovercraft force along its maritime demarcation line, the military said Thursday. The new 210-ton patrol boat killer medium, rocket, named Chamsuri-211, will gradually replace the existing 20-year-old Chamsuri patrol boats in service, the Navy said. A spokesman said the new boats will greatly bolster Seoul's ability to defend the tension-prone western maritime sea border with North Korea.(Yonhap)The launching event

The wife of a ruling party lawmaker received a jail term on Thursday for violating the election law, which could lead to the nullification of her husband's election if the ruling is confirmed by the nation's top court.The Daegu District Court sentenced the wife of Rep. Kim Jong-tae of Saenuri Party to a year in jail, suspended for two years, on charges of giving 7.5 million won ($6,600) in total to three people between September and February. The money was given to win support for her husband in

North Korea has built a large-scale military facility near its capital city for training purposes, the U.S.-based Radio Free Asia reported Thursday. Citing Curtis Melvin, a researcher at the U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University, RFA said the military facility situated south of Pyongyang is made up of a training ground with an obstacle course, vehicle driving training ground and firing range.Melvin made the claim after analyzing Google Earth satellite imagery of the communist country.

 진행자: 이다영, Paul Kerry 1. 일하는 결혼이주여성 절반이 계약직, 혹은 일용직 종사 기사요약: 국내에 거주하는 취업상태의 결혼이주여성의 절반 이상 (53.9)이 일용직 혹은 계약직에 종사하고 있는 것으로 나타났다. 아이튠즈(아이폰): https://itunes.apple.com/kr/podcast/koliaheleoldeu-paskaeseuteu/id686406253?mt=2 팟빵 (안드로이드): http://www.podbbang.com/ch/6638'Majority of working migrant wives have limited job security in Korea: research'[1] More than half of employed foreign-born migrant wives in Korea work as either temporary or day laborers, while 9.5 percent of them work for free for thei

South Korea's major department stores and discount chains saw their sales rise in June from a year earlier due to an increase in holidays, government data showed Thursday.The combined sales of three department stores -- Hyundai, Lotte and Shinsegae -- increased 11.8 percent on-year last month, while those of major discount retailers -- E-Mart, Lotte Mart and Home Plus -- edged up 0.9 percent during the same period last year, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and E

A majority of large South Korean firms expect their business conditions to further deteriorate next month due to weak demands at home and abroad, a survey showed Thursday.The business survey index came to 89.5 for August, down from 90.5 for this month, according to the Federation of Korean Industries.The monthly index is based on a survey of top 600 companies here in terms of sales. A reading below 100 means pessimists outnumber optimists while a reading above the benchmark means the opposite.Th

Top mobile carrier SK Telecom Co.'s bid to buy the country's leading cable TV operator was officially terminated following the antitrust watchdog's earlier decision to reject the plan, the science ministry said Thursday.The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning said it reached a decision not to allow SK Telecom's bid to purchase CJ Hellovision Co. from its parent firm CJ O Shopping, officially terminating the evaluation process of what would have been one the country's biggest mergers and

Five vehicle models produced by South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Co. and its smaller affiliate Kia Motors Corp. have been named best cars by U.S. consumers, the automakers said Thursday.In a survey conducted by J.D. Power and Associates, a U.S. marketing information service firm, the Hyundai Tucson was named the best small SUV, beating the Volkswagen Tiguan and all other competitors in the segment, according to Hyundai.The survey was conducted on those who purchased a new car between Novembe

Police said Thursday they are investigating scores of Kim Jong-il badges found at a hotel near Incheon International Airport, South Korea's main gateway.Grand Hyatt Incheon, located right next to the airport, reported to police at around 6:25 a.m. that the coin-sized lapel pins were found in front of the hotel. There were a total of 196 badges, according to police.The production and distribution of lapel pins bearing the images of North Korea's two late leaders, Kim Il-sung and his son, Kim Jong

South Korean firms sharply reduced bond issuance in the first half of 2016, yet another sign of their worsening financial health amid a drawn-out economic slump, a government tally showed Thursday.The value of ordinary corporate bonds issued in the six months totaled 18.9 trillion won ($16.7 billion), down 18.9 percent from a year earlier, according to the Financial Supervisory Service.They preferred gilt-edged bonds. Among non-guaranteed corporate bonds issued during the period, worth 18.87 tri

Naver Corp., South Korea's largest internet portal, said Thursday its second-quarter net profit jumped 71.8 percent from a year earlier, thanks to a solid gain in mobile ad revenue. Naver reported a net profit of 213.2 billion won ($189.2 million) for the April-June quarter, compared with a profit of 124 billion won for the same period last year. Second-quarter operating profit rose 44 percent on year to 272.6 billion won. Sales gained 26.3 percent to 987.2 billion won, the company said in a reg

A Japanese government-funded private foundation was launched in South Korea on Thursday to compensate women who were sexually enslaved by Japan more than seven decades ago, a move aimed at ending one of the neighbors' long-running diplomatic feuds stemming from Tokyo's past colonization of the Korean Peninsula.The formation of the Reconciliation and Healing Foundation is the result of the landmark deal reached on Dec. 28 to once and for all end the row over the sexually enslaved women, euphemist

Samsung Electronics Co. reported its biggest quarterly operating profit in more than two years Thursday, boosted by robust sales of its latest premium smartphone and cost-cutting efforts. The world's largest maker of smartphones and semiconductors earned 8.14 trillion won ($7.19 billion) in the April-June period, up 18.06 percent from the same period the year before. Second-quarter net profit rose 1.65 percent on year to 5.84 trillion won. Sales gained 4.94 percent to 50.9 trillion won, Samsung

Exports of South Korea-made cars sank 13.1 percent in the second quarter from a year earlier due mainly to contracted demand from emerging countries and intensified market competition, customs data showed Thursday.The total value of car exports reached $9.6 billion over the April-June period, down 13.1 from $11.1 billion tallied a year earlier, according to the data by the Korea Customs Service.Meanwhile, that of imports jumped 21.5 percent on-year to $3 billion from $2.4 billion over the cited

South Korean stocks opened slightly higher Thursday as the U.S. Federal Open Market Committee meeting results were in line with market expectations, analysts said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 2.29 points, or 0.11 percent, to 2,027.34 in the first 15 minutes of trading.Tech shares were mixed, with Samsung Electronics inching down 0.20 percent and top chipmaker SK hynix remaining unchanged. LG Electronics also remained unchanged.As widely expected, the Federal Reserve deci

The first contingent of South Korea's 331-member Olympic squad arrived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Wednesday.The group, consisting of 97 athletes and 23 sports officials, departed from Incheon International Airport aboard a chartered flight. They stopped over in Dubai before landing at Galeao International Airport in Rio. The Korean Olympic Committee said it took 24 hours and 35 minutes to arrive in Brazil. The first batch of the delegation was welcomed by some 90 South Korean residents in Bra

Three North Koreans who worked in the European Union country of Malta but were forced out defected to South Korea last summer, sources familiar with the matter said Thursday.Two North Korean restaurant workers disappeared last summer and one North Korean construction worker went missing in the first half of this year. They are presumed to have defected to the South, according to local residents of the island nation and the intelligence community. The defection, if true, may indicate that a growi