Koreans in their 20s and 30s have to save up all of their disposable income for more than 12 years to purchase an apartment in Seoul, which now costs an average 554.8 million won ($474,300). The average monthly disposable income of those younger than 39 years old stood at 3.71 million won in the third quarter of 2016, data from Statistics Korea showed Monday.The Korea Appraisal Board tallied the average sales price of an apartment in the capital at 554.8 million won for September.Based on the fi

러시아 수도 모스크바에서 쥐 고기를 이용해 만든 햄버거가 등장해 놀라움을 사고 있다.26일 미국 방송 NBC 보도에 따르면 러시아 한 음식점에서 ‘뉴트리아’ 거대 쥐로 페티를 빚어 팔고 있다고 한다. 육안으로는 일반 햄버거와 구별하기 어렵다.  뉴트리아 버거 (NBC)쥐 버거 개발 쉐프 알렉산더 세미킨 씨는 “뉴트리아는 쥐가 아니다”고 주장하고 있다. 또한 “영양 성분이 풍부”해 최근 모스크바에선 꼭 먹어봐야 할 음식으로 손꼽히고 있다고 한다.이 버거의 가격은 550루블로 한국 돈으로 환산하면 1만 2천원의 프리미엄 버거급이다. 한편, 대형 설취류 뉴트리아는 한국 낙동강 일대에서도 발견되고 있다.(khnews@heraldcorp.com)

새 속옷보다 중고 속옷이 더 비싸게 팔리는 현상이 포착되었다.최근 넷플릭스 TV 시리즈 ‘오렌지 이즈 더 뉴 블랙’ 시즌3에는 수용소의 여성들이 하루에서 이틀 가량 착용한 속옷을 외부로 빼돌려 장사하는 내용이 담겼다. 헌 속옷을 성적 페티쉬를 가진 몇몇 남성들이 기꺼이 대금을 지불하고 구매한다는 것이다. '오렌지 이즈 더 뉴 블랙' (사진=유튜브 캡쳐)이 내용이 지난해 6월 처음 방영된 이래 세계적 검색엔진 구글에는 “입던 속옷 팔아요 (sell used panties)”가 가장 많이 검색된 키워드로 급부상했다. 중고 속옷 판매 웹사이트 ‘소피아그레이’ 대표 알렉스는 한 호주 매체와의 인터뷰에서 이 TV쇼 덕택에 실제 매상이 솟구쳤다고 말했다. 급기야 한 여성은 이 웹사이트를 통해 속옷 한장을 한화 570만원에 판매했다는 것이다. ‘소피아그레이’ 대표는 이 여성이 “부업을 하는 학생이다”며 “웹사이트에 팬이 많아 수요가 끊이지 않는다”고 전했다. 이 외에도 유사 사업으로 ‘팬티딜’이

South Korea's state financial watchdog said Friday it will tighten the monitoring of unfair or deceptive insurance sale activities in the local market.The Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) plans to crack down especially on insurance sales agencies involved in irregularities.The ratio of insurance sales in South Korea via independent sales agencies climbed to 37.8 percent in the first half of this year from 34.3 percent in 2014 and 35.9 percent in 2015, according to its data.Concern has grown a

South Korea's top economic policymaker said Friday that the government will continue its push to restructure ailing sectors such as shipbuilding and shipping in order to help Asia's fourth-largest economy take another leap in the future."The government has been implementing corporate restructuring schemes as they are not an undeniable task for the survival of the economy and a future growth," Finance Minister Yoo Il-ho said during a minister-level meeting."The corporate restructuring is the proc

Prosecutors on Friday questioned a former finance minister and head of the state-run Korea Development Bank (KDB) on charges of bribery, about two months after a court refused to issue a warrant to arrest him.Kang Man-soo, 71, appeared at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in the morning to undergo interrogation by the prosecution team looking into a massive corruption scheme surrounding Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co., according to prosecutors.Kang was the country's fin

The total number of department stores operating across the country came to 100 last year, industry watchers said Friday, as more leading players are aggressively expanding and diversifying their outlets.A total of 100 department stores were operating as of the end of 2015, with the number to increase to 103 by the end of this year, the watchers said. Shinsegae Department Store has opened or is opening new outlets in Hanam south of Seoul, Gimhae on the southeastern coast, and in the southeastern

President Park Geun-hye's approval rating fell further to a record-low 4 percent this week while 93 percent expressed discontent on her job performance amid an influence-peddling scandal, Gallup Korea said Friday.Park's approval rating, which remained at a 5-percent range for the past three weeks, began to fall again as new allegations of wrongdoing emerged and opposition parties set their push to impeach her in motion.The survey was conducted on 1,004 South Koreans from Tuesday to Thursday with

North Korea's state radio station on Friday broadcast a string of mysterious numbers, believed to be a coded message to its agents operating in South Korea. Radio Pyongyang started to read a series of book pages and numbers about an hour after midnight (Seoul time). The content was the exact same as that broadcast on Nov. 11.The latest broadcast, the fourth this month, came as Pyongyang is stepping up propaganda against Seoul over a corruption scandal involving President Park Geun-hye and her cl

More than 1 out of 3 people suffering from depression last year were aged 65 or over, data showed Friday.According to the data by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, 680,000 people received treatment for depression in 2015, and out of the number, 224,000, or 33 percent, were senior citizens.The number of the country's senior citizens receiving treatment for the disease increased by an average of 6.8 percent on-year in the past five years, the data showed.Noticeably, the number ju

At least 40 lawmakers from South Korea's ruling Saenuri Party support the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye for her influence-peddling scandal, a group of party members opposing Park said Friday. Opposition parties currently plan to put the impeachment motion up for vote in early December. Given that all opposition and independent lawmakers back the motion, its passage needs support from at least 28 Saenuri lawmakers to meet the minimum requirement of 200 votes out of the 300-seat National

Corporate credit card spending declined at restaurants, bars and golf courses in South Korea in October, apparently affected by the introduction of a tough anti-corruption law.The legislation took effect in late September, covering millions of public servants, school teachers and journalists nationwide.Widely called the Kim Young-ran Act after the former supreme court judge who drafted it, the law prohibits them from accepting free meals valued 30,000 won ($25.40) or more and gifts worth 50,000

최태원(56) SK그룹 회장과 내연녀의 관계를 둘러싼 인터넷 기사에 악성 댓글을 단 혐의로 재판에 넘겨진 60대에게 검찰이 실형을 구형했다.검찰은 24일 서울중앙지법 형사8단독 김지철 부장판사 심리로 열린 주부 김모(60·여)씨의 결심 공판에서 징역 1년을 구형하며 "악성 댓글을 인터넷에 게재해 피해가 상당할 것으로 보인다"고 이유를 밝혔다.김씨는 이날 재판에서 "기사의 다른 댓글 내용을 보고 분개해서 (악성) 댓글을 달게 됐다"는 취지로 진술했다. (사진=연합)앞서 검찰은 김씨가 수사 과정에서 출석 요구를 여러 차례 거절하자 댓글 증거자료만 확보한 채 불구속 기소했다.김씨는 올해 1월 최 회장 내연녀 관련 인터넷 기사에 '(김씨를) 심리상담가로 둔갑시켜 (최 회장에게) 소개해줬다는 A 기자는 꽃뱀'이라는 등 5차례 A 기자에 관한 허위 악성 댓글을 올린 혐의(정보통신망법상 명예훼손)를 받고 있다.A 기자는 미국의 한 매체에 소속된 한국인으로 최 회장에게 김씨를 소개하거나 꽃뱀 역할

설탕 대신 칼로리가 없는 인공감미료를 넣은 이른바 '다이어트 음료'가 오히려 체중 감량을 방해하고 살을 더 찌게 할 수 있다는 연구결과가 나왔다.25일 사이언스데일리 등에 따르면, 미국 하버드의대 리처드 호딘 교수팀은 동물실험을 통해 이같은 결과를 얻었다며 학술지인 '응용 생리학, 영양 및 대사' 온라인판[http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/10.1139/apnm-2016-0346#.WDZ14NKLS01]에 발표했다. (사진=연합)호딘 교수팀은 '다이어트 음료'에 가장 많이 쓰이는 대체 감미료 아스파탐이 체내에서 소화되는 과정에 페닐알라닌이 생성돼 장(腸) 속 유익한 효소인 '내장 알칼리성 포스파타아제'(IAP) 활동을 차단하는 것으로 나타났다고 밝혔다.이로 인해 체중 감량 과정이 방해받고 오히려 체중이 증가할 수 있다고 강조했다.이런 IAP 활동 저해는 성인당뇨병 환자나 심장질환자, 대사증후군 환자들에서 나타나는 것과 유사하다고 설명했다.IAP는 원활한

South Korea's overall consumer sentiment fell to the lowest point in nearly eight years this month, central bank data showed Friday, reflecting a further economic slowdown.The composite consumer sentiment index for November came to 95.8, the lowest since April 2009 when it stood at 94.2, according to the data from the Bank of Korea (BOK). A reading above 100 means optimists outnumber pessimists.A separate index gauging the people's sentiment toward the current economic condition came to 60 for N

The amount of foreign securities held by major South Korean institutions grew in the third quarter from a year earlier due mainly to a surge in South Korean investment in foreign bonds, central bank data showed Friday.As of the end of September, the value of foreign securities held by South Korea's institutional investors came to $167.8 billion, up 51 percent from $111.2 billion a year earlier, according to data compiled by the Bank of Korea (BOK).Quarter-on-quarter, the value of foreign securit

BMW Korea, the local importer and distributor of BMW cars, will recall over 21,000 cars sold in South Korea for various problems related to engine timing belts and air bags, the transportation ministry said Friday.Some 11,600 cars of 19 vehicle models, including the 530d xDrive and the X6 M50d, will be recalled for defective engine timing belt tensioners that may cause the engine to turn off even when the ignition is on, possibly leading to accidents, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastru

The massive corruption scandal threatening to unseat South Korean President Park Geun-hye could paralyze her government for months to come and pose greater opposition to the planned deployment of the US THAAD missile defense system, a US expert said.Park has been under growing pressure to step down following revelations that a long-time confidante, Choi Soon-il, exercised enormous influence over her and her handling of state affairs, while amassing huge ill-gotten wealth."Regardless of whether P

Early records indicate that the recent outbreak of avian influenza has not affected poultry sales, unlike previously when consumption dropped by more than 80 percent during the animal disease scare, a leading retailer said Friday.Figures provided by E-Mart said chicken sales from Nov. 11, when the AI virus was first confirmed from migratory wild birds, to Nov. 23 increased by 23.1 percent compared to same period last year. The number of people buying chicken also increased by 30,000, the retaile

Injecting the first diversity into his Cabinet-to-be, Donald Trump selected two Republican women on Wednesday who had unflattering things to say about him during the presidential campaign: South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley to serve as US ambassador to the United Nations and charter school advocate Betsy DeVos to lead the Department of Education.Gov. Haley has little foreign policy experience, yet Trump praised her as “a proven dealmaker.” DeVos, like Trump, is new to government but has spent decad