인터넷 생중계 방송 아프리카TV의 VJ 손봄향 (30)이 지난 3일 공개한 유튜브 영상이 화제다. 　 (유튜브 캡쳐)　손씨는 자신을 “탈북녀”라고 소개하며 “탈북 했다는 것은 5년 전 채널A ‘이제 만나러 갑니다’에서 증명했다”고 말했다. 　　지난 12년 9월 공개된 이 채널A 방송본에서 손씨는 19세 때 탈북한 이야기를 전한 바 있다. 　　당시 간호사가 되고 싶다고 했던 손씨는 한동안 간호조무사로 일하다 건강상의 이유로 온라인 방송을 시작하게 되었다고 말했다.　　손씨는 방송에서 플래티넘블론드 가발을 썼는데, “(이만갑) 프로그램 출연 시엔 25~26살때라 지금은 얼굴이 달라 보일 수 있다”며 “지금 영상에 나오는 얼굴도 실물보다 못하다”고 말해 성형 의혹을 일축했다. 　　손씨가 방송한 1시간40분 분량 영상엔 굶주렸던 북한 생활과 두만강을 건너던 과정이 상세히 소개되어 있다. 　　해당 영상은 게시된 지 4주만에 82만명 누적시청을 기록했다.　　　(khnews@heraldcorp.c

호주 라디오방송 3AW 라디오가 지난 30일 유튜브에 공개한 영상이 온라인 유저들의 조소를 사고 있다. 　　공개된 영상은 “점심 식사하는 가족에게 뱀 투척한 매”라는 제목으로, 호주 맬버른의 한 호숫가에서 야외 점심을 즐기던 가족에게 한 야생 매가 뱀을 정통으로 떨어뜨리고 가는 광경을 포착한 것이다. 　 (유튜브 캡쳐)　식사 중 호수 위를 비행하는 아름다운 매를 발견한 이 가족은 비디오 영상을 촬영하는데, 이 매가 난데없이 커다란 뱀을 식사 테이블에 던지며 이 가족을 공격한 것이다. 　　하지만 영상을 확인한 유튜브 사용자들은 “뱀이 특수효과인게 티난다”며 “재미는 있지만 AW가 이걸 진짜라고 소개했다는 게 불편하다”는 등의 반응을 보였다. 　　영상보러가기[클릭] 　　(khnews@heraldcorp.com)　

The elder son of Lotte Group founder Shin Kyuk-ho was summoned by prosecutors Thursday as they resumed an investigation into the embattled retail giant after one of its senior executives was found dead in an apparent suicide last week.Shin Dong-joo appeared before the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office as a suspect on charges of embezzling some tens of billions of won from the group's major affiliates.Prosecutors suspect he received the money as a stipend by just being listed as a board

South Korea's exports posted the first on-year rise in 20 months in August on the back of brisk demand for chips and flat displays, the trade ministry said Thursday.Outbound shipments came to $40.1 billion last month, up 2.6 percent from the same month last year, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.The upturn snapped a record 19th straight months of negative growth that began in January 2015.Imports also made a turnaround to edge up 0.1 percent on-year to $34.8 billion, recor

A pilot program connecting doctors with disabled patients through the use of information and telecommunications technology kicked off on Thursday, South Korea's health ministry saidUnder the program pushed forward by the Health and Welfare Ministry, doctors will see a total of 150 patients to provide treatment and fill out prescriptions through the Internet.The program will involve the patients, including those in welfare and other facilities, and two hospitals, officials said."Disabled people a

Samsung Electronics Co. unveiled two new smartwatches which feature a mobile payment function, longer battery life and built-in GPS capabilities for emergency calls or texts. The Gear S3 Frontier and S3 Classic were made public in Berlin on Wednesday ahead of this week's IFA trade fair, one of the world's largest annual exhibitions for consumer electronics.The Gear S3 looks like a normal watch. In a statement, Samsung said the new model "shows the time rather than automatically fading to black,

Recent heavy rainfall in North Korea's northern regions has caused considerable human losses and property damage, a Seoul-based media report said Thursday, citing sources in North Korea.Kim Seong-min, representative of Free North Korea Radio, said the torrential downpour and ensuing landslides earlier this week hit residential areas and farmlands in the country's North Hamgyong and Ryanggang provinces, leaving people dead and homes destroyed.But the North Korean authorities have not been able to

South Korea's 20th National Assembly officially kicked off its first regular session on Thursday that will run through December, with parties likely to continue clashing over key issues including the deployment of an advanced US missile defense system in the country.Political observers said the ruling and opposition parties are set to lock horns over core issues such as next year's budget and other policy-related matters with the next presidential election set for late 2017.  (Yonhap)The ruling

President Park Geun-hye will embark on an eight-day trip on Friday to attend back-to-back summits in Russia, China and Laos where she is expected to seek stronger international unity against North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile programs.The presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said that Park will travel first to Vladivostok, Russia, to attend the Eastern Economic Forum, and then to Hangzhou, China, to attend the summit of the Group of 20 advanced and emerging economies.  Photo taken on Nov. 1

The expected decline in the working age population in South Korea beginning next year will hit the steel and its related markets, as seen in the case of Japan, a research report said Thursday.The report from the POSCO Research Institute projected that the construction market, which accounts for 42 percent of total steel demand, will be the hardest hit. The auto market, whose steel consumption accounted for 18.5 percent, is also likely to be affected, as well as the machinery, home appliances and

Hanjin Group, whose shipping affiliate filed for court receivership this week, fell five notches in market capitalization rankings this year among the top 30 listed conglomerates, according to the Korea Exchange on Thursday.The group, whose businesses range from hotel operations to flag carrier, had 4.39 trillion won ($3.98 billion) in market cap as of Wednesday, shedding 274.2 billion won. The loss put the group at No. 28 in the rankings, down from No. 23 at the end of last year.The conglomerat

South Korea's current account surplus hit the lowest in three months in July due to slowing exports, central bank data showed Thursday.The current account surplus reached $8.71 billion in July, compared with $12.06 billion in June, according to the preliminary data from the Bank of Korea.The July figure also represents a drop from a $9.71 billion surplus from a year earlier. It also marked the lowest in three months. The current account is the biggest measure of cross-border trade.In July, the s

South Korea's consumer prices increased at the slowest pace in 16 months, rekindling concerns of possible deflation in Asia's fourth-largest economy saddled with a protracted slump in domestic demand and falling exports, government data showed Thursday.The country's consumer price index rose 0.4 percent last month from a year earlier, staying below the 1 percent level for four straight months, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea.The August figure also marked the lowest on-year gai

China's opposition to South Korea's decision to host the US THAAD missile defense system shows Beijing believes neighboring countries must put China's national interests ahead of their own, a US expert said Wednesday.Mark Tokola, vice president of the Korea Economic Institute of America in Washington, made the point in an article posted at KEI's blog website, stressing that it is North Korea's nuclear and missile development that led to the decision to place THAAD in the South."China continues t

South Korea will introduce a new license plate for electric vehicles before the end of next month, the government said Thursday, in an apparent effort to further promote environmentally friendly cars.The new license plate will be picked from four designs in a public vote that will last 10 days until next Thursday, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport."The government will decide which design will be used as a new license plate for electric cars in the popularity vote to

South Korea's ruling and opposition parties reached agreement on an extra budget plan Wednesday in a breakthrough compromise after marathon negotiations to resolve differences over where to spend the additional money.The ruling Saenuri Party, the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea and the minor People's Party reached the deal on the 11 trillion won ($9.82 billion) supplementary budget proposal late Wednesday night after a series of budget committee and subcommittee meetings since earlier in t

South Korea will focus on seeking inclusive growth of fragile countries and innovative partnerships with the private sector as Seoul joins the international community's implementation of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, a vice foreign minister said Wednesday."The ratio of people living in extreme poverty on less than $1.25 per day vis-a-vis the overall population of the globe fell from 36 percent in 1990 to 12 percent in 2015," Vice Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul said during the

North Korea is building a mobile long-range missile launcher system that can move along the country's railroad tracks, the U.S.-based Radio Free Asia reported Wednesday, citing sources in the communist country.A North Korean resident in Kangwon Province told RFA that North Korean engineers have been working on the mobile missile system since May at a state-run motor vehicle factory. The plant is under the supervision of the North's Second Economic Commission that is in charge of the ammunition i

 A Seoul court on Wednesday ruled in favor of the government and dismissed a compensation suit filed by South Koreans who survived the 1945 US atomic bombings in Japan.The Seoul Northern District Court turned down the suit filed by 141 victims of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings, seeking 10 million won ($9,000) in compensation for each victim.They said the government neglected its duty to take active measures against Japan to settle the issue by referring the matter to an arbitration c

Prosecutors on Wednesday summoned an incumbent judge over allegations he received kickbacks from a local businessman who is at the center of a lobbying scandal that is rocking the country's legal sector.The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office said it called in the judge, identified only by his surname Kim, to ask questions over suspicions that he bought a used car owned by Jung Woon-ho, former chief of local cosmetics brand Nature Republic, at a below market price, and even got back some