South Korea's state financial watchdog said Wednesday it will open a portal this week to offer "all necessary information" for financial transactions in the country.The Financial Information Network, http://fine.fss.or.kr, will start operations at 9 a.m. Thursday after months of preparations, the Financial Supervisory Service said.It's part of efforts to bridge the information divide under the broader goal of reforming the nation's financial sector, added the FSS."The FINE is a portal to provide

Sales of lottery tickets in South Korea rose 6.9 percent in the first six months of 2016 from a year earlier, on rising demand for chance games amid a prolonged economic slump, government data showed Wednesday.Lottery sales stood at 1.89 trillion won ($1.69 billion) in the January-June period, up from the previous year's 1.77 trillion won, according to data compiled by the Ministry of Strategy and Finance.The first-half amount accounted for 50.3 percent of the 2016 sales target of 3.76 trillion

About 200 people have been infected with hepatitis C in southern South Korea, an official said Wednesday, prompting health authorities to conduct an epidemiological investigation.Some of the people had received dental treatment from unlicensed dentists in Sunchang, some 360 kilometers south of Seoul. The local official said this could be to blame for the outbreak.Repeated calls to South Korea's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention seeking comment went unanswered.The latest outbreak came si

South Korea's financial authorities on Wednesday assured the market that they will take timely measures against potential fallout from the crisis surrounding the nation's largest shipping line."(We) will cope comprehensively with the situation to prevent turmoil in the financial market," Jeong Eun-bo, vice chairman of the Financial Services Commission, said as he presided over an emergency meeting of related government agencies.The remark came after Hanjin Shipping Co., the world's seventh-large

Cash-strapped Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. on Wednesday said its president is visiting Europe in a bid to help dispel shipowning firms' concerns over its financial health.Daewoo Shipbuilding said CEO Jung Sung-leep left Seoul for northern Europe on Monday to hold meetings with major shipowners, during which he will brief them on the company's current state and assure them that vessels and offshore platforms will be delivered without delay."Concern is growing among shipowners on n

South Korea has confirmed an additional case of cholera, raising the number of people infected with the waterborne disease here to three, officials said Wednesday.A 64-year-old man residing on the southern island of Geoje is presumed to have contracted the disease from eating seafood earlier this month, the South Gyeongsang Provincial Government said.The regional government said the man received treatment at an intensive unit of a hospital in the southern port city of Busan after complaining of

Cash-strapped Hanjin Shipping Co. said Wednesday that its board has decided to file for court protection later in the day as its creditors decided not to extend an additional support.On Tuesday, the creditors, led by the state-run Korea Development Bank, reached a consensus that they would not infuse additional cash into the country's No.1 shipping line.A creditor-led restructuring scheme for the largest South Korean shipper is set to end Sept. 4.The creditors have been ratcheting up pressure on

The Chinese economy is showing signs of improvements centered around growth in its domestic consumption, but the possibility of a hard landing still lingers due to growing corporate debts, a South Korean think tank said Wednesday.In a report, the Korea Economic Research Institute noted the possibility of China's hard landing has been somewhat reduced on a rise in local spending."Initially, there had been concerns that China's economic restructuring might create a hindrance to its growth, but suc

North Korea has carried out the execution of a vice premier, a Seoul government official said Wednesday, as the North's leader moves to further strengthen his reign of terror.The official said North Korea executed the 63-year-old Kim Yong-jin by firing squad last month after he was accused of showing a bad attitude when attending a key parliamentary meeting held in late June.He was shot after being branded an anti-revolutionary element.He was interrogated by the North's ministry on state securit

The female of an Asiatic black bear pair brought to the South from North Korea on the first inter-Korean animal exchange program in 1999 has died of old age, Seoul Grand Park said Wednesday.Eutteumi, believed to be 20 years old, died Tuesday, according to the park. The Central Zoo in Pyongyang sent the animal, also known as "half-moon bear," along with tigers, red foxes and silver foxes, to the South Korean park under the program aimed at conserving animals indigenous to the Korean Peninsula.Thi

 State prosecutors said Wednesday they have summoned a presidential official earlier this week to investigate allegations he ordered a local civic group to hold a rally in favor of the government.The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office said it questioned Heo Hyun-joon on Tuesday over suspicions he ordered the right-wing Korea Parent Federation to hold a rally in January, supporting a landmark deal reached by Seoul and Tokyo in December.In April, a local weekly newsmagazine said Heo sent a

Smartphone makers are increasingly embracing dual-lens cameras on the back of their handsets as more consumers want to enjoy the visual capability of the devices.With smartphones getting slimmer, there is a technical limit for a one-lens camera to increase a handset's photographic capability. So, manufacturers are installing dual-lens cameras for a better visual experience, analysts say. LG Electronics Inc. unveiled the G5 smartphone featuring dual-lens cameras in February this year. "The G5's 1

South Korea's family-controlled conglomerates have sharply reduced their cross-shareholding ties among affiliates over the past one and a half years in an apparent bid to streamline their complex governance structures, data showed Wednesday.According to the data by corporate researcher CEO Score, eight conglomerates had 94 cross-shareholding arrangements as of last Friday, compared with 11 business groups and 459 cases at the start of last year.The cost of unwinding their circular investment tie

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is facing difficulty in securing funds needed to govern the country as tougher international sanctions have affected the inflow of hard currency, South Korea's pointman on unification said Tuesday.Unification Minister Hong Yong-pyo also said that a series of defections by North Koreans, including senior diplomat Thae Yong-ho, seem to be the result of tough UN Security Council sanctions imposed on the North.North Korean leader Kim Jung-un (Yonhap)"It is hard to exa

경북도교육청이 성희롱 장학사를 징계하라는 고용노동청 시정지시를 3개월째 외면해 질타를 받고 있다.경북 모 초등학교 교장 A씨는 2014년 12월 구미교육청 장학사로 근무할 때 여교사들과 함께 식사하는 자리에서 20대 B교사에게 "예쁜 사람이 (교장) 옆에 앉아라. (교장이) 정기를 받아야 한다"며 성희롱 발언을 했다B교사는 이후 대구고용노동청 구미지청에 진정서를 제출했다.구미지청은 성희롱을 인정해 지난 5월 도교육청에 A씨를 징계하거나 이에 준하는 조치를 하도록 시정 지시했다.그러나 도교육청은 A씨를 징계하지 않았다. 구미교육지원청도 성희롱 방지교육을 하지 않았다.도교육청은 고용노동청 조사가 진행 중인데도 3월 1일 자로 그를 교장으로 승진 발령했다.이 때문에 지난 29일 제287회 경북도의회 교육위원회 업무보고 자리에서 이 문제가 집중 거론됐다.최병준 의원은 "성희롱 발언으로 물의를 빚은 장학사를 초등 교장으로 승진 발령한 것은 이해할 수 없다"며 "다른 교사들을 욕 먹이는 행위다

30~40대는 경제 활동이 가장 활발하지만 만성질환 관리는 가장 저조한 연령대다. 흡연율과 음주율이 높고 나트륨 섭취도 많지만 자 신이 타연령대에 비해 고혈압이나 당뇨병, 고콜레스테롤혈증 등의 질병을 가지고 있는지 모르는 사람이 유독 많다.이처럼 만성질환 관리의 사각지대인 30~40대를 비롯해 국민이 혈압과 혈당 관리를 제대로 할 수 있도록 돕는 건강부스가 다음달 초 전국에서 운영된다.  (123RF)질병관리본부(KCDC)는 9월 1~7일 심뇌혈관질환 예방관리 주간 행사를 열고 전국에 혈압과 혈당을 측정할 수 있는 '레드서클 존'(Red Circle Zone)을 설치한다고 31 일 밝혔다. 레드서클 존은 전 연령대 누구나 이용할 수 있지만 주로 건강관리에 취약한 30~ 40대 직장인을 '타깃'으로 운영된다. 전국의 시청, 보건소 등에 설치된 레드서클 존을 방문하면 혈압, 혈당, 콜레스테롤 수치를 측정하고 심뇌혈관질환의 예방 관리 방법을 소개받을 수 있다. '레드서클'은 정부의 심혈관

결혼 성수기인 가을·겨울 시즌을 앞두고 고가의 웨딩홀 및 호텔들이 프로모션 상품을 선보였다.LG아워홈이 운영하는 아모리스는 내달부터 내년 2월까지 예식을 진행하는 고객들을 대상으로 코스 식사 메뉴를 최대 20% 할인된 가격에 제공한다.와인 30병도 무료로 제공한다.  (123RF)역삼점·강남점·타임스퀘어점·코엑스점 총 4개 지점이 있는 아모리스는 소규모 프라이빗 웨딩에서 대규모 호텔식 웨딩을 할 수 있는 홀이 마련돼 있다.서울 강남구 삼성역 도심공항터미널에 있는 소노펠리체 컨벤션에서는 12월까지 예식을 올리는 고객을 대상으로 1천만원 상당의 꽃 장식과 홀 대관료, 웨딩 중계료, 로비 연주, 2부 행사 연출 등 결혼식에 필요한 여러 부대비용을 큰 폭으로 할인 제공한다. 와인 및 사이드메뉴를 원할 시 특별혜택도 받을 수 있다.베스트웨스턴 프리미어 서울가든호텔은 올 하반기에 예식을 진행할 경우, 웨딩 메뉴와 음·주류, 대관료, 꽃장식 등이 특가로 적용되며, 예식 시기에 따라 할인도 가능하

충남 아산에서 지역 고교생 등 10대 8명이 중학생 1명을 폭행했다는 신고가 들어와 경찰이 진상 파악에 나섰다.31일 충남 아산경찰서에 따르면 지역의 한 중학교 2학년인 A군은 지난 21일부터 학교 선배인 B군 등에게 노래방 등으로 불려 다니며 폭행을 당해 고막이 찢어지고 갈비뼈가 부러지는 등 크게 다쳤다.A군은 지난 22일과 23일에도 이들에게 불려 나가 학교 공터 등에서 또 폭행당했다. 가해 학생들은 '경찰에 신고하면 보복하겠다'며 A군을 위협한 뒤 '아무에게 알리지 않겠다'는 내용의 각서를 쓰게 하고 인증 사진까지 찍은 것으로 알려졌다. 가해 학생 중에는 A군의 친구도 포함된 것으로 드러났다.최근 A군을 상대로 피해자 조사를 마친 경찰은 조만간 가해 학생들을 모두 불러 경위를 조사할 방침이다.경찰 관계자는 "8명이 A군을 때린 것은 맞지만 집단으로 동시에 폭행한 것은 아닌 것으로 보인다"며 "가해자들이 A군을 폭행한 이유도 제각각이라서 조금 더 확인해볼 필요가 있다"고 설명했다

The presidential office Cheong Wa Dae on Wednesday reiterated its calls for a "prompt, timely" passage of an extra budget bill that has stalled over partisan bickering over outlays."Timing is crucial for the extra budget this time, which is designed to address (the potential fallout from) the restructuring of major industries, and create jobs," presidential spokesman Jung Youn-kuk told reporters. "(We) hope for a swift passage (of the extra budget bill)." This photo, taken on April 14, 2016, sho

South Korean stocks started almost flat on Wednesday following Wall Street's overnight losses.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 0.25 points, or 0.01 percent, to 2,039.49 in the first 15 minutes of trading.In New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 48.69 points, or 0.26 percent, at 18,454.30. Market observers attributed the declined to renewed concern about the timing of the US interest rate hike.On the Seoul bourse, large caps were mixed.Market behemoth Samsung Electro