South Koreans take free Wi-Fi access available in public places for granted, but it was the most impressive experience for foreigners visiting Asia's tech powerhouse, a survey showed Thursday. According to the poll conducted by Cosmo Jin Travel R&D Institute on 706 foreign travelers between June and July, 55 percent were most surprised by being able to use the free Internet connection in such places as airports, subway lines, restaurants and ancient palaces during their stay here.Over 130 respon

The chief of Lotte Chemical Corp., the chemicals maker of retail giant Lotte, was summoned by prosecutors Thursday to face questioning over a string of irregularities, including alleged tax corruption.Huh Soo-young appeared before the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office over allegations of lobbying the local tax authorities and engaging in the company's unlawful suit against the government."I will fully cooperate with the prosecution," he told reporters before entering the prosecutors' of

President Park Geun-hye on Thursday congratulated South Korean marksman Jin Jong-oh for winning the 50m pistol gold medal at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, praising his "indomitable can-do spirit."Jin scored an Olympic record 193.7 points in the taut final to beat Hoang Xuan Vinh of Vietnam by 2.4 points Wednesday. His victory made him the first shooter, male or female, to win a single event at three Olympics in a row."His record of taking three straight Olympic champion titles and his indomitable

South Korea's central bank held its policy rate in place for August on Thursday, extending its wait-and-see mode for a second straight month after sending the key rate to a record low level to bolster growth here.In a widely expected move, the monetary policy board of the Bank of Korea voted to keep the key rate at 1.25 percent in August.In June, the central bank made a surprise rate cut, citing a need to support the economy.The country's exports have fallen every single month since the start of

South Korean shares opened lower Thursday, retreating from fresh yearly highs a day earlier, as the market came under pressure over a renewed slump in global oil prices. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 5.42 points, or 0.27 percent, to 2,039.22 in the first 15 minutes of trading.The Bank of Korea is set to hold a rate-setting meeting, with many analysts expected the central bank to keep its key interest rate unchanged. Most large caps were in negative territory with market ki

A group of South Korean businessmen on Thursday said they plan to ask the government again to approve their plan to visit the now-shuttered joint industrial park in North Korea.Businessmen said there is a pressing need to visit North Korea to check their facilities at the Kaesong Industrial Complex, which was shut down six months ago.Previously, the group made two similar requests to Seoul's unification ministry, but the government rejected them, saying the move is not proper as the internationa

South Korea's top automaker Hyundai Motor Co. and its smaller affiliate Kia Motors Corp. saw their sales rise more than 8 percent in five European countries last month, driven by its diversified product portfolio, despite Britain's vote in late June to exit the European Union, industry sources said Thursday.The corporate duo sold a combined 50,069 units in the five key markets -- Germany, Britain, Italy, France and Spain -- last month, up 8.5 percent from a year earlier, according to the sources

President Park Geun-hye will host a luncheon with the new Saenuri Party leadership on Thursday to congratulate them on their election and call for their support for her government's management of state affairs, her office Cheong Wa Dae said.The gathering will be attended by new party leader Rep. Lee Jung-hyun, floor leader Rep. Chung Jin-suk, policy chief Rep. Kim Gwang-lim and other members of the party's decision-making Supreme Council.President Park Geun-hye (right) shakes hands with new Saen

North Korea has sold fishing rights in the East Sea to China, in addition to the ones it sold in the Yellow Sea, to raise funds for its leaders, government sources familiar with the matter said Thursday. The North earns about 82 billion won ($75 million) annually from the sale of the fishing rights to its biggest ally in its coastal waters. All earnings have been funneled to prop up Kim Jong-un's leadership, according to the sources. "It has been confirmed that Pyongyang has rolled up its sleeve

China and Russia should welcome the decision to deploy the U.S. THAAD missile defense system in South Korea because it helps lessen the need for Seoul to seek other defense options, including development of its own nuclear weapons, a U.S. expert said Wednesday.Richard Weitz, director of the Center for Political-Military Analysis at the Hudson Institute in Washington, made the point in an article, titled "Better THAAD than Dead," arguing that South Korea has ample reasons to shore up defense and

U.S. imports from South Korea have risen in recent years mainly because the U.S. economy has picked up, a senior Korean official said Wednesday, rejecting Donald Trump's claims that the free trade deal between the two countries is to blame for U.S. trade deficits with South Korea.In an attempt to rally support from voters struggling with economic woes, the Republican presidential nominee has slammed free trade deals as a source of American economic problems. He has denounced the agreement with S

The exercise of religious freedom continued to be "non-existent" in North Korea last year as the regime continued to deal harshly with those involved in any religious practices, the U.S. State Department said in an annual report Wednesday.The 2015 International Religious Freedom Report reconfirmed human rights abuses the North has long been accused of, including its denial of the right to "freedom of thought, conscience, and religion, as well as of the rights to freedom of opinion, expression, a

운전 중에 자동차가 급발진을 한다면 아무리 차분하고 냉정한 사람이라도 철렁할 테다. 예상치 못한 발진에 당황한 운전자들은 잘못된 대처로 더 큰 사고를 초래하기도 한다. 　　그렇다면 운전 중 급발진에 어떤 대처가 가장 현명할까? 　아래 ‘SK엔카TV’ 영상이 행동요령 네 가지를 간추려 소개했다. 　　1. 당황하지 말고 브레이크를 끝까지 밟자 　(네이버TV캐스트)밟았다 뗐다 하면 안 밟는 순간 더 가속되니 깊게 끝까지 밟는 게 중요하다.　　2. 기어를 중립(N)으로 변환하자 (네이버TV캐스트　드라이브(D)에서 중립(N)으로 기어를 변환하면 엔진 회전수는 높아지지만 차는 앞으로 가지 않는다.　　3.차량 시동을 끄자(네이버TV캐스트　스마트버튼 차량의 경우 3초 이상 길게 눌러 안전하게 정차한다. 　밸브 방식의 경우 키를 돌려 시동을 끄되 절대 키를 빼면 안된다. 　키를 빼버리면 핸들이 잠겨 더 위험한 상황이 벌어질 수 있다고.　　4. 차량 측면을 긁으며 속도를 경감하자 (네이버TV캐스트　중

미국의 20대가 부모 세대에 비해 성경험이 부족하다는 내용의 연구 결과가 지난 3일 CNN에 의해 보도되며 사람들의 이목을 끌고 있다. 　　‘성적 행동의 보고’ 연구 결과에 따르면 연구에 참여한 20세에서 24세 사이의 성인 중 15퍼센트가 ‘성경험이 없다’고 답변했다. 　　그들 전 세대 때 행해진 연구에선 성경험이 없는 사람이 6퍼센트뿐이었다. 　(123RF)　‘나는 왜 나를 사랑하는가’라는 저서로 한국에 알려진 샌디에고 주립대 교수 진 트웬지는 이를 “’성숙’의 시기가 늦춰지고 있는 현상”이라고 분석하며 “이런 추세는 요즘 시대에 어딜 가나 흔하다”고 말했다. 　　트웬지는 갓 성인이 된 20대가 돈이 없어 부모와 같이 살며, 이러한 환경적 제약이 성경험을 할 기회를 낮춘다고 말했다. 　　또한, 기술의 발전으로 사람간의 직접 소통 외에 앉은 자리에서 즐길 수 있는 각종 오락이 부상하고, 이 때문에 성경험에 대한 갈망이 감소 된다고도 말했다. 　　이 추론에 이르기까지 트웬지와 공동연

President Park Geun-hye on Friday visited two local companies as part of her efforts to promote a flextime system, a core element of a broader program that her government has implemented to help workers maintain a work-family balance.Park visited "Smart Work Centers" of the two firms -- Shinhan Bank and Hana Tour. The firms have adopted the flextime system under which their employees flexibly decide their work schedules to spend more time with their families.The Park administration has been carr

South Korea pounded Fiji 8-0 for a rousing start to the Rio de Janeiro Olympic football tournament on Thursday.Midfielder Ryu Seung-woo picked up the first hat trick in South Korean Olympic history, while midfielder Kwon Chang-hoon and forward Suk Hyun-jun each grabbed a brace in Group C action at Fonte Nova Arena in Salvador, some 1,600 kilometers north of Rio de Janeiro. Seven of the eight goals came in the second half.It was the most goals ever scored by South Korea in an Olympic football mat

The daily foreign exchange turnover by local and foreign banks in South Korea dropped 6.7 percent in the second quarter from a quarter earlier due to a decreased volatility in the foreign-exchange market, the central bank said Friday.The daily FX turnover averaged $49.44 billion in the April to June period, compared to the previous quarter's 52.99 billion, according to the Bank of Korea.The first-quarter reading is the highest level ever, the BOK said.The daily trading volume of foreign exchange

Seoul prosecutors on Friday called in the chief financial officer of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. for questioning on allegations that he cooked the books to cover up the company's operating losses.The special investigation team said Kim Youl-jung, 58, is being grilled over accusations that the shipbuilder underreported some 120 billion won ($107 million) in business losses last year.About a week ago, the prosecution indicted former head of the company Ko Jae-ho on charges of over

A South Korean parliamentary committee on Friday agreed to revise up price ceilings stipulated in the controversial anti-graft law amid rising concerns that the limits on exchanges of gifts may weigh down the consumption of agricultural goods.The Kim Young-ran anti-graft law aims to bring more transparency among public officials, journalists and private school faculty by setting price ceilings on meals and gifts they can receive. The Constitutional Court also gave a nod to the policy last month,

공중 화장실 좌변기에 맨 엉덩이를 얹을 때 마음이 불편한 여성들, 분명 많다. 하루에도 수명씩 불특정 다수가 거쳐 가는 변기 시트를 보며 위생상의 걱정이 들 수 밖에 없는 것이다. 　　이에 대한 대책으로 다수의 공항, 호텔, 백화점 등이 교체 가능한 비닐 시트로 좌변기 이용에 청결을 더하고 있다. 　　하지만 생각의 전환을 해 아예 여성들이 서서 소변을 보면 어떨까? 이러한 아이디어를 구현한 기상천외 발명품이 벌써 세상에 있다.  　사진과 같은 깔때기를 여성의 음부에 대어 소변이 흐를 방향을 인위적으로 지도하는 것이다. 　　　대표적으로 ‘쉬위 (Shewee)’, ‘피스타일 (pStyle)’ , '피 이지 (P EZ)' 등의 제품이 있으며 아마존에서 구입 가능하다. 　수 많은 여성이 ‘만족한다’, ‘기발하다’, ‘야외에서 유용하다’는 사용후기를 남긴 것을 확인할 수 있다.　(khnews@heraldcorp.com)