The number of South Korean business groups' affiliates subject to restrictions on mutual investments and loan guarantees rose in July from a month earlier, the antitrust watchdog said Monday.The Fair Trade Commission said the number of firms on its monthly watch list stood at 1,781 as of end-July, up 11 from the previous month.Such affiliates are owned by the country's 65 largest business groups, including Samsung Group, Hyundai Motor Group and Kakao Corp., the operator of South Korea's top mobi

Share buybacks by South Korea's listed companies increased 244.8 percent on-year to 6.31 trillion won ($5.6 billion) in the first seven months of this year from a year earlier, data showed Monday.A total of 64 companies -- listed on the main bourse and the tech-heavy Kosdaq market -- had announced the share buybacks in regulatory filings as of July 27, compared with 1.83 trillion won by 47 firms from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the bourse operator Korea Exchange.By market,

미국 공화당 대선후보 도널드 트럼프의 부인 멜라니아 트럼프가 과거에 찍은 누드 화보로 구설수에 올랐다. 　지난달 30일(현지시각) 온라인 매체 뉴욕포스트는 결혼 전 모델로 활동했던 멜라니아가 25세 때 찍은 전라 사진을 입수했다며 공개했다. 미국 공화당 대선후보 도널드 트럼프의 부인 멜라니아가 지난 18일(현지시간) 오하이오 클리블랜드에서 열린 공화당 전당대회에서 찬조연설 후 손을 흔들고 있다. (사진=연합뉴스)보도에 따르면 멜라니아는 슬로베니아 출신으로, 너스 (Knauss)라는 처녀적 성씨의 첫 글자만 따 멜라니아 K. 라는 모델명으로 활동했다.　그녀는 파리, 밀라노, 이탈리아에서 활동하던 중 25세 때 맨해튼으로 건너와 화제의 누드 촬영을 했다. 이 사진들은 1996년 프랑스 남성 잡지 맥스(Max) 1월호에 실렸다. 　사진을 촬영한 바스빌은 해당 매체에 멜라니아가 “굉장히 전문적”이었으며 “거리낌 없이 촬영에 응했다”고 말했다. 　공개된 사진들에 대해 멜라니아의 남편이자 미국

공공장소에서 포르노를 시청하는 인구가 증가 추세라는 보도가 눈길을 끌고 있다.　　지난달 30일(현지시각) 미국 방송 CNN은 공공장소에 설치된 태블릿 등 편이물이 음란물 시청에 활용되고 있다고 보도했다. 　(링크NYC)　보도에 따르면 뉴욕 시에는 현재 300개가 넘는 무선인터넷 부스가 설치돼 있다. 퇴물이 된 공중전화박스를 와이파이 타워로 개조한 것이다. 휴대기기를 충전할 수 있도록 USB충전기도 달았다. 누구나 사용할 수 있도록 안드로이드 태블릿도 비치되어 있다. 　　하지만 이런 편이물을 포르노 시청에 활용하는 인구가 증가하고 있다. 시청 중 음란 행위를 하는 있는 것으로 드러나 충격을 주고 있다. 　　온라인 매체 뉴욕포스트에 따르면 이들 중 대다수가 노숙자다. 펜 스테이션 (Penn Station)과 포트 어토리티 버스 터미널 (Port Authority Bus Terminal)이 특히 문제가 되는 장소다.　　공공장소에서 포르노를 시청하는 것은 범죄가 아니지만, 음란행위를 하는

Sales at South Korea's duty-free stores nearly doubled in June from a year ago thanks to a rising influx of Chinese travelers and last year's low base in the wake of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome outbreak, data showed Monday. Sales at duty-free stores nationwide jumped 94.1 percent in June from a year ago, surging for the ninth consecutive month, according to the data compiled by the Korea Customs Service. The June sales marked a sharp yearly growth because the market was hit hard by the

South Korean stocks opened higher Monday, taking its cue from gains in Wall Street.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 10.32 points, or 0.51 percent, to 2,026.51 in the first 15 minutes of trading.Tech shares led the gains. Market kingpin Samsung Electronics surged 2.14 percent, continuing its rally after posting robust second-quarter earnings, and chip giant SK hynix advanced 1.74 percent.Auto shares were in the positive terrain. Industry leader Hyundai Motor increased 1.14 pe

South Korea's property and real estate rental industry contracted in the second quarter for the first time in more than four years due to the sluggish market, central bank data showed Monday.According to the Bank of Korea's latest data on gross domestic product, the real estate and rental sector shrank 0.2 percent in the April-June period from three months earlier.It marks the first on-quarter decline since the fourth quarter of 2011, when the industry declined 0.6 percent from three months earl

The delinquency rate for South Korean bank loans to large companies soared in June from the previous month due mainly to a one-off factor, data showed Monday.Local banks saw the delinquency rate of their lending to big businesses stand at 2.17 percent at the end of June, up 0.81 percentage point from a month earlier, according to the data by the Financial Supervisory Service. From a year earlier, the figure was up 1.49 percentage points.Loans are considered delinquent when payment of both princi

South Korea's exports fell by more than 10 percent in July, with the rate of decline returning to double digits after single digits in May and June, the trade ministry said Monday.Outbound shipments came to $41 billion last month, down 10.2 percent from the same month last year, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.The July figure marked a record 19th straight month that exports decreased since January 2015.The double-digit fall came after on-year declines of 5.9 percent and 2

South Korea's current account surplus soared to a record high in June as an increased surplus in the goods balance helped offset a widening service account deficit, data showed Monday.The current account surplus reached $12.17 billion in June, compared with an $11.87 billion surplus from a year earlier, according to the provisional data released by the Bank of Korea.The current account is the biggest measure of cross-border trade.The June figure is the highest since 1980, when the central bank b

Emails of dozens of South Korean defense and diplomatic officials and journalists have been hacked by North Korea this year, and the prosecution is looking into whether any state secrets have been leaked, the prosecution said Monday.Emails of some 90 officials from the defense, diplomatic and unifications ministries, as well as journalists and researchers on North Korea, have been subject to the hacking attacks from January to June, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office said. Fifty-six of them had the

South Korean swimming star Park Tae-hwan arrived in Rio de Janeiro for the Olympics on Sunday, hoping for a shot at redemption after a tumultuous build-up to his fourth Summer Games.The 2008 Olympic gold medalist in the 400m freestyle wrapped up his two-week training camp in Orlando, Florida, and arrived at Santos Dumont Airport on Sunday afternoon here. The Rio Olympics will kick off Friday, and Park's first race, the 400m free, is set for the following day."I had great training in Florida," Pa

U.S. Secretary of the Army Eric Fanning is due in South Korea on Monday on a trip that includes a visit to the U.S. Army unit set to operate the THAAD missile defense system to be deployed by the Asian ally.Fanning's three-day trip to South Korea is part of his swing through the region that also includes stops in Hawaii, Guam, Malaysia and Japan. It is Fanning's first trip to the region since taking office as secretary in May.U.S. officials declined to provide details on Fanning's itinerary, but

The United States and South Korea should step up planning for potential instability in North Korea, a former senior U.S. diplomat and currently a key foreign policy adviser to Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has said."One of the most vital tasks for the United States and South Korea is to prepare for instability and uncertainty in North Korea through greater contingency planning and coordination. On this question of profound change occurring suddenly on the Korean Peninsula, ther

North Korea on Sunday entered the athletes' village for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in a modest ceremony, with only the country's officials on hand.North Korea and Uganda were welcomed into the athletes' quarters for the Aug. 5-21 Olympics. However, none of North Korea's 31 athletes, competing in nine sports, attended the occasion. Yun Song-bom, head of the North's delegation, was one of 16 officials present.One North Korean official said the athletes were still jet-lagged and their training sch

국내에서 거세져 가는 메갈리아4 찬반 논란이 해외에서도 주목 받고 있다. 　　지난 29일 미국의 공영 라디오 NPR 은 넥슨 성우 김자연 씨가 “여자는 왕자님을 필요로 하지 않는다”는 문구의 메갈리아 성금 티셔츠를 입어 일자리를 잃은 사연을 보도했다.　(페이스북)　야후뉴스, 피시게임스앤 등이 유사 내용의 기사를 냈다. 　　NPR은 이러한 사태를 한국의 ‘게이머게이트’ 현상이라고 보도했다. 이는 2년 전 미국에서 불거진 비디오게임 산업과 비디오게임 저널리즘 윤리에 대한 것으로, 여러 온라인 생태계 중 특히 온라인 게임 장이 “현저히” 남성친화적이라는 연구 결과 (Pew Research Center)에 기반한 것이다.　　NPR은 메갈리아4를 ‘혐오단체’로 인지한 게임 유저들이 김 씨가 성우로 활동하는 ‘클로저스’ 게임을 보이콧 했고, 이에 게임배포사 넥슨이 “김 씨와 상호우호적으로 타협해” 성우를 교체했다는 한겨레 보도를 인용했다. 　　NPR은 “메갈리아가 극단 페미니즘을 자행해 과격한

Singapore will exclude North Korea from its visa waiver countries list starting in October as part of its efforts to sanction the reclusive country for its nuclear and missile development programs, diplomatic sources said.Sources here said the Southeast Asian country's Immigration and Checkpoints Authority announced that all North Koreans will be required to have a valid visa.Authorities added that the decision follows a review of the island city state's regular visa process and reflects a move

The Seoul municipal government on Sunday said it plans to expand no-smoking zones at subway entrances to better address public health concerns.Under the changes that will go into effect as of Sept. 1, people caught smoking within 10 meters of a subway entrance can be fined up to 100,000 won ($89.6).It said a campaign has been launched in cooperation with the capital city's many wards to raise public awareness for the shift."Stickers and notices have been placed where needed to warn smokers of th

Lawmakers belonging to the ruling and opposition parties are generally in favor of expanding the anti-graft law to encompass the country's labor unions and civic groups, a poll showed Sunday.The survey carried out on lawmakers sitting on parliament's National Policy Committee showed 10 supporting the expansion versus five who were opposed with four saying they did not have a view on the matter.The poll carried out by Yonhap News Agency shows awareness among lawmakers that the law can be revised

How about spending a night out at a cool, green-lawned plaza to let off some steam?The Seoul city government on Sunday said it will launch the "Seoul Culture Night" festival next month in various places across the city.On Aug. 27, it will run "MT Seoul," where 100 preselected teams are allowed to set up tents in Seoul Plaza and stay overnight there. At the plaza, a flea market, a talk session and a movie screening will take place.On the previous day, the city will run a number of tour programs i