The CEO of Google Korea who formerly headed the local unit of Oxy Reckitt Benckiser was summoned again by prosecutors Tuesday to face questions over the British firm's toxic humidifier sterilizer which has caused numerous deaths and illnesses here.The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office summoned John Lee as a suspect in the snowballing case that involves scores of deaths since 2011, including some pregnant women.The summons came about two weeks after he was first grilled by prosecutors la

Lotte Chemical Corp., a major chemicals maker, said Tuesday that it has submitted a bid to take over a U.S.-based chemicals firm to expand its business portfolio.In a regulatory filing, the company said it has submitted a bid to take over Axiall Corp., a deal estimated at over 3.3 trillion won ($2.78 billion). No financial details were revealed. Axiall, a leading U.S. chemicals firm, produces plastics, pulp and paper, packaging, chemical intermediates, and building and home improvement products.

Kia Motors Corp., South Korea's second-largest carmaker, saw its sales of the Sportage SUV around the globe hit a record high last month thanks to strong demand for its latest model, industry data showed Tuesday.According to the data, Kia Motors sold a total of 50,208 units of the Sportage in overseas markets in May, the largest-ever figure on a monthly basis since its global debut in 1993.Of them, the sales of its latest fourth-generation Sportage stood at around 42,380 units. The all-new Sport

Exports by South Korean venture companies fell this year for the first time in three years, stung by the continued sluggishness of the global economy, data showed Tuesday.Overseas shipments by local startups came to $5.23 billion in the January-April period, down 6.5 percent from the same period a year earlier, according to the data by the Korea International Trade Association.The drop is lower than a 12.8 percent plunge in South Korea's overall overseas shipments during the four-month period, b

South Korea's central bank is widely expected to hold its key rate steady in June, a poll showed Tuesday, amid what economists called mild signs of recovery and a looming U.S. rate hike.In a survey conducted by Yonhap Infomax, the financial news arm of Yonhap News Agency, 11 out of 13 economists polled forecast the Bank of Korea (BOK) to stand pat on its key rate this month.The BOK has kept its policy rate frozen for 11 consecutive months since June 2015 after sending it to a record low of 1.5 p

The United States will talk to China to make sure that it carries out sanctions on North Korea, including the latest "money laundering concern" designation, before assessing Chinese cooperation, a senior White House official said Monday.Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes made the remark during a discussion at an annual meeting of the Arms Control Association, in response to a question how long the U.S. will wait before blacklisting Chinese banks for doing business with Pyongyang under t

The United States and South Korea are moving forward in negotiations on the potential deployment of the THAAD missile defense system in the South, and are now focused on working out unspecified "complicated issues," the Pentagon said Monday.Following the North's long-range missile test in February, Seoul and Washington launched official talks about placing a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery in the South to bolster defense against missile threats from the communist nation. The move has

South Korea's defense chief said the possible deployment of a U.S. advanced missile defense system to South Korean soil will help "dramatically" enhance Seoul's capacity to counter North Korea's missile threats.Seoul and Washington have been discussing the potential deployment of a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense battery in the South, where about 28,500 American troops are stationed, in an effort to better defend against growing missile threats from the communist nation."South Korea only has

North Korea could have started reprocessing spent nuclear fuel to harvest plutonium for nuclear weapons, the International Atomic Energy Agency said Monday."The DPRK (North Korea) resumed the activities of five megawatt reactors or enrichment or reprocessing," IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano said at a press briefing in Vienna, referring to facilities at the North's Yongbyon nuclear complex."However, as we do not have inspectors on the ground, we are only observing through satellite imagery. W

China's foreign ministry said Friday that it took note of U.S. media reports that Huawei Technologies Co., a Chinese telecom equipment maker, is facing a U.S. probe over its exports to North Korea, Cuba, Iran and Syria. The U.S. Department of Commerce has ordered Huawei's U.S. units to clarify whether the Chinese company exported goods containing American technology to the rogue nations, The New York Times reported. "I have noted relevant reports," China's foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunyi

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization has redesignated North Korea one of 37 countries suffering from a food shortage, a U.S.-based news media reported Friday.Quoting the FAO's second quarter report on the crop outlook and food situation, Radio Free Asia said North Korea's food shortage for this year is expected to reach some 700,000 tons, which may seriously impact food rations for ordinary citizens.But the reclusive country has secured a mere 23,000 tons donated by international

Police on Friday apprehended a 33-year-old woman who struck a statue symbolizing the victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery with a hammer.The woman, who has a history of schizophrenia, was caught at around 12:30 p.m. after she hit the statue in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul three to four times with a 40-cm-long hammer, investigators said.  The statue was not seriously damaged, they said.Police said that she was rambling when she was asked why she damaged the statue.Investigators foun

North Korea convened a meeting of workers in Pyongyang this week to promote the "200-day loyalty campaign" aimed at fueling the country's economic growth, a report by the country's official Korean Central News Agency said Friday.The news agency reported that the meeting, held at the People’s Palace of Culture in the North Korean capital, was intended to send a government message that would incite the people to work more during the 200-day campaign. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un initially kicke

A major South Korean hospital plans to open a fertility clinic in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, within this year, its officials said Friday.The Cheil General Hospital & Women's Healthcare Center in Seoul signed a deal with Al Garhoud Private Hospital on the project.The center, specializing in treating infertility, will be established at the Dubai hospital founded in 2012.Cheil agreed to offer every necessary support including medical staff and relevant technologies.Technologies to be transfer

South Korean prosecutors on Friday questioned the former heads of major discount chains Lotte Mart and Homeplus as part of their high-profile probe into the toxic humidifier disinfectant scandal.The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office summoned Lee Chul-woo, former chief executive of Lotte Mart, and Lee Seung-han, former president of Homeplus. Both led the companies when the retailers sold allegedly toxic humidifier disinfectants between 2004 and 2011.In 2012, some victims of the hazardous

Busan Yeonje Police said a schizophrenic man was booked without detention Thursday after causing a disturbance inside a subway car by yelling and exhibiting aggressive behavior.  The man, 49 and identified by his surname Han, fought off police who came to contain the situation, and was booked for obstruction of public transportation and obstruction of justice. (YouTube)The subway train headed for Mulmangol Station was temporarily halted for around four minutes at 8:35 p.m. to let some 20 passeng

Embattled shipbuilder Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. is in the final stage of mapping out its self-restructuring scheme to raise some 5.2 trillion won ($4.39 billion), more than the previously proposed 4 trillion won, after coming under pressure from creditors and financial authorities to plan a stronger rehabilitation scheme, industry sources said Friday.Under the plan being crafted, Daewoo Shipbuilding intends to sell two of its five floating docks, which could translate into a 3

South Korea plans to sell 3 trillion won ($2.53 billion) worth of Treasury bills this month to help stabilize the money market and cover government expenses, the finance ministry said Friday.The bills will have a maturity of 63 days and be sold in three separate auctions throughout the month, according to the Ministry of Strategy and Finance.One of the three auctions was held earlier this week, in which the government sought to raise 1 trillion won.Treasury bills are designed to raise money to c

South Korean forward Son Heung-min has apologized for his towel-tossing conduct in a recently friendly match against Spain, saying he was mad about his performance in the team's 6-1 defeat.Son threw a towel at the bench after he was subbed out during the loss at Red Bull Arena in Salzburg, Austria, on Wednesday. The Tottenham Hotspur forward was replaced by midfielder Lee Jae-sung in the 60th minute, when South Korea were trailing 5-0. (Yonhap)Son is now in Prague for South Korea's friendly agai

Over 20 countries, including the United States and Russia, have submitted their detailed action plans on how they will enforce sanctions on North Korea following its nuclear test and a long-range missile launch earlier this year, sources said Friday.According to the sources, South Korea, Japan, the United Kingdom, Australia, Turkey, Egypt, Poland and other countries have also submitted their "implementation reports" to a U.N. committee in charge of the sanctions. The U.N. Security Council earlie