Domino's Pizza led the local industry in sales last year, while local franchise Pizza Maru came out on top in profit, a report showed Monday.According to the report from the Fair Trade Commission, Domino's Pizza posted average sales of 748.76 million won ($624,400) per shop in 2015, followed by Pizza Alvolo with 521.45 million won and Pizza Hut with 481.74 million won.The report is based on an analysis of the top 10 pizza brands here.A local brand, Pizza School, had the largest number of franchi

러시아 북서부 무르만스크의 한 어부가 심해에서 포획한 해저 생물들이 지구촌 화제가 되고 있다.어부 로만 페도르쵸프 (Roman Fedorchov)는 지난 5월부터 트위터를 통해 기괴한 심해 물고기들의 사진을 나누고 있다.  (사진= 트위터 @rfedortsov) (사진= 트위터 @rfedortsov) (사진= 트위터 @rfedortsov) (사진= 트위터 @rfedortsov) (사진= 트위터 @rfedortsov) (사진= 트위터 @rfedortsov) (사진= 트위터 @rfedortsov) (사진= 트위터 @rfedortsov) (사진= 트위터 @rfedortsov) (사진= 트위터 @rfedortsov)공상 과학 소설에나 나올 법한 괴상한 생김새의 이 물고기들은 세계 곳곳의 폭발적인 관심을 받고 있다. 페도르쵸프의 계정 @rfedortsov은 12월 26일 기준 약 9만5천명에 육박하는 팔로워를 모았다.(khnews@heraldcorp.com)

More than 35 percent of newlywed couples had no children last year amid the country's chronically low birthrate and late marriage trend, government data showed Monday.According to the data compiled by Statistics Korea, some 1.47 million couples married in the past five years as of November 2015, with 80.1 percent of them consisting of first-time brides and grooms.Out of the total, 35.5 percent of newlywed couples had no kids, while the percentage rose to 42.1 percent in those couples who both wo

South Korea's exports to Vietnam and New Zealand rose over the past year to a large extent on the back of the implementation of bilateral free trade pacts amid sluggish global demand, latest customs data showed Monday.Outbound shipments of South Korean-made goods to Vietnam jumped 15.2 percent on-year to $29.4 billion between January and November, with the free trade agreement with Vietnam taking effect on Dec. 20, 2015, according to the data by the Korea Customs Service.Exports of semiconductor

South Korean lawmakers failed to hold a hearing at a detention center with key suspects in a scandal involving President Park Geun-hye on Monday.Members of a special parliamentary committee visited a detention facility on the outskirts of Seoul to question Park's confidante Choi Soon-sil, and former presidential aides Ahn Jong-beom and Jeong Ho-seong, who had refused to attend a hearing at the National Assembly this month. The three figures were summoned to a hearing at a meeting room Monday but

Prosecutors summoned a former chief editorial writer of South Korea's top daily Chosun Ilbo over allegations he received bribes in return for writing favorable stories for an ailing shipbuilder and lobbying for their chief executives. Song Hee-young wrote favorable editorials and columns on Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. after he was treated to a luxury business trip to Europe in September 2011 by then company chief Nam Sang-tae.The nine-day trip with a chartered flight took him to

독일 남부 도시에서 제2차 세계대전 공습에 쓰였던 것으로 추정되는 1.8t짜리 폭탄이 발견돼 성탄절인 25일(현지시간) 5만4천명 주민이 대피했다.바이에른 주 아우크스부르크 시 건설현장에서 폭탄이 발견돼 주민들이 대피했으며 이는 독일에서 2차대전 이후 최대규모라고 dpa통신과 영국 BBC 방송이 보도했다.영국제인 이 폭탄은 1944년 공습으로 투하됐던 것으로 추정되며 지난 20일 건설현장에서 작업 중 발견됐다. (사진=연합뉴스 AP)인구 28만7천명의 아우크스부르크는 2차대전 당시 영미 공군의 폭격에 구시가지가 파괴됐다가 재건된 곳이다.시 당국은 평일보다 대피가 용이할 것으로 판단해 크리스마스에 해체작업을 진행하기로 하고 폭탄 발견장소 주변에 1m 높이의 방어벽을 쳤다.소개령이 내려진 곳은 도시 중심부 대부분이다.대피 이후 경찰관 900명과 소방관 수백 명이 남은 사람이 없는지 확인하려 폭탄이 있는 곳으로부터 반경 1.5㎞를 점검했다. 병원과 노인 요양시설 10여 곳에도 구급차 20

전남의 한 중학교 교장이 집무실에서 야한 동영상(야동)을 보는 모습이 사진에 찍혀 결국 직위 해제됐다.25일 전남도교육청에 따르면 한 중학교 교장 A씨는 지난 8일 오후 학교 1층 교장실에서 컴퓨터로 야동을 보다 지나가던 학생에게 고스란히 찍혔다.학생들은 이 모습을 스마트폰으로 찍어 사회관계망서비스(SNS)에 올렸고, 이를 본 한 학부모가 국민신문고에 신고하면서 문제가 불거졌다. (사진=연합뉴스)해당 교육지원청은 조사에 나섰으며 A 교장이 한 달여 간 주로 퇴근 시간 이후에 야한 동영상이 첨부된 스팸 메일을 열어본 것을 확인하고 14일 직위해제 조치했다.A 교장은 야동을 본 사실을 시인하고 책임을 지는 의미로 사표를 제출할 뜻을 밝혔으나 교육지원청은 이를 받아들이지 않았다.교육지원청은 지난 23일 중징계 의견을 도교육청에 보고했으며 교육청은 조만간 징계위원회를 열어 징계 수위를 결정할 방침이다. (연합뉴스)

26일 오전 1시 10분께 청주시 상당구 빌라에서 A(19)씨가 자신의 방에서 목을 매 숨진 것을 아버지가 발견해 경찰에 신고했다.A씨는 전날 오전부터 방에서 나오지 않았으며, 유서는 발견되지 않았다. (사진=연합뉴스)고교 졸업 후 대학에 진학하지 않고 아르바이트를 하며 지낸 A씨는 이날 오전 현역으로 육군 훈련소에 입대할 예정이었다.경찰은 A씨가 평소 입대하는 문제로 심적 압박을 받았다는 유족 진술을 토대로 경위를 조사하고 있다. (연합뉴스)

A group of lawmakers are set to submit their resignation from the ruling Saenuri Party on Tuesday to establish a new conservative party. Around 35 dissident legislators vowed last week to leave the party amid a factional feud with loyalists to President Park Geun-hye. They will hold their second meeting Monday to discuss their plan to create the new party, tentatively named the New Conservative Party for Reform around Jan. 20. Immediately after their departure, they will establish a parliamentar

A growing number of unmarried persons are starting their own businesses apparently due to a lack of jobs, a report suggested Monday, noting the jobless rate of young people has remained record high.According to the report from Statistics Korea, 12.2 percent of all single men were self-employed as of end-2015.The figure marked an increase of 4.8 percentage points from 7.4 percent at the end of 2006.Accordingly, the average ratio of earned income in overall income for single male households droppe

South Korean lawmakers plan to visit a detention center Monday to question key suspects in a scandal involving President Park Geun-hye, who have refused to attend a hearing at the National Assembly. The special committee seeks to hold a hearing with Park's confidante Choi Soon-sil, who is in custody at a detention facility on the outskirts of Seoul, at 10:00 a.m. and Ahn Jong-beom, former senior presidential secretary for policy coordination, and Jeong Ho-seong, former secretary for private pres

Special prosecutors raided the homes of a former top presidential aide and the cultural minister on Monday as part of an ongoing investigation into a corruption scandal surrounding President Park Geun-hye and her confidante.The team raided around 10 places including the home of Kim Ki-choon, 77, who served as presidential chief of staff from 2013 to 2015, as well as Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Cho Yoon-sun. The team also confiscated data from the ministry in Sejong, 121 kilometers so

A Seoul court on Friday slapped Rep. Choo Mi-ae, the leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, with a fine of 800,000 won ($665) for illegal electioneering, but allowed her to retain her parliamentary seat.The Seoul Eastern District Court found Choo guilty of spreading false information during her parliamentary election campaign earlier this year. But it said her legal offense was not serious enough to strip her of her status as a lawmaker.When sentenced to a fine of 1 million won or more,

The independent counsel team investigating the alleged corruption scandal centered on President Park Geun-hye said Friday that it has created a special team that will delve into the suspicious accumulation of wealth by her long-time friend Choi Soon-sil.The 60-year-old confidante Choi, who is has been in custody since late October, allegedly exerted influence on state affairs for personal benefit, using her ties to the president. The counsel said the team has hired a lawyer and well as a former

The South Korean government is set to finish collecting public opinions on the draft versions of the controversial state-authored history textbooks Friday.Critics demand the cancellation of their publication, which they claim are designed to educate students with the conservative government's views of history.The Ministry of Education plans to announce its decision early next week whether to go ahead with its plan to use them starting next year. Since it unveiled the pilot editions late last mon

The number of newly established companies in South Korea fell slightly last year amid a protracted economic slump, government data showed Friday.Some 813,000 new businesses were created in 2015, down 30,000 from 843,000 tallied a year earlier, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea.They took up 14.6 percent of the 5.55 million "operational companies" doing business in South Korea last year, down from 15.2 percent in 2014.The number of firms that closed in 2014 rose by 112,000 to 777,

Kookmin Bank, one of South Korea's biggest retail banks, said Friday it plans to cut about 13 percent of its workforce in a voluntary retirement program next month as part of its efforts to improve productivity.The bank has offered to pay the equivalent of up to three years' salary to those who are eligible for the retirement program.So far, about 2,800 employees -- who have worked for the company for more than 10 years -- applied for the program.The retirement program is set to take effect Jan.

Unionized pilots at South Korea's largest flag carrier Korean Air Lines Co. continued their 10-day strike on Friday aimed at demanding better pay and improved working conditions.Some 190 pilots out of the total 2,300 at Korean Air took part in the second day of the strike scheduled to end Dec. 31.Under a 2010 revision to the aviation law, up to 20 percent, or some 460, of the unionized pilots could have taken part in the strike. However, the union said it decided to minimize the number out of co

팝스타 리처드 막스(53)가 사회관계망서비스(SNS)를 통해 알린 '대한항공 기내난동 사건'의 피의자 임병준(34)씨가 26일 오전 경찰에 출석해 조사를 받을 예정이다. 인천국제공항경찰대는 피의자 신분으로 불구속 입건돼 귀가한 임씨를 26일 오전 10시께 소환해 조사할 계획이라고 23일 밝혔다. (사진=SNS 영상 캡쳐)경찰은 앞서 임씨에게 "늦어도 23일 오후 1시까지 출석해 피의자 조사를 받으라"고 통보했지만 그는 "변호사를 선임한 뒤 상의하겠다"며 출석 시점을 명확하게  밝히지 않았다.경찰이 이날 오전 다시 출석을 종용하자 임씨는 "변호사를 선임했다"며 "변호사가 이번 주말에는 다른 일정이 있어 다음 주 월요일에 경찰서에 함께 나가 조사를 받겠다"고 말했다. 임씨는 20일 오후 2시 20분께 베트남 하노이공항을 출발해 오후 6시 35분께 인천공항에 도착 예정인 대한항공 여객기 KE480편 프레스티지석(비즈니스석)에서 술에 취해 옆자리에 앉은 한국인 A(56)씨의 얼굴을 1차례