U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has no plan to meet one-on-one with his counterpart from North Korea on the sidelines of an upcoming regional security conference in Myanmar, his spokeswoman said Monday.Kerry is scheduled to make a three-day visit to Naypyitaw, the capital of Myanmar, this weekend to attend a set of annual meetings led by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, including Asia's biggest annual security gathering, known as the ASEAN Regional Forum.ARF and other ASEAN talks h

A South Korean sports marketing firm has purchased a Belgian football club.Sportizen, a Seoul-based sports marketing company, on Monday signed off on a deal to acquire the second-division Belgian club A.F.C Tubize.The company claimed it is the first South Korean firm to take over a European professional football club. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.Located in the city of Tubize, about 25 kilometers south of the Belgian capital of Brussels, A.F.C Tubize was founded in 1989 when

South Korea's antitrust watchdog said Monday that it has fined Caffe Bene, the country's largest coffee franchise, 1.94 billion won (US$1.88 million) for abusing its market power in deals with shop owners.The Fair Trade Commission accused Caffe Bene of forcing shop owners selling coffee under its brand to bear full costs related to a promotional event jointly arranged with KT Corp. in 2010 to provide discounts to customers of the mobile carrier. Caffe Bene was supposed to shoulder half of the co

Police said Monday they are questioning three officers on suspicions that they ignored tips about the final hiding place of a fugitive tycoon wanted in connection with April's ferry disaster.The three officers of the Suncheon Police Station, located in the southern city that's about 415 kilometers south of Seoul, are suspected of ignoring phone calls about a secret closet inside Yoo Byung-eun's vacation home in the city, according to the National Police Agency (NPA).The police and the prosecutio

A homegrown action film about a 16th-century Korean naval hero's astonishing victory against Japan surpassed the 5 million viewer mark on Monday, the movie's investor-distributor said."Roaring Currents" exceeded the milestone at about 9:30 a.m. Monday, the sixth day since opening, CJ Entertainment said.This was four days faster than a record shared by "Snowpiercer" (2013), "The Face Reader" (2013), "Iron Man 3" (2013) and "The Thieves" (2012).Released on Wednesday, "Roaring Currents" has set var

At least 10 people were killed and two injured in South Korea as Typhoon Nakri battered the country's southern region over the weekend, toppling trees and inundating bridges, disaster officials said Monday.One person was hit and killed by an airborne object at a South Jeolla Province farm, the central disaster management agency said, announcing the death toll as of 6 a.m. Monday.Another person was killed and two others hurt after a tree toppled over them at a camping site in North Gyeongsang Pro

South Korea will cancel designations of free economic districts that have been dormant over the past three years, allowing the areas to be developed for other purposes, the government said Monday.The move follows a revision of the law in 2011 on free economic zones  that allows for cancellations of free economic districts that fail to attract foreign investment over a certain period of time.Ten districts in eight FEZs throughout the country will be undesignated as of Tuesday while four other dis

The defense minister apologized Monday over the death of a soldier who long suffered from severe assaults and abusive treatment by his comrades in his barracks, vowing to reform the military's culture to prevent any recurrence. In April, a 23-year-old Army private first class, surnamed Yoon, died after allegedly being hit in the chest by six of his colleagues at their barracks of the 28th Division in Yeoncheon, just south of the inter-Korean border, while eating some snacks.The assault caused a

연예인들의 온라인상 영향력을 가늠하는 새로운 척도로 소셜네트워크의 팔로워 수 집계가 주목받고 있다. 인기가 많은 연예인일수록 SNS상의 많은 팔로워들과 관계를 맺고 있고, 팔로워들이 연예인의 소식을 퍼 나르면 해당 연예인은 인지도가 높아져 삽시간에 큰 인기를 누리기도 한다. 이는 결국 SNS상에서의 영향력 상승으로 연결된다.또 소셜네트워크는 연예인의 소소한 일상이나 그 때 그 때의 기분을 몇 초 만에 업데이트할 수 있어, 온라인 팬층을 확장하고 간접적으로 자신의 연예계 활동 소식 등을 알리는 홍보 플랫폼으로 활동도가 높다. 일부 SNS 대응이 빠른 연예인과 소속사들은 인스타그램이나 웨이보 등 해외 이용자 수가 많은 SNS도 적극 활용하는 추세다. 1. 페이스북국내 스타 중 가장 많은 페이스북 팔로워를 보유하고 있는 연예인은 배우 이민호다. 이민호의 페이스북 팔로워는 1500만 명을 넘어서며 독보적인 1위를 고수하고 있다. 가수 싸이가 1230만 명의 팔로워로 2위를 차지했다. 이민호

The global market share of Hyundai Motor Co. and its corporate cousin Kia Motors Corp. reached 9.1 percent in the second quarter of this year, thanks mainly to demand for newly launched vehicles, industry sources showed Monday.According to South Korea's two largest automakers and findings by U.S.-based LMC Automotive, the combined market share of Hyundai and Kia topped the 9 percent mark for the first time in three quarters. The highest market share so far was 9.4 percent reached in the fourth q

South Korea's minimum wage has been set at 5,580 won ($5.40) per hour for next year, up slightly over 7 percent from this year, the labor ministry said Monday.In late June, a trilateral council of government, labor and management representatives agreed to raise the country's minimum wage for 2015 by 7.1 percent from the current 5,210 won per hour.The hourly wage translates to 44,640 won a day for those who work eight hours a day and 1.16 million won a month for those who work 209 hours a month.T

The government convened an emergency meeting Monday to discuss ways to deal with the deadly Ebola virus that is fast spreading in the West African region.Hundreds of people have died after being infected with Ebola hemorrhagic fever mainly in the West African region since the first reported outbreak in March. Officials from the foreign ministry, the health ministry and the nation disease control agency plan to discuss ways to prevent the entry of the virus into the country, according to the Prim

The presidential office plans to ask the parliament Monday to hold a confirmation hearing on President Park Geun-hye's choice to be the new culture minister, an official said.The move came a day after Park nominated Kim Jong-deok, a professor of visual design at Seoul's Hongik University, as the culture minister, the last post of her new Cabinet.Park conducted a major Cabinet shake-up in June to try to regain public confidence in her administration rocked by April's deadly ferry disaster.The pre

South Korea topped the list of wage gap between men and women among advanced countries with the gender pay gap hardly narrowing over the past decade, data showed Monday.According to the data compiled by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, South Korea's wage gap by gender stood at 37.4 percent, the highest among the 11 OECD member nations surveyed, as of 2012.The figure means that South Korean women are paid 37.4 percent less than their male counterparts.Japan came next wit

South Korea's No. 2 handset maker, LG Electronics Inc., is anticipated to ship more than 60 million units of smartphones in 2014, analysts said Monday, backed by its robust sales of the G3 flagship model."While the competition in the smartphone sector is set to escalate over the second half, the G3 model will continue to gain ground before the launch of the new iPhone," Kiwoom Securities Co. said in its report, adding the local rival of Samsung Electronics Co. will post annual sales of 62 millio

The United States believes North Korea may still consider the use of biological weapons as an option and the communist nation continues to develop its biological research and development capabilities, according to a State Department report.The department made the assessment in this year's "Report on Adherence to and Compliance With Arms Control, Nonproliferation, and Disarmament Agreements and Commitments," which is also known as the "Compliance Report." The annual report was released last week.

탤런트 김가연이 80건 정도의 악플을 고소했다고 밝히면서 악플러 고소 기준과 방법을 공개했다.지난 30일 밤 방송된 MBC 예능프로그램 ‘황금어장 라디오스타’(이하 라디오스타)는 미저리 특집으로 꾸며지며 김가연, 가수 조관우, 개그우먼 유상무, 걸그룹 씨스타 다솜이 출연해 화려한 입담을 과시했다.이날 MC들은 “김가연이 악플러를 고소하기로 유명하다”고 말했다.이에 김가연은 “80건 정도를 고소했고, 실제로 처벌을 받아서 통지가 날아온 것은 약 40여 건이 된다”고 답했다.이어 “조롱이나 비난은 그냥 넘어간다. 일명 ‘패드립’이라고 하는 가족 관련한 입에 담을 수 없는 악플은 고소한다”며 기준을 제시했다.김가연은 “딸과 남편 임요환 나이 차이가 얼마 나지 않는다는 이유로 자꾸 딸과 관련된 악플을 남긴다. 그건 못 넘어간다”고 ‘악플러’를 고소한 이유를 밝혔다.방송후 누리꾼들은 “라디오스타 김가연, 악플 대처 잘하는 듯“ ”라디오스타 김가연, 저렇게 해야 악플러들도 정신차리지” “라디오

(헤럴드 DB)컨추리꼬꼬 출신 탁재훈(본명 배성우, 46)이 결혼 13년 만에 파경 위기를 맞았다.지난 30일 법조계는 탁재훈이 지난 6월 법률대리인을 통해 아내 이효림 씨를 상대로 이혼 소송을 제기했다고 밝혔다.한 매체에 따르면 탁재훈의 위임을 받은 법률대리인은 서울가정법원에 관련 소장을 제출했다. 현재 이들 부부는 재산권 분할 및 양육권 등을 놓고 법정 다툼을 해야 하는 상황이다. 이들은 성격 차이로 이혼을 선택했다. 서로 문제를 극복하려고 노력했지만 갈등을 좁히지 못했다는 후문이다.한편 탁재훈은 지난해 불법 도박 혐의로 징역 6월, 집행유예 1년을 선고받은 상태다. 탁재훈의 이혼소송 소식을 접한 누리꾼들은 "탁재훈, 왜이렇게 안좋은 모습만 계속 보이는거야", "탁재훈, 이제 방송 못나오겠다", "탁재훈, 컨추리꼬꼬는 사고만 치네" 등의 반응을 보였다.(onlinenews@heraldcorp.com)<관련 영문 기사>　Tak Jae-hoon files for divorce　　Si

가수 이효리가 자신의 건강 비법으로 오일풀링을 소개했다.이효리는 지난 29일 오후 방송된 SBS 예능프로그램 '매직아이'에서 "나는 6개월째 오일풀링을 하고 있다"고 밝혔다.오일풀링은 인도식 건강관리법으로, 식물성 기름을 입에 머금어 입안을 닦아 뱉어내는 것을 뜻한다. 이효리는 "아침에 일어나 식물성 오일로 가글을 하면 입안의 독소가 지용성이기 때문에 오일과 함께 독소가 나온다고 하더라"고 전했다.이효리는 오일풀링에 대해 "독소가 나가기 때문에 피부도 좋아지고 살도 빠진다는 후기도 있다"며 "민간요법이라 과학적 근거는 없지만 내 주변에는 오일풀링을 통해 효과를 본 사람이 있다"고 말했다.이에 배우 문소리는 "우리 부모님은 잇몸이 안 좋았는데 오일풀링을 하니 효과가 매우 좋다고 했다"며 오일풀링의 효과에 공감했다.방송인 홍진경 역시 오일풀링에 대해 "피부질환, 기관지 질환에는 물론 비염에도 효과가 있다고 한다. 치아미백과 입 냄새 제거에도 좋다"고 덧붙였다.하지만 오일풀링에는 부작용도

The number of tourists visiting the Chinese side of Mt. Paektu jumped nearly 20 percent in the first half of this year from a year earlier, a U.S. radio report said Friday.A total of 328,000 tourists traveled to the mountain in China in the January-June period, up 19.3 percent from a year earlier, the Washington-based Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported, citing the official website of China's Jilin province.The 2,744-meter-high mountain sits on China's northeastern border with North Korea. During Chi