A North Korean patrol ship violated the tensely guarded western maritime border several times Monday night, but it retreated after repeated South Korean military warnings, Seoul's defense ministry said Tuesday.The North Korean vessel crossed the Northern Limit Line, a de facto maritime border, at around 10:46 p.m. Monday, and sailed to a location about 23.4 kilometers west of South Korea's Yeonpyeong Island in the Yellow Sea.The ship returned to its territory at around 2:25 a.m. Tuesday after th

Pantech Co., South Korea's No. 3 handset maker, is expected to file for a debt workout program later in the day to get back on its feet again amid a cash crunch, industry sources said.The filing came some two years after Pantech was released in December 2011 from its five-year debt workout program.Pantech trails after Samsung Electronics Co. and LG Electronics Inc. It once overtook LG Electronics in 2010 to become the country's No. 2 smartphone maker, thanks to strong sales of its Vega smartphon

The Pentagon announced plans Monday to reduce the number of ground troops to the lowest level since before World War II as part of efforts to cut budgets.It is still unclear whether or how it will affect the operation of the 28,500-strong U.S. Forces Korea, officials said.Under the proposal unveiled by Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, the Army will be downsized to between 440,000 and 450,000 soldiers by 2017. The current force is 520,000.  "We are repositioning to focus on the strategic challen

Earnings by asset managers in South Korea soared during the third quarter of fiscal 2013 from a year earlier, largely due to a rise in commission income, the financial regulator said Tuesday.A total of 84 asset management companies posted a combined net profit of 129 billion won ($120 million) in the October-December period, rising 30.5 percent from 98.9 billion won three months earlier, according to the Financial Supervisory Service. The companies close their books on March 31.The stronger bott

Toyota Motor Korea, the local importer of the world's largest automaker, is recalling 12,579 vehicles sold here due to problems with heated seats and hybrid motor control systems, the transportation ministry said Tuesday.The problem with substandard materials used in heated seats affects six models and 5,232 vehicles, while the hybrid system's troubles involve 7,347 Prius vehicles, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport."Tests carried out on heated seats during the stand

Samsung Electronics Co., the world's top maker of smartphones, on Monday revealed its latest Galaxy model, which focuses more on users than features.The Galaxy S5, introduced at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, comes with a 5.1-inch display, wider than the 4.99 inches of its predecessor, the Galaxy S4, launched in April. The device is also equipped with a 16-megapixel camera."We only succeed when customers choose us," said Shin Jong-kyun, who heads Samsung's mobile business. He sai

South Korea's financial watchdog is pressing financially weak conglomerates such as Dongbu Group to speed up their restructuring amid worsening liquidity conditions, industry sources said Tuesday.According to the sources, the Financial Supervisory Service called in executives of Dongbu Group last week and told them to accelerate the conglomerate's self-rescue efforts to dispel market concerns over its financial health.  "Although the group does not seem to face a great liquidity risk, we have ur

South Korea's Park In-bee has held the top post in the women's world golf rankings for the 46th consecutive week.In the latest Rolex Rankings announced Tuesday, the 26-year-old solidified her top spot after getting an average of 10.3 ranking points.Suzann Pettersen of Norway, who competed for the money title against Park in the Honda LPGA Thailand of 2014 on Sunday, ranked second with 9.54 points, followed by Stacy Lewis of the United States with 8.70.Anna Nordqvist, who had claimed the latest L

North Korea has been designated as a high-risk entity threatening the global financial system for money laundering and terrorism financing, the website of an international body on the issue monitored in Seoul showed Tuesday.The Financial Action Task Force said, "(It) remains concerned about the DPRK's failure to address the significant deficiencies in its anti-money laundering and combating the financing of a terrorist regime and the serious threat this poses to the integrity of the internationa

Hundreds of South Koreans will bid farewell, perhaps for good, to their long-lost relatives from North Korea on Tuesday after their first temporary reunions since the 1950-53 Korean War.A total of 357 South Koreans will return home later in the day after three days of reunions with 88 elderly North Korean relatives at Mount Kumgang, a scenic resort on the North's east coast.Their final, one-hour meeting started at around 9:10 a.m. Tuesday morning, bringing to 11 the number of times they were abl

A former McDonald's restaurant employee in Olean, N.Y., says she was fired after picking up the tabs for several local fire departments.Last week, Heather Levia, 23, paid an $83 bill for food ordered by several local fire departments who were working to put out a house fire in the area in sub-zero temperatures, WIVB-TV, Buffalo, N.Y., reported."Just because I appreciate everything they do," said Levia, a single mother and 8-year McDonald's employee.Later in the day, another group of fire fighter

Prosecutors declared an all-out war on organized crime groups on Friday as they are expanding into various sectors of society.Veteran prosecutors from district prosecutors' offices across the country gathered at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in southern Seoul to discuss ways to effectively clamp down on the organized crimes, SPO officials said."The prosecution, armed with new investigative techniques, will launch an extensive crackdown on organized gangs, which are evolving," said Yun Gap-guen

China on Friday called for U.S. President Barack Obama to cancel a scheduled meeting with exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.Obama is scheduled to meet the Dalai Lama, who says he seeks meaningful autonomy for Tibet, not independence, on Friday in Washington. China labels him as a political exile who engages in separatist movements."By arranging a meeting between the president and the Dalai Lama, the U.S. side will grossly interfere in the internal affairs of China," China's foreign

South Korean household income grew 2.1 percent on-year in 2013 thanks in part to improved labor market conditions that led to more employment, a government report showed Friday, although the slow pace of growth suggests a lingering economic slump.According to the report by Statistics Korea, the monthly income of households consisting of two members or more stood at an average of 4.16 million won ($3,875) last year, up from 4.07 million won tallied a year earlier.Inflation-adjusted household inco

산후조리 8개월차에 접어든 미국 모델 겸 영화배우인 킴 카다시안(33)이 현지 가십성 매체(타블로이드)들의 "엉덩이 지방이식" 의혹에 대해 분노의 트위터 글을 남겨 화제다.카다시안은 지난 19일 자신의 트위터에 "타블로이드 기사들을 보면 내가 엉덩이에 (지방) 이식을 했다고 하는데, 장난하냐"고 일갈했다. 또 카다시안은 트위터에 "내가 임신했을 때의 (살찐) 몸매와 지금 살을 빼려고 노력하는 모습을 조롱거리로 만들다니, 부끄러운 줄 알아라"며 "내가 완벽한 존재는 아니지만 당신들의 말라깽이 표준 기대치에 절대 굴복하지 않을 것"이라고 분개했다.특히 일부 가십성 매체들이 자신의 임신 전 모습을 담은 사진과 아직 산후 조리중인 현재의 사진을 비교하며 성형에 대한 억측을 남발하고 있다고 카다시안은 강조했다. 그녀는 또 "(아이를 낳기전 몸매로 돌아가려면) 아직 살을 더 빼야한다"며 "아이를 낳아본 사람은 산후 몸매 회복, 특히 마지막 몇 킬로그램을 빼는  일이 얼마나 힘든 일인지 알고 있

South Korea's No. 2 tech giant LG Electronics Inc. said Friday it won a patent battle with U.S.-based non-practicing entities.Technology Properties Limited had filed a petition against LG in July 2012, claiming the South Korean firm infringed its patent on application processors, which function as the "brain" of smartphones.The U.S. International Trade Commission cleared LG Electronics of the accusations, making its preliminary conclusion in September last year official."LG has been asserting th

Hundreds of South and North Korean families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War met again with each other on the second day of reunions Friday at a North Korean mountain resort.A total of 82 elderly South Koreans, accompanied by 58 family members, exchanged gifts with about 180 North Korean relatives in their hotel rooms as they shared more personal stories after decades of painful separation.Kim Dong-bin, 80, said he excitedly prepared presents for his North Korean relatives as he showed South

South Korea called on Japan Friday to stop any attempts to whitewash its sexual enslavement of South Korean women during World War II after a Tokyo official suggested a plan to withdraw the country's previous apology for the atrocity.Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga indicated in a parliamentary meeting on Thursday a plan to re-examine South Korean victims' previous testimony used to draw up the so-called Kono statement.The statement was issued in 1993 by then-Chief Cabinet Secretar

With Samsung Electronics Co., the world's No. 1 smartphone maker, out to prove its dominance at the Mobile World Congress 2014 next week, smaller players are set to scramble for niche markets at one of the industry's highlight events.The event opens a month after the U.S. Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where South Korea's Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics Inc. and other Chinese and Japanese players fought it out for a technological lead in the display sector.Samsung and its rivals are

Amid nascent steps to improve inter-Korean ties, South Korea and the United States may face rifts over North Korean policy, including an approach towards the Gaeseong industrial park, a U.S. congressional think tank said. As part of the so-called "trustpolitik," South Korea's conservative Park Geun-hye administration has tried to reach out to North Korea. Pyongyang has responded positively, allowing the temporary reunion this week of families separated by the 1950 53 Korean War."An issue for the