The young South Korean squad at this year's FIFA World Cup in Brazil may be lacking leadership, but the players shouldn't make an excuse out of their plight, one of the team's stars said Monday.South Korea dropped to Algeria 4-2 on Sunday in Group H, a loss that left the Asian side in last place among four teams at one point with the final group match versus Belgium set for Thursday.Algeria scored three goals in a 12-minute stretch midway through the first half and the match was even more lopsid

Without star midfielder Arturo Vidal, Chile looked nothing like the powerhouse that knocked defending champion Spain out of the World Cup.One of the most attacking and attractive teams at the tournament thus far, Chile started out with its trademark style but faded quickly as the Dutch established their dominance and earned a 2-0 victory Monday.Netherlands` Nigel de Jong stops Chile`s Alexis Sanchez`s attack during the group B World Cup soccer match between the Netherlands and Chile at the Itaqu

Defending champion Spain salvaged some World Cup pride on Monday with a convincing 3-0 victory over Australia in their last match at the tournament.Spain`s David Villa fires wide with a shot during the group B World Cup soccer match between Australia and Spain at the Arena da Baixada in Curitiba, Brazil, Monday. (AP)After losing their previous matches in Group B to the Netherlands and Chile, both teams took to Arena da Baixada in the southern Brazilian city of Curitiba knowing they could not adv

Neymar knew the responsibility was his. An increasingly anxious host nation was relying on him to ensure Brazil avoided the almost inconceivable prospect of going out in the group stage of a World Cup on soil.The 22-year-old Barcelona striker delivered on the weighty expectations Monday, setting the Selecao on course to clinch its place in the knockout stage with two precision first-half goals in a 4-1 rout of Cameroon.“I have the responsibility to go out there and help my teammates, said Neymar

A bureaucratic turf war between China's central government and its provincial government of Chongqing has delayed granting a final approval for South Korea's top carmaker, Hyundai Motor Co., to build its fourth plant in China, a diplomatic source and company officials said Monday. The diplomatic source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, also said South Korean President Park Geun-hye and Chinese President Xi Jinping could discuss the issue on the sidelines of their summit meeting in Seoul,

A progressive teachers' union said Monday it will stage an "all-out struggle" to regain its legal status, defying a government warning of a stern punishment.The union has refused to comply with the education ministry's order to send union staff members back to school and instead vowed to launch an "all-out struggle" against the government because a local administrative court outlawed it for having dismissed educators among its members on Thursday."The education ministry prepared guidelines for h

North Korea joined South Korea on Monday in slamming Japan for attempting to distort the country's history of sexually enslaving Asian women during World War II, calling on the neighbor to stop efforts to whitewash past atrocities.The denunciation came after Japan announced on Friday that Seoul and Tokyo officials had coordinated the wording of the so-called "Kono Statement," a landmark apology from Japan for its imperial military's "coercion" of mostly Korean and Chinese women into sexual slave

The parents of an armed deserter holed up in an east coast hillside near the inter-Korean border after going on a shooting rampage were in talks Monday to persuade him to surrender, military officers said. After having contacted the fugitive sergeant, identified by his surname Lim, his parents, along with troops, pleaded with him to turn himself in to the military, according  to the officers."While crying, he asked us to hand over the phone to speak to his father," an Army officer said, requesti

U.S. automaker Ford Motor Co. will compensate South Korean owners of its vehicles that have overstated gas mileage, the transportation ministry said Monday.According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, 30 Ford vehicles sold here have been found to have less gas mileage than advertised. This marks the first time that local consumers will be compensated over a mileage gap.The ministry said it may fine the U.S. automaker but did not elaborate on the amount or other details.The ve

Cheers by tens of thousands South Koreans on the street across the country were muted early Monday following the national football team's defeat against Algeria in their second World Cup match.The Group H clash between South Korea and Algeria kicked off at 4 a.m. on Wednesday (Seoul Time) at Estadio Beira-Rio in Porto Alegre, southeastern Brazil.Gwanghwamun Square in downtown Seoul turned into a sea of red as fans packed the plaza, sporting their signature Red Devil shirts and hair bands, and ho

One more North Korean fisherman was rescued while drifting in South Korean waters last week and the South Korean government has accepted his wish to defect, a government official said Monday."One North Korean citizen was rescued on June 16 while drifting in a small broken boat in the East Sea near the Dokdo island," the official said. The fisherman expressed his hope to remain in South Korea during a government interrogation and the government accepted his decision on humanitarian grounds, accor

South Korea's economy is expected to grow in the coming months, although there are still lingering uncertainties related to domestic demand and the stronger local currency, data showed Monday.According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the composite leading index of economic activity for South Korea stood at 101.01 in April, slightly down from the previous month's 101.02.This marked the 15th consecutive month that the index holds above the benchmark 100.The CLI is an

The two stars from the hit Korea drama “My Love from the Star” Kim Soo-hyun and Jun Ji-hyun are seeking to revoke their contracts for a controversial Chinese advertisement, a move that could potentially result in tens of millions of won in penalties for them.  Actor Kim Soo-hyun (left) and actress Jun Ji-hyun in SBS television series “My Love from the Star." (SBS)“We have asked (the Chinese bottled water maker Hengda) to revoke the advertisement contract,” said Kim’s agency Keyeast. Jun’s agency

The South Korean government will have an annual consultation with Fitch Ratings Inc. this week on the country's credit valuation, the finance ministry said Sunday.Led by Andrew Colquhoun, head of Asia-Pacific sovereigns at Fitch Ratings, the delegation will visit South Korea for meetings with the Ministry of Strategy and Finance from Tuesday to Thursday.Fitch will look into South Korea's macroeconomic issues, including its mid- and long-term plans, and the impact of external factors like the U.S

국내외로 가계부채가 늘어나는 가운데, 빚 없이 사는 사람들의 특징이 무엇인지 보도한 해외언론이 주목받고 있다.　빚 없는 사람들은 대체적으로 디테일에 강하고, 장기적으로 생각하며, 습관적으로 저축한다. 　다음 8가지 특징을 살펴보자. 주변에 빚 없는 사람들은 다음과 같은 습관을 공유하고 있지 않은가? 당신은 어떠한가? (123RF)　　1. 디테일에 주목한다 　빚으로부터 자유로운 사람들은 카드와 통장 내역을 꼼꼼히 확인한다. 수입과 지출, 투자 목록을 꿰고 있다. 　　2. 실제 버는 돈보다 적게 버는 척 한다　그들은 버는 돈보다 적은 돈으로 생활한다. 그리고는 남는 돈을 따로 모아 주택 구입, 혹은 은퇴 후 자금을 마련한다. 　　3. 장기적으로 생각한다　빚 없는 사람들은 길게 보고 생각한다. 쇼핑할 때 충동 구매를 줄이고, 더 합리적인 선택을 하기 위함이다.　　4. 질문을 두려워하지 않는다　　빚을 청산하기 위해서는 질문 하라. 그리고 도움을 요청하라. 이자율을 낮춰달라고 부탁하라. 제

Private and state-run think tanks have lowered their 2014 economic growth forecasts, according to reports out Sunday, citing a protracted slump in consumption in the aftermath of a ferry disaster.The Hyundai Research Institute had earlier expected South Korea's gross domestic product to grow 4 percent in 2014.The latest HRI report lowered the outlook by 0.4 percentage point to 3.6 percent, saying the slow recovery in private consumption and construction will drag down the domestic demand.The gro

Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to tour a main Samsung Electronics facility when he visits South Korea early next month, industry sources said Sunday.Xi will be guided by the company's vice chairman Lee Jay-yong, the heir-apparent of Samsung Group, and they will also hold talks, the sources said. The tour was arranged at Samsung's request, they said.Xi is expected in South Korea in the first week of July.Japanese media reports said he will visit on July 3-4. The Chinese president will t

A Seoul court ruled Friday that the state tax office refund Lone Star Funds 119 billion won ($117 million) in taxes collected from the U.S. buyout fund in its sale of a stake in Korea Exchange Bank.In June 2007, Lone Star, which bought KEB in 2003, sold part of its stake in the lender for 1.19 trillion won via a block sale.Local tax authorities withheld 10 percent of the sale proceeds in capital gains taxes. Challenging the taxation, LSF-KEB Holdings, Lone Star's subsidiary, filed a lawsuit.The

Criticism is deepening of the political and historical views of prime ministerial nominee Moon Chang-keuk as he was found in his doctoral thesis to have decried Koreans for harboring anti-U.S. sentiment in the wake of the watershed democratic uprising in 1980.   prime ministerial nominee Moon Chang-keuk (Yonhap)The discovery is the latest in a series of verbal and behavioral gaffes that prompted not only the opposition camp but also some members of the ruling party to call for his withdrawal. Th

South Korea's tech giant Samsung Electronics Co. announced a new tablet PC on Friday in the United States that will be the thinnest and lightest model of its Galaxy tablet PC lineup.Galaxy Tab S. (Samsung Electronics Co.) The Galaxy Tab S, set to be released around the globe in July, comes in two sizes of 10.5-inch and 8.4-inch displays. Users will be given a choice of WiFi editions or long-term evolution versions. Samsung Electronics said the 10.5-inch version of the 6.6 mm-thin device will wei