South Korea's exports of automobiles dropped significantly from a year earlier in January while its domestic sales grew, the government said Wednesday.Outbound shipments of vehicles plunged 9.9 percent on-year to 256,052 units last month while domestic sales gained 4 percent, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.The country's total output dropped 10.3 percent to 368,243 units.The ministry attributed the drop in exports partly to worsening global consumer sentiment due to the U

South Korea's exports of food and agriculture products shrank slightly from a year earlier last month amid large drops in shipments to China and European countries, the government said Wednesday.In January, outbound shipments of farm products amounted to $445.9 million, down 1.5 percent from the same month last year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs."The drop in exports last month appears to have been caused by shrinking shipments of ginseng, sugar and processed c

South and North Korea began their first high-level talks in seven years on Wednesday, a crucial meeting that could set the tone for inter-Korean ties after months of tensions.The rare talks come four days after North Korea made a surprise offer for a comprehensive discussion on inter-Korean relations as an apparent part of its recent conciliatory overtures toward South Korea.The officials of the Koreas sat down for the talks at the border village of Panmunjom shortly after 10 a.m., South Korea's

Jeju Air Co., South Korea's largest budget carrier, said Wednesday that it introduced a new plane to its fleet as part of its ongoing efforts to expand its market presence.The company, which is owned by Aekyung Industrial Co. and uses Jeju Island as its main hub, said the new B737-800 will augment its fleet of 13 planes already in service.It said another passenger jet will be introduced in March for a total of five planes to be incorporated this year and one to be sold off. The expansion will gi

South Korean pop group Girls' Generation has collaborated with famous American music production duo "The Underdogs" for its upcoming new album, the group's management agency said Wednesday.Girls' Generation is set to unveil "Mr. Mr." the lead track of its fourth mini-album, on major local music services such as Melon and Naver Music at noon on Wednesday, next week, ahead of the official release of the album on Feb. 24.It will be the first album to be put out by the group in more than a year sinc

KT Corp., South Korea's No. 2 mobile carrier, said Wednesday it has signed a deal with the Angolan government to export its security systems to the police there.Under the deal, KT will provide the African country with its security solutions including closed circuit television in the capital city of Luanda to prevent crimes.The project, which is estimated to be worth 41 billion won ($38.4 million), is due to be completed by 2016."KT will sign a memorandum of understanding soon, and it will share

Wrapping up its year-long investigation, a special United Nations panel on North Korea's human rights abuses plans to publish a final report on the issue next week, a media report said Wednesday.In March last year, the U.N. launched the Commission of Inquiry, a three-man investigation body led by retired Australian Judge Michael Kirby, and has conducted a probe into the rights situation in the communist country.It was the U.N.'s first attempt to launch such an official investigative mission on t

A group of Chinese diplomats in charge of Korean affairs visited North Korea last week, marking the first visit by Chinese officials since the high-profile purge of leader Kim Jong-un's uncle about two months ago, a diplomatic source said Wednesday.The Chinese delegation, led by Deputy Director-General of Asian Affairs Xing Haiming, included some diplomats who are working to persuade North Korea to return to the long-stalled multilateral talks aimed at ending the North's nuclear weapons developm

The government has launched a task force aimed at mapping out plans to nurture the country's service industry that could result in more job creation, the finance minister said Wednesday."The government launched and started to operate a one-stop task force last month to nurture five promising service sectors -- health and medical treatment, education, tourism, finance and software," Finance Minister Hyun Oh-seok said at a meeting with other economy-related policymakers in Seoul."We also plan to l

Germany's repentant attitude toward its World War II aggression serves as a good example to Northeast Asian countries faced with recurring diplomatic tensions over history-related issues, Seoul's foreign minister said.Yun Byung-se made the remarks during a phone conversation with his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier late Tuesday, according to the foreign ministry."The exemplary case of how Germany deals with history issues can be a good example in solving regional issues in Northeast A

Financially troubled South Korean construction firms are expected to refinance a large sum of debts due in March and April, industry data showed on Wednesday, raising concerns that their already shaky footing could further worsen.According to the data, a total of 5.23 trillion won ($4.9 billion) in debts sold by 24 local construction companies are due this year, around 2.04 trillion won, or 39 percent, of which are scheduled to mature in March and April.The data showed that 11 builders have to r

A Korean comedy film about an old woman who suddenly recovers her physical youth has exceeded the 6 million audience mark in local theaters, the movie's local distributor said Wednesday.Starring Shim Eun-kyoung, "Miss Granny" has attracted 6.03 million viewers through Tuesday, the 21st day after opening, pushing the animated Disney film "Frozen" down from the No. 1 spot on the daily box-office chart, CJ Entertainment said. It cited official box-office data from the Korean Film Council."Miss Gran

South Korean tech companies have been slashing prices of Ultra HD (UHD) TVs in the global market, data showed Wednesday, as they vie for consumers amid stiff competition.The latest price of the 55-inch UHD TV made by Samsung Electronics Co., the world's top TV maker, was $2,999 in the U.S. market, down 45.4 percent from $5,500 in August, market data showed.The price for the same size made by LG Electronics Inc., South Korea's No. 2 tech giant, came to $3,500, also falling sharply from $6,000 in

A senior security official at the presidential office has been sacked only a week after his appointment, an official said Wednesday, a highly unusual decision that has sparked speculation that he had conflicts with other officials over how to deal with North Korea.Chun Hae-sung, a senior unification ministry official who was named last week as the presidential secretary for security strategy under the office of national security, has been sent back to his ministry, presidential spokesman Min Kyu

South Korean speed skater Lee Sang-hwa captured the gold medal in the women's 500 meters on Tuesday at the Sochi Winter Games, putting together two blistering races to successfully defend her Olympic title.In the two-race competition at Adler Arena Skating Center, Lee had a combined time of 74.70 seconds, a new Olympic record and 0.36 second faster than the runner-up, Olga Fatkulina of Russia. Margot Boer of the Netherlands took the bronze in 75.48 seconds combined.After ranking first in the ope

South Korean speed skater Lee Sang-hwa put herself in prime position to claim her second straight Olympic gold in the women's 500 meters after Tuesday's opening race at the Sochi Winter Games.Lee posted the fastest time in the first of the two races with 37.42 seconds, 0.15 second ahead of Olga Fatkulina of Russia.The next races will start at 6:34 p.m. here (11:34 p.m. in South Korea), and the combined time will determine the champion.Lee, the 500ｍ world record holder with 36.36 seconds, was gro

미국 버지니아 주 리치몬드의 한 교회가 예배 복장으로 누드를 권장해 화제다. 리치몬드 화이트 테일 채플의 앨런 파커 목사는 교인들이 "예수 그리스도 앞에 영혼을 숨김없이 드러내고, 창조된 모습 그대로 하나님을 찬양하기를 바란다"며 누드 찬양의 의미를 전했다. 누드로 예배를 드리는 것은 선택적 사항이며, 본래 취지를 위해 부분적 탈의를 하는 교인도 있는 것으로 알려졌다. 예배를 마친 파커 목사는 지난 9일 "한겨울의 추위도 교인들의 누드, 혹은 부분적 누드 의지를 꺾지 못했다"며 이러한 누드 권장 방침에는 그 어떠한 성적인 취지도 없다고 강조했다. "오직 육체적인 관점에서 보면, 내가 상대편보다 나은 존재라는 오만함이 사라진다"며 "누구나 신체에 흉터가 있고, 같은 (신체적) 조건을 가진 인간이란 사실을 사랑하고 받아들일 줄 아는 것을 배워야 한다"고 말했다. (코리아헤럴드 정주원 기자 joowonc@heraldcorp.com)<관련 영문 기사>Nudity encouraged in V

South Korea's two largest entertainment companies, whose performers include Big Bang, Girls' Generation and Psy, have become members of the country's main lobby group for big businesses, an official press announcement said Tuesday.The Federation of Korean Industries said the group's 21-member executive body approved the membership of SM Entertainment and YG Entertainment along with applications made by 52 other companies. The other companies are leaders in the country's service and tech venture

A Seoul appellate court on Tuesday convicted Hanwha Group Chairman Kim Seung-youn for embezzlement and gave him a suspended prison term.In a retrial held four months after the nation's top court sent the case back, the Seoul High Court sentenced the 62-year-old disgraced tycoon to three years in prison with a five-year stay of execution.Kim was found guilty of using company money to pay back debts of other firms he was running under borrowed names, causing hundreds of billions of won in losses t

South and North Korea will hold high-level talks this week, an official said Tuesday, a sign of thawing ties amid Pyongyang's conciliatory overture toward Seoul.The two Koreas will meet at the border village of Panmunjom at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, said an official of the unification ministry, which handles inter-Korean affairs.The talks came three days after North Korea made the proposal to discuss overall inter-Korean affairs, the official said.He said the two sides are expected to discuss ways t