[THE INVESTOR] Bank of Korea’s foreign exchange team will hold a meeting at 2 p.m.The meeting was initially scheduled for 3 p.m., but was pushed forward due to the increasingly likelihood of the UK leaving the European Union, the central bank said. BOK officials will discuss ways to stabilize the country’s forex market should it show larger fluctuations due to Brexit. By Choi He-suk (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)

[THE INVESTOR] CJ Group chairman Lee Jae-hyun is being sued by a half-sibling born to his father out of wedlock, Seoul Central District Court revealed on June 23. The plaintiff was born to late CJ Group honorary chairman Lee Maeng-hee and an actress in 1964. He filed a paternity suit in 2004 and was confirmed as Lee Maeng-hee’s offspring.  Late CJ Group honorary chairman Lee Maeng-hee.The latest suit seeks compensation of 210 million won (US$182,000), claiming that the plaintiff was barred by th

[THE INVESTOR] The first round of the legal battle between Kumho companies has gone to Kumho Asiana Group chairman Park Sam-koo.On June 23, the Seoul Central District Court sided with Park in the civil suit brought by his brother Park Chan-koo’s Kumho Petrochemical.Kumho Petrochemical had filed a suit against Park and former Kumho E&C chief Kee Ock claiming that the two were behind the sale of Kumho Industrial’s commercial papers in 2009. The firm claims that the two orchestrated the sale of the

[THE INVESTOR] Kakao’s games affiliate NZIN announced on June 23 that it will buy 40.1 percent of Roi Games for 6 billion won (US$5.2 million).The investment will make NZIN the largest shareholder of the Korean games maker. With the stock purchase, NZIN will gain publishing rights to Roi Games’ upcoming releases.NZIN is 29.42 percent held by Kakao, and 45.4 percent by Kakao’s investment subsidiary K Venture Group. By Choi He-suk (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)

[THE INVESTOR] Five Korean banks and their Chinese branches have been included among the 14 market makers for won-yuan direct trading market, the Ministry of Strategy and Finance announced on June 21. This is the first time Korean banks have been named market makers in China’s foreign exchange market.  pixabay.comThe five Korean entities are Woori Bank, KEB Hana Bank’s Chinese operations, KB Kookmin Bank, Shinhan Bank and Kore Development Bank’s Shanghai branch. Other banks included in the list

[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Heavy Industries workers are to vote on whether to stage strike next week, feeding concerns for the country’s ailing shipbuilding industry.Samsung Heavy’s labor group said on June 21 that it will inform the authorities of labor dispute at the company on June 22, and put the strike to the vote next week. Under local regulations, a labor group must first formally declare that industrial dispute has occurred before any action can be put to the vote. Unlike Hyundai Heavy Indus

[THE INVESTOR] Kim Jung-ju of NXC Inc., the holding firm of games maker Nexon, is to be questioned by the authorities in connection with the scandal surrounding senior prosecutor Jin Kyung-jun.According to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, Kim will be summoned for questioning, and his lawyers are currently working out a schedule. The prosecution said that they do not have evidence of any wrongdoing on Kim’s part, and that the NXC chairman will be questioned as a witness.  Kim Jung-

[THE INVESTOR] Whether to increase corporate taxes is shaping up as a key issue of contention between major political parties in the new parliament that began its inaugural session Monday.The chief policymaker of the liberal main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea last week reaffirmed the party would soon submit a tax code revision bill to raise the maximum corporate tax rate, which would be applied to companies with annual profits exceeding 50 billion won ($42.6 million), to 25 percent from the c

검은 표범이 등을 돌린 사육사를 사냥하는 영상이 화제다. 영상은 한 마리 표범이 사냥감에 다가가듯이 조심스레 사육사에게 다가가는 모습을 보여준다. 가까이 다가간 표범은 곧 사육사를 덮치지만, 남성은 익숙한 일인 듯 표범을 밀쳐내고 얼굴을 내밀어 표범과 친근함을 표시하기까지 한다. 표범이 사람을 해치는 듯한 이 영상은 실제로는 사육된 표범이 사육사와 장난을 치는 것. 영상은 ‘검은 재규어 백호 재단 (Black Jaguar and White Tiger Foundation)’이라는 비영리재단이 SNS에 올리면서 화제가 된 바 있다. 재단은 멕시코에서 애완동물로 사육되는 맹수를 구출해 재단이 운영하는 보호구역에서 사육하고 있다. 영상에 등장하는 맹수는 씨에로(Cielo)라는 이름의 검은 표범으로 새끼 때부터 재단에서 사육해 온 것으로 알려졌다. (khnews@heraldcorp.com)　

우리나라에서도 자체시청률 기록을 깨며 인기를 얻는 HBO드라마 ‘왕좌의 게임’의 한 캐릭터가 현대식 손목시계를 차고 등장한 모습이 포착돼 화제다. 　일부 해외네티즌들에게 극 중 피터 베일리시 (에이든 길렌분)이 현재 방영되고 있는 시즌6의 4화에서 손목시계를 찬 모습을 포착해 인터넷상에서 화제가 된 것. 　포착된 장면을 살펴보면 캐릭터의 왼쪽 손목에 손목시계가 옷소매 밑으로 나와 화면에 잡힌 것을 확인할 수 있다. 　이에 해외네티즌들은 ‘시간 여행자냐?’ ‘(극의) 배경이 중세 같지만 생각보다 높은 기술력을 가진 민족’이라는 등의 댓글로 제작진의 실수를 조롱하고 있다. 　　

프랑스 동부도시 브장송 (Besançon)에서 2인조 강도단이 햄버거가게를 털려다 마침 식사 중이던 특공대원들에게 검거되는 사건이 발생해 화제다. 영국의 일간지 미러는 지난 7일 (현지시각) 브장송에서 총기를 휴대한 2인조 강도단이 한 쇼핑센터 내에 위치한 맥도날드 점포에 난입해 점원을 위협하고 2,000유로, 우리 돈 약 260만 원을 강탈하려다 검거되었다고 전했다. 보도에 따르면 강도단은 계산대에 있던 현금을 받아내는 데 성공했지만, 이들의 계획은 마침 식사를 하던 프랑스 헌병특공대 (Groupe d‘Intervention de la Gendarmerie Nationale)소속 특수요원들에 의해 무산되고 말았다고. 보도에 따르면 당시 11명의 헌병특공대원이 식사 중이었고, 용의자 중 한 명은 복부에 총상을 입은 것으로 전해졌다. 한편, 프랑스 헌병특공대는 1974년 설립 이후 1,800여 작전에 투입되었고 600여 명의 인질을 구출한 것으로 알려져 세계에서 가장 강력한 대테러부대

Kim Hong-kyun, South Korea's special representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs, will visit Beijing on June 8-9 for talks with his Chinese counterpart Wu Dawei, the Ministry of Foreign Affair said on Sunday. (Yonhap)

Korea's Ministry of National Defense will publish a summary of its biennial defense white paper in six foreign languages starting this year in an effort to help foreign countries have a better understanding of Seoul's defense policies, officials said Sunday.The summary of the 2016 Defense White Paper due out at the end of this year will be published in six foreign languages -- English, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Spanish and Arabic -- said the officials, adding the abridged foreign-language edit

President Park Geun-hye arrived in Seoul on Sunday after her swing through Africa and France that strived to boost economic cooperation and win broad support to sanction North Korea's for its nuclear weapons program.The trip illustrated South Korea's efforts to tap into business opportunities on the African continent that has huge growth potential as well as to further strengthen existing economic ties with Paris.Asia's fourth largest economy signed dozens of initial deals with Ethiopia, Uganda

Lee Soo-man, the chairman of S.M. Entertainment Co., remained in the first place in the list of Korea's stock-rich celebrities this year, as his management agency and record labels continued to post brisk performance, data showed Sunday.The stock assets by the K-pop entertainment mogul were estimated to be 180.1 billion won ($151.8 million) as of June 3, slipping 1.3 percent from Jan. 2, according to the data compiled by corporate tracker Chaebul.com.Yang Hyun-suk, the chief of YG Entertainment

The number of North Korean defectors arriving in South Korea has rebounded this year after showing a steady decline under the rule of the North's incumbent leader, government data said Sunday.A total of 590 defectors from the North came to South Korea in the first five months of this year, posting a 16 percent hike from the same period last year, according to the data obtained from the Ministry of Unification in Seoul.It is the first time that the arrival of North Korean defectors has increased

Korea's crude oil imports from Iran have more than doubled this year following the lifting of sanctions in January as major refiners have ramped up purchases of cheaper oil offered by the Middle Eastern nation, the state-run oil company said Sunday. A total of 30 million barrels of Iranian crude and condensate were shipped to South Korea in the first four months of this year, up 113.5 percent from a year earlier, the Korea National Oil Corporation (KNOC) said. The annual import of Iranian crude

South Korean President Park Geun-hye visited a research institute of French Air Liquide SA, the world's biggest supplier of industrial gases, on Saturday to boost cooperation in fuel-cell vehicles as she wrapped up her state visit to France.The trip to the research institute in Grenoble, a city in southeastern France, underscores the importance South Korea places on liquefaction technology in further spreading the use of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.She looked around the facility that liquefies h

 Korean rhythmic gymnast Son Yeon-jae established a personal best in the individual all-around at an International Federation of Gymnastics (FIG) competition in Spain on Saturday (local time), but failed to grab a medal.Son earned a career-high 74.650 points in total from hoop, ball, clubs and ribbon over two days at the season's third FIG World Cup in Guadalajara, Spain. This was 0.450 points higher than her previous best score at the FIG World Cup in Sofia, Bulgaria, last month. (Yonhap)Son wa

South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se arrived in Cuba Saturday (local time) to attend a regional summit, officials said, marking the first time Seoul's top diplomat has visited the Caribbean state.Yun is scheduled to stay in Havana for two days to attend a summit of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) and hold meetings with some of his counterparts from the participating nations.Yun's visit is widely seen as an effort to improve ties with Cuba, with which South Korea does not have dip