Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn returned from his overseas trip to Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey on Tuesday, after expanding Seoul's diplomatic ties and fostering business opportunities for local firms.During his trip, Hwang met Uzbekistan Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyoyev and agreed to expand economic cooperation between Seoul and Tashkent. It marked the first time in eight years for a Korean prime minister to visit the Central Asian country. He also visited Saudi Arabia in an apparent bid t

Hyundai Motor Co., Korea's top automaker, has been stepping up collaboration with leading battery makers to extend its electric vehicle's driving range to 400 kilometers on a single charge by 2020, company officials said Tuesday. Hyundai is set to officially launch the Ioniq Electric next month, which topped the nation's fuel economy test with a 191 km range on a single charge earlier in the day. Hyundai Motor's new electric vehicle model, the Ioniq Electric (Yonhap)Its range was evaluated at 20

North Korea has cast women in a TV program to push forward an anti-smoking campaign, Pyongyang observers here said Tuesday.North Korea's Central TV Station aired a 40-minute-long public service announcement program on Friday titled "The Extra Quality Favorite Item Threatening Life," North Korea watchers said.In the video, a narrator from the TV station explained about the dangers of smoking, saying, "Today, our North Korean women do not smoke at all, so we have met many women to hear various opi

Korean Ambassador to Italy Lee Yong-joon on Monday received a Premio Simpatia 2016 award from the Rome city government for his contributions to disseminating Korean culture in the European country.Lee is the first Korean diplomat to receive the award in the ceremony held at the city hall. He was honored for his contributions to spreading Korean culture among Italians since his appointment as ambassador to Rome in May last year.Lee successfully operated the Korean Pavilion at the 2015 Milan Expo,

Korean stocks closed 0.9 percent lower Tuesday as concerns about a potential U.S. rate hike weighed on market sentiment here. The local currency sharply fell against the U.S. dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) dropped 17.57 points to 1,937.68, the lowest since late February. A total of 511 million shares were traded, worth 4.9 trillion won ($4.2 billion), with losers outnumbering gainers 582 to 247. (Yonhap)Foreigners and institutional investors sold a net 120 billion

The Korean version of Silicon Valley crossed the 70 trillion won ($59 billion) line in gross sales for the first time last year, a report from a think tank of the Gyeonggi provincial government said Tuesday.The number of companies operating at Pangyo Techno Valley, just south of Seoul, reached 1,121 as of the end of last year, up 119 firms or 11.9 percent on-year. Their total sales recorded 70.27 trillion won, also up 1.3 percent from a year before, according to the Gyeonggi Institute of Science

Ten Korean designers will open a pop-up store at a renowned concept store in Paris next month, a local design foundation said Tuesday.The Seoul Design Foundation said the store, named "Seoul's 10Soul," will open at L'eclaireur in Paris on June 22 and run for three weeks.The designers include those who participated in Seoul Fashion Week, including D. Gnak, Heich es Heich, Nohke and Moohong. "We created the opportunity for the designers' clothes to be actually sold to customers," said Jung Ku-ho w

Korea's Cabinet on Tuesday approved a package of new bills, including the country's first comprehensive anti-terrorism bill that the government stresses is critical for safeguarding the country from acts of violence spreading across the globe.The bill approved in the Cabinet meeting, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Yoo Il-ho, provides the National Intelligence Service with access to personal information, including financial transactions of terrorism suspects.It also includes plans on establishi

Korea will introduce a single account system in a pilot program to make it more convenient for foreign investors to trade stock here, the financial regulator said Tuesday. Under the "omnibus account" system, offshore institutional investors can open a single account at a local securities company to handle stock trading of their clients in Korea.Under the new system, they receive trading orders for Korean stocks from their clients and place the orders with the securities company where they have a

Korea said Tuesday that it has come to an agreement with Israel to begin negotiations next month on a free trade deal that could further boost bilateral trade.The first round of negotiations is set for June 27 in Seoul.The decision was reached in a meeting between South Korea's vice trade minister Woo Tae-hee and a senior Israeli official in Jerusalem, according to South Korea.Korea and Israel began talks on a free trade deal in 2009, but progress has been slow amid Seoul's efforts to seal free

국내외를 막론하고 ‘알뜰족’을 중심으로 생활 꿀팁 정보들이 빠르게 퍼져 나가고 있다.해외에서는 ‘lifehack’이라 불리며 많은 관심을 받는 생활 팁, 알뜰족을 위한, 알뜰족에 의한 ‘생활꼼수’ 총정리!생활꼼수 첫 번째로, 해외 온라인매체 ‘That Viral Feed’가 지난 20일 전한 콘돔의 색다른 사용법을 소개한다.피임기구인 콘돔을 이용해 열리지 않는 병뚜껑 열기 등 일상생활에서 맞닥뜨리는 문제 해결에 쓰는 것인데, 알고 있다면 유용하게 쓰일 수 있는 ‘꼼수’다. 　1. 병뚜껑 열기돌려서 개봉하는 병뚜껑이 너무 꽉 조여져 애먹은 경험은 누구나 있을 텐데, 콘돔을 이용하면 간단하게 해결된다고 한다. 방법은 간단하다. 윤활제가 없는 콘돔을 병뚜껑에 씌우고 돌리기만 하면 끝. 설명에 따르면, 콘돔을 사용해 손과 병뚜껑이 직접 닿는 것을 막아 피부의 수분 때문에 손이 미끄러지는 것을 방지하고, 마찰을 높여 손쉽게 뚜껑을 개봉할 수 있다고 한다. 　2. 임시 방수반창고 이것 또한 매

Korea's Internet banking service industry continued to rise at a fast clip in the first quarter with both the number of users and daily transactions reaching record highs, central bank data showed Tuesday.In the three months ended March 31, the number of Internet and mobile banking service users came to 119.8 million, up 2.5 percent from the previous quarter, according to the data from the Bank of Korea (BOK).The number is the sum of all registered users of 17 Internet and mobile banking service

Korea's top state-run think tank revised down its growth outlook for the local economy Tuesday, citing a continued slump in exports and sluggish demand at home and abroad.The Korea Development Institute (KDI) said Asia's fourth-largest economy was expected to expand 2.6 percent this year, down from 3 percent forecast six months earlier.The latest projection is the most pessimistic outlook yet offered by a local institute. Bank of Korea (Yonhap)The Bank of Korea predicted 2.8 percent growth in it

Korean prosecutors on Tuesday indicted a retired Army brigadier general on charges of taking kickbacks from a defense contractor for peddling influence in a 2014 military procurement deal.The investigators at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office said that they indicted and arrested the former official of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), surnamed Hong, for pocketing 54 million won ($45,477) from a local defense firm in 2014.Hong is alleged to have used his influenc

아일랜드 출신의 특별한 자매의 사연이 외신에 소개되며 화제를 모으고 있다. 영국 일간지 미러는 24일 인터넷판에 제이미 오헐리히와 클로이 오헐리히 자매의 사연을 소개했다. 각각 23세와 20세인 제이미와 클로이는 겉보기에는 여느 20대 자매와 다름없다. (페이스북)하지만, 이들은 사실 자매가 아닌 형제로 태어난 것. 보도에 따르면, 제이미와 클로이(본명 다니엘)는 남자로 태어났으며, 아직 의학적으로는 남성이지만 여성처럼 꾸미고 여성으로 살아가고 있지만, 곧 성전환수술을 통해 여성으로 다시 태어날 계획이라고 한다. 오헐리히 형제는 아주 어렸을 적부터 성정체성에 대한 혼란을 겪었고, 몸은 남성이지만 자신들이 여성이라고 믿은 것으로 전해졌다. 어렸을 적 이들은 자신의 성정체성이 탄로 날 것이 두려워 이런 사실을 철저히 비밀로 유지했고, 동생 클로이의 고등학교졸업을 축하하는 자리에서 오랫동안 숨겨온 비밀을 공개했다고 한다. 제이미는 외신과의 인터뷰에서 “난 처음부터 (성정체성을) 알고 있었

인터넷 방송 아프리카에서 ‘베이글녀’로 인기몰이를 하는 여성 BJ 임지금이 방송에서 선보인 요가 자세가 화제가 되고 있다. (유튜브)청순한 외모와 글래머 몸매로 아프리카 시청자들에게 큰 인기를 끄는 BJ 임지금은 누적 시청자수가 3,000만 명을 넘길 만큼 여성 BJ계 여신으로서의 입지를 단단하게 구축하고 있다. 　한편, 과거 방송에서 임지금이 선보인 요가 방송 역시 지금까지 꾸준히 유튜브 등으로 입소문을 타고 있다. 　당시 임지금은 “허리에 좋은 자세”라며 고양이 자세 요가를 선보이며 우월한 골반을 뽐낸 바 있다. 　과감한 요가 자세에 남성 시청자들은 댓글로 “섹시하다” “한 번 더 보여주세요” 등의 반응을 보였다. 　(khnews@heraldcorp.com)　

Hyundai Motor Co. and its smaller affiliate Kia Motors Corp. saw their combined shares in China surpass 9 percent for the first time this year in April, the companies said Monday.The two Korean carmakers sold a combined 146,378 cars in April in China, up 0.1 percent from a year earlier, according to the data provided by the companies.The combined share by Hyundai and Kia in the world's largest auto market stood at 9.2 percent in April, compared with 8.2 percent in March, the data showed.The data

Korea's central bank appears to be fast running out of options for its key rate with a looming U.S. rate hike and the country's sluggish economy crippling its move in either direction, experts noted Monday.The Bank of Korea (BOK) has stood pat on its key rate after sending it to a record low of 1.5 percent in June 2015. Bank of Korea (Yonhap)The experts said the bank might be forced to again extend its wait-and-see mode for another month in June, not by necessity but by its lack of options. The

Nearly half of foreigners revisited Korea last year, with the Japanese becoming the most frequent travelers to the nation, a survey by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism showed Monday. According to the 2015 survey conducted at major gateways on 12,900 visitors to the nation, 46.1 percent of the respondents said they had visited Korea more than once. Among them, 78.7 percent of Japanese were returning visitors, while the corresponding figure for Chinese travelers, the biggest tourist gro

Hyundai Motor Co., Korea's top automaker, said Monday that it plans to unveil a total of 50 cars at a motor show to be held in Korea's second-largest city of Busan next month.Among cars to be unveiled at the motor show include the G80, which will be renamed from the Genesis DH, and the RM16, an upgraded version of the RM15 coupe concept.The RM16, a midship-engined car based on Hyundai's Veloster, has a lighter and stronger frame using aluminum and carbon fiber.Hyundai's luxury brand Genesis is s