LONDON -- A South Korean sailing team coach has been sent home after being fined by local police for driving under the influence of alcohol, officials here said Wednesday.South Korean officials said the coach, surnamed Lee, was stopped by police in Weymouth, south of London, at round 5 a.m. Wednesday. Weymouth will host sailing competitions during the July 27-Aug. 12 Olympics, and South Korean sai

South Korean stocks hit a yearly low on Wednesday as worries over debt-mired Spain and Greece further weighed on investor sentiment already dampened by a worsening global economy, analysts said. The local currency lost ground against the U.S. dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) retreated 24.62 points to 1,769.31, the lowest close for the year.Trading volume was moderate

South Korea’s central bank said Wednesday that the recovery pace of the local economy is weakening as exports are losing steam, hit by the eurozone debt crisis and China’s slowing growth.The Bank of Korea (BOK) delivered a surprise rate cut to 3 percent on July 12, underscoring its urgency to shield the local economy from bitter impacts of the eurozone debt problems. Market players bet on an addit

For dozens of South Korean athletes and coaches training and staying at Brunel University here, their base camp for the upcoming London Olympics has been a home away from home.To a man, they praised training environments on campus, located in the charming little town of Uxbridge in the northwestern part of London. The Korean Olympic Committee (KOC), for the first time for an Olympics on foreign so

South Korean officials unveiled their main training base for Olympians to the media on Tuesday as athletes geared up for the upcoming Summer Games kicking off this weekend.The Korean Olympic Committee (KOC) set up the camp for more than 270 athletes in 10 sports at Brunel University, nestled in the quiet neighborhood of Uxbridge in the northwestern part of London.Athletes and coaches in sports inc

South Korea's quest for its first Olympic football medal took another hit here on Tuesday as midfielder Han Kook-young went down with an injury just days before the competition's start.Hong Myung-bo, head coach of the men's football squad, said Han suffered a hairline fracture on his left foot. He'd been complaining of pain since early Monday, Hong added.Han has been replaced by Jung Woo-young, wh

South Korea will kick off its London Olympics football tournament on Thursday against Mexico in Newcastle.St. James' Park will be the venue for the Group B opener at 2:30 p.m. local time, as South Korea seeks to win its first Olympic medal in football. Other nations in the group are Switzerland and Gabon.It will be South Korea's first action at this year's Olympics, coming a day before the opening

Next to the image of archer Ren Hayakawa under the 'athletes' section on the official Web site of the London Olympics is the Japanese flag. But the birthplace of the 24-year-old is listed as Anyang in South Korea.Hayakawa, born Um Hye-ryeon in the Gyeonggi Province town south of Seoul, became a Japanese citizen in 2007. There have been athletes from around the world who acquire foreign passports t

South Korean stocks began sharply lower Wednesday, as signs of a worsening debt crisis in Spain and Greece unnerved investor sentiment, analysts said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 28.60 points, or 1.59 percent to 1,765.33 in the first 15 minutes of trading.Shares lost ground across the board, with market bellwether Samsung Electronics slumping more than 2 percent and

South Korean stocks turned lower Monday after a strong start, dampened by concerns over the depeening crisis in the eurozone region, analyst said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) lost 5.94 points, or 0.33 percent to trade at 1,783.50 in the first 15 minutes of trading.Shares traded mixed, with tech giant Samsung Electronics staying flat and chipmaker SK hynix jumping 2.5 per

South Korean stocks closed 1.84 percent lower Monday as Spain's call for a rescue fund spurred a new wave of fears that the eurozone debt crisis is deepening, analysts said. The local currency fell against the U.S. dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) plunged 33.48 points to finish at 1,789.45. Trading volume was moderate at 491.3 million shares worth 3.55 trillion won ($

South Korean stocks started sharply lower on Monday as renewed concern over debt-ridden Spain raised the specter that the eurozone fiscal crisis is worsening, analysts said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) lost 27.80 points, or 1.53 percent to 1,795.13 in the first 15 minutes of trading.Shares moved downward across the board, with top-cap Samsung Electronics and Hyundai Moto

Many mothers can‘t tell whether their toddlers are big kids or too-big kids, U.S. researchers discovered.Dr. Erin Hager of the University of Maryland School of Medicine and colleagues had low-income moms of overweight toddlers choose silhouettes that the moms thought represented the size of their child.“Ninety-four percent of the mothers of overweight toddlers chose a silhouette that was two or mo

South Korean stocks opened higher on Friday as overnight rallies on Wall Street cheered investors, analysts said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) edged up 1.03 points, or 0.06 percent, to 1,823.99 in the first 15 minutes of trading.U.S. stocks closed higher on Thursday as earnings from technology companies outweighed concerns over weak employment data.Tech issues led the gai

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Jim Yong Kim, the new head of the World Bank, laid out their joint vision Thursday for promoting gender equality across the world.Taking the stage together at a forum in Washington, they agreed that collecting more gender-sensitive data is a basic step toward addressing related problems through policy decisions."Getting the gender-sensitive

The number of subcontract workers in the country surpassed the 100,000 mark last year, government data showed Thursday.According to the data released by the labor ministry, workers hired by in-house subcontractors totaled 106,601 in 2011, up 7.2 percent from a year earlier.First adopted during the Asian financial crisis in 1998, an in-house subcontracting system has been widely used by local compa

South Korea ranks 43rd in gold holdings, 13 notches higher from a year earlier, but its reserves remain relatively small compared with other nations, data showed Thursday.South Korea's gold holdings came to 54.4 tons as of July this year, the 43rd largest among 113 countries and organizations surveyed by the World Gold Council, an international body that offers key information about gold.South Kor

South Korean stocks got off to a strong start on Thursday, boosted by overnight rallies on Wall Street, analysts said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) jumped 27.2 points, or 1.52 percent, to 1,822.11 in the first 15 minutes of trading.U.S. stocks closed higher on Wednesday on the back of U.S. Fed chief Ben Bernanke's remarks and firm gains in technology shares.Blue chips led

WASHINGTON -- Jim Yong Kim, the new head of the World Bank, warned Wednesday that almost all areas of the world will be affected by the ongoing European financial crisis."To put it starkly, what's happening in Europe today affects the fisherman in Senegal and the software programmer in India," Kim said in his speech at the Brookings Institution. "Therefore, it is urgent that European countries tak

Domestic sales of steel products in South Korea declined 4.7 percent on-year in the first five months of the year due to prolonged economic uncertainties and weak demand, a trade association said Tuesday.According to the Korea Iron and Steel Association (KOSA), domestic shipments of steel products amounted to 23.13 million tons in the January-May period.Experts said a drop in demand from shipbuild