A brief look at South Korea's presidential election:   ___WHAT'S AT STAKE: A single five-year presidential term starting Feb. 25 to replace conservative incumbent President Lee Myung-bak and lead Asia's fourth-largest economy.   ___WHO'S RUNNING: Park Geun-hye, the daughter of late dictator Park Chung-hee and a five-term lawmaker of the ruling conservative party, is running against Moon Jae-in, a former human rights lawyer who served as a close aide to former liberal President Roh Moo-hyun. Ahn

South Koreans wrapped in mufflers and parkas braved frigid weather Wednesday to vote in a presidential election heading for a close finish between the two top candidates _ the liberal son of North Korean refugees and the conservative daughter of a late dictator.For all their differences, the candidates hold similar views on the need to engage with Pyongyang and other issues.One big reason: Many voters are dissatisfied with current President Lee Myung-bak, including with his hard-line stance on t

South Koreans cast their votes Wednesday in a tight and potentially historic presidential election that could result in Asia's fourth-largest economy selecting its first female leader.The ballot is a straight fight between Park Geun-Hye, the conservative daughter of assassinated dictator Park Chung-Hee, and her liberal rival Moon Jae-In, the son of North Korean refugees.Opinion polls indicate the result could go either way.The eventual occupant of the presidential Blue House will have to deal wi

A U.S. court dismissed Apple Inc.'s request to permanently ban sales of some Samsung Electronics Co. devices in the country, granting an upper hand to the South Korean handset maker in the patent war between the two tech giants, a local court filing showed Tuesday.Following a pro-Apple jury verdict in late August, the iPhone maker had filed for an injunction to permanently ban sales of 26 Samsung products in the U.S.Samsung refuted that 23 of those models were already off the market, and others

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s wife Ri Sol-ju made a public appearance for the first time in 40 days, raising suspicion that the Hermit Kingdom’s first lady is expecting a child soon.North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency broadcast on Monday Ri wearing black mourning clothes at the first anniversary of the death of former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.An official at the South Korean government said that Ri’s childbirth is imminent, given that rumors about her pregnancy have alre

왜 그는 초등학교로 가서 아무런 힘없는 어린 아이들을 그토록 많이 죽였을까.미국 코네티컷주에서 발생한 총기 난사 사건으로 미국 사회가 큰 충격과 슬픔에 빠진 가운데 범인 애덤 랜자(20)의 범행 동기가 여전히 수수께끼로 남아있다.미 언론에 따르면 랜자는 집에서 엄마를 총으로 살해한 뒤 학교로 가 학생들과 교직원들을 향해 총기를 난사했으며 스스로 목숨을 끊었다.학교에 강제로 진입해 교실 두 곳에서 미친 듯이 총을 쏘는 동안에도 그는 거의 한마디도 하지 않았으며 범행 동기를 말해줄 만한 유서나 메모도 남기지 않은 것으로 전해졌다.경찰은 랜자의 집에서 확보한 증거와 현장에서 총상을 입고 살아남은 유일한 여성의 진술을 토대로 동기를 비롯해 범행 전모를 파악한 뒤 발표할 예정이다.현재 랜자에 대해 알려진 것은 그의 형인 라이언(24), 고교 스승과 동창들, 이웃들이 전하는 진술들을 토대로 한 내용뿐이다.이들은 랜자가 똑똑했지만, 내성적이며 사람들과 어울리지 못하는 외톨이였다고 이구동성으로 전

South Korean pitcher Lim Chang-yong has signed with the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB), an informed source told Yonhap News Agency Monday."Lim Chang-yong signed the contract over the weekend in the U.S.," the source said, requesting anonymity. Financial terms of the deal were not immediately known, according to the source.Lim is scheduled to return to South Korea later Monday to announce the signing. He is expected to disclose other details of the contract then.The right-hander flew

Marking the first anniversary of the death of late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, the North unveiled on Monday a renovated mausoleum for the ruling Kim family.The reopening ceremony for Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, held from 9:00 a.m., was broadcast live by key television stations including (North) Korean Central Broadcasting Station, monitored in Seoul.The North's state news wire service Korean Central News Agency said in an English dispatch that "an inaugural ceremony of the renovated Kumsusa

A mass blind date which was scheduled to be held in a public park in Seoul on Christmas Eve may be called off, after the park administrator decided not to allow the event. “The organizers said at first that the event would draw just a small number of people, but it is now expected to draw too many,” said an official at Yeouido Park, central Seoul. “The park is place for citizens, not for the promotion of private firms.” First suggested by an SNS user, the event has attracted around 40,000 single

South Korea's ruling party presidential candidate Park Geun-hye blasted the opposition camp Friday for accusing her of cheating and meddling in the race, saying the claims amounted to nothing but false propaganda."From this moment, I am declaring an all-out war on false propaganda," the 60-year-old contender of the Saenuri Party told a news conference at party headquarters. "I will firmly crush the political maneuvering, false accusations and slander that have taken over this land so that they m

The Navy has retrieved the debris of North Korea's long-range rocket launched earlier this week and a joint investigation team will analyze it to get a glimpse of the communist state's rocket technology, the defense ministry here said Friday.Less than two hours after Wednesday's liftoff, a South Korean Aegis destroyer deployed in the Yellow Sea discovered an object, believed to be part of a fuel container from the first stage of the rocket, near the trajectory announced by the North."The Navy's

   작은 몸집으로 인해 ‘호빗’이라는 별명을 얻은 고대 인류 호모 플로레시엔시스의 얼굴을 재구성한 이미지가 호주 인류학자에 의해 10일 (현지시간) 공개되었다.시드니 모닝 헤럴드지는 울런공 대학의 인류학자 수잔 헤이스가 과학 수사 기법을 통해 지난 2003년 인도네시아 플로레스 섬에서 발굴된 30세, 신장 91.44 센티미터인 호모 플로레시엔시스 여성의 화석을 이용해 얼굴 그림을 만들어내는데 성공했다고 보도했다.“그녀는 예쁘지는 않아요”라고 헤이스는 말했다. “큰 눈같이 여성적인 요소는 없고 이마도 거의 없죠.” 헤이즈는 3D 이미징 기법과 컴퓨터 단층 촬영 (CT) 스캔을 이용해 이와 같은 이미지를 완성했다. 지금까지의 호모 플로레시엔시스에 대한 기존의 상상도는 유인원에 가까웠으나 헤이즈는 이번에 완성된 호모 플로레시엔시스의 이미지가 침팬지보다는 인간에 가깝다고 말했다.”호모 플로레시엔시스는 인도네시아 플로레스 섬에서 1만7천년 전 살았던 것으로 추정된다.호빗은 J.R.R. 톨킨

South Korea's defense chief said there was successful separation of the first and second stages of North Korea's long-range rocket that was launched on Wednesday. "South Korea and the U.S. military are checking whether North Korea's rocket accurately entered orbit," Kim Kwan-jin told a Yonhap News reporter on his way back from an emergency national security meeting convened by President Lee Myung-bak. "Our radar has verified that (the rocket's) second stage separated."Kim said his government was

Samsung Electronics Co., the world's top smartphone maker, claimed the biggest share in the global market for long-term evolution (LTE) devices for the fifth straight quarter, data showed Tuesday.The company topped the LTE market with a 40 percent share in the third quarter, but its stake slipped from 50.9 percent in the previous quarter amid growing competition, according to the data by research firm Strategy Analytics.Handset makers have been racing to roll out LTE devices betting on the fast-

South Korean figure skater Kim Yu-na overwhelmed her competitors en route to a resounding victory in her season debut in Germany on Sunday after sitting out the past one and a half years.Kim scored 129.34 points to top the day's free skating event at the NRW Trophy, and grabbed the title with a total of 201.61 points. On Saturday, she earned 72.27 points in the short program, creating a 12.72-point lead over Ksenia Makarova of Russia.Kim's total was the highest score by a female figure skater

South Korean maritime police said Sunday they have arrested 24 Chinese sailors who violently resisted the authority's crackdown on their illegal fishing in the Yellow Sea.The latest clash took place in waters near the western port city of Incheon on Nov. 27, when Chinese sailors aboard three vessels fought against Korean maritime police officers, hurling fishing gears and wielding steel pipes at them, Incheon Coast Guard officials said.Four officers sustained minor injuries in the clash with the

This year’s Nobel Prize in literature winner, Mo Yan, who has been criticized for his membership in China’s Communist Party and reluctance to speak out against the country’s government, defended censorship Thursday as something as necessary as airport security checks.He also suggested he won’t join an appeal calling for the release of the jailed 2010 Peace Prize laureate, Liu Xiaobo, a fellow writer and compatriot.Mo has been criticized by human rights activists for not being a more outspoken de

South Koreans in the United States began casting their ballots Wednesday in the presidential election in their homeland.It is the first time that South Koreans abroad have taken part in presidential polls, thanks to a revised election law that took effect in 2009.The early voting is taking place at a dozen polling stations across the United States, including one in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, according to officials at the South Korean Embassy.The election, slated for Dec. 19, pits Park G

  A collection of baby animals born at popular zoos around the United States. (UPI)<관련 한글 기사>세상에서 가장 귀여운 새끼동물들!미국 전역 동물원에서 태어난 새끼동물들의 사진이다. (코리아헤럴드)

80개 이상의 약물이 자몽과 밀접한 연관이 있는 것으로 전해졌다. 그 중 반은 심각한 합병증을 유발하며 사망에도 관여한다고 캐나다 연구진이 전했다.온타리오 런던에 위치한 로슨헬스리서치연구단(Lawson Health Research Institute)의 약리학자 데이비드 베일리(David Bailey)는 20여 년 전 이미 자몽과 특정 약물과의 관계를 밝혀냈다. 그 이후 해당 약물의 수는 증가했다."지난 4년 동안 둘 사이의 관계가 부작용 뿐만 아니라 심각한 상황을 초래할 수 있다는 것을 발견했어요."라고 베일리가 캐나다 방송과의 인터뷰에서 말했다.자몽과 섭취할 시 부작용을 일으키는 약에는 콜레스테롤 수치를 낮추는 약, 항생제, 칼슘통로차단제 등과 같이 자주 사용되는 약들이 있다.45세 이상의 사람들이 자몽 구매량이 가장 많으며 약물섭취도 가장 높은 것으로 드러났다. 이들이 문제상황에 접할 확률이 가장 높다고 베일리가 전했다.캐나다의학연합저널(Canadian Medical Associ