Per capita rice consumption in South Korea hit a fresh record low last year amid rapid changes in eating habits, government data showed Tuesday.The average annual consumption of rice per person fell to 61.9 kilograms last year, down 1.6 percent from the previous year's 62.9 kg, according to the data by Statistics Korea. (Yonhap)The figure has been on a steady decline since 1984 when it posted 130.1 kg, and started to make new record lows of 104.9 kg in 1996, breaking the earlier record low of 10

South Korea's unification ministry on Tuesday launched an advisory body to help the government set up its policy on North Korea's human rights in accordance with a law aimed at improving the way Pyongyang treats its people.The 10-member advisory committee will provide recommendations to the government in carrying out its probe into North Korea's human rights abuses and conducting relevant policies, according to the Ministry of Unification. The committee members, mainly consisting of professors,

Woori Bank, a major South Korean lender, said Tuesday that it has won approval from the Polish financial regulatory authority to set up a representative office in the eastern European country.Woori Bank said it will open its representative office in the southwestern city of Katowice later this month as part of its efforts to establish a bridgehead in Europe. (Yonhap)The representative office is located near an industrial complex, which is home to assembly lines of Samsung Electronics Co., Hyunda

South Korea's Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn on Tuesday voiced hope for enhanced policy coordination with the new US government, amid concerns about possible shifts in the bilateral alliance.Alarmed by a series of campaign remarks by US President Donald Trump that were skeptical of military alliances and trade deals with American allies and partners, Seoul has been trying to maintain close ties with Washington, its top security ally."I hope that the inauguration of US Presiden

South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party on Tuesday decided to refer a lawmaker to its ethics panel for hosting an exhibition that included a painting portraying President Park Geun-hye in the nude.Rep. Pyo Chang-won organized the exhibition in the lobby of the National Assembly building. The exhibition featured the picture titled "Dirty Sleep," which parodies Edouard Manet's "Olympia."An official from the party said the Supreme Council held an emergency meeting and decided to bring the is

 A Seoul court was set to decide Tuesday on the arrest of a former university chief suspected of giving admissions and grading favors to the daughter of President Park Geun-hye's close friend.Choi Kyung-hee, president of Ewha Womans University from 2014 to 2016, is accused of helping Chung Yoo-ra gain admission to the school despite her alleged ineligibility. An independent counsel probe has been under way to determine the truth behind the allegations that Chung's mother, Choi Soon-sil, abused h

South Korea will bolster its detection and surveillance capabilities this year to better counter North Korea's weapons of mass destruction, the defense ministry said Tuesday. In 2017, the military is planning to deploy 10 new weapons systems to more effectively deal with threats posed by Pyongyang's nuclear and other unconventional weapons, the Ministry of National Defense said in a statement. The new systems include chemical, biological and radiologicalreconnaissance vehicles, the towed array s

 A Seoul appeals court on Tuesday upheld a lower court's decision to exonerate a former Navy chief accused of corruption in a parts supply deal for the country's indigenous salvage ship.Retired Adm. Chung Ok-geun was indicted in July over allegations that he pressured his subordinates to forge a document in 2009 to help a firm win the contract for the 3,500-ton Tongyeong. Chung served as the chief of naval operations from 2008-2010.The Seoul High Court found him not guilty, citing a lack of clea

A to-be-opened Tanzanian general hospital will reportedly employ dozens of North Korean doctors due to the lack of such manpower in the African nation, a US broadcaster reported Tuesday.The branch school of Kampala International University in Dar es Salaam is scheduled to open the hospital with 1,000 beds in June, Radio Free Asia said, citing a local source. The hospital plans to scout doctors from foreign nations, including the North, Pakistan and Cuba, to make up for the shortage of local doct

The head of South Korea's state financial watchdog assured foreign investors Tuesday that the country's economy maintains strong fundamentals unscathed by a political setback at home.Zhin Woong-Seob, governor of the Financial Supervisory Service, stressed that the fiscal, monetary and financial authorities are in close cooperation for risk management. Zhin Woong-Seob (front row, center), governor of the Financial Supervisory Service, poses for a photo with heads of foreign investment firms in So

South Korea's passenger car exports made a turnaround in the fourth quarter of last year for the first time in more than two years on the back of rebounding oil prices, the latest customs data showed Tuesday.The total value of exported vehicles reached $10.73 billion in the October-December period, up 0.2 percent from $10.7 billion a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Korea Customs Service. (Yonhap)It is the first time that the quarterly figure finished in positive terrain since

South Korea will raise greenhouse gas emissions rights in the trading market for this year in a bid to meet its tightened reduction target, the finance ministry said Tuesday.Under the revised 2017 emissions allocation plan endorsed by the Cabinet, some 538.9 million tons of emissions rights will be involved in the trading market, up 17 million tons from the country's earlier goal of 521.9 million tons for the year, according to the Ministry of Strategy and Finance. (Yonhap)The revision came as S

South Korea's unification ministry said Tuesday it released a book containing updated profiles of North Korea's key party, state and military officials including Ri Son-gwon, the new chief of the North's inter-Korean agency.The ministry released its annual Who's Who on a total of 361 North Korean figures after compiling information based on the North's media reports and announcements, it added.The book, which also contains short biographies of 61 late officials, was published in a bid to help un

The average starting salary of employees of public financial firms has reached nearly 40 million won ($34,000), data showed Tuesday.On average, recruits of 11 financial firms under the control of the government earned 39.85 million won a year as of 2015, according to data compiled by the Financial Supervisory Service, South Korea's financial watchdog. (Yonhap)The state-run Korea Development Bank took the top spot, with the average starting salary for a new recruit standing at 46.54 million won.T

The use of 50,000 won ($42.85) denominated banknotes has become more widespread, replacing smaller 10,000 won bills, central bank data showed Tuesday.According to the Bank of Korea, the circulation of 10,000 won banknotes at the end of last year was 16.24 trillion won, 5.7 percent less than the year before and the smallest since 1998. (Yonhap)Circulation is measured by the total value of banknotes issued minus the amount that has been retrieved by the central bank.  Circulation of 10,000 won bil

South Korea's three telecom operators are likely to have racked up decent earnings in 2016, helped by curbs on their marketing spending and a growth in their fixed-line Internet businesses, industry data showed Tuesday. The combined revenue of SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus is expected to have expanded 1.1 percent on year to 50.77 trillion won ($43.67 billion) last year, according to the data compiled by industry tracker FnGuide.  (Yonhap)Their combined operating profit is likely to have risen 4.7

Those in the IT and refinery industries here are expected to receive hefty bonuses after their firms enjoyed a record year in terms of sales and profit, market observers said Tuesday.Many are expected to be paid as much as half their annual salary in one-time incentive pay, they added. (Yonhap)Samsung Electronics Co., the world's largest supplier of mobile phones, posted an operating profit of 9.2 trillion won ($7.9 billion) in the fourth quarter of 2016, up nearly 50 percent from the same perio

South Korea is seeking to set up a contingency team to improve its consular service for South Koreans traveling overseas, the ambassador for consular affairs said Tuesday."(We) plan to establish an emergency situation room at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in order to respond in a timely manner to overseas accidents, including terrorist attacks or earthquakes," Ambassador for Overseas Koreans and Consular Affairs Han Dong-man said in an interview with Yonhap News Agency.The situation room can i

The issuance of asset-backed securities in South Korea dropped sharply last year, affected by the government's policy measure to slow the growth of household debt, data showed Tuesday.The amount of ABS issued in 2016 totaled 60.7 trillion won ($52.2 billion), down 26.8 percent from a year earlier, according to the Financial Supervisory Service. (Yonhap)The decline came as the state-funded Korea Housing Finance Corp. scaled down its issuance of mortgage-backed securities by 36.7 percent on-year t

South Korea will further improve its automatic tolling system on major expressways as a way of reducing traffic congestion, the government said Tuesday.The new and improved tolling system will be built around the existing Hi-Pass system, but without the large tolling booths that inevitably create a narrow passage for cars.Currently, drivers using the automatic tolling system are required to greatly reduce their speed when passing through such a toll booth, as those booths also create possible ob