South Korea's industrial output rose for three months in a row in January on a continued recovery of exports, government data showed Thursday.Production in the mining, manufacturing, gas and electricity industries moved up 1.7 percent in January from a year earlier, continuing its upward march from a 4.2 percent gain in December and a 5.3 percent rise in November, according to the data by Statistics Korea. (Yonhap)From a month earlier, the figure also rose 3.3 percent on a gain in chips and elec

An expected rise in demand for liquefied natural gas is likely to boost demand for LNG carriers, which in turn will help South Korean shipbuilders clinch more LNG ships and related facilities, industry sources said Thursday.Earlier, Royal Dutch Shell, a global oil and gas firm, has said global demand for LNG reached 265 million tons in 2016, and the LNG demand is set to grow at twice the rate of gas demand, at 4 to 5 percent a year through 2030. (Yonhap)Shell added further investments will need

한 30대 여성이 남편이 "음주운전은 안된다"며 자동차 열쇠를 주지 않아 자신의 일터에서 자신의 몸을 분신했다. 2일 경찰과 소방당국에 따르면 오전 0시 19분, 강원 강릉지 구정면에 위치한 한 물류센터에서 A씨가 얼굴 등 상반신에 2도 화상을 입고 서울의 한 병원으로 옮겨져 치료 받고 있다. 남편 B씨는 물류센터를 운영하는 A씨와 술을 마신 뒤 물류센터를 찾았다. 아내인 A씨가 음주 후 운전대를 잡으려 하자 "음주운전이 아닌 대리운전으로 귀가하라"며 자동차 열쇠를 건네주지 않았다. 남편이 잠시 자리를 비운 사이 순간 화를 참지 못한 A씨는 창고에 있는 석유를 자신의 몸에 뿌리고 불을 냈다. 경찰은 남편 B씨 등을 상대로 자세한 경위에 대해 조사 중이다.코리아헤럴드 지예은 인턴기자 (yeeunjie@heraldcorp.com)

Hyundai Motor Co. and its smaller affiliate, Kia Motors Corp., saw their combined sales in the United States drop nearly 7 percent in February as Kia's sales slumped, industry data showed Wednesday.The two South Korean auto giants sold a combined 95,693 units in the US last month, down 6.9 percent from the same period last year, the data showed.  (Yonhap)Hyundai's sales remained flat at 53,020 units, compared with last year's 53,009, but Kia's took a 14.2 percent dive to 42,673 units from last y

South Korea's retail giant Lotte Group said Wednesday that it has suffered a disruption to its Chinese website in what could be a cyberattack by unidentified Chinese hackers in apparent retaliation against its cooperation with the deployment of an advanced US missile defense system in South Korea.The website, www.lotte.cn, has remained inaccessible to visitors since Tuesday afternoon.(Yonhap)A Lotte official said the disruption was caused by a virus planted by hackers, citing an analysis of comp

A growing number of South Koreans used Internet banking services last year due mainly to the widespread use of smartphones, a survey showed Wednesday.The ratio of South Koreans aged above 12 who used Internet banking services stood at 57.5 percent in 2016, up 5.0 percentage points from a year earlier, according to the survey.(Yonhap)The 2016 figure represents a substantial hike from 2004, when 31.6 percent of South Koreans used Internet banking service.The number of Internet banking service user

The tax burden for South Korean households hit a record high in 2016, data showed Wednesday, further worsening their financial situation amid a prolonged economic slowdown.Households spent more than 1.9 million won ($1,670) in taxes on average in 2016, up 2.1 percent from a year earlier, according to data compiled by Statistics Korea. (Yonhap)It marked the highest amount since 2003, when the statistics office started collecting data on the tax burden.The increased tax burden has led to a hike of

South Korea's state financial watchdog said Wednesday the number of people using its financial information portal service has exceeded 1.3 million just half a year after its opening.The Financial Supervisory Service opened the Financial Information Network, http://fine.fss.or.kr, on Sept. 1, 2016. (Yonhap)It is designed to offer information on financial transactions here, especially via major search engines, such as Naver and Daum."It has the ultimate purpose of resolving the information divide

Daily credit card spending in South Korea hit a record high in 2016, data showed Wednesday, in the latest sign that credit cards are one of the most convenient payment tools.Credit card holders in South Korea spent an average of 1.68 trillion won ($1.4 billion) a day in 2016, up 10.9 percent from 1.51 trillion won a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Bank of Korea. (Yonhap)The 2016 figure is the highest since 2003 when the central bank started collecting data.Meanwhile, debit ca

South Korea's exports jumped 20.2 percent last month from a year earlier expanding at the fastest clip in five years on rising oil prices and recovering world trade, government data showed Wednesday.Outbound shipments came to $43.2 billion in February, up from $35.9 billion tallied a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. (Yonhap)The February rate of increase was the largest on-year gain since February 2012 when it posted a 20.4 percent monthly jump.It is the firs

South Korea will play a bigger role in Asia's investment in sustainable infrastructure through its experience of economic development and constant investment in basic facilities, a senior official at an international institution said."I would say that Korea is a very important member of our bank," Danny Alexander, vice president of the China-led Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank, said in an interview with Yonhap News Agency in Seoul Monday. "Korea's experience of the last 50 years of rapid eco

New York based publisher Penguin Random House has won the industry's most coveted contract: a two-for-one deal to produce the memoirs of former president Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama."The company has acquired world publication rights for two books, to be written by President and Mrs Obama respectively," the publisher said in a statement.Bidding for the high-profile double book deal topped $60 million, a record sum for US presidential memoirs, according to the Financial Times. (AFP)

South Korea's spy agency sent a safety warning last year to the North Korean leader's half brother who was killed earlier this month, lawmakers said Tuesday.The logo of the National Intelligence Service (Yonhap)An official from the National Intelligence Service was quoted as telling the National Assembly's Intelligence Committee Monday that it sent a message to Kim Jong-nam that he was the target of a possible attack. It was delivered through a third party in the second half of 2016, he added.Th

The South Korean government said Tuesday it recouped 2.24 trillion won ($2 billion) of bailout funds, mostly used to help financial companies reeling from the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis, in the fourth quarter of last year.The retrieval of taxpayers' money came mostly from the sale of Woori Bank, a major lender here, according to the Financial Services Commission. The headquarters of Woori Bank in central Seoul. (Yonhap)The state-run Korea Deposit Insurance Corp.  sold its 29.7-percent stake

(사진=Martin Azua)주머니 속에 휴대할 수 있는 집이 있다. 스페인의 디자이너 마틴 아주아는 ‘더 베이직 하우스’(The Basic House)라는 이름의 간편한 휴대용 주거 공간을 발명했다. ‘더 베이직 하우스’는 특수 물질로 만들어져 밖이 더울 때 안을 시원하게, 밖이 추울 때는 안을 따뜻하게 유지할 수 있다고 한다. 설치도 매우 간단하다. 사용자는 공기가 안에 찰 때까지 집을 흔들어 주기만 하면 된다.코리아헤럴드 심우현 기자 (ws@heraldcorp.com)

  @siliconvalleybroker 인스타그램스페인 바르셀로나의 세계 1차 대전 당시 지어진 시멘트 공장이 멋진 집으로 탈바꿈했다. 1973년 리카르도 보필은 바르셀로나 외곽에서 오래된 시멘트 공장을 발견했다. 가동조차 하고 있지 않은 낡은 공장이었다. 그러나 리카르도는 건물의 잠재성을 보고 바로 건물을 사들였다. 리카르도와 그의 팀원은 바로 작업에 착수했고, 45년 동안의 작업 끝에 완전히 다른 주거 공간으로 변신시켰다.  (@darawaxman 인스타그램) (@atemporaltrends 인스타그램)리카르도 보필은 스페인의 저명한 건축가다. 바르셀로나에서 태어나 건축 학교에서 수학한 뒤 후에 제네바에서 공부를 마쳤다. 보필은 포스트모더니즘을 대표하는 세계적 건축가로 꼽히기도 한다.코리아헤럴드 심우현 기자 (ws@heraldcorp.com)　

A former North Korean deputy ambassador to the United Nations arrived in Malaysia on Tuesday amid an escalating diplomatic row over the death of the half brother of the North's leader Kim Jong-un.Ri Tong-il told reporters that he would request that Malaysia hand over the body of a North Korean citizen who died earlier this month in Malaysia, referring to Kim Jong-nam. Ri Tong-il, a former North Korean deputy ambassador to the United Nations (Yonhap)Kim was killed on Feb. 13 at an airport in Kula

South Korea reiterated on Tuesday that the planned installment of an advanced US missile defense system on its oil is a "self-defense" measure against North Korea's growing nuclear and missile threats.The government pledged to take necessary steps to protect its companies from any unfair treatment in China amid growing concerns that Beijing will ramp up what appears to be retaliatory action against the planned installation of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system. Foreign Ministry spoke

South Korea's state-run railway operator has decided to fire 89 workers for leading its longest-ever strike last year, its labor union said Tuesday.Thousands of workers of the Korea Railroad Corp. staged a 74-day walkout from late September to early December to protest the government's implementation of a performance-based pay system. (Yonhap)On Monday, the company informed the Korean Railway Workers' Union of its decision to dismiss 89 senior union officials and take other disciplinary actions,

A group of progressive lawyers began legal action against the defense minister on Tuesday, arguing that the defense ministry has failed to fulfill its obligations in relation to its planned deployment of an advanced US missile defense system in South Korea.In a rally in front of the ministry building earlier in the day, members of the Lawyers for a Democratic Society, or Minbyun, said it will file an administrative suit with the Seoul Administrative Court against Defense Minister Han Min-koo on