U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Friday it is "entirely premature" to talk about any reduction in American troop levels in South Korea as a possible benefit of North Korea's abandonment of its nuclear program.Kerry made his most recent remarks at a joint news conference with his South Korean counterpart, Yun Byung-se, tamping down speculation that arose after he said earlier this week that the U.S. is "prepared to begin the process of reducing the need for American force and presence in t

South Korean President Park Geun-hye called Wednesday for expanding cooperation with the United States in energy and healthcare, saying both sectors offer bright prospects.Park made the remark in a meeting with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker at the presidential office, Cheong Wa Dae, where the two sides discussed a range of issues, including the global economy, economic policies, entrepreneurship and ways to cooperate in the energy and health sectors, the office said in a news release

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will bid to host the next quadrennial conference of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), its official said Wednesday."Following the successful hosting of three mega events back in 2012, the UAE was pleased and honored to have trust and confidence from all members of the union," said Nasser A. Bin Hammad, the country's head delegate, referring to the ITU Telecom World in Dubai, the 2012 World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly and the World Conf

North Korea's release of a detained American citizen came as its leader, Kim Jong-un, accepted the "repeated requests" of U.S. President Barack Obama, the communist country's state media claimed Wednesday.Jeffrey Edward Fowle, one of three American citizens detained in the North, was released earlier in the day in what was seen as a gesture of goodwill toward Washington amid stalled nuclear negotiations.The 56-year-old, who entered the North in late April, had been detained for allegedly leaving

After weeks of leadership vacuum, KB Financial Group chose former chief financial officer Yoon Jong-kyoo as the new chairman Wednesday, after interviewing four candidates.　Yoon Jong-kyoo (Yonhap)Yoon will become the first chairman to be selected from within the group.　The final shortlist included Citibank chairman Ha Yung-ku, as well as three former KB Financial officials including Yoon and former KB Kookmin Bank vice president Kim Ki-hong. 　The race to the top slot was neck-and-neck between Ha

 진행자: 송상호, Paul Kerry　 　1. 경찰, 판교 환풍구붕괴 사고 수사 가속　기사요약: 경찰은 판교 테크노밸리 콘서트 현장 환풍구 붕괴 사고와 관련된 수사에 박차를 가하고 있다. 10월 17일 발생한 사고로 16명의 사망자와 11명의 부상자가 발생했다. 경찰은 관련자의 전화통화 기록, 은행 기록 등을 추적하고 있으며, 콘서트 개최 과정에서 안전관련 미비점들을 분석하고 있다. 또한 환풍구 강도 실험을 통해 부실시공 여부도 조사 중이다.　　팟캐스트: https://itunes.apple.com/kr/podcast/koliaheleoldeu-paskaeseuteu/id686406253?mt=2 팟빵: http://www.podbbang.com/ch/6638　　Police closing in on cause, culprits behind Pangyo deaths　 [1]The police are looking into telephone and bank records of key

The Seoul Central District Court said Sunday that the unauthorized use of a photograph still violated the model’s rights to his image, even though his face in the photo had been digitally replaced with that of another model.　The court ordered the accused to pay the model 1 million won ($938) in compensation.　According to the court, the accused, an online lecture programming company, downloaded a photograph of the plaintiff, a French model, wearing a T-shirt saying “foreigner” in Korean in March

▶기술의 단순함이 진정한 사물 인터넷 시대를 여는 열쇠　사물 인터넷 (Internet of Things)은 PC 인터넷, 모바일 인터넷에 이어 제3의 인터넷 물결 (Third wave of Internet)이라고 일컬어진다. 하지만 아직까지 사물인터넷은 소비자들에게는 PC나 스마트 폰 만큼 친근한 기술로 받아들여지지 않고 있는 것이 현실이다. 진정한 사물 인터넷 시대를 앞당기기 위해서 필요한 것은 무엇일까? 　모바일 솔류션 업체 에어워치(AirWatch)의 앨런 대비에르 회장은 17일 (현지시간) 시카고에서 열린 IoT월드포럼의 패널 토론에서 사물 인터넷 시대의 문을 활짝 열기 위해서는 “IoT의 핵심적인 기술을 모아 사용성과 편리성을 극대화 할 수 있는 IoT계의 스티브 잡스가 필요하다,”라고 밝히며 기술의 단순함에 대해 강조했다. 앨런 대비에르 에어워치 회장 (오른쪽)이 16일 (현지시각) 시카고에서 열린 IoT월드포럼에서 패널토론에 참여하고 있다. / 사진 김영원복잡하고 서로

Nearly four decades ago, Venezuelan economist and musician Jose Antonio Abreu gathered 11 impoverished children in a parking garage in Caracas and started teaching them classical music.His notion was simple: free music education can lift the children out of poverty and crime, which in turn could tackle social problems plaguing the country.The initiative ― “El Sistema” or the System ― became hugely successful, so far affecting nearly 2.5 million youngsters mostly from low-income backgrounds and p

Sungmin, a member of K-pop boy band Super Junior, confirmed Tuesday that he will marry actress Kim Sa-eun in December, hours after Kim denied news reports about their betrothal. Sungmin himself announced his plan to marry Kim on Super Junior’s official homepage, apologizing to his fans for the fact that they had first heard the news through the news reports.  “I met a good woman and will marry her on Dec. 13. I am heartbroken that you might have been perplexed and surprised about the news,” Sung

Luhan, a member of K-pop boy band EXO, became the third Chinese idol to launch a legal battle against his label SM Entertainment, spawning speculation over the reasons behind their defections.Luhan filed a lawsuit against SM and its chief executive Kim Young-min, demanding the termination of the contract he signed with the nation’s largest talent agency in 2010. The exact reason for the lawsuit was not publicly revealed.K-pop insiders, however, speculate that the legal action resulted from mistr

Luhan, a member of the K-pop boy band EXO, sent a message of support on Wednesday to those hit by an earthquake in southwestern China on Tuesday night. 　“May the blessing be with you in the disaster-hit area. I hope my people there are safe,” the Chinese member of the idol band wrote on his Weibo account on Wednesday morning. 　Luhan’s concerned message came after an earthquake with a magnitude of at least 6.0 shook the Weiyuan city area of Yunnan province on Tuesday night, leaving at least one p

Legendary K-pop idol Seo Taiji unveiled the cover image of his upcoming album “Quiet Night” on Wednesday. 　The album’s cover, designed by artist Kim Dae-hong, features a hand-drawn girl with short hair and wearing a white dress. The straight-faced girl stares ahead with a purple-colored night sky filled with stars in the background, creating mysterious effect. 　“It is an art work that metaphorically expresses symbols that contradict with a pure girl. We reflected the theme of the entire album th

With an array of new pop bands flooding TV screens every day, it is becoming more difficult for the newbies to stand out in the music scene. Aspiring idols, thus, are turning to acting to swiftly gain popularity from the public and broaden their presence in showbiz. Now it is common to see idol stars in the Monday-Tuesday and Wednesday-Thursday dramas on major TV networks.Among them are two girls -- Krystal of K-pop quintet f(x) and Sooyoung of megahit girl group Girls’ Generation -- who are vyi

South Korean actor Jung Kyung-ho said Tuesday that he is in a good relationship with his girlfriend Sooyoung, a member of the K-pop girl group Girls’ Generation. But he has no plans for marriage just yet. The 31-year-old actor’s remarks came during an interview with local media ahead of the premiere of his film “Manhole.”Asked about his marriage plans with Sooyoung, the actor said that he had not decided anything but he could get married early if there was a chance. Jung also talked about Sooyou

Rookie K-pop group Red Velvet is to return to the scene with its second EP “Be Natural” this fall, its agency SM Entertainment announced Tuesday. The album will be unveiled at noon on Oct. 13 through major music streaming sites, two months after the release of its debut EP “Happiness.” “Be Natural” is a remake of a song by the first-generation idol group SES. Group members Seulgi and Irene performed the song when they were in SM’s predebut team SM Rookies. The quintet is SM Entertainment’s first

Kris, a former member of K-pop idol group EXO, is about to sign a contract with a Chinese agency, local media outlets reported Tuesday. Korean daily Ilgan Sports reported that Kris is to sign a management contract with Hwai Brothers, one of the biggest talent agencies in China. It added that he failed to strike a deal with YUEHUA, the entertainment powerhouse that manages Super Junior’s ex-member Hangeng. Kris came under the spotlight when he filed a lawsuit against SM Entertainment on May 15. H

YG Entertainment, home to some of the biggest names in K-pop, released a teaser image that reads “WHO’S NEXT?” on its official blog on Tuesday, heralding another YG musician’s imminent debut or comeback this October. The black-and-silver teaser photo -- with the caption “2014.10.10 0AM” alongside a question mark -- indicates that a YG artist or group will make a comeback or debut at midnight on Oct. 10. The poster does not specify who it will be. This year, the entertainment powerhouse has been

The embattled South Korean hip-hop artist MC Mong, who was once mired in controversy over draft evasion, will drop a new album in November, his agency DreamT Entertainment announced Tuesday. The 35-year-old rapper will unleash his sixth studio album, five years after he released his fifth full-length album “Humaniman” in 2009. A slew of well-known K-pop acts including veteran musician Lee Sun-hee, rapper Gary, singer Baek Ji-young, Huh Gak and Ailee participated in the recording of MC Mong’s upc

K-pop diva Seo In-young is to team up with hip-hop artist Zion.T this fall, her agency IY Company stated Tuesday. 　The 30-year-old singer will unveil the track featuring Zion.T on Oct. 15, a year after the release of her EP “Love Me.” 　Her upcoming EP is drawing more attention than usual as the sexy icon has joined hands with the well-known hip-hop figure to create a new style of music. 　Zion.T is a famous record producer as well as rapper who debuted in 2011. He rapidly gained recognition after