Lee Sung-woo, a 38-year-old South Korean office worker, has become an online sensation after visiting Kansas City in the U.S. at the invitation of its pro baseball team the Royals early this month.He was given a hero’s welcome in the city and drew a great deal of attention from citizens and Royals’ officials, players and fans.The club invited him as he has been an ardent fan of the Royals for nearly two decades despite having no connection with the U.S. pro baseball team or the city. Lee Sung-wo

롯데그룹 이인원 부회장이 9월 초 미얀마 국가기획경제개발부 차관 방한 중 투자 확대 방안을 논의할 것으로 알려졌다. 이재혁 롯데칠성음료 대표도 동참할 것으로 보인다. 　 한 업계 관계자는 “미얀마 대표단은 롯데그룹과 만나 보다 더 적극적인 투자를 요청할 것으로 생각된다”고 전했다. 　 롯데그룹 이인원 부회장 (연합) 롯데그룹의 남다른 미얀마 사랑은 이미 잘 알려진 바 있다. 신동빈 회장은 2012년 신흥국가를 둘러보던 중 인구 5000만명에 풍부한 지하자원과 시장 개방 중인 미얀마의 성장 가능성에 주목하고 시장 선점에 나섰다. 이후 미얀마를 글로벌 사업의 전략적 요충지로 보고 호텔과 외식 사업에 적극 투자하고 있다. 　 미얀마는 최근 인기 관광지로 부상하면서 관광객을 수용하기 위한 호텔 수요가 증가하면서 한국기업에게도 새

The son of Hong Kong film star Jackie Chan, who has been detained on drug-related charges, was shown on Chinese television with boxes of cannabis as state-run media revealed details of the case Tuesday.Beijing police last week detained Jaycee Chan, who like his father works as an actor, "on suspicion of accommodating suspected drug users", China's official Xinhua news agency reported.Police seized more than 100 grams of cannabis from Chan's house, in a swoop which also saw a Taiwanese actor know

Unionized metal workers said Tuesday they will stage a one-day walkout later this week if automakers, including the top Hyundai Motor Co., do not accept their calls to count bonuses as part of base wages.In December, the Supreme Court ruled that bonuses paid on a regular basis should count towards ordinary wages, which determine the size of other payments, such as overtime and severance pay.Most companies including Hyundai and its smaller affiliate Kia Motors Corp., however, have been reluctant

The heads of Hana Bank and Korea Exchange Bank (KEB) agreed in a joint statement on Tuesday to speed up the merger of the two local lenders, which has faced stiff opposition from KEB's union. Hana Bank President Kim Jong-jun and KEB President Kim Han-jo signed a joint statement announcing the official beginning of the integration process to "end confusion and strengthen competitiveness," according to an emailed press release.The move is the latest in efforts by the two banks' management to drum

Police said Tuesday that they have failed to determine how the fugitive shipping tycoon blamed for April's ferry disaster died, deepening the mystery surrounding the final days of the country's most wanted man. The body of Yoo Byung-eun, a 73-year-old billionaire whose family owns Sewol operator Chonghaejin Marine Co., was found on a remote hill just outside of the southern city of Suncheon, about 415 kilometers south of Seoul, on June 12 amid a nationwide massive manhunt.Authorities had sought

The military prosecution on Tuesday filed for a warrant to arrest the son of a provincial governor on charges of physically and sexually abusing his subordinates in the military, the Army headquarters said.The 23-year-old Army corporal, who is the eldest son of Gyeonggi Province Governor Nam Kyung-pil, has been under investigation for allegedly beating his subordinate in the stomach and face on a number of occasions since April at their barracks, according to Army officers.He is also accused of

A homegrown action film about a 16th-century Korean naval hero's astonishing victory over Japan exceeded 15 million in attendance on Tuesday for the first time in local Korean box-office history, the film's promoter said."Roaring Currents" hit the milestone at 1:30 p.m., the 21st day since it opened on July 30, 1st Look said, citing box-office figures from the Korean Film Council.On Friday, it became the most-watched film movie at theaters in the country, breaking the previous record held by Hol

Banking transactions made via mobile devices rose 6.6 percent in the second quarter from three months earlier as more people relied on their smartphones, central bank data showed Tuesday.The number of daily mobile banking transactions averaged 29.4 million in the second quarter, compared with 27.6 million in the January-March period, according to the Bank of Korea.The data, however, showed that people tend to use conventional banking channels for major transactions.Despite accounting for 45.5 pe

Two former cyber command chiefs have been charged with being involved in the posting of politically biased messages online by their subordinates before the 2012 presidential election, the defense ministry said Tuesday.Yeon Jae-wook and Ok Do-kyung were among 21 former and current officials of the ministry's cyber command who are facing criminal charges "in violation of the military criminal act that stipulates their obligation to stay neutral."Wrapping up its months-long probe into the allegatio

Pope Francis said on Monday he was unable to maintain neutrality before the victims of a South Korean ferry tragedy because their suffering was "human.""Someone came up to me to suggest that I take off the yellow ribbon (I received from the bereaved families) to maintain neutrality," he told reporters aboard his flight back to the Vatican, when asked about the risk of his concern for the victims being used to further political agendas in South Korea. "But I told the person that I couldn't in fro

The Cabinet on Tuesday approved a government-proposed bill that would maintain the total cost of regulation at a constant level by removing existing rules when adding new ones, the government said.The revision to the Framework Act on Administrative Regulations passed a Cabinet meeting presided over by President Park Geun-hye and will be presented to the National Assembly later this week, said the Prime Minister's Office.If approved by the parliament, this would be the first sweeping revision of

South Korea's top 10 business groups held real estate worth nearly 31 trillion won (US$30.4 billion) in the three Gangnam districts of southern Seoul, data showed Tuesday, with Samsung Group listed as the richest property holder there.Samsung held property worth 12.68 trillion won in the area to take up more than a third of the assets held by the top players, the data compiled by market tracker Chaebul.com showed. It held 44 plots of land and 20 buildings, including its headquarters located near

A new 24-hour ceasefire came into effect in the Gaza Strip Tuesday after Israeli and Palestinian negotiators agreed  to extend a five-day truce, minutes before a midnight deadline, to allow for further talks on a long-term deal.News of the last-minute extension came from Cairo late Monday where Egyptian mediators have been pushing both sides to put a decisive end to weeks of bloodshed in Gaza, which has killed more than 2,000 Palestinians and 67 on the Israeli side. The announcement was confirme

Pope Francis on Monday publicly broached the prospect of his own death for the first time, giving himself "two or three years" but not ruling out retirement before then.Talking to reporters on a flight back to the Vatican from South Korea, the 77-year-old pontiff, who seemed in good spirits, was asked about his global popularity, which was evident again during his five-day visit."I see it as the generosity of the people of God. I try to think of my sins, my mistakes, not to become proud. Because

Liberia was desperately searching for 17 Ebola patients Monday who fled an attack on a quarantine centre in the capital Monrovia, as the outbreak appeared to overwhelm authorities in west Africa's worst-hit nation.Searches of the teeming West Point slum have so far failed to turn up any of the missing victims as neighbouring Guinea said a wave of sick Liberians had begun crossing the border, which it had officially closed 10 days ago. Club-wielding youths raided a medical facility set up in a hi

South Korea's public organizations were ordered to pay about 230 billion won (US$226 million) in additional taxes last year as a result of tax audits, government data showed Tuesday.According to the data provided by the National Tax Service (NTS), public firms and other state-run institutes which received tax audits last year were ordered to pay 230.4 billion won in additional taxes.The amount is much larger than the 59.6 billion won from a year earlier. It also marked the largest amount since 2

Thea Bisenberger-van der Wal says she still remembers sitting on the steps of a church in Indonesia back in 1944 while waiting for her mother to come out.Her mother always cried but only told her, then aged 4, that she had fallen.The mother never spoke to her of what really happened in the church for the rest of her life until she died 10 years ago, Bisenberger said, though she constantly suffered from nightmares because of the indelible experiences: sexual slavery by Japanese troops.Bisenberger

The chief of the prosecution office on South Korea's southern island of Jeju resigned on Monday over allegations that he committed a lewd act on the street, the justice ministry said.Kim Soo-chang, the 52-year-old chief of Jeju District Prosecutors' Office, has faced a police probe since last week after he allegedly masturbated in public near his residence on the resort island.After being detained at the scene at around midnight on Wednesday upon a report by a teenage witness, Kim refused to ide

A South Korean bishop on Monday expressed hope that Pope Francis' just-ended landmark trip to the country would serve as a chance to make it "a society of compassion and respect.""Even though Pope Francis stayed in Korea only a few days, he inspired us fully with the consolation, compassion and hope that many of us earnestly needed," Bishop Peter Kang U-il, head of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea, said in a statement."I hope that our society can go forward to a society of compassion an