South Korean stocks are expected to continue their upward march next week on the back of favorable market conditions, analysts said Saturday.    The country's key stock index, the KOSPI, gained 2.57 percent, or 54.61 points, this week to close at 2,180.35 on Friday, despite the lingering debt crisis in Europe and a rate hike by China.   Next week is packed with major events such as the central b

Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin has ordered military commanders to inspect the standards of discipline and irregularities, following a shooting rampage earlier this week by a marine that killed four colleagues on a front-line unit, a source said Saturday.    Questions over discipline have been raised since the 19-year-old marine corporal, only identified by his surname Kim, opened fire on Monday at

   WASHINGTON -- The leader of the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday voiced clear opposition to President Barack Obama's push to package three pending trade pacts with a worker assistance program.   "We expect in the House to move four separate bills, and I would hope they would heed our advice," House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) told reporters.   His firm stance came a day after key commi

   JUBA, South Sudan (AP) _ South Sudan became the world's newest nation early Saturday, officially breaking away from Sudan after two civil wars over five decades that cost the lives of millions.   In the new country's capital, Juba, streets pulsed with excitement. Residents danced, banged on jerry cans and chanted the name of the world's newest president, Salva Kiir. One man kneeled and kissed t

   ADDIS ABABA -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak agreed Friday to provide active support for Ethiopia's economic development, pledging to significantly boost relations with the African nation that helped save the South from North Korea's invasion 60 years ago.   In summit talks with Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, Lee expressed gratitude for Ethiopia's participation in the 1950-53 Korean War, a

Workers often turn to other companies for better opportunities but more than half of those who switched jobs have regrets, according to research.In a poll conducted by Incruit, a local online recruitment website, about 58.7 percent of those who changed jobs are unsatisfied and willing to go back to their previous employment.The major reasons provided was “the original work turned out to be better,

The number of foreigners accused of serious crimes such as violence and gambling is increasing, according to National Police Agency.In the last 3 months, about 8,311 expats were arrested with 341 of them being taken into custody. The figure is marks a more than 26 percent increase from the same period last year. Accusations of five major crimes of murder, robbery, rape, theft, and violence showed

A new U.S. street sign reading “Seven in Heaven Way” has been criticized by atheist groups, according to reports.In order to commemorate firefighters who died a decade ago during the 9/11 bombings, the new sign was put up in Brooklyn, New York, near where the victims used to work.However, atheist groups are furious about the sign’s message, saying it may provoke people of different faiths, or thos

John Z. LeeJohn Z. Lee, a 44-year-old Korean-American attorney, has been recommended to the White House for a position as a federal judge in Illinois.Lee was recommended along with three others by Democrat Sen. Dick Durbin while Republican Sen. Mark Kirk recommended an additional candidate. Currently, there are three vacant seats for the federal bench at U.S. District Court for the Northern Distri

STX Group also continues to express interest to the last minute  　By Kim Ji-hyun and Choi He-suk KCC Corp., a member of Hyundai’s sprawling industrial empire, may submit its letter of intent for a stake in Hynix Semiconductor, industry sources said on Thursday. Reports of KCC’s intention to participate in the bidding came shortly after Hyundai Heavy Industries said it would not be participating in

 

NEW YORK (AP) ― Joey Chestnut scarfed down 62 hot dogs to win his fifth consecutive Fourth of July hot dog eating contest at Coney Island ― the equivalent of about 20,000 calories in 10 minutes. It wasn’t a personal best for the 27-year-old nicknamed Jaws, but it was enough to out-eat second-place finisher Patrick Bertoletti by nine wieners. Chestnut, of San Jose, Calif., won $10,000 and the covet

Rwanda, a small country in Africa, came into the international spotlight because of a tragic genocide in the mid 1990s. More than 20 years later, the country is still calling for economic aid.But according to 30-year-old Jin Gu the country is taking steps for a better future.“It was impressive that Rwandans forgive each other for tomorrow and live in harmony. ‘Positive energy’ was overflowing anyw

(Yonhap News) Volkswagen Korea, the local importer of German automaker Volkswagen AG, introduced the latest version of its Touareg crossover sport utility vehicle (SUV) in South Korea on Monday.   The mid-size model has a wider wheelbase compared to the older model but its weight has been brought down by a maximum 201 kilograms. It also comes with an eight-gear automatic transmission, a first for

(Yonhap News)A man reportedly died on Monday morning after sleeping with an electric fan running.The 59 years-old victim, only known by his surname Min, was found dead with the fan fixed directly at him.The police revealed that although Min used to suffer from relatively high blood pressure, it was not serious enough to require medication. They are still investigating the cause of death.Meanwhile,

Chinese tourists were stranded inside the restaurant near Han River which overflowed due to the seasonal heavy rain in South Korea. (Yonhap News)Amid seasonal rain in Seoul, some foreign tourist groups signed an agreement to be responsible for their own safety to have supper by the overflowing Han River.Due to heavy rain, which had lasted several days, the tourists ended up being stranded at the s

    LOS ANGELES (AP) _ ``Transformers'' robots have lost some of their money-making power but delivered the biggest opening weekend domestically so far this year.   Distributor Paramount Pictures said Sunday that ``Transformers: Dark of the Moon'' took in $97.4 million domestically in its first weekend. That beat the $90.2 million debut of Disney's ``Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.'' 

  South Korea will impose tougher penalties on pet abusers from next year in an effort to better protect animal rights, the government said Monday.   Under a revision to the animal protection law that passed the National Assembly last week, people who mistreat their pets may be sentenced to a jail term of up to one year or a maximum fine of 10 million won (US$9,400), according to the Ministry of F

South Korea’s military academy has appointed a female civilian as a professor for the first time in its history, an academy official said Saturday.The development comes as the male-dominated military is seeking to give more opportunities to women.Jung Sung-im, a former research fellow of Ewha Womans University, became the first woman and civilian professor to have a full-time teaching position at

South Korean ship captain Seok Hae-kyun, who was rescued from Somali hijackers earlier this year, was picked as the recipient of an international maritime award in recognition of his bravery during the harrowing event, Seoul’s maritime affairs ministry said Sunday.The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has decided to give this year’s “Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea” to Seok Hae-kyun,