More than 55 percent of parents snoop on what their children are doing through social networking systems, the Daily Mail reported.According to the research conducted by computing company Bullguard Internet Security, about 40 percent of parents monitor their children’s status updates and posts on their wall.Social networking systems such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter have become widely popular w

TechnologyJuly 21, 2011

The Renault Group will appoint Francois Provost, the French carmaker’s deputy managing director in Russia, to head Renault Samsung Motors on Sept. 1, an official at Renault Samsung Motors said Thursday.Provost will replace Renault Samsung’s current CEO Jean-Marie Hurtiger, who took the Seoul office in May 2006.“Renault Samsung will have new leader effective Sept. 1. Francois Provost will transfer

IndustryJuly 21, 2011

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Scientists have found a new contributor to male infertility, a protein that is supposed to coat sperm to help them swim to an egg, unless that coating goes missing.About 20 percent of men may harbor gene mutations that leave their sperm coat-free and thus lower their fertility, an international research team reported Wednesday.Today's reproductive tests cannot spot the problem, s

TechnologyJuly 21, 2011

The National Tax Service said on Thursday it has requested the country’s major Internet portals such as Naver and Daum to provide personal information about some 1,300 influential bloggers.The tax agency’s move comes as a growing number of local bloggers with a large pool of readers get enmeshed in money-for-article scandals. Recently, a high-profile blogger who belongs to the country’s largest po

TechnologyJuly 21, 2011

South Korea may end its six-year antidumping measures against Chinese pigments as their prices have risen enough to pose little threat to local competitors, Seoul's trade commission said Thursday.The decision to end the antidumping tariffs on Chinese anatase titanium dioxide used in paint and plastic goods was reached at a meeting of the Korea Trade Commission (KTC) on Wednesday.South Korea began

July 21, 2011

With skepticism spreading about the possibility of the U.S. government securing ratification of a free trade pact with South Korea this summer, South Korean officials expressed concern Wednesday over major diplomatic and political fallout at home.The Lee Myung-bak administration has eagerly awaited the passage of the free trade agreement (FTA) bill before the U.S. Congress goes into recess on Aug.

July 21, 2011

A ruling party lawmaker on Wednesday disclosed fresh allegations of embezzlement involving Busan Savings Bank, insisting that the corruption-ridden lender bought real estate along the southwest coast for inflated prices that were up to 10 times more expensive than the market value.Rep. Ko Sung-doug of the Grand National Party (GNP) said the Busan-based institution, which was suspended in February

July 20, 2011

SC First Bank sues labor union leaderSC First Bank filed a complaint against its labor union leader on Wednesday with the police on charges of defamation, according to bank sources.The bank claimed that labor union leader Kim Jae-yool damaged the bank’s image by distributing leaflets making accusations about management to the public, the sources said.In its statement, the union criticized the bank

July 20, 2011

Finance Minister Bahk Jae-wan on Wednesday visited a wet market with representatives of business groups, making a timely move to coordinate with the private sector to revive sagging domestic demand. The visit to Sooyu Traditional Market in northern Seoul, along with ruling Grand National Party leader Hong Jun-pyo and Huh Chang-soo, chairman of the Federation of Korean Industries, is aimed at promo

July 20, 2011

LG Chem, the nation’s leading chemical company, on Wednesday logged record-high quarterly sales of 5.69 trillion won ($5.3 billion) for the second quarter of this year to record a 13.4-percent increase from last year.Operating profit and net profit, however, declined on the back of sluggish market conditions and soaring material costs, the company said. Operating profit stood at 775.4 billion won,

IndustryJuly 20, 2011

About 10 South Korean companies are preparing to file a suit against the government over economic losses caused by Seoul’s sanctions on Pyongyang, a businessman said Wednesday.South Korea imposed sanctions on the North last year in retaliation to the communist country’s two deadly attacks on the South that killed 50 South Koreans.The punitive measures suspended all trade and exchange programs with

July 20, 2011

False public disclosures surged on the tech-heavy KOSDAQ stock market this year, the Korea Exchange said on Wednesday. As unfair and misleading disclosures by the listed firms tend to increase volatility and distort stock prices, the KRX had toughened its crackdown on such irregularities last year, resulting in a decrease of incidences. But the practice seems to be returning. In the first half of

July 20, 2011

Financial regulators plan to allow savings banks which meet requirements for financial soundness to operate an installment financing business unit.The regulatory decision comes under the Financial Services Commission’s strong commitment to reviving the distressed savings banking industry.Savings banks are required to satisfy two requirements to open an installment financing unit: They should see t

July 20, 2011