Lotte Group, a leading South Korean retail giant, vowed Thursday to nurture its female leaders to provide equal opportunities in its workforce.Group chairman Shin Dong-bin said in a forum that his conglomerate would increase female leaders to 30 percent of managers by 2020 from the current rate of 11 percent. “The group expects to have the first female CEO by 2020,” the chairman said, adding the group would continue to invest in building a family-friendly working environment. “More female talent

Dec. 4, 2015

When she was being tortured under Brazil’s military dictatorship, Dilma Rousseff could never have imagined becoming the country’s first female president.But four decades on from those dark days in 1970, when Rousseff belonged to a violent, hard left underground group, she did indeed rise to the top ― only to face the desperate new challenge of impeachment less than a year into her second term.The launching of impeachment proceedings by the speaker of the lower house of Congress, Eduardo Cunha, l

Dec. 3, 2015

The government announced Thursday it would hold off on plans to abolish the state-run bar exam until 2021, as controversy persists over the current law school system that was originally introduced to widen the pool of legal professionals. But the decision was scorned by both proponents and opponents of the bar exam, who said it would only extend confusion in the judiciary sector.The Ministry of Justice said it would delay scrapping the bar exam, initially set to be abolished in 2017, citing publ

Dec. 3, 2015

Korea’s summertime treat, an icy bowl of red bean-heaped bingsu, is aiming to become Southeast Asia’s all-time favorite as a growing number of dessert shops tap deeper into the market.  Thai customers enjoy dessert at Sulbing’s first Thai location in Siam square, Bangkok. (Sulbing)The bingsu craze has swept across Seoul in recent years. Shops offering the shaved ice dessert, from bingsu specialty stores to coffee chains and even fast-food chains, have mushroomed on seemingly every street corner.

Dec. 3, 2015

Korea’s enthusiasm for online games may have started with “StarCraft” decades ago, but the fever ― now called e-sports ― has continued to evolve with “League of Legends.”Since its debut in 2011, League of Legends, more widely dubbed “LoL,” has become one of the world’s most popular online games. It is also the highest-earning game that raked in $1 billion last year, according to SuperData, a market research firm. Fueling the global sensation, among other things, are its immensely popular profess

Dec. 2, 2015

SAN FRANCISCO ― All it took was one phone call in 2009 for Silicon Valley investor Jai Choi to put his money on a fledgling start-up called Coupang.Its founder, Bom Kim, had just dropped out of Harvard Business School with three or four months’ worth of data in hand. He envisioned transforming e-commerce starting in his native Korea through a systematic approach to sales, operations and customer service. Judging by the sharp way Kim answered their questions, Choi recognized his unique understand

Dec. 2, 2015

Shinhan Bank has launched a new digital banking system that allows users to authenticate themselves without visiting a bank window.The bank’s move reflects the ever-intensifying competition in the mobile banking sector, as well as the entry of Internet-only banks next year.The bank presented Wednesday “Sunny Bank,” a mobile platform that allows users to open an account through mobile authentication, and Digital Kiosk, an unmanned digital bank window with biometric authentication function ― ident

Dec. 2, 2015

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) ― Facebook cofounder Mark Zuckerberg announced Tuesday he is a dad and pledged to give away his fortune to make the world a “better place” for baby daughter Maxima and others.In a letter to Maxima posted on his Facebook page, Zuckerberg and wife Priscilla Chan said they were going to give away 99 percent of their company shares ― estimated value $45 billion ― during their lives in an effort to make a happy and healthy world.  Max Chan Zuckerberg is held by her parents, Mark Z

Dec. 2, 2015

A group of entrepreneurs in Seoul aims to repay the sacrifices of their grandparents’ generation by raising funds and awareness for elderly Koreans in poverty.Korea is confronting a demographic crisis as it struggles to support its rapidly aging population. Nearly half of Korean over-65s are living in poverty, while data this week showed that more Koreans over 50 are delaying retirement than ever before as they bear financial responsibilities to support both their parents and children. The elder

Dec. 2, 2015

If attempts to save face at your workplace can sometimes seem extreme, they are nothing compared to the lengths that the characters go to in order to keep up appearances in a play to hit the stage in Ulsan this weekend.In Neil Simon’s “Rumors,” to be put on by the Industrial Theatre Troupe, the first guests arrive for an anniversary dinner, only to find the host has been shot dead. But in their desperation to look decent they do the unthinkable ― hiding the body and hosting the party themselves.

Dec. 2, 2015

Charity concert series CLASH has linked up with Seoul’s Hoseo Art College to host a hip-hop show in aid of Korean Unwed Mothers Families Association on Saturday.Headlining show is “Show Me the Money” season two winner Soul Dive, which has since collaborated with actor So Ji-sub on his EP “18 Years.” Other acts include Rhyme-A-, Born Kim, Ignito, Suda Jaengi and Insane Deegie. CLASH is held regularly in aid of four charities on a rotational basis, with this show in aid of KUMFA, an organization s

Dec. 2, 2015

Fifty-seat regional jets are set to take to the skies here from the first half of 2016, shortening travel times while offering fares on par with bullet train tickets. Korea Express Air employees mark the delivery of the ERJ-145 passenger jet, produced by Brazilian aircraft maker Embraer, at Yangyang International Airport in Gangwon Province. (Yonhap)The country’s low-cost carrier uSKY Air and air taxi firm Korea Express Air are waiting for the government’s approval to begin commercial flight ser

Dec. 2, 2015

Washington will provide the “maximum possible” support for Seoul’s initiative to develop fighter jets, the State Department said Tuesday, amid skepticism over the project’s prospects following the U.S.’ refusal to hand over core technologies. The department has denied export licenses for the four technologies conditionally promised last year to be transferred by U.S. defense giant Lockheed Martin, citing its national technology protection policy. The four are critical in crafting integrated syst

Dec. 2, 2015

MUJU, North Jeolla Province ― Mercedes-Benz Korea will strengthen its product line of sport utility vehicles by 2017 in an effort to continue its growth momentum, according to the new CEO on Tuesday. “SUV is an important contributor to the company’s growth with the current share of sales of approximately 7 percent. We expect that this will double by the end of 2016,”  Dimitris Psillakis, the head of Mercedes-Benz Korea, makes a presentation on the firm's growth vision during the SUV media test-d

Dec. 2, 2015