[Newsmaker] Anti-N.K. leaflets: Double-edged sword

Steered by North Korean defectors and activists, civic groups and their anti-Pyongyang leaflets have long goaded the Kim regime into fury at what it calls an act of hostility. The two Koreas traded fire Friday after the North began shooting heavy machine guns, apparently aiming at balloons launched by two organizations which were filled with flyers denouncing the communist regime, $1 bills, mini radios and other items.  A group of North Korean defectors living in South Korea sends balloons carry

North KoreaOct. 12, 2014

[Newsmaker] Young writers debut on global literary scene

When people think of Korea, many identify the country with K-pop, TV dramas and, to a lesser extent, films. As the Korean wave, or Hallyu, has been shaped around the popular Korean culture, the country is taking the chance to prove the excellence of other aspects of Korean culture. This time, young Korean writers and editors have gathered to introduce contemporary Korean literature. Under the title “K-fiction,” the project has released Korean-English translations of short stories by young, emerg

BooksOct. 9, 2014

[Newsmaker] LED: Light-bulb moment reducing carbon

PARIS ― Just over 20 years ago, three physicists working in two laboratories in Japan cracked a problem that had stumped rivals for decades ― how to prise blue light from a semiconductor.The feat paved the way to a low-energy source of light for illuminating homes, buildings, computers and mobile phones.On Tuesday, it earned Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano and Shuji Nakamura the 2014 Nobel Physics Prize, and a flow of tributes for providing the world with a weapon against global warming.By the time

World NewsOct. 8, 2014

[Newsmaker] Nobel shows importance of location

PARIS ― Generations of scientists have pored over a seemingly basic but ultimately complex skill: how are humans able to find their way from one spot to another?Little by little, the fog of mystery is beginning to dissipate, thanks to work revealing the key areas in the brain that enable us to orientate ourselves and navigate.On Monday, the 2014 Nobel Prize for Medicine went to a trio of scientists who identified the brain cells essential to this task.In the early 1970s, John O’Keefe, a British-

World NewsOct. 7, 2014

[Newsmaker] Counting cost of college application

With Korean universities continuing with their early admission programs for 2015, the nonrefundable application fees for higher education institutes have become topic of discussion as the sky-high fees deal a significant financial blow to poor students.A total of 24 colleges across the country are currently charging 80,000 won ($74) or more for each applicant, according to Education Ministry data recently revealed by Rep. Han Sun-kyo of the Saenuri Party. The data showed that students had to pay

Social AffairsOct. 6, 2014

[Newsmaker] Visit by N.K. officials hogs limelight

The 17th Asian Games Incheon 2014 that ended on Saturday surprised the world ― not just for its spectacular K-pop performances or medals dominated by China, but because of an unprecedented visit by top officials from North Korea.The North Korean delegation consisted of the three confidants to North Korea’s supreme leader Kim Jong-un. They are known as the secretive state’s political and military heavyweights who buttress the leadership of the young ruler, who took over the reclusive regime in De

PoliticsOct. 5, 2014

[Newsmaker] Daum Kakao eyes growth as platform provider

Daum Communications and Kakao Corp. have joined forces and are looking ahead to an era in which everything is connected to the Internet.After five months of consolidating the two entities and their corporate cultures, the newly merged 12 trillion won ($11 billion) company will henceforth be called Daum Kakao.With a new black-and-white logo and the new slogan “Connect Everything,” Daum Kakao chief executives Choi Sae-hoon and Lee Sir-goo say the company aims to grow as a platform service provider

TechnologyOct. 1, 2014

[Newsmaker] Korea takes aim at mobile subsidies

On Oct. 1, South Korea will enforce a revised law governing the sales and subsidies of mobile devices such as smartphones in an effort to eradicate long-standing malpractices by telecommunications operators.Consumers will no longer be discriminated against on the basis of age, place of residence or monthly subscription plan when using their existing mobile phones, buying a new phone or switching their mobile carriers.Everyone, regardless of their class and status, will be entitled to a subsidy s

TechnologySept. 30, 2014

[Newsmaker] Pro-democracy protests expand in Hong Kong

HONG KONG ― Pro-democracy protesters wearing surgical masks and holding up umbrellas to protect against tear gas expanded their rallies throughout Hong Kong on Monday, defying calls to disperse in a major pushback against Beijing’s decision to limit democratic reforms in the Asian financial hub.Police officers tried to negotiate with protesters camped out on a normally busy highway near the Hong Kong government headquarters that was the scene of tear gas-fueled clashes that erupted the evening b

World NewsSept. 29, 2014

[Newsmaker] Faltering opposition pins hopes on Moon

Interim opposition leader Rep. Moon Hee-sang proposed high-level talks with the ruling Saenuri Party on Sunday, to end the ongoing political deadlock over the special Sewol bill.The ruling party refused, putting the opening of Tuesday’s plenary session as a precondition for any new negotiation with the New Politics Alliance for Democracy.The Saenuri Party’s rejection is likely to put the already-embattled NPAD in a catch-22.How well the party can escape its predicament will depend largely on Moo

PoliticsSept. 28, 2014

[Newsmaker] Hagino wins his fourth swimming gold

Japan’s Kosuke Hagino won his fourth swimming gold but China ruled the pool as they shot out to a big lead on the medals table at the Asian Games Thursday.Hagino, 20, put in a strong final freestyle leg to add the 400 metres medley to his 200m medley, 200m freestyle and 4x200m freestyle titles in Incheon.“That was hard work, I felt like I could be in a bit of bother,” Hagino told reporters. “I didn’t expect to feel that tired but I kept it together somehow. Obviously the freestyle (leg) did bail

More SportsSept. 25, 2014

[Newsmaker] Park confidante named Red Cross chief

The Korean Red Cross on Wednesday elected Sungjoo Group chairwoman Kim Sung-joo as its next president, triggering criticism that the election of a confidante of President Park Geun-hye’s is yet another parachute appointment.The organization, which mainly deals with inter-Korean humanitarian issues, held a session of its decision-making Central Committee to select its 28th president for a three-year term to begin from Oct. 8. After Park’s approval, Kim will take office as the youngest Korean Red

Social AffairsSept. 24, 2014

[Newsmaker] Putin foe’s Kremlin bid sparks hope, jeers

MOSCOW  ― For a project whose end goal might be the removal from power of President Vladimir Putin, it had a very inauspicious start. During a low-key ceremony broadcast online from Paris, exiled ex-billionaire Mikhail Khodorkovsky announced on Saturday he was re-launching his Open Russia charity to promote civil society in Russia.Few had expected any political statements, and there was little interest in the event from Russian media and the general public. But then things got interesting. Khodo

World NewsSept. 23, 2014

[Newsmaker] Ex-aide probed for college misconduct

A former senior presidential secretary who left a lot of questions in the wake of his abrupt resignation was found to have been under police investigation on suspicions of operating an unauthorized course while serving as a university president, reports said on Monday.Song Kwang-yong, former senior presidential secretary for education and culture, tendered his resignation on Saturday, only three months after he took the post. His departure raised a flurry of speculations as he left without givin

PoliticsSept. 22, 2014

[Newsmaker] Alibaba: China’s e-commerce ‘crocodile’

SHANGHAI ― Alibaba has become by far the dominant e-commerce company in China, a country with the world’s greatest number of Internet users, in only 15 years.The Hangzhou-based company is largely unknown outside Greater China, but a historic listing on the New York Stock Exchange Friday and its recently-launched U.S. shopping website, 11 Main, are expanding its global stature.By raising $25.02 billion, Chinese online giant Alibaba has broken the record for the largest initial public offering in

World NewsSept. 21, 2014

[Newsmaker] Kakao to launch news services

Kakao Corp., South Korea’s biggest mobile messenger service provider, said Thursday it plans to start its own local news services later this year, issuing a challenge to Naver Corp., which dominates online media content.To that end, Kakao has been expanding ties with news providers to distribute their content through its new platform, and will kick off a test-run version of the application next week, the company said. It aims to start a full-fledged service by the end of the year.“The app will b

IndustrySept. 18, 2014

[Newsmaker] Defiant KB chief creates stir

KB Financial Group chairman Lim Young-rok has become known for two things: being the first financial group chairman to be slapped with a severe penalty and the first to defy the authorities’ sanction. Late Tuesday night, Lim filed an administrative suit against the Financial Services Commission to have the watchdog withdraw its three-month suspension order.“Through the legal procedure, I look forward to revealing the distorted truth (surrounding the banking unit’s computing system change) and th

Sept. 17, 2014

[Newsmaker] What if? Scotland's steps to independence

With polls showing Scotland's upcoming independence referendum too close to call, the rest of the United Kingdom is starting to consider seriously the implications of a "Yes" victory.A pro-independence vote would be a global sensation but would change little in the immediate term, except perhaps boost calls for British Prime Minister David Cameron to resign.But the vote would sound the starting gun for complex talks between the British and Scottish governments on separating two deeply interlinke

World NewsSept. 16, 2014

[Newsmaker] Rise of Sweden’s likely P.M.

STOCKHOLM (AFP) ― Sweden’s likely new prime minister, Social Democrat leader Stefan Loefven, may have little experience of national politics but this consensus-seeking trade unionist has overcome bigger obstacles before.Put into an orphanage by his mother as an infant, he has had his critics in his short time as opposition leader. Yet others see the former welder as a man more in touch with “the real Sweden.”“I have other relevant experience from working in industry and from leading a large trad

World NewsSept. 15, 2014

[Newsmaker] Will Apple Pay kill the card swipe?

NEW YORK (AP) ― Apple wants the plastic credit card to become as rare as the paper check. On Tuesday, the company announced Apple Pay, a digital payment system that lets people pay for retail store purchases using their phones rather than cash or credit cards. The service, which will work both with iPhones and Apple’s new Watch, is backed by a host of big retailers, along with most major banks and credit card issuers, including Visa, MasterCard and American Express. So-called contactless payment

World BusinessSept. 14, 2014