Prosecutors have acquitted all people involved in the so-called "false letter" scandal involving an imprisoned Korean-American businessman accused of falsely raising embezzlement allegations against incumbent President Lee Myung-bak during the 2007 presidential race.The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, which has been investigating the case since January, said there was no behind-the-sce

Social Affairs July 13, 2012

South Korea's central bank on Friday sharply cut its 2012 economic growth outlook to 3 percent as exports are feared to lose steam amid the protracted eurozone debt crisis.The downward revision by the Bank of Korea (BOK) is compared with its earlier estimate of 3.5 percent made in April. In the second half, Asia's fourth-largest economy is expected to grow 3.2 percent, picking up from a 2.7 percen

July 13, 2012

North Korea insisted Thursday it needs atomic weaponry to deter a U.S. nuclear threat, and vowed never to give up its right to launch rockets as part of what it called a peaceful space program.Washington's aim is to "eliminate the political ideology and system our people have opted for", Foreign Minister Pak Ui-Chun told a regional Asian gathering in Cambodia, according to a summary given to repor

North Korea July 12, 2012

A young girl died from complications brought on by the contagious hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) that has been spreading throughout the country, the government's health and safety agency said Thursday.The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) confirmed that a young girl, aged 2 years and 7 months and living in the Gyeongsang region of the country, died from a high fever, con

Social Affairs July 12, 2012

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles and ``pattern of provocations'' are a serious threat to Asian and world security.North Korea released a statement later Thursday at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' annual conference in Cambodia saying Washington's ``never-ending nuclear threat'' against the North has forced Pyon

Politics July 12, 2012

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged countries around the South China Sea to settle their territorial disputes "without coercion" as she prepared to meet her Chinese counterpart.Clinton is to sit down with Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi at an Asian security summit in Cambodia, with the top U.S. diplomat keen to avoid souring ties amid a fraught background of rows between Beijing and its nei

World News July 12, 2012

Looks may not kill, but they can get you fired.That's what a Northern California yoga instructor found after leading sessions at Facebook's Menlo Park campus.The instructor, Alice Van Ness, said she got fired after she glared at a Facebook employee who texted during a class in June."The whole point for most people going to yoga is that it's disconnecting from the outside world," said Van Ness, a 3

Industry July 12, 2012

The Japanese government has ordered its diplomats in the U.S. to step up efforts to block the erection of monuments here for Korean women forced to serve as sex slaves for Japan's imperialist troops during World War II, a source said Tuesday.Japan's foreign ministry has "directed its Consul General in New York to actively protest monuments to comfort women being erected by Korean-American groups h

Foreign Affairs July 11, 2012

Rep. Park Geun-hye of the ruling Saenuri Party officially announced her bid Tuesday to become South Korea's first female president, pledging to promote a fair economy, expand welfare and improve relations with North Korea."I will devote my everything to make the Republic of Korea a country in which everybody can achieve their dreams," Park said at a press briefing in front of a popular shopping ma

Politics July 10, 2012

More girls than boys are likely to experience math anxiety that may hurt their classroom performance in the subject, British researchers say.High math anxiety was a stronger predictor of poor test performance for girls than for boys, researchers from Cambridge and Oxford Universities said -- and could keep girls from persisting with their math education and pursuing careers that require quantitati

Technology July 10, 2012

Billionaire Warren Buffett has handed out $1.9 billion worth of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. stock as part of his plan to gradually give away most of his $44.1 billion fortune.Buffett disclosed his gifts of 22.4 million Class B Berkshire shares on Monday. The biggest gift of about 18.4 million shares worth more than $1.5 billion went to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, in accordance with the plan B

People July 10, 2012