Sales of wine at local discount chains outstripped those of soju for the first time, data showed Sunday, mirroring a changing trend in South Korea's drinking culture.   Wine sales surpassed those of the local alcoholic drink by 4.6 percent this year, according to the data by Lotte Mart, a discount chain arm of retail giant Lotte. Last year, sales of wine lagged behind those of soju by roughly 6 percent.   Wine sales stood at around 25 percent of soju sales in the first half in the early 2000s, b

Industry Dec. 16, 2012

Nearly 80 percent of all voters in the country said they will vote in this year's presidential race, a poll conducted by the state election watchdog said Tuesday.   The survey carried out by Korea Research Center on behalf of the National Election Commission on 1,500 people nationwide late last week showed 79.9 percent of all respondents saying they will definitely vote on Dec. 19.   By age group, 74.5 percent of people in their 20s, 71.8 percent in their 30s and 78.3 percent in their 40s said t

Politics Dec. 11, 2012

 South Korean tech behemoth Samsung Electronics Co. has scaled down its investment in production facilities for the second quarter in a row apprently in anticipation of a protracted global economic slump, industry data showed Sunday.   The company spent 4.54 trillion won ($4.16 billion) on facilities for semiconductor, liquid crystal display and other products over the July-September period, the lowest level in 10 quarters since it invested 4.14 trillion won in the first quarter of 2010, accordi

Technology Nov. 18, 2012

  Smartphones and tablets powered by Google's Android software are devouring the mobile gadget market, eating into Apple's turf by feeding appetites for innovation and low prices, analysts say.  The Android operating system powered nearly three out of four smartphones shipped worldwide in the recently ended quarter as the mobile platform dominated the market, according to industry trackers at IDC.   "Android has been one of the primary growth engines of the smartphone market since it was launche

Technology Nov. 18, 2012

  President Obama, the mayor of London, China's top dissident artist and Madonna -- every time someone signals the death of "Gangnam Style" up pops another high-profile figure to keep the phenomenon alive.   In the four months since the music video by South Korean rapper Psy went viral on YouTube, it has been name-checked and imitated by an impressive roster of global notables from world leaders to sports stars and business tycoons.   And the public has joined in with tens of thousands turning o

Performance Nov. 18, 2012

 A high-ranking prosecutor is expected to be summoned by police for questioning on suspicions of taking large sums of money in kickbacks from a notorious con artist and a major conglomerate, a police officer said Friday.   The prosecutor, surnamed Kim, is accused of taking some 200 million won ($183,908) from a man surnamed Kang who is close to famous swindler Cho Hee-pal, the National Police Agency (NPA) officer said. The prosecutor is also suspected of receiving 600 million won from an officia

Social Affairs Nov. 9, 2012

 Carrying a bouquet of flowers, South Korean presidential candidate Park Geun-hye stepped forward to honor one of the martyrs in her country's long struggle for democracy. A protester threw himself at her feet.     ``How dare you come here?'' the man shouted, sitting between Park and a statue of activist Chun Tae-il. Chun's 1970 labor protest suicide is seen as an expression of dissent against the rule of Park's father, the late president and longtime dictator Park Chung-hee.    As cameras flash

Politics Nov. 2, 2012

The 105-story, pyramid-shaped hotel that has stood over North Korea's capital city like a mountain for more than 20 years just might be on the verge of opening for the first time.   Pyongyang's Ryugyong Hotel will ``partially, probably'' open in the middle of next year, Reto Wittwer, CEO of international hotel operator Kempinski AG, said Thursday at a forum in Seoul.    Kempinski will manage the hotel, which Wittwer said will open with shops, offices, ballrooms, restaurants and 150 rooms.   The

North Korea Nov. 2, 2012

South Korean stocks opened higher Friday, led by gains in tech and auto shares, analysts said.   The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 19.27 points, or 1.02 percent to 1,917.71 in the first 15 minutes of trading.    Shares gathered ground across the board, with market bellwether Samsung Electronics increasing 1.31 percent and chipmaker SK hynix adding 3.14 percent.   Top auto parts maker Hyundai Mobis gained 1.67 percent and its affiliate Kia Motors added 0.67 percent.   U

Nov. 2, 2012

South Korea postponed its launch of a space rocket Friday due to a problem that was detected only hours before its scheduled liftoff.   Cho Yul-rae, vice minister of education, science and technology, said the launch of the Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 (KSLV-1) will be delayed at least three days.    "A leak has been detected from a connection between the first-stage rocket of the KSLV-1 and the launch pad," Cho told a press briefing.   The problem was detected during a final inspection of the s

Technology Oct. 26, 2012

   EUIJEONGBU -- A municipal government expressed concern Sunday over a U.S. plan to redeploy a unit in their region, saying it would undermine a project to replace the U.S. base with a college campus.   The U.S. Army plans to relocate the 23rd Chemical Battalion from the U.S. state of Washington to Camp Stanley in Euijeongbu, just north of Seoul, by March of next year, an official of the Euijeongbu city government said Sunday.   The relocation would come nine years after the unit withdrew from

Defense Oct. 21, 2012

In recent years, world powers have been quick to convene emergency sessions to discuss what the U.N.'s response should be to North Korean provocations. But nowhere in the room was the most important party concerned -- South Korea.One of the world's major economies, South Korea was also left out of the discussion of other urgent global security issues such as Iran and Syria.But with its return to the U.N. Security Council, South Korea will once again be at the forefront of U.N. diplomacy. "The pr

Politics Oct. 19, 2012