Eland Group, a South Korean operator of outlet malls, has been picked as the preferred bidder for the purchase of local builder Ssangyong Engineering & Construction Co., the state-run debt clearer said Thursday.   Eland will likely be acquiring a 50.07 percent stake from existing creditors worth 90 billion won ($79.5 million), and taking over new stocks worth 150 billion won through a rights of

Industry Aug. 3, 2012

LONDON (Yonhap) -- The global governing body of fencing on Tuesday rejected South Korea's "groundless" appeal following a disputed conclusion to a women's epee contest the previous day at the London Olympics.   In a statement, the International Fencing Federation (FIE) said its jury of appeal upheld the referee's decision to award the semifinal victory to Britta Heidemann of Germany over South Kor

Olympic Games Aug. 1, 2012

South Korean swimming star Park Tae-hwan on Sunday reached the final of men's 200-meter freestyle, barely 24 hours removed from a ruling debacle surrounding his 400ｍ race.Park finished third among eight qualifiers at 1 minute and 46.02 seconds. Sun Yang of China, the 400ｍ free champion from Saturday, won the heat at 1:45.61, followed by Yannick Agnel of France 0.23 seconds behind.Park was the silv

More Sports July 30, 2012

South Korea edged Switzerland 2-1 for its first win in men's football on Sunday at the London Olympics.In the second Group B match at City of Coventry Stadium, Arsenal forward Park Chu-young opened the scoring and Cardiff City winger Kim Bo-kyung broke the second-half tie with a left-foot strike to give his side big three points.South Korea had tied Mexico 0-0 in the opener on Thursday. The victor

Soccer July 30, 2012

LONDON (Yonhap) -- Judoka An Kum-ae won North Korea's first gold medal at the London Olympics Sunday, taking the women's under-52-kilogram class.An defeated Yanet Bermoy Acosta of Cuba with a yuko. An won silver in the same category at the Beijing Olympics four years ago.On Saturday, female weightlifter Ryang Chun-hwa won bronze in women's 48㎏ class for the North's first medal.North Korea sent 56

More Sports July 30, 2012

LONDON (Yonhap) -- South Korean Cho Jun-ho grabbed bronze medal in the men's under-66-kilogram judo on Sunday at the London Olympics, bouncing back after a judging controversy knocked him out of the quarters earlier in the day.Cho beat Sugoi Uriarte of Spain in the bronze medal contest. He had advanced through repechage round after losing his bid for a semifinal berth on an unprecedented overturni

More Sports July 30, 2012

 A South Korean activist who claimed have been tortured by Chinese authorities while under detention is considering bringing his case to the International Criminal Court, his close aides said Sunday.  Kim Young-hwan and three other activists trying to help North Korean refugees in China were arrested in late March and accused of endangering Beijing's national security.   After being deported to So

Social Affairs July 29, 2012

 The number of North Korean visitors to China increased drastically since then-North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's tour of the North's biggest communist ally early last year, Chinese government data shows.   The data on the entry of foreigners obtained Sunday by Yonhap News Agency showed that 152,000 North Koreans entered China in 2011, a sharp rise from 116,000 the previous year. Out of the total,

North Korea July 29, 2012