South Korean Prime Minister Chung Hong-won arrived in Bahrain on Monday (Seoul time) and plans to meet with his counterpart to explore ways to boost economic exchanges, his office said.It is the first leg of his seven-day tour of Bahrain, Qatar, Sri Lanka and Turkey from Sunday aimed at boosting South Korea's economic and cultural ties with the countries.Chung's trip to Bahrain marks the first time that a South Korean prime minister has visited the Middle Eastern country since 1976 when the two

Politics Aug. 26, 2013

South Korean futures companies saw their earnings soar 80.1 percent in the first quarter of fiscal2013 from three months earlier, largely due to a hike in brokerage and derivatives investment income, the financial regulator said Monday. The combined net loss of seven local futures firms came to 6.1 billion won ($5.47 million) in the April-June period, compared with 3.4 billion won the previous quarter, according to the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS). The increase in their profits is attribu

Industry Aug. 26, 2013

South Korean-born New Zealander Lydia Ko claimed her second straight CN Canadian Women's Open title on the LPGA Tour in Edmonton on Sunday.The 16-year-old cruised to a five-shot win over Karine Icher of France with a four-round total of 15-under 265 at the par-70 Royal Mayfair Golf Club. Ko fired a blistering 64 in the final round, which included seven birdies against one bogey. It was the lowest score recorded on Sunday.At last year's CN Canadian Women's Open, held in Vancouver, Ko became the y

Golf Aug. 26, 2013

Masters champion Adam Scott won The Barclays on Sunday after everyone around him did their best to lose it.Scott played bogey-free at Liberty National, making only two birdies on the back nine for a 5-under 66 that put him in the mix of a crowded leaderboard at the top. Turns out he was the only one who stayed there.“I can't believe it, to be honest,” Scott said after winning the FedEx Cup playoffs opener. “I just played a good round today and I came in and really didn't think it had a chance. B

Golf Aug. 26, 2013

Insurgents bent on destabilizing Iraq killed at least 46 people in numerous attacks scattered around the country on Sunday, striking targets as varied as a coffee shop, a wedding party convoy and a carload of off-duty soldiers. The attacks are part of a months-long wave of killing that is the country's worst spate of bloodshed since 2008. The violence is calling into question the security forces' ability to protect the country and raising fears that Iraq's sectarian and ethnic divisions are push

World News Aug. 26, 2013

Oceans that grow more acidic through Man‘s fossil fuel burning emissions, can amplify global warming by releasing less of a gas that helps shield Earth from radiation, a study said Sunday.And the authors warned the potentially vast effect they uncovered is not currently factored into climate change projections.Scientists say that Man’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions contribute to planetary warming by letting the Sun‘s heat through the atmosphere but trapping heat energy reflected back from Earth

Technology Aug. 26, 2013

Syria agreed Sunday to a U.N. investigation into last week's alleged chemical weapons attack outside Damascus _ a deal a senior White House official dismissed as “too late to be credible,” saying the United States has “very little doubt” President Bashar Assad's forces used such weapons.The hardening of the U.S. position came as calls for military action grow. In a sign the U.S. may be a step closer to an armed response, naval forces have already been dispatched toward Syria's coastal waters, al

World News Aug. 26, 2013

Rapper E-sens on Friday bashed his recently-parted agency Amoeba Culture and Gaeko of Dynamic Duo in a fashion befitting his hip-hop roots: releasing a diss track that sampled rapper Big Sean’s “Control.”“Amoeba Culture. Kiss my a--. You’ll just go to the press like you always have. You’ll make me look like an ungrateful bastard,” read the lyrics of the 26-year-old rapper’s track “You Can’t Control Me.”The Control fad was kick-started by American rapper Kendrick Lamar, who called out a number of

Performance Aug. 23, 2013

A parliamentary investigation into the state intelligence agency's alleged meddling in last year's presidential election wrapped up Friday without a joint report on the outcome as the rival parties differed sharply in their views of the case.The investigation, which began on July 2, sought to uncover the truth behind allegations that the National Intelligence Service (NIS) conducted an online smear campaign to sway public opinion in favor of the ruling party ahead of December's election.The ruli

Politics Aug. 23, 2013

Japan's nuclear watchdog on Friday dispatched an inspection team to the crippled Fukushima plant after workers found a huge toxic water leak and unexplained radiation hotspots.Earlier this week around 300 tons of radioactive liquid is believed to have escaped from one of the hundreds of tanks that hold polluted water, some of which was used to cool the broken reactors, in an episode dubbed the most serious in nearly two years.On Thursday workers looking for other holed tanks found two spots near

World News Aug. 23, 2013

South Korean stocks added 1.14 percent Friday, as investor sentiment buoyed on signs of improvement in advanced economies, analysts said. The local currency sharply gained against the U.S. dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) closed up 21.04 points to 1,870.16. Trading volume was moderate at 368 million shares worth 3.82 trillion won (US$3.42 billion) with gainers outpacing losers 609 to 188.Market watchers said Seoul shares recouped losses made in the previous trading

Aug. 23, 2013

It's only a matter of time before the United Nations steps in to resolve the Syrian crisis, the U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Friday, calling for international support. "It's a matter of time when we can, and parties are ready to participate" to resolve the escalating violence in Syria, Ban said in a local forum in Seoul held to discuss South Korea's future agenda for international humanitarian activities. "All technical and logistics preparations are now complete," the secretary gener

World News Aug. 23, 2013

Hyundai Motor Group, the world's fifth-largest carmaker, has decided to set up an auto parts plant in the United States, an official said Friday, as its unionized workers staged another partial strike over demands for higher wages and more benefits.Hyundai Dymos Inc. plans to break ground on its US$35 million plant near its sister company Kia Motors' assembly plant in Georgia in October, a Hyundai official said.Hyundai Dymos, which makes transmissions and seats for passenger cars, plans to hire

Industry Aug. 23, 2013