South Korea's top portal operator NHN Corp. said Tuesday that its free messenger application LINE broke the 200-million download mark as worldwide smartphone users rushed to connect with one another through the mobile messenger service.The milestone came four months after the service drew 150 million users in April and seven months after attracting 100 million this past January. The free messenger service was launched in June 2011.Since the initial launch, the company has expanded the service to

Industry July 23, 2013

South Korean stocks got off to a strong start Tuesday on hopes of second-quarter corporate earnings, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) shot up 14.44 points, or 0.77 percent, to 1,894.79 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Top-listed firms moved upward, with market bellwether Samsung Electronics gaining 0.7 percent and No. 1 steelmaker POSCO jumping more than 2 percent. South Korean companies have started posting their results for the second quarter from Monda

July 23, 2013

Mandela showing 'sustained improvement'Nelson Mandela's condition continues to improve, the South African government said Monday, six weeks after he was admitted to hospital with a recurring lung infection."Former President Mandela is still in a critical condition in hospital but shows sustained improvement," President Jacob Zuma's office said.In another upbeat statement, the presidency also thanked South Africans and the world for the outpouring of support that marked Mandela's 95th birthday la

World News July 22, 2013

Computer and software giant Apple said Sunday that it took its software developers website offline after it was hacked, warning that personal information about its users may have been stolen."Last Thursday, an intruder attempted to secure personal information of our registered developers from our developer website," Apple said in a statement. Although sensitive information was encrypted, "we have not been able to rule out the possibility that some developers' names, mailing addresses, and/or ema

World Business July 22, 2013

The European Union placed the military wing of the Lebanese party Hezbollah on its terror list on Monday in a major change of its policy toward the region.The EU's 28 foreign ministers reached the decision unanimously at their monthly meeting, swiftly swaying the last nations that had any doubts.It came after prolonged diplomatic pressure from Washington and Israel, who both consider Hezbollah a terrorist organization.The blacklisting would mean imposing visa bans on individuals and asset freeze

World News July 22, 2013

The 2007 inter-Korean summit looked likely to cause further controversy after lawmakers searching for the transcript of the meeting concluded that the records could not be found.On Monday, ruling Saenuri Party and main opposition Democratic Party lawmakers concluded that the National Archives was not in possession of the transcript. The transcript of the summit became a hot political issue following claims that late President Roh Moo-hyun had denied the legitimacy of the Northern Limit Line ― th

Politics July 22, 2013

Panamanian authorities have found two Soviet-era MiG-21 fighter jets aboard a North Korea-flagged ship seized this month as it tried to pass through the Panama Canal after departing from Cuba.The supersonic jets were found alongside missile and other weapons parts concealed in a shipment of sugar, in what could constitute a violation of tough U.N. sanctions on Pyongyang.Cuba has claimed the shipment, intercepted earlier this month, consists of "obsolete" weapons it was sending to North Korea to

World News July 22, 2013

South Korean comedian Bae Dong-seong recently divorced his wife of 22 years Ahn Hyeon-ju, a local magazine reported Monday.According to monthly magazine “Ju-bu Saeng-hwal (Life of Housewives),” the couple officially ended their marriage in March by mutual agreement.“I no longer want to live as Bae Dong-seong’s wife. We’ve been a ‘window display couple’ for some time,” Ahn told the magazine. She said they had been separated since last year.The couple had lived apart for 10 years due to Ahn’s desi

Television July 22, 2013

South Korean stocks traded 0.71 percent higher late Monday morning, as tech firms and shipbuilders widened gains, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) climbed 13.20 points to 1,884.61 as of 11:20 a.m. Market behemoth Samsung Electronics Co. rose 0.3 percent, with Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., the world's biggest shipyard, spiking nearly 5 percent. But NHN Corp., the country's top Internet portal operator, lost 0.7 percent. The local currency was changing hands a

July 22, 2013

South and North Korea resumed talks on Monday aimed at reviving a suspended joint factory park in the communist country, with neither side showing clear signs of making concessions.Working-level officials from both sides have met four times this month but failed to agree on terms to reopen the Kaesong Industrial Complex. North Korea has demanded an immediate resumption of work at the factory zone, while South Korea has insisted on securing safety measures to prevent another suspension, for which

North Korea July 22, 2013

South Korean stocks opened higher Monday, buoyed by news that finance chiefs of the major 20 economies pledged to focus on growth, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 5.34 points, or 0.29 percent, to 1,876.75 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Large-cap chemical and shipbuilding firms led the climb, with LG Chem advancing 0.5 percent and Hyundai Heavy Industries jumping 3 percent. Over the weekend, the Group of 20 (G20) nations agreed to prioritize growth

July 22, 2013