Japan's trade deficit more than quadrupled on year to $3.7 billion in March, government data showed Thursday, as a weaker yen inflated import costs.The monthly trade deficit expanded to 362.4 billion yen from the year-before shortfall of 81.8 billion yen, finance ministry data showed.The heavy deficit was still smaller than 480 billion yen economists predicted in a poll by the Nikkei business daily.Exports rose 1.1 percent to 6.27 trillion yen while imports climbed 5.5 percent to 6.63 trillion y

World Business April 18, 2013

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Wednesday North Korea would collapse without China's assistance as he stressed the importance of getting Beijing behind efforts to denuclearize Pyongyang."I think it's fair to say that without China, North Korea would collapse," he said at a congressional hearing. The senator, who has long followed North Korea, especially when he was a senator, pointed out that China provides almost three-quarters of North Korea's fuel."China is a significant banking condu

North Korea April 18, 2013

The International Monetary Fund has lowered its outlook for the world economy this year, predicting that government spending cuts will slow U.S. growth and keep the euro currency alliance in recession.The global lending organization cut its forecast for global growth to 3.3 percent this year, down from its forecast in January of 3.5 percent. It didn't alter its prediction of 4 percent global growth in 2014.The IMF expects the U.S. economy to expand 1.9 percent this year. That's below its January

World Business April 17, 2013

교통사고 후 피해자의 신원이 서로 뒤바뀌는 바람에 한쪽 부모는 남의 딸 장례를 치르고, 다른 부모는 딸이 죽은 지도 모르고 남의 아이를 간병하는 사건이 발생했다.경기 고양 경찰서가 17일 밝힌 바에 따르면, 지난달 24일 고양시 덕양구 행주외동 자유로 행주 IC에서 발생한 교통사고 당시 중상자와 사망자의 신원이 서로 바뀐 것으로 알려졌다. 이에 경찰은 해당 피해자들의 신원을 확실히 하기 위해 국립과학수사연구원에 DNA 감식을 의뢰했다고 한다.사고 당시 김모 (30)씨가 운전하던 승용차는 가로등과 방음벽을 들이받는 사고를 냈는데, 경찰은 운전자 김씨와 동승한 김모 (17)양과 안모 (14)양 중 김모양이 숨지고 같이 타고 있던 안모양이 크게 다쳤다고 밝혔다. 김양의 부모는 딸의 장례식까지 치른 것으로 알려졌다.그러나 안양으로 알려진 소녀가 지난 14일 의식을 차리고 얼굴에 감은 붕대를 풀면서 그녀가 안양이 아니고 죽은 것으로 알려진 김양이라는 사실이 밝혀졌다. 딸이 죽은 줄만 알았던

한국어판 April 17, 2013

조용필이 10년 만에 19집으로 우리 곁에 돌아왔다.16일 온라인에 공개된 조용필의 신곡 ‘바운스(Bounce)’는 17일 새벽 주요 음원 차트에서 싸이의 ‘Gentleman’을 제치고 1위를 차지하며 성공적인 ‘귀환’을 했다.바운스는 60대가 부른 곡이라고 믿기지 않을 경쾌한 사운드와 세련된 가사로 젊은 층의 마음을 사로잡았다.조용필은 이번 앨범에서 과거의 차분한 스타일에서 벗어나 세대를 초월해 인기를 끌 트렌디한 곡들을 많이 선보일 예정이다.한편, 조용필은 오는 23일 올림픽 공원에서 데뷔 후 최초로 쇼케이스를 연다. 이날 그의 성공적인 컴백을 축하하기 위해 많은 젋은 후배 가수들도 참가할 것으로 보인다. (코리아 헤럴드) <관련 영문 기사>Singing legend’s return gets unexpected support from youngstersCho Yong-pil, one of the most popular and influential Korean singers of

한국어판 April 17, 2013

터키 남성들의 3명 당 한명은 여성에게 가끔 폭력을 휘둘러도 괜찮다고 생각한다는 설문조사가 나와, 터키 내의 가정폭력 문제의 심각성을 암시했다.터키의 영자신문 휴리에트데일리뉴스가 16일 (현지시간) 보도한 바에 따르면, “행복한 아이를 위한 협회”가 최근 성인 남성 3천500명을 상대로 한 설문 조사 결과 무려 34%나 되는 남성들이 “여성에 대한 폭력이 가끔 필요하다”고 답한 것으로 알려졌다. 또 30.9%는 이유가 있으면 여성에 대한 폭력이 정당화된다고 답했고 37.6%는 만약 명예, 품위 등의 요소가 걸린 일에는 폭력을 써도 된다고 말했다.응답자의 17%는 “남성이 가정의 지배자이며 필요할 때는 폭력을 휘둘러도 된다”는 항목에 ‘그렇다’고 답했으며, 23.4%는 여성이 먼저 화나게 할 경우 폭력을 써도 된다고 답했다.상당수 남성들의 경우 남성우월주의적 성향을 그대로 드러냈는데, 11.5%는 자신들이 “폭력을 쓸 권리가 있다”고 했으며, 11.8%는 만약 아내가 남편의 뜻에 거슬

한국어판 April 17, 2013

North Korea on Wednesday rejected a request by South Korean businessmen to visit a jointly-run industrial complex in the North's border city of Gaeseong to deliver food and check their facilities, Seoul's unification ministry said."Pyongyang has sent a notice that it can't agree to (the South Korean businessmen's visit to Gaeseong)," the Ministry of Unification said. "It is very regrettable."Awaiting permission from the North, the 10 entrepreneurs representing owners of factories at the Gaeseong

North Korea April 17, 2013

Samsung Electronics Co., the world's top maker of smartphones, memory chips and flat-panel TVs, is projected to reap a record 10 trillion won ($8.98 billion) in operating profit in the second quarter thanks to its latest Galaxy smartphone, market analysts said Wednesday.Samsung Electronics' operating profit in the April-June period is expected to jump 62.2 percent on-year to 10.3 trillion won, according to the data compiled by financial information provider FnGuide. The second-quarter sales are

Industry April 17, 2013

South Korea's debt from bond issuance reached 765.6 trillion won (US$687.8 billion) this month, raising concerns over increasing tax burdens down the road, data showed Wednesday.According to the data compiled by Korea Financial Investment Association, the combined amount of state bonds needing to be repaid by the South Korean government reached 436.1 trillion won on Monday, up 5.5 percent from the end of 2012.The amount of special bonds, which refer to debt sales floated by state-owned enterpris

April 17, 2013

South Korea's wireless data traffic almost doubled in January from a year earlier in line with explosive growth in the country's smartphone-using population, data showed Wednesday.According to the data compiled by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, wireless data traffic totaled 58,262 terabytes in January, compared with 29,748 terabytes a year earlier. One terabyte equals 1,024 gigabytes.The figure includes traffic on the third-generation network and WiFi offered by telecom operat

Technology April 17, 2013

South Korean stocks got off to a strong start Wednesday, cheered by the government's supplementary budget unveiled a day before to boost the slowing economy, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) gained 8.19 points, or 0.43 percent to 1,930.40 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Tech and auto blue-chips drove up the main index, with market behemoth Samsung Electronics climbing 0.8 percent and Kia Motors, a smaller affiliate of Hyundai Motor, jumping 1.8 percent.

April 17, 2013

North Korea made clear Tuesday it would not return to the "humiliating negotiating table.""The DPRK (North Korea) is not opposed to dialogue but has no idea of sitting at the humiliating negotiating table with the party brandishing a nuclear stick," the North's foreign ministry said in a statement carried by the state news agency, KCNA.The statement, released by an unnamed spokesman, marked the clearest response yet to the recent U.S. offer of talks aimed at easing months of heightened tensions.

North Korea April 17, 2013