Leaders of the ruling and main opposition parties held a second round of talks Tuesday to discuss a way out of the political standoff surrounding the state's alleged interference in last year's presidential election, among other issues, but produced no breakthrough, both sides said.It marks the second day in a row that the chiefs and floor leaders of the ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) failed to reach agreement on key issues dividing the parties, including the

Politics Dec. 3, 2013

South Korean stocks traded 0.63 percent lower late Tuesday morning amid woes that the United States may start tapering its economic stimulus moves earlier than expected, analysts said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) shed 12.80 points to 2,017.98 as of 11:20 a.m.Carmakers traded lower, with No. 1 Hyundai Motor falling 4.21 percent and top auto parts maker Hyundai Mobis decreasing 3.53 percent. Kia Motors shed 4.87 percent.Brokerage houses also lost ground, with Samsung Sec

Dec. 3, 2013

South Korea recorded a deficit in tourism balance in October, extending its losing streak to 17 months since June last year, data showed Tuesday.According to the data by the Korea Culture & Tourism Institute, the country's tourism deficit came to $94 million in October. The spending by foreign tourists visiting the country came to $1.448 billion in October, while South Korean tourists' overseas spending reached $1.542 billion. Foreign tourist arrivals stood at 1.09 million in the same month, up

Dec. 3, 2013

South Korean men's national football team will face the United States in a football friendly match in California next year, officials said Tuesday.U.S. Soccer, the American governing body of the sport, announced on its website that the match will take place at the StubHub Center in Carson, California, on Feb. 1 next year.It will be the first showdown between the countries since their 1-1 draw during the group stage at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, which South Korea co-hosted with Japan. Both South Ko

Soccer Dec. 3, 2013

Norwegian investment fund KLP said Monday it had sold its shares in Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco), the operator of the Fukushima nuclear plant, due to its handling of the disaster.The mutual fund, which manages the pensions and insurance plans of public servants and is worth around 370 billion kroner ($60 billion), owned about eight million kroner in Tepco shares."Tepco has worked intensely to limit the consequences of the accident and has, seemingly, acted correctly, but the consequences of the

World Business Dec. 3, 2013

Apple has bought Topsy Labs in a deal that will provide the iPhone maker with more insights about the chatter on Twitter.Topsy pores through the stream of conversations occurring on Twitter to identify trends and people influencing public opinion. The San Francisco startup also runs a free search engine that boasts an index of every tweet posted since 2006, a resource that's not publicly available on Twitter's own online messaging service.Apple Inc. spokeswoman Kristin Huguet confirmed the Topsy

World Business Dec. 3, 2013

Bob Dylan has been charged with incitement to hatred in France after he was quoted comparing Croats with Nazis in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, a judicial source said Monday.The world-famous American singer was questioned and charged last month while on a visit to Paris during which he gave several concerts and was awarded the Legion d'Honneur, one of France's top honors, the source said.The charge against him centers on a 2012 interview with Rolling Stone magazine during which he co

Performance Dec. 3, 2013

Thousands of Ukrainian protesters massed outside parliament in Kiev on Tuesday as lawmakers were set to debate a vote of no confidence in the government over the scrapping of a deal with the European Union.The opposition has called for a vote of no confidence in the government of Prime Minister Mykola Azarov amid days of mass protests over the abandoning of the historic pact, the biggest protests in the ex-Soviet country since the pro-Western Orange Revolution in 2004.But it was unclear whether

World News Dec. 3, 2013

South Korea is in early consultations with the United Stats over its reported plans to redraw a maritime air defense zone in response to China's declaration of its own air zone in the East China Sea, a diplomatic source said Monday.Beijing's announcement in late November has added to military tensions in Northeast Asia. Seoul is especially irked as China's new zone includes Ieodo, an underwater reef that is home to a South Korean ocean research station.The Park Geun-hye administration is apparen

Defense Dec. 3, 2013

South Korean stocks opened lower Tuesday as investors' sentiment was dented by weaker-than-expected Thanksgiving and Black Friday sales in the United States, analysts said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) lost 9.36 points, or 0.46 percent, to 2,021.42 in the first 15 minutes of trading.Tech shares traded lower, with top chipmaker SK Hynix falling 0.7 percent and handset maker LG Electronics decreasing 0.88 percent. Flat panel maker LG Display shed 1.43 percent.Logistics co

Business Dec. 3, 2013

The presidential office is looking into allegations that one of its staffers was involved in the leak of personal information concerning a child suspected to be the illegitimate son of former Prosecutor General Chae Dong-wook, an official said Tuesday.A local newspaper has reported that the staffer allegedly asked a senior official at the Seocho-gu office in June to verify the resident registration number and other personal information of the child. He then sent a mobile phone message to the dis

Social Affairs Dec. 3, 2013

The U.S. Navy has deployed sophisticated surveillance aircraft to Japan, officials said Monday, amid rising tension over China's territorial claims in the region.Two P-8A Poseidon patrol jets departed Jacksonville, Florida on Friday and arrived later at Kadena air base in Okinawa, in a move that was planned before Beijing declared an air defense zone last month covering disputed islands in the East China Sea, a navy official told AFP."This was scheduled for a long time," said the official, who s

World News Dec. 3, 2013