Lee Hyun-do, a former member of iconic hip-hop duo Deux, denied on Monday rumors that he and his former bandmate, the late Kim Sung Jae, were involved in a violent quarrel over a woman. The supposed dispute has been rumored to be the main reason for the premature break-up of Deux.“The break-up was strictly ‘strategic,’” Lee said on “Golden Fishery-Radio Star,” a popular talk show on broadcasting network MBC. “I wanted to be a music producer and Kim wanted to become a solo artist.”Lee said that i

Performance Aug. 8, 2013

South Korean stocks closed marginally higher Thursday buoyed by China's upbeat trade data that eased concern on a hard-landing of Asia's No. 1 economy, analysts said.The local currency rose against the U.S. dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 5.64 points, or 0.3 percent, to finish at 1,883.97. Trading volume was moderate at 333.8 million shares worth 3.61 trillion won ($3.24 billion) with gainers outpacing decliners 427 to 335. "China posted fairly good exports,

Aug. 8, 2013

A district court on Thursday sentenced a former professional basketball coach to 10 months behind bars for fixing games.Kang Dong-hee, 47, was found guilty of taking cash worth 47 million won ($42,000) from gambling brokers to fix four games during the 2010-2011 season of the Korean Basketball League (KBL) while heading the Dongbu Promy.It marks the first time that a coach from one of four profession sports in South Korea has received a prison term for fixing games, dealing another blow to the c

More Sports Aug. 8, 2013

Naver Corp., South Korea's top Internet portal operator, said Thursday its second-quarter profit jumped 7.5 percent from a year earlier, buoyed by increased revenue from ad and messenger services.Net profit reached 123 billion won (US$110 million) in the April-June period, compared with 114 billion won the previous year, Naver, formerly known as NHN, said in a regulatory filing.Revenue rose 26.3 percent on-year to 723 billion won in the second quarter, and operating profit gained 19.6 percent to

Industry Aug. 8, 2013

Bank of Korea Gov. Kim Choong-soo said Thursday that Korea might need to brace for rising inflationary pressure toward the latter half of this year as consumer prices were expected to climb further following the rainy season.The BOK chief added that the financial markets would continue to face periodic volatility until the U.S. Federal Reserve completely unwound its quantitative easing as its job market improved in 2014.Kim’s cautionary note came after the central bank’s monetary policy committe

Aug. 8, 2013

A U.S. institute tracking North Korea's nuclear weapons program says recent satellite photos show Pyongyang is doubling the size of its uranium enrichment plant, jibing with the country's announced plans to expand technology that can be used both to create energy and the core of nuclear weapons.The imagery comes from two sources, satellite companies Digital Globe and Astrium Geoinformation Services, and was seen by The Associated Press ahead of publication by the Institute for Science and Intern

North Korea Aug. 8, 2013

The trial of Maj. Nidal Hasan was halted after just one day, after he claimed responsibility for the 2009 shooting rampage at Fort Hood. A court-appointed attorney on standby for the U.S. Army psychiatrist said Hasan was deliberately trying to receive a death sentence after he said the alleged murder weapon was his, even though no one asked.Hasan sometimes took notes while acting as his own attorney, but he mostly looked forward impassively and rarely asked for help as witness after witness said

World News Aug. 8, 2013

A bomb threat investigation that prompted a search of a trans-Atlantic flight and questioning of its passengers has turned up nothing suspicious, officials said.US Airways Flight 777 from Shannon, Ireland, landed in an isolated part of Philadelphia International Airport on Wednesday afternoon and was met on the tarmac by fire trucks and federal and local authorities.A telephone threat about a bomb was made about the plane before it landed, Philadelphia police Chief Inspector Joe Sullivan said.Th

World News Aug. 8, 2013

South Korean stocks got off to a strong start Thursday on a technical rebound led by blue-chip gains, making up for bearish runs in the past few sessions, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) soared 12.02 points, or 0.64 percent, to 1,890.35 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Defensive shares drove up the main index, with state-run electricity provider Korea Electric Power Corp. surging more than 4 percent. Market bellwether Samsung Electronics was up nearly 0.

Aug. 8, 2013

South Korea will face Qatar in the quarterfinals at the ongoing Asian men's basketball championship in the Philippines.Qatar lost to the Philippines 80-70 Wednesday night to close out its second round at 4-1, good for third place in Group E. Later on Wednesday, South Korea routed India 95-54 to finish second in Group F at 4-1.The South Korea-Qatar showdown will be at 10:30 p.m. on Friday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay, Philippines.The top four countries from Groups E and F advanced to the qu

More Sports Aug. 8, 2013