A former lead prosecution investigator in the high-profile election-meddling case involving the state spy agency is facing a discipline for failing to follow his superiors' instructions, the top prosecution office said Monday.Wrapping up an internal inspection, the Supreme Public Prosecutors' Office (SPPO) said it has asked the Ministry of Justice to suspend Yoon Seok-youl for failing to report to his bosses before pressing additional charges in the case and detaining some intelligence service a

Social Affairs Nov. 11, 2013

State prosecutors have obtained a document verifying that late President Roh Moon-hyun ordered partial revision of the original transcript of the 2007 inter-Korean summit, prosecution sources said Monday.The minutes, which transcribe the summit talks between Roh and then North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in 2007, raised political controversy after the ruling Saenuri Party claimed that Roh had made remarks to the effect of surrendering to North Korea the western maritime border, called the Northern

Politics Nov. 11, 2013

South Korea is ranked near the middle of a composite index on health and welfare among a group of 34 mostly rich nations, a state-run think tank said Monday.South Korea placed 20th in the index that analyzed data on more than 26 areas, including employment rate, suicide rate and economic growth rate, in 2010, according to the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs.In 2008, South Korea was ranked 26th among the 34 member states of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (

Social Affairs Nov. 11, 2013

South Korean stocks held almost steady late Monday morning as they pared earlier gains, dented by losses in logistics and retail firms, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) lost 1.16 points, or 0.06 percent, to 1,983.71 as of 11:20 a.m., reverting from a bullish start at the opening bell. Hyundai Merchant Marine, a major logistics company, plunged more than 5 percent, with retail giant Lotte Shopping dipping nearly 3 percent. The local currency was changing hand

Nov. 11, 2013

The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) said Monday it will boycott all parliamentary standing committees over the next three days in protest of the prosecution's disciplinary action against a whistleblower.The boycott comes amid an ongoing political dispute between the ruling and opposition parties over a string of controversies, including state agencies' alleged meddling in last year's presidential election.On Friday, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office (SPO) reportedly decided to recommend a th

Politics Nov. 11, 2013

Fresh off his first career hat trick in Germany, South Korean footballer Son Heung-min said Monday he will now shift his focus to the country's two upcoming friendly matches.Son landed at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, early Monday, to join the national team training camp set to open on Tuesday. South Korea will host Switzerland at 8 p.m. Friday at Seoul World Cup Stadium, and will travel to Dubai to face Russia on Nov. 19.Playing for Bayer Leverkusen in the top German league Bund

Soccer Nov. 11, 2013

South Korea plans to scale down the amount of its foreign currency stabilization fund for next year as part of efforts to reduce mounting losses from its operation, the finance ministry said Monday.According to the ministry, the government set the amount of the money being operated under the fund at 72.07 trillion won ($67.5 billion) for next year, which is down 10.5 percent, or 8.42 trillion won, from this year.The government runs the fund, aimed at protecting the local financial market from ex

Nov. 11, 2013

They're still in their 20s, yet their rivalry is already one of the most heralded in men's tennis history.Rafael Nadal vs. Novak Djokovic has become a classic.The pair met for the first time at tour level seven years ago and, when they go head-to-head in the final of the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals on Monday, it will be for the 39th time.The Spaniard and the Serb have been dominant this season, with Nadal replacing Djokovic for the No. 1 ranking last month on the back of a stunning comeb

More Sports Nov. 11, 2013

Barcelona lost Lionel Messi to another leg injury but still had more than enough firepower to win 4-1 at struggling Real Betis and capitalize on a stumble by title rival Atletico Madrid on Sunday.Things looked grim for the defending champions when Messi suffered his third leg injury of the season and asked to be substituted in the 21st minute, as Barcelona came under pressure.But Cesc Fabregas stepped in by scoring two goals and making another in a convincing victory before he was replaced late

Soccer Nov. 11, 2013

South Korean speed skater Lee Seung-hoon set the national record en route to a third-place finish in the men's 5,000 meters at the Speed Skating World Cup in Canada on Sunday.Lee finished third in 6:07.04, 2.58 seconds behind the champ Sven Kramer of the Netherlands, in the opening leg of the International Skating Union (ISU) World Cup series in Calgary.Another Dutchman, Jorrit Bergsma, took second place in 6:06.93.Lee improved his own South Korean record by a whopping 7.63 seconds. He'd establi

More Sports Nov. 11, 2013

The defense quality control agency said Monday that 34 local providers of military equipment parts forged or doctored their quality test documents on 125 occasions over the past three years.The announcement sparked criticism that quality checks were inadequate and concerns that crucial military equipment with flawed parts could fail when tensions with North Korea still remain high.In an inspection of 136,844 products procured over the past three years, the Defense Agency for Technology and Quali

Social Affairs Nov. 11, 2013

South Korean stocks opened higher Monday, tracking gains in U.S. peers overnight that were fueled by Washington's unexpectedly good payroll data, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 3.4 points, or 0.17 percent, to 1,988.27 in the first 15 minutes of trading. IT service companies and financial firms gathered ground, with NAVER, the top Internet portal provider, jumping more than 3 percent and Hana Financial Group, the country's No. 3 lender, gaining 1 perce

Nov. 11, 2013