South Korea's financial watchdog is seeking to revise corporate disclosure rules to require publicly-traded firms to reveal their dividend payout plans and the maximum dividend amount, industry sources said Friday.The government in July had unveiled plans aimed at encouraging companies to distribute more of their profits in wages and dividends, blaming them for holding on to too much cash, cutting the money flow to households and in turn weakening their spending.The new economic team led by Fina

Sept. 26, 2014

South Korea and China made some progress in their latest round of negotiations for a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) but remain divided over the thorniest issue of how soon and how much they will open their markets for sensitive industries, the Seoul government said Friday."In the area of products, the two sides somewhat narrowed their difference over China's early elimination of tariffs on manufactured goods and our opening of the market for agricultural products, which have become the mos

Foreign Affairs Sept. 26, 2014

A leading opposition lawmaker has filed a complaint with the prosecution against seven unidentified netizens for allegedly spreading false rumors about him, judicial sources said Friday.The seven are accused of posting an article on the Internet earlier this month that Rep. Moon Jae-in of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) attempted to launder some 20 trillion won (US$19 billion) together with a former head of a public company who is a close aide to the late ex-Presid

Social Affairs Sept. 26, 2014

South Korea's trade commission said Friday it has decided to impose punitive duties of up to 21.79 percent on ethanolamine imports from four countries, including the United States and Japan.The decision followed a 10-month probe into allegations of dumping by a local importer of the chemical compound that is widely used to produce detergent, plasticizer and various other products. The products from Malaysia and Thailand were also named for punitive duties."The Trade Commission has come to rule i

Sept. 26, 2014

President Park Geun-hye returned home Friday from a high-profile visit to Canada and New York that was culminated in her address to the U.N. General Assembly.Park first made a state visit to Canada and held a summit with Prime Minister Stephen Harper on how to further boost their relations.A key accomplishment of her trip to Canada was the signing of a free trade deal that could boost trade and investment ties across the Pacific. South Korea is the first Asian country to sign a free trade deal w

Politics Sept. 26, 2014

South Korean convenience stores, which have emerged as a key retail outlet, are moving to accelerate their powerful growth with unconventional merchandise ranging from the latest iPhone to flowers and water purifiers.Major convenience store brands are introducing new items and services to better cater to a growing number of single households that rely on the retail channel, now visible on almost every street and alleyway across the nation, for most of their shopping.7-Eleven, which is operated b

Social Affairs Sept. 26, 2014

The U.S. special representative for North Korea policy will visit China, South Korea and Japan next week for talks on how to deal with the communist regime in Pyongyang, the State Department announced Thursday.Amb. Glyn Davies will be accompanied by Sydney Seiler, the new special envoy for the six-party nuclear talks, and Allison Hooker, director for Korea at the National Security Council, on the trip that will take them to Beijing on Sunday, Seoul on Tuesday and Japan on Wednesday, it said.In a

North Korea Sept. 26, 2014

South Korea's 24-year-old swimming star Park Tae-hwan, who has yet to grab any gold at the Asian Games, said Thursday he is honored to compete against young racers.After settling for four bronzes, Park grabbed the silver in the men's 100-meter freestyle Thursday to rank behind Ning Zetao of China. Shinri Shioura of Japan took the bronze."I believe the race against Chinese and Japanese swimmers in the short distance will serve as a good lesson for me," Park said, referring to Ning and Shioura.The

Sports Sept. 26, 2014

Defending Asiad champ South Korea routed Hong Kong 12-0 for its third straight baseball victory on Thursday.At Mokdong Stadium in Seoul, South Korea enjoyed its third straight shutout victory in the final Group B contest. The game ended after seven innings on a mercy rule. Games at the Asiad are called if a team is up by 15 or more runs after five innings or at least 10 runs after the seventh.South Korea had already clinched a spot in the semifinals with a 10-0 win over Chinese Taipei on Wednesd

Sports Sept. 26, 2014

숨진 엄마와 함께 하수구에 갇혀 있던 아이가 80시간만에 무사히 구출됐다.23일 외신에 따르면, 아르헨티나에서 21개월된 여아 마르티나와 아이 엄마가 하수구에 버려져 있는 것을 도로 청소를 하던 청소부에 의해 발견됐다. 아이는 오물 속에서 숨져 있는 엄마 배 위에 앉아 있었다고 경찰은 전했다. 경찰은 아이 엄마의 혈흔이 발견된 33세 아이 아빠를 범죄 용의자로 보고 체포했다.경찰 조사에 따르면, 이혼한 두 부부는 사건 전날 남편이 아내에게 생활비를 전해주기 위해 오랜만에 만난 것으로 알려졌다. 남편은 이 날 처음으로 21개월 딸을 만났다고 경찰은 전했다. 경찰은 아이 아빠가 전 부인과 아이를 납치한 후 아내만 살해하고 유기한 것으로 보고 있다. 아이 엄마가 실종되자 집에 있던 두 아들이 경찰에 신고했다고 경찰은 밝혔다. 두 아들은 용의자의 아들이 아니라고 외신은 전했다. (khnews@heraldcorp.com)

한국어판 Sept. 23, 2014

South Korea claimed silver and bronze in wushu at the Asian Games on Sunday.South Korea's Lee Yong-hyun scored a total of 19.36 points in men's daoshu and gunshu to win silver at the competition, which took place at the Ganghwa Dolmens Gymnasium in Incheon, west of Seoul.China's Sun Peiyuan took the gold with 19.54 points, and Manh Quyen Nguyen of Vietnam was the bronze winner with 19.33 points.In women's jianshu and qiangshu, Seo Hee-ju of the host nation won bronze with a total score of 19.24

More Sports Sept. 21, 2014