Asiana Airlines Inc., South Korea's No. 2 flag carrier, said Tuesday that pilot error and defects in the auto throttle system combined to cause the fatal crash of its passenger jet at San Francisco International Airport last year. The company said in a statement that probable cause can be found in the very slow air speed that caused the B777-200ER carrying 291 passengers to stall.It said the pilot of flight 214 did not realize the plane was not maintaining proper air speed as it approached the r

Industry April 1, 2014

Jurors were selected Monday for a high-stakes patent battle between smartphone rivals Apple and Samsung, setting the stage for attorneys to open fire regarding who copied innovations.The case concerns smartphone and tablet patents and is just the latest in a long-running feud between the two tech giants battling for supremacy in a multibillion-dollar market.Apple and Samsung lawyers will begin opening remarks Tuesday before of the freshly-chosen panel of 10 jurors and US District Court Judge Luc

Technology April 1, 2014

South Korea's consumer prices grew at the fastest pace in seven months in March, driven in part by a rise in personal service costs, including private education, a government report showed Tuesday.The country's consumer price index rose 1.3 percent in March from a year earlier, the fastest on-year rise since August last year when it gained 1.5 percent, according to the report by Statistics Korea.This marked the first time since November that the growth rate has quickened on a month-to-month basi

April 1, 2014

South Korea's trade surplus widened from a year earlier last month as the growth of its exports outpaced that of imports, the government said Tuesday.The country's trade surplus reached $4.19 billion in March with outbound shipments coming to $49.76 billion, up 5.2 percent from the same month last year, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.Imports gained 3.6 percent on-year to $45.57 billion. (Yonhap)

April 1, 2014

South Korean outfielder Choo Shin-soo went hitless in his debut with the Texas Rangers on Monday at home in Arlington.The 31-year-old went 0-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout as the leadoff man, and the Rangers lost to the Philadelphia Phillies 14-10 in their season opener.The Rangers were outhit 17-14 in the slugfest.Facing left-handed starter Cliff Lee, Choo flied out to center in his first time up in the bottom first. In the bottom second, with Josh Wilson at second with one out, Choo grounde

Baseball April 1, 2014

U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel urged North Korea Monday to discontinue its "dangerous" provocations, hours after receiving a briefing on soaring tensions on the peninsula from his top military commander there."The provocation that the North Koreans have once again engaged in is dangerous and it needs to stop," the secretary said at a Pentagon press conference.He said he had been briefed two hours earlier by Army Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, chief of 28,500 U.S. troops in Korea, about the exch

North Korea April 1, 2014

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on Monday visited Crimea, the first Russian leader to travel to the Black Sea region after Moscow seized it from Ukraine, news agency reports said.Medvedev arrived in Crimea's main city Simferopol at the head of a major Russian delegation of ministers and deputy prime ministers and was set to chair a meeting over the social and economic development of Crimea after its incorporation into Russia, the reports said. (AFP)

World News March 31, 2014

China expressed "concerns" on Monday shortly after South and North Korea traded artillery shells across their poorly marked Yellow Sea border, urging its two neighbors to exercise restraint.North Korea started a live-fire drill near the sea border earlier in the day, with some North Korean shells landing in South Korean waters, prompting the South to return fire into North Korean waters. It marked a significant flare-up of tension and came a day after North Korea vowed not to rule out a "new for

North Korea March 31, 2014

Foreigners who marry Korean citizens will be required to have at least basic Korean language ability in order to legally stay in the country, the government said Monday.The Ministry of Justice said it will put into force toughened requirements for issuing F-6 visas for marriage immigrants, which are intended to guarantee stability in living arrangements and also to help authorities better deal with their growing number.Under the revised rules set to go into effect on Tuesday, foreigners wanting

Social Affairs March 31, 2014

청와대는 31일 북한이 서해 북방한계선(NLL)을 향해 발사한 수십 발의 포탄 중 일부가 NLL 남쪽 해상으로 떨어진 것과 관련, 국가안보실을 중심으로 긴박한 대응태세에 들어갔다.안보실은 사태가 발생하자 김장수 국가안보실장을 중심으로 국방부, 통일부 등 유관부서와 긴밀하게 협의한 것으로 알려졌다.이에 따른 우리 군의 조치 상황은 박근혜 대통령에게 즉각 보고된 것으로 전해졌다.안보실의 한 관계자는 연합뉴스에 “이미 필요한 조치는 (유관 부서와) 협의를 마친 상태”라고 말했다.우리 군이 북한의 NLL 남쪽 해상 발포에 대해 대응 사격에 나서고, 공군 전투기와 해군 함정이 초계 활동을 강화한 것도 이에 따른 조치로 보인다.안보실은 오후 1시30분 현재 북한의 도발 상황이 계속되는 점을 감안, 국가안전보장회의(NSC) 상임위의 개최보다는 실시간 상황 대응에 주력하고 있는 것으로 알려졌다.NSC 상임위는 이번 사태가 어느 정도 마무리된 후 열릴 가능성이 큰 것으로 보인다.한편 청와대 고위관계

한국어판 March 31, 2014