The government shut down unit 5 and unit 6 of the nuclear power plant in Yeonggwang County, South Jeolla Province, on Monday, after finding a number of “substandard” components in the two nuclear reactors. The government’s announcement of the use of unapproved parts in the nuclear power plants shocked the public, raising concerns over safety and power shortages during the upcoming winter. Speaking at a press briefing, Knowledge Economy Minister Hong Suk-woo said eight part suppliers have faked 6

Social Affairs Nov. 5, 2012

South Korean stocks opened higher Monday as investor sentiment was boosted by the better-than-expected gross domestic product growth in the U.S. in the third quarter, analysts said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 0.58 percent, or 10.93 points, to 1,902.36 in the first 15 minutes of trading.Shares gathered ground across the board, with market bellwether Samsung Electronics Co. gaining 0.54 percent while top automaker Hyundai Motor Co. added 0.22 percent. Leading steel

Oct. 29, 2012

After dropping the first two games of this year's Korean Series, the championship final for South Korea's top baseball league, the SK Wyverns finally beat their opponents, the Samsung Lions, 12-8, in Game 3 on Sunday.The emphatic way in which the Wyverns got right back into the series -- they overcame a 6-1 deficit and launched three home runs -- has breathed life back into the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) team that plodded through the first two defeats. Above all, players and coaches are h

Baseball Oct. 29, 2012

South Korea will likely set a new date for the launch of its first space rocket Monday after a Russian-made defective part of the rocket made it impossible to send off the rocket last week, officials said.The Launch Preparation Committee was to be convened at 11 a.m. to decide when the launch of the Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 (KSLV-1) will take place.The rocket, also known as Naro-1, was originally set to be launched Friday, but the launch was called off due to a broken rubber seal in the conn

Technology Oct. 29, 2012

North Korea appears to be still operating one of its largest political prison camps, contrary to media reports that it might have been shuttered, a major human rights group here said based on satellite imagery of the site.The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK) issued a report, in partnership with DigitalGlobe, on the reclusive communist nation's notorious gulags.Multiple photos, taken from November 2010 to October 2012, show buildings and activity in Camp 22 in the northeastern cou

North Korea Oct. 25, 2012

U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said Wednesday that Washington is still in consultations with Seoul over its future role in a regional missile defense system."With regards to future missile defense, that's an area we continue to discuss in order to make sure that we have all of the defenses necessary to deal with the missile threat coming fromNorth Korea and whatever steps are necessary to try to make sure that we are prepared for that," Panetta told reporters after talks with his South K

Defense Oct. 25, 2012

South Korean stocks got off to a weak start Monday as investor sentiment was dampened by losses on Wall Street, analysts said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) lost 24.12 points, or 1.24 percent, to trade at 1,919.72 in the first 15 minutes of trading.Shares lost ground across the board, with market bellwether Samsung Electronics falling 1.54 percent and leading carmaker Hyundai Motor decreasing 1.1 percent. Top steelmaker POSCO shed 1.12 percent.U.S. stocks ended lower on

Oct. 22, 2012

Top South Korean and American envoys will team up with each other later this week for on-the-spot efforts to promote public understanding on the Seoul-Washington alliance, organizers said Sunday.South Korea's Ambassador to the U.S. Choi Young-jin and U.S. Ambassador to Seoul Sung Kim are scheduled to attend a forum in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Friday to discuss "current issues affecting the two countries' close relationship," according to the East-West Center, which will play host to the session.Majo

Foreign Affairs Oct. 22, 2012

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon congratulated South Korean President Lee Myung-bak on Monday after his native country won membership with the U.N. Security Council and the right to host the secretariat of an international climate fund.Ban called Lee on the phone and hailed South Korea's election last week as a non-permanent member of the Security Council as a reflection of the country's heightened international status and a fruition of its diplomatic capabilities, the presidential office said

Foreign Affairs Oct. 22, 2012

박칼린 음악감독의 언니인 미국 거주 한인 박켈리(Kelly Soo Park) 씨가 살인죄로 구속됐다고 헤럴드경제가 보도했다.16일(현지시간) 미국 ABC뉴스 등 외신을 인용한 기사에서 해당 매체는 2010년 살인 청부혐의로 기소된 박켈리 씨가 구속됐다고 보도했다. 그녀는 2008년 3월 할리우드 모델 줄리아나 레딩(Juliana Redding)을 살인청부한 혐의를 받고있다.현지 언론은 아직 재판 날짜는 확정되지 않았고, 박켈리 씨는 혐의를 부정하고 있다고 전했다. 박켈리 씨는 지난 2008년 3월 사업가 무니르 우웨이다(Munir Uwaydah)로부터 살인을 청부 받고 그녀의 전 남자친구 로니 케이스(Ronnie Case)와 살인을 공모한 것으로 밝혀졌다. 박 씨는 2년 전 레딩(당시 21세)을 살해한 혐의

Podcast Oct. 18, 2012

“아파서 쉴게요” 직장인 30% 거짓말미국 시카고의 구인구직 사이트 ‘커리어빌더(CareerBuilder)’가 조사한 결과 설문에 응한 직장인 중 30%가 지난해 무단결근을 한 적이 있다고 말했다.이 조사는 총 3,976명의 회사원과 2,494명의 회사 인사부 관계자들을 대상으로 진행됐으며, 그 중 30%의 직장인 응답자가 아프지 않은데도 병가를 낸 적이 있다고 대답했다. 고용주의 31%는 특히 동절기 연휴 기간에 병가 신청이 많아진다고 답했다.설문조사 결과에 따르면 29%의 고용주들은 병가를 증명하기 위해 의사의 진단서 제출 요구하거나 직접 집으로 전화하는 것으로 밝혀졌다. 약 17%의 경영자들은 아프다고 속인 직원을 해고한 적이 있다고 답했다. (코리아헤럴드)<관련 영문 기사>The Chicago website CareerBuilder said its annual survey indicates 30 percent of workers have played hooky from wor

Podcast Oct. 12, 2012