The Seattle Mariners first baseman Lee Dae-ho went hitless in his first Major League Baseball start Tuesday in Texas.Playing first base and batting eighth against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Lee went 0-for-2 and stranded three men. Seattle won 10-2.In his big league debut the previous day, the 33-year-old South Korean struck out in a pinch-hit appearance.Lee started opposite of his childhood friend Choo Shin-soo, a veteran outfielder for the Rangers. It marked the first ti

Baseball April 6, 2016

Some South Korean business owners have been again placed under the watchful eyes of the public following recent incidents that showed their high-handed behavior and inhumane treatment of their employees.What began as criticism over how they apparently view themselves, however, has now led to suspicions that they might also treat or think of their customers with classist views, prompting calls to boycott their products.High-handed behavior of the rich and powerful has always been a subject of con

Social Affairs April 6, 2016

North Korea has completed the development of a large-caliber multiple launch rocket system and is likely to deploy it against South Korea starting late this year, Seoul's defense minister here said.North Korea announced last month that its leader Kim Jong-un inspected what was claimed to be the final test-fire of the 300-millimeter caliber rockets equipped with an accurate guidance system.The completion of the new weapon has drawn attention to North Korea's escalating artillery threats to South

North Korea April 6, 2016

Korean Air Lines Co. has dismissed a pilot for allegedly refusing to fly, though he claims he was following the company's daily working regulations, its labor union said Wednesday, a move feared to deepen a rift caused by prolonged labor disputes at the country's leading flag carrier.The pilot, who is identified only by his last name Park, was notified of the decision by the company's disciplinary committee on Tuesday, according to the labor union that represents Korean Air's pilots. The pilot h

Social Affairs April 6, 2016

한국전쟁 이후 폭발적으로 인구가 늘어난 '베이비붐(Baby-boom) 세대'의 표심이 4·13 총선에 어떻게 작용할지 주목된다.이번 총선은 일반적으로 1955∼1963년생을 가리키는 1차 베이비붐 세대 가운데 양띠(1955년생), 원숭이띠(1956년생), 닭띠(1957년생) 유권자가 고령층(60대 이상)에 진입하고 나서 처음 치러지는 총선이다.6일 중앙선거관리위원회의 선거인 명부에 따르면 60대 이상 유권자는 약 984만명으로 연령대별 유권자 가운데 가장 많다. 19대 총선의 60대 이상 유권자보다 167만명이 늘었다.19대 총선후인 2014년부터 베이비붐 세대의 첫 출생자(1955년생)들이 60대로 진입하기 시작했다는 점에서 4년새 증가한 60대 이상 유권자(167만명) 대다수는 베이비부머로 볼 수 있다.40대 22.0%(882만명), 30대 20.5%(822만명), 60대 이상 20.3%(817만명) 순이던 19대 총선의 인구 구조는 4년 만에 60대 이상 23.4%, 40대 2

한국어판 April 6, 2016

North Korea is mobilizing all of its people ahead of a key party congress in May by pressing them to work hard even at night and on weekends, sources said Wednesday.The North has been pushing its people, including those in Pyongyang, to put in long hours in a bid to achieve short-term goals before the ruling Workers' Party of Korea holds its congress early next month, according to sources familiar with the isolationist country."North Koreans are working every day from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. as t

North Korea April 6, 2016

The government has rejected calls to disclose the results of radiation level checks conducted on fishery goods caught near Japan, a civic group said Wednesday.The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on Tuesday dismissed the information disclosure request filed by the Lawyers for a Democratic Society, the group said."As the information is related to a case pending at the World Trade Organization, (the disclosure) could lead to a leakage of our strategy to Japan," the ministry was quoted by the group

Foreign Affairs April 6, 2016

One in seven candidates for next week's parliamentary elections have been booked for election-related offenses, prosecutors said Wednesday.A total of 133 of 944 candidates registered to compete for the April 13 polls, or 14.1 percent, have been booked for charges related to irregular election campaign activities, according to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office.Of the 133 candidates booked for allegedly violating the Public Official Election Act, 125 are being investigated, SPO officials said.Some 4

Politics April 6, 2016

South Korea's top envoy to Japan said Wednesday he has offered to resign upon completing his duty of mending frayed bilateral ties.Ambassador Yoo Heung-soo told Yonhap News Agency by phone that he wanted to step down this year after the two countries agreed in December to settle their decadeslong dispute over Japan's wartime sexual enslavement of Korean women.The ambassador said he postponed his resignation offer to handle the aftermath of North Korea's nuclear test in January but recently tende

Foreign Affairs April 6, 2016