South Korea's per capita rice consumption is forecast to hit a new low in 2017 due to people's changing eating habits, a report showed Monday.The average annual consumption of rice per person is likely to reach 59.6 kilograms this year, compared with 61.9 kg a year earlier, according to the report by the Korea Rural Economic Institute.(Yonhap)It will mark the first time for the country's per capita rice consumption to fall below the 60-kg mark. It will also be equal to 40 percent of the record h

Feb. 27, 2017

Moon Jae-in, former head of the main opposition Democratic Party, solidified his lead among presidential contenders last week, as his rivals lost ground following controversies, an opinion poll indicated Monday. According to the poll by Realmeter, Moon posted an approval rating of 33.5 percent last week, up 1 percentage point from a week earlier. The survey was conducted on 2,516 adults with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points. Moon Jae-in, former head of the Democratic Part

Politics Feb. 27, 2017

All indicators point to Pyongyang's responsibility in the killing of the half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, a former CIA chief said Sunday, after Malaysia determined a banned chemical weapons agent was used in the killing.John Brennan, who served as CIA director until January, made the remark in an interview with CBS' "Face the Nation" after Malaysian police announced the nerve agent VX was used in the killing of Kim Jong-nam at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Feb. 13. Fo

North Korea Feb. 27, 2017

The recent killing of the half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will be a key topic when South Korea, the United States and Japan hold trilateral strategy talks on how to deal with Pyongyang, an official said Sunday.Kim Hong-kyun, Seoul's chief negotiator on the North Korean nuclear issue, made the remark upon arriving in Washington for the trilateral talks with his US and Japanese counterparts Joseph Yun and Kenji Kanasugi, respectively. (Yonhap)The meeting, set for Monday, takes plac

Foreign Affairs Feb. 27, 2017

The daily foreign exchange turnover by local and foreign banks in South Korea dropped 0.1 percent in 2016 from a year earlier, the central bank said Monday.The daily FX turnover averaged $48.38 billion in 2016, down from $48.43 billion in 2015, according to the Bank of Korea.(Yonhap)The daily trading volume of foreign exchange spots reached $19.43 billion in 2016, down 2.7 percent from a year earlier.By currency type, the daily dollar-won trading volume came to $14.52 billion in 2016 while the d

Feb. 27, 2017

Japan will decide when its top envoy will return to Seoul after seeing whether a statue symbolizing the victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery will be relocated in Busan. The move followed the delivery of an official letter from South Korea's foreign ministry to municipalities asking for the relocation, Japan's public broadcaster NHK said Sunday.South Korea's foreign ministry said Thursday it sent the letter to the Busan regional government, the city's dong ward office and the Busan municipal

Foreign Affairs Feb. 26, 2017

South Korea's Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn said Sunday that he is carefully reviewing the independent counsel's request to extend the probe into the scandal involving President Park Geun-hye and her longtime confidante.In a meeting with opposition lawmakers demanding an extension for another month, Hwang pointed out that he has until Tuesday to make a reply."I am currently looking into many aspects and then I should make my position clear on the matter," he said. South Korea

Politics Feb. 26, 2017

President Park Geun-hye has yet to decide whether to appear at the final hearing of her impeachment trial slated for this week, her lawyers said Sunday.The Constitutional Court is set to hold the last argument session Monday to review whether to reinstate or oust Park who was impeached in December by parliament over a corruption scandal involving her and her close friend. (Yonhap)"Park has not decided on whether to attend the hearing. She is known to be carefully reviewing the move," said a pres

Politics Feb. 26, 2017

No trace of the nerve agent that killed the estranged half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has been found at the capital city's airport, Malay authorities said Sunday.The country's police said they thoroughly swept through Kuala Lumpur International Airport's second terminal, and found the site free of contamination and hazardous material. The screening was conducted in the early hours of the day as the Southeast Asian country confirmed that the autopsy of Kim Jong-nam found traces of

International Feb. 26, 2017

한인 앤드류 안 (Andrew Ahn) 감독의 영화 ‘스파 나이트 (Spa Night)’가 독립영화제 시상식 ‘인디펜던트 스피릿 어워드 (Independent Spirit Awards)’에서 수상의 영예를 안게 되었다.앤드류 안(Andrew Ahn)감독 (사진=전주 국제 영화제)25일 (현지시간) 미국 캘리포니아 주에서 열린 시상식에서 존 카사벳 상(John Cassavetes Award)을 수상하였다. 이 상은 5만 달러 이하로 제작된 영화 중 가장 잘 만들어진 영화에게 영예를 안겨주는 상이다. (사진=영화 스파 나이트)‘스파 나이트’는 LA 한인타운을 배경으로 게이 청년 데이비드와 그의 가족이 겪는 갈등을 그려냈다. 26일 (현지시간)으로부터 LA에 위치한 웨스트 할리우드 선댄스 시네마에서 상영된다. 코리아헤럴드 지예은 인턴기자 (yeeunjie@heraldcorp.com)

한국어판 Feb. 26, 2017

Special prosecutors on Sunday sought an arrest warrant on a presidential aide who has allegedly been involved in assisting in the inappropriate medical treatment of President Park Geun-hye.Lee Young-seon has been detained since late last week for helping doctors close to Park's jailed confidante Choi Soon-sil treat the chief executive without going through security checks.  Lee Young-seon (Yonhap)He is also accused of opening a mobile phone under an alias that was used by officials in the presid

Politics Feb. 26, 2017

Special prosecutors are expected to indict the de facto leader of Samsung Group and others this week in connection to a corruption scandal involving President Park Geun-hye and her friend, sources said Sunday.If the February deadline for the special probe is not extended, they plan to formally file charges for the suspects on Monday including Lee Jae-yong, the vice chairman of Samsung Electronics Co., and former presidential aide Woo Byung-woo, according to sources. Lee Jae-yong, the vice chairm

Social Affairs Feb. 26, 2017

A committee seeking to erect a girl's statue symbolizing victims of its wartime sexual slavery in Atlanta, Georgia, said Saturday that Japan has mounted an offensive to foil the installation.Japanese Consul General in Atlanta Takashi Shinozuka is meeting with influential figures in the US city to squash the plan, the committee said in a press conference Friday, adding that word of the installation is spreading.Earlier this month, the committee, including a group of Korean-Americans, announced it

Social Affairs Feb. 26, 2017

South Korea is expected to conclude the land acquisition for the US advanced missile defense system this week with actual deployment to be completed by late June at the earliest, the military said Sunday.The defense ministry said administrative measures to take over the Lotte Skyhill Country Club in Seongju County, North Gyeongsang Province, owned by local retail giant Lotte Group will be completed soon. (Yonhap)It said plans are already under way to start environmental impact evaluations on the

Defense Feb. 26, 2017