A Seoul court will hold a hearing this week to decide whether to issue a warrant to arrest a former presidential secretary in connection with a corruption scandal that led to the removal of former President Park Geun-hye from office, officials said Monday.The Seoul Central District Court will hold the hearing Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. to decide whether to arrest Woo Byung-woo, who served as senior presidential secretary for civil affairs from 2015 to 2016, they said.Woo Byung-woo (C), former senior

Social Affairs April 10, 2017

South Korea's tourism industry was valued at 73 trillion won ($64 billion) in 2015, accounting for 2.51 percent of the country's gross domestic demand that year, official data showed on Monday.According to the data compiled by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, South Koreans spent some 25.4 trillion won in visiting attractions at home in 2015 and 17.3 trillion won on overseas trips. The government has been prodding people to take more trips over the past few years in a bid to help boos

Industry April 10, 2017

South Korea's No. 2 tech giant LG Electronics Inc. said Monday it remained the No. 1 player in the global market for monitors with an aspect ratio of 21:9 last year.Citing the data compiled by industry tracker IDC, the company said its global market share among panel manufacturers was estimated at 67 percent in 2016. It marks the fourth-consecutive year for the South Korean company to lead the sector.Models pose with the LG UltraWide Monitor in this photo released by LG Electronics Inc. on April

Technology April 10, 2017

Hancom Inc., a South Korean software maker, said Monday that Samsung Electronics Co.'s latest flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S8, will come with its office application that's compatible with Microsoft Office files.The South Korean developer said the application will be on the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Plus that will be sold in the United States.Samsung Electronics Co.'s Galaxy S8 is displayed at a shop in Seoul on April 9, 2017. (Yonhap)The app, Hancom Office S, allows users to edit not only P

Technology April 10, 2017

The National Pension Service, the largest holder of bonds sold by troubled Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co., will decide this week on whether to accept a debt rescheduling for the shipyard, industry sources said Monday.The NPS holds about 30 percent, or 389 billion won ($342 million), out of 1.35 trillion won worth of corporate bonds issued by Daewoo Shipbuilding.(Yonhap)In particular, the NPS holds about 45 percent of 440 billion won worth of the bonds maturing on April 21. Unless t

Industry April 10, 2017

Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea's top automaker, said Monday the sales of its midsize Sonata sedan exceeded the 10,000 unit mark in March, helped by the face-lifted version hitting local dealerships and an improved powertrain that expands the car's customer base. The March tally marked the first time in 15 months that the sedan's monthly sales surpassed 10,000 units, the automaker said. The Sonata New Rise Turbo (Hyundai Motor)In March, Hyundai Motor unveiled the updated version of the sedan, the

Mobility April 10, 2017

South Korean actor Kim Woo-bin has finished his six-month-long tour of Asian countries to meet his overseas fans in Thailand, his agency said Monday.(Sidus HQ)Kim had a fan meeting at MCC Hall in Bangkok on Saturday on the last leg of his third Asian tour titled "Spotlight" that began in October in Seoul, Sidus HQ said. The tour also took him to Macao, Japan and Taiwan.He most recently appeared in the KBS TV soap series "Uncontrollably Fond" with actress Bae Suzy and the Korean action film "Mast

April 10, 2017

A 56-year-old man has been indicted on charges of attacking two journalists during a violent street rally against the Constitutional Court's decision to dismiss Park Geun-hye as president last month, prosecutors said Monday. supporters of ousted President Park Geun-hye attempt to cross over the barricades of police buses during a protest held against the Constitutional Court's decision to remove her from office on the same day. (Yonhap)The defendant, identified only by his last name Lee, is accu

Social Affairs April 10, 2017

St. Louis Cardinals closer Oh Seung-hwan has served up a home run for his second straight outing, as his shaky start to the 2017 season continues.Oh gave up a solo shot against the Cincinnati Reds at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on Sunday (local time) in the Cardinals' 8-0 loss.Oh Seung-hwan (Yonhap)This was Oh's first appearance since the season opener the previous Sunday. He hadn't been in a save situation with the Cardinals losing three in a row and then beating the Reds 10-4 on Saturday.Oh too

Baseball April 10, 2017

In the topsy-turvy start to the 2017 Korea Baseball Organization season, the third-year franchise KT Wiz have emerged as the unlikely leader of the pack.The Wiz, which had the league's worst record in each of the past two seasons, are sitting at 7-1 through Sunday, after extending their winning streak to four with a 3-0 victory over the Samsung Lions at home in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province.Starter Ryan Feierabend threw a four-hit shutout, striking out 11 to improve to 2-0 with a 0.56 ERA this season

Baseball April 10, 2017

The South Korean women's national football team will try to clinch a spot at the top Asian competition on Tuesday as they take on Uzbekistan in North Korea.South Korea and Uzbekistan will clash at Kim Il-sung Stadium in Pyongyang for their final match at the Asian Football Confederation Women's Asian Cup Group B qualifying tournament, which also features North Korea, Hong Kong and India. South Korea are looking for their 12th consecutive appearance at the continental football tournament. South K

Soccer April 10, 2017

PYONGYANG (Joint Press Corps) -- South Korea thrashed Hong Kong 6-0 in a qualifying match for the top Asian women's football competition on Sunday.Cho So-hyun scored two penalties against Hong Kong at Kim Il-Sung Stadium in Pyongyang, and helped South Korea collect their second victory at the Asian Football Confederation Women's Asian Cup Group B qualifying tournament, which also features North Korea, Uzbekistan and India.  Cho So-hyun (Yonhap)Only the top finisher in the group will advance to t

Soccer April 10, 2017

WASHINGTON (Yonhap) -- US National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster said Sunday that President Donald Trump has ordered him to prepare "a full range of options" to the nuclear and missile threats North Korea poses to the US and its allies.McMaster also said on "Fox News Sunday" that it was a "prudent" decision to send the San Diego-based USS Carl Vinson strike group toward the Korean Peninsula, a move designed to warn Pyongyang against additional provocations. (Yonhap)"North Korea has been engaged

North Korea April 10, 2017

WASHINGTON (Yonhap) -- The United States can start thinking about reopening talks with North Korea, but the communist nation must first stop nuclear and missile tests, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Sunday.The remark contrasts with Tillerson's previous assertion that two decades of diplomatic efforts to disarm the North have failed, and there is no point in pursuing the diplomatic path any longer, and the US should consider all options, including the use of military force. (Yonhap)The sha

North Korea April 10, 2017

The number of times fried chicken is being mentioned on South Korea's social media has increased at an average clip of 33 percent annually since 2011, an artificial intelligence firm said Monday, indicating it is fast becoming more of a South Korean comfort food than "jajangmyeon," or black bean sauce noodles.Artificial intelligence-based big data analyzer Daumsoft revealed that fried chicken was mentioned 846.19 million times on Internet blogs and 1.25 billion times on Twitter between 2011 and

Social Affairs April 10, 2017