A group of South Korean scientists has developed an artificial skin with sensitivity, the science ministry said Tuesday, a development that could be a boon to a variety of robots and products in numerous fields.The team lead by Kim Do-hwan at Soongsil University and Jung Hee-tae at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology co-developed the stretchable yet ultrasensitive artificial skin, the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning said. It said scientists developed the artificial sk

Technology April 4, 2017

WASHINGTON -- The US special envoy on North Korea issues will visit Moscow later this week for talks with his Russian counterpart, the State Department announced Monday. Amb. Joseph Yun, US special representative for North Korea policy (Yonhap)Amb. Joseph Yun, special representative for North Korea policy, will be traveling to Moscow on Tuesday to Thursday for talks with Russian Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Igor Morgulov, the department said in a statement.Yun will also hold meetings with

Foreign Affairs April 4, 2017

South Korea's consumer prices shot up at the fastest clip in nearly five years in March on a sharp rise in gas prices, government data showed Tuesday.The country's consumer price index gained 2.2 percent last month from a year earlier, accelerating from the previous month's 1.9 percent rise, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea.(Yonhap)The March number marked the highest on-year gain since June 2012.From a month earlier, the index stayed unchanged at 102.79 in March, with it set at

April 4, 2017

South Korea's top electronics brand Samsung is considered "cool" among young US consumers, an industry report released by Internet giant Google Inc. showed Tuesday.In the study titled "It's Lit: A guide to what teens think is cool," Google conducted a survey on 400 teens aged 13 to 17, and 800 millennials, or those aged 18-26, last year.Samsung Electronics Co.'s Galaxy S8 smartphone is displayed at one of its shops in Seoul in this photo taken on April 2, 2017. (Yonhap)Brands were evaluated with

Industry April 4, 2017

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump should press China to sever financial links with North Korea when he meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping for their first summit talks later this week, a US expert said Monday.Victor Cha, Korea chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, made the suggestion in a newsletter previewing the summit, saying that putting enough pressure on North Korea should come first before any consideration of diplomacy. Victor Cha, Korea chair at the Cent

Foreign Affairs April 4, 2017

WASHINGTON -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un won't hesitate to use nuclear weapons against the United States if he sees signs of imminent attacks on the communist nation, a former senior North Korean diplomat said.Thae Yong-ho, who served as deputy ambassador at the North's Embassy in London before defecting to South Korea last year, made the remark in an interview with NBC Television broadcast Sunday, saying the North's leader can do "anything beyond the normal imagination." (Yonhap)"Once he s

North Korea April 4, 2017

A British candidate running to become the next director-general of the World Health Organization said Monday that health and nutrition problems facing North Korean children are a major part of his focus and he will engage with the North Korean regime to tackle them if he wins the seat."My basic view on all countries is that you have to start with a conversation with leaders and they have to trust you if they are going to work with you. If the conversation leads to trust, then after trust comes t

Foreign Affairs April 3, 2017

North Korean women's hockey players enjoyed some downtime in between their games in South Korea on Monday, taking in the sights of an East Sea beach here with geopolitical tensions on the peninsula apparently not on their minds.North Korea had a disappointing start to the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Women's World Championship Division II Group A in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, on Sunday, falling to Australia 2-1. Members of the North Korean women's hockey team play on Gyeongpo Bea

More Sports April 3, 2017

Bereaved families of Korea's leading independence fighters against Japan launched a defamation suit on Monday against a popular history lecturer for allegedly disparaging the patriots.Seol Min-suk has claimed during his recent lecture and book on Korean history that the 33 signatories of a 1919 independence declaration, which started a nationwide uprising against the colonialists, "drank in the daytime at a hostess bar" called Taehwagwan, in Seoul.Seol Min-suk, a renowned Korean history tutor, l

Social Affairs April 3, 2017

South Korea's defense minister and the US Pacific Fleet commander on Monday stressed the need for a watertight security partnership between the two countries to counter North Korea's provocations. Minister Han Min-koo held talks with Adm. Scott Swift, who arrived in Seoul on the day for a three-day trip.Han pointed out that the North's nuclear and missile capabilities are continuing to make headway, with the communist nation all set to conduct another nuclear test at the leadership's choosing.So

Defense April 3, 2017

The fifth World Journalists Conference opened in Seoul on Monday to explore the media's role in ensuring world peace amid growing threats from terrorism and regional conflicts.The event, hosted by the Journalists Association of Korea and under the banner of "Journalist Forum for World Peace," is attended by some 100 reporters from 60 countries.Participants of the 2017 World Journalists Conference post for photos during the conference's opening ceremony at the Press Center in Seoul on April 3, 20

Social Affairs April 3, 2017

Kia Motors Corp. posted a 11 percent on-year drop in sales last month due to sluggish demand from domestic and overseas markets, the company said Monday.The country's second-biggest carmaker by sales sold a total of 238,222 vehicles in March down from 268,306 units a year earlier, the company said in a statement."In particular, weak overseas demand for (Kia) vehicles weighed on the monthly figures," a company spokesman said. Domestic sales fell 5.7 percent to 47,621 units last month from 50,510

Mobility April 3, 2017

A group of lawmakers from the conservative Liberty Korea Party on Monday called for the launch of South Korea's own nuclear armament program in case of another North Korea nuclear test.The 24 lawmakers of the former ruling party made a joint statement, saying "nuclear weapons can only be deterred by nuclear arms," and that Seoul cannot depend wholly on economic sanctions against Pyongyang to counter its evolving military threats. This photo, taken on March 9, 2017, shows a public forum at the Na

Defense April 3, 2017

South Korea's civil servants will be allowed to leave work several hours earlier one day per month, under the government's efforts to help them find a balance in work and rest, the Ministry of Personnel Management said Monday.The ministry said it has received government office reform plans from central government institutions and at least seven of them promised to let their employees leave work at 4 p.m. once a month, starting this month. (Yonhap)The Ministry of Strategy and Finance and the Mete

Social Affairs April 3, 2017

Hyundai Motor Co., the country's top automaker, posted a 6.3 percent on-year decline in March sales due to low demand from emerging markets, the company said Monday.Hyundai Motor sold a total of 405,929 vehicles in March, down from 433,171 units a year earlier, the country's top carmaker said in a statement.(Yonhap)"As the company expects slowing (sales) growth in advanced markets and is not sure about an (immediate) rebound in sales in emerging markets, it will strengthen its fundamentals and a

Mobility April 3, 2017