The US Air Force's F-35B stealth fighter will take part in the ongoing Foal Eagle joint exercise with South Korea to hone its precision strike capabilities, military officials familiar with the matter said Thursday. The F-35B Lightening II fighter is expected to carry out ground attack maneuvers during the two-month-long exercise between Seoul and Washington, the officials told Yonhap News Agency asking not to be identified.  In this photo taken on Oct. 25, 2016, and provided by the US Departmen

Defense March 2, 2017

Michael Kirby, former chief of the UN inquiry into North Korean human rights abuses, said on Thursday the assassination of its leader's half brother indicates the revival of its past terror tactics. (Yonhap)During a conference held at the National Assembly in Seoul, the former head of the UN Commission of Inquiry said North Korea sent spies overseas to engage in illegal activities, including the abduction of Japanese nationals in the 1970s and 1980sKim Jong-nam was killed on Feb. 13 at a Kuala L

International March 2, 2017

A 57-year-old South Korean security guard was found dead in an apparent suicide at a US military base in Ujeongbu, South Korea, on Thursday, police said.The officer, identified only by his last name Cha, was found with a gunshot wound in his head by a colleague at a guard post in the US 2nd Infantry Division in Uijeongbu, north of Seoul, at around 1:20 a.m. This file photo taken on June 20, 2016, shows the 2nd Infantry Division's Camp Red Cloud in Uijeongbu, located north of Seoul. (Yonhap)He wa

Social Affairs March 2, 2017

Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn has caught up with the governor of South Chungcheong Province in terms of approval rating among presidential hopefuls, data showed Thursday.According to the poll by Realmeter, Hwang posted an approval rating of 14.6 percent this week, up 3.7 percentage points on-week. Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn (Yonhap)The survey was conducted on 1,008 South Koreans on Monday and Tuesday with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentag

Politics March 2, 2017

Figuratively, the arrival of spring signifies new beginnings. But spring of 2017 is returning with a not-so-new seasonal K-pop anthem: Busker Busker's "Cherry Blossom Ending."The song, released in 2012, ranked 10th on the "sudden increase chart" as of 7 a.m. Thursday on Melon, South Korea's largest music streaming service. Busker Busker also stood at 82nd on Mnet Music's "artist chart" on Wednesday, despite the band not releasing any new material since their second album in September 2013. Membe

Performance March 2, 2017

Actor Lee Min-ho, actress Song Hye-kyo and boy band EXO have been chosen as the most popular "hallyu" stars of 2016, a survey showed Thursday.Soompi, a US-based online news provider specializing in Korean pop culture, announced the winners of the 12th annual Soompi Awards elected in a vote by hallyu fans from 139 countries around the world. Hallyu refers to the global boom of Korean pop music, TV dramas and films.In the vote, Lee was named Actor of the Year, beating the "Descendants of the Sun"

Performance March 2, 2017

Businesses are developing toys, figures and other nostalgic products to woo men in their 30s, referred to as adult kids, as they have emerged as a strong consumers group, industry sources said Thursday.7-Eleven, one of South Korea's three biggest convenience store chains, said all 220,000 sets of toy figures for the 1990s Japanese animation "One Piece" have recently been sold out. 7-Eleven launched the products last April. (Yonhap)The franchise operated by Lotte Group affiliate Korea Seven also

Industry March 2, 2017

A growing number of South Koreans canceled their insurance policies last year due to financial woes amid a protracted economic slowdown, data showed Thursday.The cancellations cost insurance policyholders 3.89 trillion won ($3.4 billion) in the first nine months of last year, according to the data released by opposition lawmaker Park Yong-jin. (Yonhap)Park's office said it received the data from the Financial Supervisory Service, South Korea's financial watchdog.Insurance firms refund some porti

March 2, 2017

Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co., a major shipbuilder here, said Thursday that it has clinched a 414 billion won ($363 million) deal to build two liquefied natural gas carriers.Under the deal with an unidentified customer, Daewoo Shipbuilding will deliver the vessels by August 2019, the company said in a regulatory filing.(Yonhap)The deal includes an option to build two more LNG ships, which will jack up the value of the deal to 830 billion won, it said.The shipbuilding deal is Daewo

Industry March 2, 2017

미국 루이지애나 주 웹스터패리쉬에서 한 탈옥범과 경찰이 영화 같은 추격적을 벌였다.그는 시속 150km가 넘는 속도로 트럭을 몰고 달리다 갓길로 미끄러져 공중으로 치솟았다. (사진=MBC 영상 캡쳐)수십 미터 날다 이내 주차장에 있던 한 승용차 위에 떨어진 뒤 멈춰섰고 트럭은 형체를 알 수 없게 되었다. 탈옥범은 트럭을 몰다 경찰의 과속단속에 걸리자 달아나 버린 후 한 시간 가량 도주극을 벌였다. 주차장에 있던 승용차에 타고 있던 한 여성이 공중을 날아온 트럭에 깔렸지만 큰 부상 없이 목숨을 건졌다. 그는 자동차 절도혐의로 교도소에서 복역하다 탈옥한 것으로 밝혀졌으며 탈옥범의 차량 또한 도난차량인 것으로 밝혀졌다.  경찰은 도주범의 탈옥을 도운 공범이 있을것으로 추정하여 현재 수사 중에 있다. 코리아헤럴드 지예은 인턴기자 (yeeunjie@heraldcorp.com)

한국어판 March 2, 2017

Returns from investments in studio apartments in South Korea edged down in February from a month earlier due to oversupply, data showed Thursday.The annual returns from investments in studio apartments, better known as "officetels" in South Korea, stood at 5.09 percent in February, down from 5.11 percent in January, according to the data compiled by KB Kookmin Bank, the country's biggest retail lender. (Yonhap)The annual returns reached 6.02 percent in August 2010, but they have either moved in

March 2, 2017

Only one out of 6 chief executive officers at affiliates of the country's top 30 conglomerates have been replaced recently, data showed Thursday, indicating that major business groups prefer "stability" over "change."According to industry tracker CEO Score, 60, or 16.9 percent, out of 355 CEOs at 264 companies affiliated with the nation's top 30 business groups have been changed in reshuffles between late last year and early this year. (Yonhap)The replacement rate compares with the previous year

Industry March 2, 2017

The total value of gift cards issued in South Korea last year topped 9 trillion won ($7.8 billion) for the first time, data showed Thursday.The trend is apparently good news for department stores, supermarket chains, oil refiners and other related businesses. Models show gift cards in a file photo. (Yonhap)But it also raises worries about such adverse effects as tax evasion.The Korea Minting, Security Printing & ID Card Operating Corp. said it issued 9.5 trillion won worth of gift certificates i

March 2, 2017

The defense chiefs of South Korea and Finland held talks in Seoul on Thursday to enhance bilateral defense relations, military officials said.Defense Minister Han Min-koo and his Finnish counterpart Jussi Niinistö discussed measures to promote military exchanges and defense industry cooperation, the defense ministry said in a statement. Finnish counterpart Jussi Niinistö (Defense Ministry)Han briefed Niinistö on threats posed by the North's nuclear and missile programs, the statement said."He as

Defense March 2, 2017