Childbirths in South Korea dropped to a record low last year despite decade-long efforts to tackle the country's chronically low birthrate, a report showed Wednesday.The number of babies born in 2016 reached 406,300, down 7.3 percent, or 32,100, from a year earlier, according to the report by Statistics Korea.The figure marked the lowest number of newborns since 1970 when the statistics agency started to compile such data.The crude birth rate, referring to the number of live births per 1,000 peo

Social Affairs Feb. 22, 2017

South Korean prosecutors on Wednesday sought a one-year jail term for the youngest son of Hanwha Group Chairman Kim Seung-youn for assaulting bar employees and resisting arrest while under the influence of alcohol.The Seoul Central District Court held a hearing on Kim Dong-seon, 27, over allegations he assaulted employees at a bar in southern Seoul and damaged a police car that was carrying him to a local police station for interrogation in January.Kim Dong-seon, the third son of Hanwha Group Ch

Social Affairs Feb. 22, 2017

President Park Geun-hye's former aide appeared at the Constitutional Court Wednesday to testify as the last witness in her impeachment trial.An Chong-bum, former senior secretary for policy coordination, was summoned to the 16th hearing to speak on corruption allegations surrounding the establishment of two nonprofit foundations controlled by Park's friend Choi Soon-sil. n Chong-bum, former senior presidential secretary for policy coordination, appears at the Constitutional Court in Seoul on Feb

Politics Feb. 22, 2017

중국 푸젠성 지역에서 배달 업체 직원끼리 격한 싸움을 벌이는 장면이 목격되었다.온라인매체 시나닷컴의 20일 보도에 따르면 이 둘은 서로의 배달 구역을 침범했다며 다툼을 벌였다고 한다. (사진=시나닷컴 동영상 캡쳐)E사 업체가 경쟁 업체인 M사 업체의 지역에 배달 서비스를 한 것이다. 이 둘은 서로 상대방을 팔꿈치로 찍고 차고 막대기로 내리찍는 등 격한 자리싸움을 벌였다. 한 업체 사람은 “누가 더 남자다운지를 보여주려 한 것 같다”며 “배달 한 건당 4-5위안 밖에 벌지 못하기 때문에 결코 이렇게 싸움이 심각해 질리는 없다”고 밝혔다. (사진=시나닷컴 동영상 캡쳐)한 시민은 “왜 점심이 배달오기까지 시간이 그렇게 오래 걸렸는지 알 것 같다”고 농담 섞인 말을 했다.  두 경쟁사 배달업체 중 E사는 알리바바가 2015년 1.5조원을 투자 유치한 음식 배달 서비스이며, M사 역시 우리나라 ‘배달의 민족’과 같이 유명한 음식 배달 서비스이다.후에 M사는 “화해했다”고 전한 반면 E사는 이

한국어판 Feb. 22, 2017

Gyeonggi Gov. Nam Kyung-pil, a presidential hopeful from the splinter Bareun Party, on Wednesday criticized his rival's suggestion to merge campaigns with their former party in the lead-up to the presidential election.Rep. Yoo Seong-min, another potential candidate of the party, has insisted that the conservative figures, including those from the ruling Liberty Korea Party, should unite ahead of the presidential election. Gyeonggi Gov. Nam Kyung-pil (Yonhap)The Bareun Party spun off from the rul

Politics Feb. 22, 2017

The murder of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's half brother earlier this month could serve as a clear warning to the North's officials against any acts of betrayal, a US-based broadcaster reported Wednesday.Kim Jong-nam, the eldest son of late former leader Kim Jong-il, was killed in an airport in Malaysia on Feb. 13 after being attacked by two women, who are suspected to have used some sort of poison. It has yet to be confirmed whether North Korea was behind the latest killing, but Seoul's spy

North Korea Feb. 22, 2017

South Korea's main opposition party on Wednesday criticized a local court's refusal to issue an arrest warrant for President Park Geun-hye's former aide allegedly linked to an influence-peddling scandal which triggered her impeachment.The party also claimed that the rejection adds to the need to extend the term of the independent counsel looking into the case.Rep. Choo Mi-ae, the head of the main opposition Democratic Party (Yonhap)The Seoul Central District Court turned down the special prosecu

Politics Feb. 22, 2017

South Korea on Wednesday dismissed as "groundless" a North Korean diplomat's claim that South Korea and Malaysia are colluding in the process of a probe into the recent murder of the half brother of the North's leader Kim Jong-un."It is an unreasonable and groundless claim," a foreign ministry official said on condition of anonymity. "It is not even worth responding to. We know that the Malaysian government also clarified its position in a foreign minister's statement on this matter."Kim Jong-na

Social Affairs Feb. 22, 2017

South Korea's military began loudspeaker broadcasts over the weekend to inform ordinary North Koreans of the murder of the communist state's leader Kim Jong-un's half brother, military officials said Wednesday. The move aims to underscore the brutality of the dictatorial ruler in Pyongyang, whom Seoul believes masterminded the assassination of Kim Jong-nam at an airport in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur on Feb. 13.In this photo taken on Jan. 8, 2016, a soldier stands before a loudspeaker

Defense Feb. 22, 2017

South Korea's relations with Japan, including a deal on resolving the issue of wartime sexual slavery, could become "political flashpoints" in the South's upcoming presidential election, thus hampering US efforts to bolster trilateral security cooperation, a congressional report said.The Congressional Research Service made the point in a report on Japan-US relations, saying that the impeachment of South Korean President Park Geun-hye has "interrupted a steady though delicate improvement" in Japa

Politics Feb. 22, 2017

A generation shift in the country's imported auto market continued last year with customers in their 30s being the largest buyer group with a portion of nearly 40 percent, industry data showed Wednesday.According to the data compiled by the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association, a total of 144,883 foreign autos were sold to customers here last year. (Yonhap)Of the tallied, drivers in their 30s purchased a total of 55,356 foreign cars last year, accounting for 38.2 percent of the

Mobility Feb. 22, 2017

A court in Seoul rejected an arrest warrant early Wednesday for a former senior presidential secretary accused of overstepping his authority and exercising undue influence over personnel affairs in other government agencies and an investigation into suspicions involving him.The Seoul Central District Court turned down the special prosecutor team's request to formally arrest Woo Byung-woo, who served as senior civil affairs secretary to now-impeached President Park Geun-hye from 2015 to 2016, say

Politics Feb. 22, 2017

Even if US President Donald Trump gives negotiations with North Korea a shot, he would end up learning the same lesson his predecessors learned that North Korea isn't interested in giving up its nuclear weapons, a former senior White House official said Tuesday.Evan Medeiros, who served as senior Asian affairs director at the National Security Council under former President Barack Obama, made the remark on CNBC television amid growing calls for reopening negotiations with the North to curb its n

Foreign Affairs Feb. 22, 2017

South Korean credit appraisers award far more favorable ratings to large domestic corporations than Moody's Investors Service and other global players, a market tracker said Wednesday.The country's three major ratings agencies -- NICE Investors Service, Korea Investors Service and Korea Ratings -- granted an average credit rating of AA+ to 51 local big businesses from 2014 to 2016, according to CEO Score. The logos of South Korea's top 30 companies (Yonhap)In contrast, Moody's Investors Service,

Feb. 22, 2017

Credit card spending on cosmetics and apparel items shrank last year, central bank data showed Wednesday, as consumers refrained from buying such products amid a sluggish economy.   The amount of credit card spending in South Korea reached 675.7 trillion won ($590.1 billion) at the end of December, up 10.02 percent from a year earlier, according to the Bank of Korea.  (Yonhap)Of the figure, the payment for cosmetics items dropped 3 percent on-year to 3.38 trillion won, the first decline since th

Industry Feb. 22, 2017