30대 재벌의 계열사가 지난 5년간 50% 가까이 급증한 것으로 나타났다. 최근 웅진, STX 등에 이어 동양까지 국내 재벌들이 연이어 무너지는 것과 관련,무리한 계열사 확장이 유동성 위기를 촉발했다는 지적이 나온다. 6일 재벌닷컴에 따르면 총수가 있는 자산 순위 30대 재벌그룹의 계열사 수는 지난 2007년 말 843개에서 작년 말 1천246개로 403개(47.8%) 증가했다. 재벌그룹 계열사 수는 2008년 말 1천6개로 1천개를 돌파한 이후 2010년 말 1천126개로 늘었고 2011년 말 1천200개를 넘어섰다. 올해 들어서는 소폭 감소해 9월 말 기준으로 1천237개로 집계됐다. 30대 재벌 중 5년간 계열사가 감소한 곳은 금호아시아나 한 곳뿐이었다. 금호아시아나그룹은 2007년 말 35곳에서 작년 말 20곳으로 계열사가 줄었다. 5년간 계열사가 수가 가장 많이 늘어난 곳은 롯데그룹이었다. 롯데그룹 계열사는 2007년 말 43개에서 작년

한국어판 Oct. 6, 2013

Gunmen in a three-car convoy seized an al-Qaeda leader connected to the 1998 embassy bombings in eastern Africa and wanted by the U.S. for more than a decade outside his house Saturday in the Libyan capital, his relatives said. His capture, if confirmed, would be the latest blow to al-Qaida, which has seen its leadership consistently targeted since the death of Osama bin Laden.Nazih Abdul-Hamed al-Ruqai, known by his alias Anas al-Libi, is believed to have returned to Libya during the 2011 civil

World News Oct. 6, 2013

US Navy SEALs staged a raid Saturday on a senior Shebab militant leader in southern Somalia though it was unclear whether he was killed, The New York Times reported Saturday.The Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab had earlier claimed it was British and Turkish special forces that staged a nighttime sea and air attack on one of its bases, but Britain denied any involvement.Leaders of the Islamist insurgents in the southern Somali port of Barawe said commandos rappelled from a helicopter and tried to storm a h

World News Oct. 6, 2013

Teenager Kim A-lang gave South Korea its first title at the International Skating Union (ISU) World Cup Short Track on home ice on Saturday.At Mokdong Ice Rink in Seoul, Kim claimed the women's 1,500-meter title at 2:23.400, beating teammate Shim Suk-hee and Valerie Maltais of Canada.This is the second leg of the four-event World Cup series. In the first leg held in Shanghai last month, South Koreans combined for four titles.Kim, 18, earned two gold medals at the junior world championships held

More Sports Oct. 6, 2013

North Korea reiterated its nuclear ambition Saturday, saying it will never give up its nuclear arsenal unless the United States first ends its hostility toward the communist country.The North's acerbic rhetoric, which is not new, comes as the United States is set to launch joint naval exercises with South Korea and Japan off the Korean Peninsula's east coast next week. The U.S. naval fleet taking part in the routine drills includes nuclear-powered supercarrier USS George Washington."Under the co

North Korea Oct. 6, 2013

Japan-based South Korean baseball player Lee Dae-ho has been approached by the management company of uber-agent Scott Boras, officials said Thursday, hinting that the slugger could soon sign with a big league club.Lee Cha-ho, a sports agent and an older brother of the Orix Buffaloes player in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), told Yonhap News Agency that Al Chun, the director of Asian operations at the Boras Corporation, has met the player "a few times in Japan."An earlier South Korean news re

Baseball Oct. 4, 2013

Having shifted his focus to the Asia-Pacific region this month, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry tried to assure North Korea that his administration still hopes for dialogue.The secretary stressed the U.S. and its regional partners are not seeking a regime change in the communist nation."I think the six parties involved in the six-party talks have made it crystal clear we are prepared to reengage in those talks," he said at a joint press conference in Tokyo on Thursday (local time), according

World News Oct. 4, 2013

The amount of individual credit card spending in South Korea rose to the highest level in more than 10 years in July, reflecting improving consumer sentiment, data showed Friday.The figure stood at 38.85 trillion won (US$36.28 billion) at the end of July, up 9.6 percent from a year earlier, according to the data by the Bank of Korea (BOK).It marks the highest monthly amount since the 39.30 trillion won tallied as of end-January in 2003, the BOK said, adding that the data include transactions mad

Oct. 4, 2013

A South Korean soldier was arrested after he fatally stabbed a colleague at a military hospital on Friday, officials said.The Army private first class, only identified by his surname Oh, attacked his colleague with a knife at around 3:50 a.m. during a night shift at a military hospital in Chuncheon, some 85 kilometers east of Seoul.The victim, the same rank as Oh, was fatally wounded and died during treatment, military officials said.After the knife attack, a senior officer shot Oh on his should

Defense Oct. 4, 2013

북한이 핵무기 1개 분량의 플루토늄을 생산할 수 있는 영변의 5㎿급 가스 흑연 원자로를 재가동했다는 더 많은 증거가  발견됐다고 미국 연구소가 2일(현지시간) 밝혔다.미국 존스홉킨스대 국제관계대학원(SAIS) 산하 한미연구소가 운영하는 북한  전문 웹사이트인 '38노스'는 지난달 19일 촬영한 상업용 위성사진을 분석한 결과 원자로 냉각 시스템의 배수관에서 온배수(hot waste water)가 배출되는 것이 목격됐다고 설명했다.온배수(溫排水)는 화력 또는 원자력 발전소에서 수증기를 냉각하는 데 사용하고나서 하천이나 바다에 방출하는 따뜻한 물을 일컫는다.38노스의 대북 분석가인 닉 한센은 지난여름 새로 완공된 제2의 냉각 시설의 한 부품으로, 최근 설치된 배수관을 통해 이 뜨거운 폐수가 인근 구룡강으로 흘러들어 가는 것으로 나타났다고 밝혔다.또 온배수 방출은 원자로가 가동 중이며 전기 발전기로 돌아가는 터빈이 전력을 생산하고 있다는 증거라고 주장했다.앞서 이 웹사이트는 지난달 11일

한국어판 Oct. 3, 2013

Moody's Investors Service on Thursday became the third major credit rating agency to upgrade the Philippines to investment grade, citing its robust economy, political stability and improved governance.Moody's said it raised the rating by one notch to Baa3 from Ba1. It also assigned a positive outlook to the rating, which means there's a possibility of it being upgraded again in the future.Standard & Poor's and Fitch Ratings raised the country's credit rating earlier this year, reducing borrowing

World Business Oct. 3, 2013