South Gyeongsang Province Gov. Hong Joon-pyo on Friday clinched the presidential nomination of the conservative Liberty Korea Party for the May 9 election, bracing for an uphill battle against powerful liberal rivals.The former ruling party announced its flag-bearer during a national convention in Seoul based on the combined results of a vote by full-time party members and opinion polls conducted for the past week.South Gyeongsang Province Gov. Hong Joon-pyo (Yonhap)The 62-year-old former prosec

Politics March 31, 2017

Daily debit card spending rose 15.2 percent in 2016 from a year earlier, central bank data showed Friday, in the latest sign of growing popularity of debit cards that offer tax benefits.Debit card spending on a daily basis came to 424 billion won ($379 million) in 2016, compared with 368 billion won a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Bank of Korea. (Yonhap)Meanwhile, credit card holders in South Korea spent an average of 1.84 trillion won a day in 2016, up 9.7 percent from 1.6

March 31, 2017

BEIJING -- The body of the slain half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Friday was transferred on a flight to Pyongyang en route to Beijing as Malaysia and North Korea have agreed to resolve a diplomatic row over his death, sources said.Two North Korean suspects involved in the killing of Kim Jong-nam also left for Pyongyang on the same flight after a stopover in China, they added.On Thursday, Malaysia agreed to send to North Korea the body of Kim, who was killed last month in Malays

Foreign Affairs March 31, 2017

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made a total of 25 public appearances in the first three months of this year, which were mainly focused on economic and military subjects, data showed Friday.According to Yonhap News Agency's analysis of North Korean media reports, Kim's public outings in the first quarter were reduced by 26.5 percent from 34 reported in the same period of last year.Frequency and subject of a North Korean leader's public appearances are often used to analyze the inner workings of

North Korea March 31, 2017

An archive of evidence detailing North Korea's human rights violations will be set up at the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva in accordance with the latest UN resolution, a US broadcaster reported Friday. The previous Friday, the UN Human Rights Council unanimously adopted the resolution, which calls for the launch of the archive and the international community's cooperation in identifying the North's crimes against humanity. Tomas Ojea Quintana (C), U.N. special rap

Foreign Affairs March 31, 2017

The facial recognition technology equipped in Samsung Electronics Co.'s new flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S8, will not be sufficient to guarantee the phones' security, industry sources said Friday."The phones can be unlocked by the face of a sleeping person, or even just by a photo," an industry watcher said. "For now, the facial recognition technology is only intended for fun. It should not be considered as a foolproof security measure." (Yonhap)Samsung Electronics showcased the Galaxy S8 and

Technology March 31, 2017

Affiliates of construction and power equipment conglomerate Doosan Group are expected to further improve their bottom lines this year, aided by increased sales and cost-cutting measures, an executive said Friday."This year, key Doosan affiliates are forecast to post improved earnings this year, and we will strive to meet our goals," Doosan Corp. vice chairman Lee Jae-kyung said at a shareholder meeting.(Yonhap)The executive said Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction Co., the country's top power

Industry March 31, 2017

The South Korean military said Friday it will resume a crackdown on Chinese fishing boats illegally operating near the tension-high inter-Korean sea border in the West Sea.The operation to start this weekend comes at the outset of the peak crab-catching season.A Chinese fishing ship is caught by South Korea's Coast Guard for illegal operation in the West Sea in this file photo provided by the Coast Guard. (Yonhap)Defense officials here said they are reviewing whether to inform North Korea of the

Defense March 31, 2017

South Korea's central bank said Friday it will offer English and two other language service for visitors to its money museum.The Bank of Korea Money Museum said the service, set to begin on Saturday, will be available at 2 p.m. on Tuesday through Saturday.(Yonhap)English service will be available on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays while Chinese and Japanese service will be provided on Wednesday and Friday, respectively.The BOK said about 230,000 South Koreans and foreigners visited the museum

March 31, 2017

South Korean stocks traded nearly unchanged late Friday morning, as bearish tech stocks capped gains in foodmakers and oil refiners, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index inched down 1.14 points, or 0.05 percent, to move at 2,163.50 as of 11:20 a.m.Tech giant Samsung Electronics retreated 0.8 percent, with chipmaker SK hynix falling 1.6 percent. In contrast, shares of Shinsegae Food soared more than 3 percent, with oil refiner S-Oil rising 2 percent. The local currency w

March 31, 2017

Two presidential contenders of the conservative camp have launched a war of words in an apparent bid to solidify their status as the only person to take on liberal frontrunner Moon Jae-in.With the election only 39 days away, Moon, a former leader of the Democratic Party, has maintained what many observers have called a comfortable lead over his rivals, sending the conservatives scrambling to extend their rule cut short by the ouster of President Park Geun-hye, according to analysts. South Gyeong

Politics March 31, 2017

South Korea's finance ministry said Friday that it held a meeting with its Indian counterpart and discussed ways to bolster bilateral economic and financial cooperation.At the working-level talks in New Delhi on Thursday, South Korea and India agreed to work launching the $10 billion Seoul-New Delhi financial program in the near future, according to the Ministry of Strategy and Finance.(123RF)In a summit in 2015, heads of the two countries reached an agreement on the program, aimed at helping de

March 31, 2017

A record number of overseas South Korean nationals have come forth to take part in the upcoming presidential election, the election watchdog said Friday.More than 300,000 overseas voters have registered for the May 9 presidential election, according to the National Election Commission.The number already exceeds the 222,389 recorded in the last presidential election in 2012.A number of expat South Koreans visit the South Korean consulate in Los Angeles on March 30, 2017 (U.S. time), the last day

Politics March 31, 2017

The Export-Import Bank of Korea, one of South Korea's state-run policy banks, suffered a net loss of 1.46 trillion won ($1.3 billion) last year, hit by higher provisions against its loans extended to the country's ailing shipbuilding industry. It was the first time that the bank reported an annual net loss since its foundation in 1976, according to the bank's audit report posted on its website Friday.(Yonhap)The bank reported a net profit of 41.1 billion won in 2015, the report showed. The bank

March 31, 2017

An artificial program promoted by Google Inc. may ship with Samsung Electronics Co.'s latest smartphone, the Galaxy S8, that will come with the tech giants own Bixby voice support program, the industry sources said Friday.According to the sources, the Galaxy S8, which runs on the Android 7.0 Nougat operating system, will likely have the Google Assistant program, which has similar features to Bixby.(Yonhap)Bixby is seen as one of the key features of the Galaxy S8 that was unveiled earlier in the

Industry March 31, 2017