South Korean office workers' pay has increased well below what they had hoped for this year, a poll showed Friday.According to the survey of 883 salaried workers taken by local education service institute Hunet, 51.5 percent of the respondents wanted their 2017 pay to rise in a range of 5 to 9 percent from a year earlier. (Yonhap)The median is 7 percent, which is much lower than the actual rise of 2.7 percent for this year.Slightly over 24 percent hoped their salary would increase in a band of 3

March 24, 2017

Local funds investing in stocks of Samsung Group units have pulled off stellar performances this year on a surge in top-cap Samsung Electronics Co., far outperforming the overall stock market, data showed Friday.As of Wednesday, 25 Samsung Group funds have posted an average return rate of 11.35 percent since the start of the year, according to the data by industry tracker KG Zeroin. The yield is much higher than the 7.5 percent increase in the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index over the

March 24, 2017

Uli Stielike's job as the South Korean men's national football head coach is safe, despite a stunning loss to China in a World Cup qualifier, the sport's top national official said Friday.Chung Mong-gyu, head of the Korea Football Association, returned home with the rest of the team from Changsha, Hunan Province, early Friday morning on a red-eye flight, after South Korea suffered a 1-0 defeat to China in the final round of the Asian qualification for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Uli Stielike, head

Soccer March 24, 2017

The government said Friday it is making all out effort to successfully raise the Sewol ferry on the last day of favorable weather conditions, as the salvage team removes a ramp that has held up progress.The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said that as of 6:45 a.m., the joint team of the government and a Shanghai salvage firm, cut off all four hinges of the left rear ramp that has been hanging down under water and hindering the recovery operation. Part of the rusted Sewol ferry resurfaces above

Social Affairs March 24, 2017

South Korea's overall consumer sentiment improved this month from a month earlier helped by improving exports and eased political uncertainties, central bank data showed Friday.The composite consumer sentiment index for March came to 96.7, compared with 94.4 a month earlier.  (Yonhap)A reading below 100 means pessimists outnumber optimists.A BOK official attributed the improved consumer sentiment to increased exports and the Constitutional Court's recent decision to oust President Park Geun-hye

March 24, 2017

Hyundai Motor Co., Kia Motors Corp. and other automakers have been ordered to recall faulty parts in some of their models, South Korea's transportation ministry said Friday.This is part of a broader recall order delivered by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the ministry said.   (Yonhap)Hyundai, Kia, Nissan Motor Co., BMW Korea, Audi Volkswagen Korea, Daimler Truck Korea and Sports Motor Cycle Korea Co. plan to recall a combined 12,211 units of 22 kinds of vehicles this week, a

Mobility March 24, 2017

South Korea's financial system remains resilient despite increased risks stemming mostly from rising household debt, the country's central bank said Friday.The country's outstanding household credit -- which is composed of household loans and credit card spending -- came to 1,344.3 trillion won ($1.19 trillion) at the end of 2016, up 11.7 percent from a year earlier, the Bank of Korea said in a statement.  (Yonhap)Increased household credit and potential risks posed by financially troubled compa

March 24, 2017

A group of US House lawmakers on Thursday introduced a bipartisan resolution condemning China's retaliation against South Korea for its decision to host the US THAAD missile defense system and urging Beijing to exercise pressure on North Korea.Rep. Ted Yoho (R-FL) initiated the resolution together with Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, Reps. Peter Roskam (R-IL) and Ami Bera (D-CA), noting that such retaliatory measures could constitut

Diplomatic Circuit March 24, 2017

A former chief US nuclear negotiator with North Korea said Thursday that attacking North Korea, regardless of whether it's preemptive or preventive strikes, is sure to prompt retaliation that could lead to a second Korean War.Robert Gallucci, who negotiated a 1994 nuclear-freeze deal with Pyongyang that unraveled due to the North's cheating, made the point in an op-ed piece in the Los Angeles Times, stressing that a negotiated settlement is the only viable alternative to military action. (Yonhap

North Korea March 24, 2017

US President Donald Trump again called the North Korean situation a "mess" as he criticized his predecessor Barack Obama's handling of foreign policy and economic issues."I inherited a mess, I inherited a mess in so many ways. I inherited a mess in the Middle East, and a mess with North Korea, I inherited a mess with jobs ... I inherited a mess on trade," Trump said in an interview with the Time magazine published Thursday. (Yonhap)Trump made a similar remark earlier this week, saying what's hap

North Korea March 24, 2017

North Korea has marked the 100th anniversary of the creation of an anti-Japanese movement group which was set up by the late great grandfather of the country's leader Kim Jong-un, Pyongyang's state media said Thursday.North Korea held an event on Wednesday to celebrate the founding anniversary of the Korean National Association which was formed by Kim Hyong-jik, the father of the North's founder Kim Il-sung, according to the Korean Central News Agency. This photo unveiled by the Korean Central N

North Korea March 23, 2017

After a strong preseason start Thursday, Doosan Bears' left-hander Chang Won-jun said he's fully ready for the regular season.The ace for the two-time reigning Korea Baseball Organization champion threw five shutout innings in a 9-2 victory over the Samsung Lions at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul. He held the opponents to four hits and struck out four. In this file photo taken on March 6, 2017, Chang Won-jun of South Korea delivers a pitch against Israel in their World Baseball Classic game at Gocheok

Baseball March 23, 2017

South Korea on Thursday hailed a US House bill on toughening sanctions against North Korea as an action that would effectively tighten the screws on the communist country and send a strong warning.On Tuesday, US House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce introduced fresh legislation significantly tightening sanctions on North Korea, including authorizing sanctions on those providing the North with crude oil and other related products. (Yonhap)"The inclusion of very strong and effective el

Foreign Affairs March 23, 2017

Type 2 diabetes is closely associated with cancer among Asians, with those suffering from the disease more likely to die from malignant cell growth, a study showed Thursday.People with diabetes, which is linked to certain lifestyle habits such as diet, were 26 percent more likely to die from any form of cancer, according to the study by Yoo Geun-young from Seoul National University College of Medicine. (Yonhap)"It was confirmed that Type 2 diabetes is one of the cancer risk factors for the Asian

Technology March 23, 2017

The number of South Koreans who were newly diagnosed with tuberculosis last year inched down, but its infection rate remained high compared with other advanced countries, a government report showed Thursday.According to the report by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a total of 30,892 people were newly diagnosed with TB in 2016, slightly down from the previous year's 32,181.The 2016 figure means that 60.4 out of every 100,000 South Korea

Technology March 23, 2017