With one full week in spring training in the books, new imported arms in South Korean baseball are off to solid starts so far.The Korea Baseball Organization clubs are each permitted three foreign players, one of whom must be a position player. All 10 teams have opted to carry two pitchers, tasking them with carrying their rotations through the 144-game grind. Donn Roach of the KT Wiz throws a pitch against the Samsung Lions in their Korea Baseball Organization preseason game at Daegu Samsung Li

Baseball March 21, 2017

Samsung Electronics Co., which is set to unveil its new flagship smartphone later this month, on Tuesday introduced a teaser poster which apparently describes the presumed Galaxy S8 smartphone.The poster carries the Korean slogan "Completion and a New Start," with a person standing next to a smartphone-shaped door which leads to space. (Samsung)The tech giant said the poster is aimed at promoting the new device and will deliver never-before-seen experiences. Industry watchers expect the Galaxy S

Industry March 21, 2017

The smash-hit television series "Descendants of the Sun" received the top honor at the 2017 Korea Communications Commission Broadcasting Awards on Monday.The series garnered high scores for its quality screenplay and depiction of the core humanitarian values of peace and dedication while being hugely popular at home and abroad as a successful pre-produced drama series, according to the Korea Communications Commission, the nation's broadcasting watchdog body. (Yonhap)Broadcast simultaneously on S

Television March 21, 2017

It's been quite some time since "meokbang," a Korean popular cultural phenomenon of people broadcasting themselves preparing food and eating, penetrated mainstream television. An average South Korean hardly has difficulty in seeing a TV celebrity indulging in some epicurean delicacy in front of a national audience every week.  (Yonhap)Yet apparently, the TV market segment on food still has room to grow. Director Na Yeong-seok, who has virtually brought the meokbang genre to mainstream TV via tvN

Television March 21, 2017

"Defendant," SBS TV's popular late night crime thriller, kept a firm grip on a benchmark TV popularity index, as the series prepares to bow out from an explosive 18-episode run, data showed Tuesday.  (Yonhap)"Defendant," starring Ji Sung, scored 269.5 points on the Content Power Index (CPI), staying as the No. 1 TV program during the March 6-March 12 period.CPI, developed by entertainment company CJ E&M and Nielsen Korea, measures the popularity of TV shows based on the number of views of relate

Television March 21, 2017

South Korean political parties on Tuesday urged former President Park Geun-hye to own up to her wrongdoing and sincerely apologize to the people."Former President Park must apologize to the people and promise to reveal the truth," Rep. Woo Sang-ho, floor leader of the Democratic Party, said at a meeting of party officials.Woo's remarks came shortly after Park said she felt sorry to the people after arriving at the prosecutors' office in Seoul for questioning over a corruption scandal that led to

Politics March 21, 2017

Samsung Electronics Co. is expected to rack up a market forecast-beating operating income for the first quarter of 2017 helped by its robust performance in the chip business, a local security firm said Tuesday.NH Investment & Securities Inc. said Samsung is forecast to post an operating income of 9.6 trillion won ($8.59 billion) for the January-March period, hovering far above the market estimate of 8.9 trillion won.By sector, Samsung's chip business will rake in 6.1 trillion won in operating in

Industry March 21, 2017

Small and medium-sized South Korean companies doing business in China are also bearing the brunt of a string of disruptive acts by Chinese authorities in an apparent protest of Seoul's planned deployment of a US anti-missile system, industry sources said Tuesday. Beijing has been heaping a slew of trade restrictions on Korean companies and their goods, in what appears to be coming from its ire over the stationing of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system on the peninsula. China sees it a

Industry March 21, 2017

 South Korea will resume their qualifying campaign for the 2018 FIFA World Cup this week as they take on China on the road amid growing tensions between two countries.The Group A match in the final Asian qualification round for the 2018 World Cup will kick off Thursday at 7:35 p.m. (local time) at Helong Stadium in Changsha, south central China. A Chinese police officer watches a training session of the South Korean national football team at Hunan Provincial People's Stadium in Changsha, China,

Soccer March 21, 2017

The average annual salary of employees at South Korea's four biggest commercial banks reached 82 million won ($73,967) last year, industry data showed Tuesday.Shinhan Bank topped the list with 84.7 million won, followed by KB Kookmin Bank with 83 million won, KEB Hana Bank at 82 million won and Woori Bank with 80 million won, according to the data compiled by the lenders.Shinhan Bank posted 1.94 trillion won in net profits last year, up 30.2 percent from a year earlier.The average executive at t

March 21, 2017

The age at which South Korean women start smoking has been moving down as the negative perception of women's smoking wanes amid tobacco makers' active marketing targeting them, a report said Tuesday.The report, based on a survey of 35,996 female smokers aged 19 and older, showed they took their first puff at an average age of 23.6 years in 2012, down from 25.4 years five years earlier.Over the cited period, the average starting age for male smokers rose to 19.1 years from 18.8 years.A team of do

Social Affairs March 21, 2017

The US envoy on the North Korean nuclear conundrum met with some of the major presidential contenders in Seoul on Tuesday to discuss North Korea, the alliance and other pending diplomatic issues, political and diplomatic sources said.The rare meetings of Joseph Yun and South Korea's potential next leaders came as the Donald Trump administration is reportedly in the final stage of crafting its new North Korea approach.Joseph Yun, special representative for North Korea policy of the State Departme

Foreign Affairs March 21, 2017

North Korea said Tuesday the ouster of former President Park Geun-hye was a "stern judgment by history" as Park underwent questioning by prosecutors over a corruption scandal involving her and her close friend.Park was grilled by prosecutors over corruption allegations that sparked rallies calling for her resignation for months and led to her removal from office earlier this month.The Korean Central News Agency released detailed reports on how the scandal evolved and why the Constitutional Court

North Korea March 21, 2017

Major South Korean pharmaceutical companies are poised to expand their spending on research and development this year despite weak earnings, industry sources said Tuesday.The four drug companies -- Hanmi Pharmaceutical Co., Green Cross Corp., Daewoong Pharma and Chong Kun Dang Pharmaceutical Corp. -- whose annual R&D spending each topped 100 billion won ($86.9 million) last year, will continue to focus on R&D expansion, they said.Headquarters of Hanmi Pharmaceutical Co. (Yonhap)Hanmi Pharmaceuti

Industry March 21, 2017

South Korean listed companies' dividend payouts hit a fresh high in 2016 as large caps increased payments to meet stockholders' demand, data showed Tuesday.According to the data by the Korea Exchange, 517 out of the 746 companies listed on the main KOSPI market paid out a combined 20.95 trillion won ($18.7 billion) in year-end cash dividends last year, up 9.4 percent from the previous year.It marked the first time that listed companies' year-end cash dividends surpassed the 20 trillion-won mark.

March 21, 2017