Worldwide sales of autonomous cars are forecast to reach 20 million units by the year of 2035 on the back of rapid development of related technologies, a report said Sunday."The smart car market will expand to a large extent as self-driving cars are expected to hit the road around 2020," said the report released by the state-funded Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade. Google’s self-driving vehicle. (Yonhap)It said the autonomous car industry will expand sharply in the coming years

Mobility March 5, 2017

The Seoul city government said Sunday that it will inject 10 billion won ($8.6 million) this year to support the meeting, incentive, convention and exhibition industry in 2017.The metropolitan city said in its new five-point plan that it will be sponsoring the See you in SEOUL Special event to make Seoul more attractive as the destination for MICE. Korea MICE Expo 2016 that was held by the Korea Tourism Organization last year. (Yonhap)The industry refers to a kind of package service that bundles

Industry March 5, 2017

South Korea is unlikely to reach its long-held target of $30,000 in gross national income per capita this year, as its economy is losing steam at a faster pace, local experts said Sunday.The GNI per capita refers to the total domestic and foreign output by residents of a country, reflecting the income level of the economy.South Korea's GNI per capita was $27,340 in 2015, ranking 46th in the world, with 43 countries over the $30,000 level, regarded as "advanced economies."For last year, South Kor

March 5, 2017

The Constitutional Court is set to rule as early as this week on whether to oust or reinstate President Park Geun-hye who has been impeached by the National Assembly on charges of corruption and other wrongdoing.The general consensus is that the court will likely deliver its ruling on Friday or on March 13 before one of its justices retires and creates another vacancy on the bench.Park's ouster requires the approval of at least six of the court's nine justices. There are currently eight after Ch

Politics March 5, 2017

A recent series of retaliatory economic actions taken by China against South Korea may be in violation of international trade law as well as their bilateral trade pact, Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se said Sunday, alluding to Seoul's possible move to bring the cases to an international court. "(They could) likely be in breach of the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the bilateral free trade agreement between South Korea and China," the top diplomat said in his appearance in a news pr

Foreign Affairs March 5, 2017

The Malaysian foreign ministry has cited North Korean Ambassador Kang Chol's refusal to accept formal summons as the reason for its decision to expel him, official sources said Sunday.On Saturday, Malaysia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced its decision to kick out North Korea's ambassador, ordering him to leave the country by Monday 6 p.m.The decision was the latest in a series of punitive actions Malaysia has taken in response to North Korea's assassination of leader Kim Jong-un's estrang

North Korea March 5, 2017

South Korean rhythmic gymnast Son Yeon-jae on Saturday officially bid farewell to her 17-year-long career in the sport. Son called time on her performing days following her decision last month to not enter the national team selection trials. The 22-year-old said she now wants to live an ordinary life.  "Rhythmic gymnastics has been almost everything in my life," Son said at a press conference at Taeneung National Training Center in Seoul. "I left school for about a year for the Olympics, but now

More Sports March 5, 2017

North Korea's state radio station resumed broadcasting mysterious numbers Sunday that could be some kind of coded message to its agents operating in South Korea.The message began just after midnight (Seoul time), at 12:15 a.m., by the North's propaganda station Radio Pyongyang. It lasted a few minutes with the message being repeated twice. The last encrypted message sent by the North was detected on Feb. 19 with this being the seventh of its kind this year. (사진=연합뉴스)The announcer addressed the "

North Korea March 5, 2017

Visitors from North Korea to Malaysia will be required to apply for visas beginning March 6.Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid said Thursday that the move was for security purposes after taking into account recent developments involving citizens of that country.“We will gazette this and visas for North Korean visitors are a must starting Monday,” he said. Zahid (The Star)Currently, Malaysian passport-holders are the only visitors who can travel to North Korea without a vi

North Korea March 2, 2017

Who was that calm, composed man, and what has he done with Donald Trump? That may have been the most common reaction from the viewers of the president’s address to Congress on Tuesday night.  Those looking for fireworks came away empty. What they witnessed instead was a poised and on-script president, an image some said was as stunning at this stage as any outrageous statement. Mike Mullowney, of Boston, who did not vote for Trump, sat down with his family to watch “a complete circus” and was in

World News March 1, 2017

Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong, 29, and Indonesian Siti Aisyah, 25, have been charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code, which carries the mandatory death penalty upon conviction, for the murder of a North Korean on Feb 13.Indonesian Siti Aisyah, 25, was first brought before the Magistrate’s Court, Wednesday.In the charge sheet, she was accused, together with four men still at large, of murdering a “Kim Chol” at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA2) departure hall in Sepang.(Image captur

North Korea March 1, 2017

South Korea's Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn said Wednesday the country will take strong actions against any provocations made by North Korea and seek tougher sanctions on Pyongyang with the United Nations."We will strongly punish any provocations and threats from North Korea based on the solid Seoul-Washington alliance," Hwang said during a speech marking the 98th anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement. "We will make North Korea change its erroneous cognition by sla

Politics March 1, 2017