Four repairmen working at the Emart in Tanhyeon of Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province, were found dead early Saturday morning.They are assumed to have suffocated by refrigerant while examining and fixing  a large refrigerating device of the air conditioning system at the shopping mall's basement. According to a witness, identified as Lee, the victims- 58-year-old Park Ki-soon, 22 year-old Hwang Sun-won, 37-

Korea Exchange Bank (KEB) decided Friday to pay out an interim dividend of 1,510 won ($1.42) per share for the second quarter, a move that will allow its biggest shareholder Lone Star Funds to rake in large profits. This marks the record amount of quarterly dividends that Korea's fifth-largest lender has ever paid out, enabling U.S.buyout fund Lone Star to receive dividends worth 496.8 billion won

A talk between representatives of workers and management to set the mandatory minimum wage broke down on Friday due to an unbridgeable price gap, dimming prospects of reaching an early agreement.The Minimum Wage Council, in which representatives of the government, labor and corporate management jointly set the wage level, managed to hold a last-ditch meeting on Thursday to determine the new minimu

BEIJING (AFP) - Chinese President Hu Jintao warned the ruling Communist Party faced severe "growing pains" as it turned 90 on Friday and said corruption, and alienation from China's masses, could erode public support.But in a speech on the anniversary of its 1921 founding, Hu gave no sign that the party intended to loosen the iron grip on political power it has maintained for more than six tumultu

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Incoming US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, who takes the helm at the Pentagon on Friday, is determined to avoid gutting the US military despite the prospect of difficult budget decisions.Panetta, 73, who is stepping down as head of the CIA, is due to take over at 8:45 am (1245 GMT) from Robert Gates, who is retiring after more than four years on the job supervising troubled war

The government plans to allow foreigners visiting the country aboard cruises to disembark here without a visa for short stays as part of efforts to attract foreign tourists.The Justice Ministry on Friday announced its proposal to ease the visa rule for foreigners arriving in Korea on cruise ships. The ministry also inserted a clause in the revised bill to help long-term foreign residents adapt to

President Lee Myung-bak on Saturday will depart for Durban, South Africa, the first leg of his weeklong tour of three African nations to support PyeongChang’s Olympic bid and strengthen economic ties. Lee will also visit the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Ethiopia before returning home on July 11. Lee is scheduled to arrive in Durban Saturday evening where he will have four days to promote P

As the law allowing multiple unions in a single workplace took effect Friday, three companies reported the establishment of their second labor unions. Semiconductor manufacturer named KEC Corp. in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, filed a report that a new union consisting of 13 employees had been formed in addition to the existing 140-person union which is a member of the Korean Confederation of T

Honda Korea plans to voluntarily recall 32 units of its Shadow 750 motorcycles due to manufacturing defects that could cause engines to stall unexpectedly, the country’s Transportation Ministry said Thursday.The decision resulted from a malfunction in bank angle sensors, which are designed to turn off the engine only when the motorbikes fall onto its side, according to the manufacturer.The recall