A Spanish diplomatic vehicle was involved in a two-kilometer, multiple-hit-and-run rampage in Itaewon, Seoul, injuring three police officers, police said Sunday.According to the National Police Agency, the husband of a Spanish Embassy official was driving a black Veracruz, a private vehicle registered under the embassy, when he hit a guard post, a patrol car and five civilian vehicles.The man, ide

The new Grand National Party and Democratic Party floor leaders met Monday to exchange congratulatory messages, as well as edgy remarks over controversial issues.Rep. Kim Jin-pyo, who was elected DP floor leader on Friday, paid a courtesy visit Monday to Rep. Hwang Woo-yea of the GNP.Hwang is also acting as a proxy for the party leader whose seat will be vacant until early July.“I am glad on behal

Seoul Global Center will start consultations on industrial accidents for foreign residents from Tuesday. The weekly service, offered every Tuesday from 2-5 p.m. at the support center for expatriates, will be provided in seven languages including English, Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese. With the number of foreign workers here surging recently, many have complained of difficulty finding proper hel

Police will dismantle the controversial tri-color arrow traffic lights at 53 intersections nationwide, including 11 locations in central Seoul. Since the installment nearly a month ago, the red-yellow-green alternating arrow has been the cause of multiple accidents throughout the city.“We will halt the expansion of the three-color traffic light system, and subject it to further review,” said Natio

A Seoul court has ruled against an online shopping company in a trademark infringement suit filed by Adidas Korea in November.The company, disclosed to the media as “F,” used Adidas’ signature 3-line design, which the German sportswear firm has used since 1982.It was ordered to cease production and sales of its sportswear with the design and destroy articles in storage, officials at the Seoul Cent

Lotte Shopping, Korea’s leading retail group, said Monday that it has been ranked the sixth-largest retailer worldwide by Forbes Magazine, joining the ranks of global top sellers.The Korean company runs chains of Lotte Department Store, Lotte Mart and Lotte Super. Tied with Chile’s Falabella, it ranked higher than U.S. giants such as Sears and Nordstrom and Japan’s Isetan Mitsukoshi.Forbes has bee

The Korea Communications Commission unveiled support measures Monday for mobile virtual network operators so that they can release telecom services that are 20 percent cheaper than what is now available.The state telecom regulator said SK Telecom, the country’s top mobile carrier, will provide the MVNOs with mobile phones until June 2012.It also said SKT will also help the MVNOs, which plan to lau

The number of people working at small- and medium-sized enterprises increased by 3.47 million between 1999 and 2009, industry data showed Sunday.Under local regulations, SMEs are defined as companies with less than 1,000 employees and total assets less than 500 billion won ($458 million), and companies that meet the requirements but are affiliated to large companies are excluded from the category.

Global mobile phone market gets significant boost by burgeoning demand for smartphonesSamsung Electronics, the world’s second-largest phone maker, has held the biggest U.S. market share for 11 straight quarters anchoring its position as a top seller in the region, according to market research data.Strategy Analytics on Monday said Samsung’s market share stood at 27.4 percent after selling 12.6 mil

Six out of 10 salaried workers are willing to apply for the salary peak system to stay employed longer, the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry said on Monday. The salary peak system provides older workers with an opportunity to work past their retirement age, but for a smaller salary once their “peak” has passed. A survey taken by the chamber showed that out of 353 salaried workers, almost 60

The number of people who have turned to private lenders or loan sharks in the secondary financial sector has jumped 18 percent over the past six months, reflecting worsening borrowing conditions for the poor amid industry-wide credit crunch. More than 2.27 million people took loans out from private lenders as of April, up about 300,000 from October, the Financial Services Commission said. Given th

Balanced regional development has been a key objective in national administration for decades. But each time the government makes a decision on the location of any major state project, competition among candidate cities and provinces become so severe that it looks like the nation is just falling apart.As the central city of Daejeon has been selected as the location for a “science-business belt,” a