Cheong Wa Dae will push to start the construction of new office buildings for all 80 public corporations within the year, officials said Sunday.The move is meant to spur sluggish local development by moving Seoul-based public organizations to provinces. “Though the construction schedule of the office buildings has so far been delayed due to the merger of some organizations and doldrums in real est

North Korea is in the completion stage of building a sprawling naval base near the tense sea border with South Korea, a high-level government source said Sunday, a facility capable of housing about 60 air-cushioned vessels that can be used for infiltration attacks.South Korea spotted air-cushioned vessels and hangar-shaped buildings at the naval base that has been under construction in Goampo in t

Gang member arrested; first time Mexican drugs found on sale hereThe prosecution said Sunday they recently indicted a former Korean-American gang member for smuggling methamphetamine from Mexico and selling it here. It was the first time that the drugs from Mexico have been found to be traded in Korea where most illegal drugs come from China. According to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Of

 

Foreigners’ ownership of South Korean land edged up 0.7 percent in the first quarter from three months earlier, posting a much slower growth rate seen before the recent global financial crisis, the Land Ministry said Sunday.As of the end of March, foreigners owned a combined 225.3 million square kilometers of land, 1.57 million square kilometers more than at the end of 2010, the Ministry of Land,

Korean airlines are expected to jack up their fuel surcharges on international flights for July and August, but the increase rate will likely slow amid easing fuel prices, officials and industry sources said Sunday.The average price of jet fuel hovered at about $3.16 a gallon on the Singaporean spot market from April to May 28, compared with $3.02 per gallon between February and March, according t

Almost 90 percent of U.S. consumers have given high ratings to the picture quality of 3-D televisions and did not mind the battery-charged eyewear used to watch the three-dimensional images.Up to 88 percent of some 3,065 3-D-capable set owners who participated in a poll commissioned by The Digital Entertainment Group said last week that they were satisfied with their 3-D home viewing experience an

The Fair Trade Commission imposed a combined 3 billion won ($2.78 million) in fines on nine pharmaceutical companies for unfair trade practices, including the provision of illegal rebates to doctors and wholesalers, it said Sunday.The toughest punishment of 753 million won was slapped on Pacific Pharma Corp., for paying kickbacks to doctors in forms of gift cards, golf tours and cash.Those involve

Hyundai Engineering and Construction is looking to boost efficiency and cut costs by using aluminum cables in place of copper ones.According to the company, it has been working with a cable manufacturer to develop aluminum cables for low voltages that meet Korean standards since last year. The company was able secure a source of aluminum cables that passed Korea Electrical Safety Corp.’s safety st