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S-Oil to build R&D center in Korea

IndustryFeb 13, 2014

S-Oil Corp., South Korea's third-largest refiner, said Thursday that it plans to build a research and development (R&D) center in a suburb of Seoul within two years. "The center is designed to strengthen our R&D capacity, which is a core competence in the downstream sector of the oil and petrochemical industry," S-Oil said in an e-mailed statement. The downstream sector refers to the refining of crude oil and the distribution of the by-products such as gasoline and a variety of other energy sour
LG rolls out new smartphone with wider screen

TechnologyFeb 13, 2014

LG Electronics Co., a South Korean smartphone maker, on Thursday revealed its newest smartphone model, the G Pro 2, paving the way for the country's No. 2 tech giant to expand its share in the large display smartphone market.LG's phablet, a cross between a smartphone and tablet PC, boasts a 5.9-inch display, larger than its predecessor's 5.5-inch screen, and will compete with rival products such as the Galaxy Note series manufactured by Samsung Electronics Co., the world's largest maker of smart
2NE1 to release new album this month

Feb 13, 2014

South Korean girl group 2NE1 will release a new album this month, the group's management agency said Thursday."We will upload the group's second full-length album, 'Crush,' on major online music services at midnight on Feb. 24," Yang Hyun-suk, chief of YG Entertainment, said in a posting on the company's official blog. The album will hit the shelves of local record stores a week later, he added."2NE1 released its first full-length album in September 2010, made by simply adding a few new songs to
BOK freezes key rate for 9th straight month for Feb.

Feb 13, 2014

South Korea's central bank froze the key interest rate for the ninth consecutive month on Thursday amid caution against emerging market unrest sparked by the U.S. monetary stimulus cut.Bank of Korea Gov. Kim Choong-soo and his six fellow policymakers held the benchmark seven-day repo rate, called the base rate, at 2.5 percent, as widely expected.The BOK said that it will pay close attention to developments in external risk factors such as shifts in major countries' monetary policies and market u
Listed companies suffer growth setbacks in 2013: report

Feb 13, 2014

South Korea's leading listed companies suffered bigger growth setbacks in 2013 compared to the post-global crisis year of 2009, a report compiled by conglomerates' lobbying group said Thursday.The report by the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI) said sales growth numbers for the 148 large listed companies were poorer than those for the 1,536 non-financial sector businesses traded on the country's main and secondary stock exchanges.Large companies refer to businesses with annual sales exceedin
Obama to visit S. Korea in April

Foreign affairsFeb 13, 2014

U.S. President Barack Obama plans to visit South Korea in April for talks with President Park Geun-hye about the alliance between the two countries, North Korea's nuclear program and other issues, the White House said Wednesday.The visit is part of a four-nation trip that also includes stops in Japan, Malaysia and the Philippines, the White House said in a statement. With the full itinerary yet to be announced, he is expected to stay in South Korea for two days from April 23 following his trip
In Seoul, Kerry to seek assurance of no gap on N. Kore policy

Foreign affairsFeb 13, 2014

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will seek to make sure that there is no disparity between Seoul and Washington on ways of dealing with North Korea, when he travels to Seoul this week, officials said Wednesday."The secretary's focus is on close coordination on North Korea, he will reaffirm our alliance commitments as well as our resolve to work closely together with the Republic of Korea to promote denuclearization and to maintain deterrence, " a senior U.S. government official told reporters
Speed skater struggles, curlers lose as S. Korea fails to add to medal tally

Olympic GamesFeb 13, 2014

It was another unproductive day at the Sochi Winter Olympics for South Korea as a speed skating medal hopeful struggled on ice and the women's curling team fell to the top-ranked opponent.Mo Tae-bum finished the men's 1,000 meters in 12th place in 1:09.37, nearly a full second worse than the champion, Stefan Groothuis of the Netherlands. Mo won the silver in the same event four years ago in Vancouver, but walked away without a medal this time.On Monday, he ended the 500ｍ in fourth place, failing
Teenage short tracker seeks first Olympic medal

Olympic GamesFeb 13, 2014

Shim Suk-hee, a 17-year-old short track phenom, will try to win her first Olympic medal in the women's 500 meters on Thursday.Shim, Park Seung-hi and Kim A-lang have reached the quarterfinals in the 500ｍ. The quarters, the semis and the finals will all take place Thursday.Shim has mostly dominated the 1,000ｍ and the 1,500ｍ events this season, while struggling with her starts in the 500ｍ. However, she may have a shot at a medal in the short distance event, too, with Wang Meng of China, the reigni
충격, 남편 시신 7년간 보관, 왜?

한국어판Feb 13, 2014

서울 방배경찰서는 12일 남편이 숨진 뒤 약 7년간 시신을 집안에 그대로 유기한 혐의(사체유기)로 A(47ㆍ여) 씨를 불구속입건했다고 12일 밝혔다.경찰에 따르면 약사인 A 씨는 남편의 시신을 수년간 서울 서초구 방배동의 집 안 거실에 보관한 혐의를 받고 있다. 경찰은 부검 결과 등을 토대로 남편이 2007년 초(당시 43) 간암으로 사망한 것으로 추정하고 있다.경찰이 남편의 시신을 발견했을 당시 거실 카펫 위에 이불을 덮고 누워 있었으며 A 씨가 주기적으로 옷을 갈아입힌 듯 깔끔한 옷차림이었다.시신은 다소 부패한 냄새가 나긴 했지만 7년간 보관된 시신이라고 보기 어려울 정도로 깨끗했던 것으로 전해졌다.경찰은 “A 씨가 시신을 방부처리한 것 아닌지 의심은 가지만 부검결과로는 방부 처리 여부를 알 수 없었고 본인이 부인하고 있어 좀 더 확인이 필요하다”고 말했다.A 씨는 10∼20대 자녀 3명, 시누이와 함께 살고 있었으며 가족들은 시신에 인사를 하는 등 평소와 다름 없이 생활했던 것
호날두 2골, 레알 마드리드 결승 진출

Feb 12, 2014

스페인 프로축구 명문 레알 마드리드가 홀로 2 골을 책임진 크리스티아누 호날두(29) 덕분에 코파 델 레이(국왕컵) 결승에 올랐다. 레알 마드리드는 12일(이하 한국시간) 스페인 마드리드의 비센테 칼데론 경기장 에서 열린 2013-2014 코파 델 레이 4강 2차전에서 페널티킥으로만 2골을 넣은 호날 두에 힘입어 아틀레티코 마드리드를 2-0으로 이겼다. 6일 홈에서 치른 4강 1차전에서 3-0으로 이긴 레알 마드리드는 1, 2차전 합계 5 -0으로 아틀레티코 마드리드를 크게 따돌리고 결승에 선착했다. 레알 마드리드의 상대는 13일 FC바르셀로나-레알 소시에다드의 4강 2차전 후 결 정된다.1차전에서 바르셀로나가 2-0으로 이긴 만큼 결승에서 레알 마드리드와 바르셀로 나의 '엘 클라시코'가 펼쳐질 가능성이 크다.레알 마드리드는 디에구 코스타와 다비드 비야가 모두 부상으로 빠진 아틀레티 코 마드리드를 상대로 초장에 기선을 제압했다. 전반 7분 호날두는 페널티지역을 파고들어가다
군수송기 추락…102명 사망·1명 생존

Feb 12, 2014

북아프리카 알제리 동부 지역에서 11일(현지시간) 군 수송기가 추락해 탑승자 102명이 사망하고 1명만이 생존했다고 AP와 AFP 통신이 보도했다.알제리 당국에 따르면 이날 오후 알제리 군인들과 가족들을 태운 'C-130 허큘리 스' 수송기가 콘스탄틴 시를 향해 비행하는 도중 알제리 수도 알제에서 동쪽으로 350㎞ 떨어진 움엘부아기(Oum El Bouaghi) 지역에서 추락했다.이 추락으로 102명이 사망했고 1명이 살아남은 채 발견됐다고 긴급 구조대원이 알제리 국영라디오에 밝혔다.이는 알제리가 1962년 프랑스로부터 독립한 이후 자국에서 발생한 최악의 항공 기 참사 가운데 하나다.이 구조대원은 "우리는 단 1명의 생존자를 찾았으며 수색 작업을 계속 진행하고 있다"고 말했다. 이 생존자의 신원은 즉각 확인되지 않았다.사고 당시 이 수송기에는 탑승객 99명과 조종사를 포함한 승무원 4명 등 전체 103명이 타고 있었다.알제리의 한 소식통은 "기상 악화로 수송기가 추락한 것으로 보인
[포토뉴스] 올림픽 2연패 이상화의 섹시 화보

Feb 12, 2014

이상화가 화보를 통해 그동안 스피트 스케이팅 슈트 안에 감춰둔 매력을 뽐냈다. 2014년 소치 올림픽에서 2연패의 우승을 차지하기 전 촬영한 이번 화보에서 금메달리스트 ‘빙속 여제’의 이상화는 여성스러움을 강조한 드레스를 입고 경기 때와는 사뭇 다른 분위기를 풍겼다. 현장 스태프에 의하면 이상화는 낯선 카메라 앞에서도 당당하고 유쾌하게 자신을 드러냈다고 한다.(khnews@heraldcorp.com) [Photo News] Skater Lee Sang-hwa slips into dressSouth Korean speed skater Lee Sang-hwa’s pictorial for a fashion magazine Esquire was revealed on Wednesday. The 2010 and 2014 Olympic gold medalist showed off her feminine side in a green silk dress.
Korea's jobless rate rises in Jan. but job creation quickens

BusinessFeb 12, 2014

South Korea's jobless rate rose in January, but job creation accelerated sharply, indicating that more people came out to search for work amid signs that the economy is recovering, a government report showed Wednesday.According to the report by Statistics Korea, the jobless rate stood at 3.5 percent last month, up from 3 percent in December. The seasonally adjusted jobless rate also inched up from 3.1 percent to 3.2 percent.Job creation, however, quickened sharply. The number of employed people
Speed skater Mo Tae-bum seeks redemption

Olympic GamesFeb 12, 2014

Speed skater Mo Tae-bum, who finished fourth in the men's 500 meters on Monday, will seek to redeem himself in the 1,000ｍ on Wednesday.He won the silver in the 1,000ｍ in Vancouver four years ago, behind the American star Shani Davis.Mo came up short in his Olympic title defense in the 500ｍ on Monday, as a trio of Dutch skaters swept the podium, led by the champ Michel Mulder.The women's curling team, making the Olympic debut, will play its third round robin match against Sweden. Cho Jung-myung a