Satellite photos show signs of new tunnel work at North Korea’s underground nuclear test site, a U.S. research institute said Tuesday.The U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies said in an analysis that it does not appear to indicate another underground blast is imminent at the Punggye-ri site in the country’s northeast.But it suggests North Korea has continued to work on its nuclear weapons program despite a recent easing of the tensions that followed its

서울 영훈 국제중학교 법인 영훈학원 김하주(80) 이사장이 피의자 신분으로 검찰에 출석해 15시간가량 조사받은 뒤 26일 새벽 귀가했다.이날 오전 2시25분께 조사를 마치고 나온 김 이사장은 학부모에게서 돈을 받은 사실이 있느냐’ ‘성적 조작을 지시했느냐’는 등을 묻는 취재진을 향해 아무런 말도 하지 않고 차량에 올랐다. 서울 북부지검에 따르면 김 이사장은 수십억원의 학교 기금을 부당하게 사용하고, 영훈국제중 소속 교사가 영훈고에 재직한 것처럼 허위서류를 꾸며 1억 900여만원의 명예퇴직 수당 등을 받게 한 혐의를 받고 있다.검찰은 김씨가 입학 편의를 봐주는 대가로 학부모들로부터 금품을 건네받은 혐의가 있는지도 조사할 방침이다.앞서 검찰은 2009년부터 2010년까지 입학 편의를 봐주는 대가로 학부모 5명으로부터 총 9000만원을 받은 혐의로 영훈중 행정실장 임모(54)씨를 구속기소한 바 있다.임씨는 검찰 조사에서 “이사장의 지시에 따라 학부모들로부터 돈을 받아 전달했다”고 진술한

South Korean stocks opened higher Wednesday as China's central bank announced Tuesday it may add more liquidity to the market amid worries that the economy there is slowing down, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 10.58 points, or 0.59 percent, to 1,791.21 in the first 15 minutes of trading.Tech blue chips gathered ground, with LG Electronics rising 2.3 percent and top chipmaker SK hynix adding 2.03 percent. Top flat panel maker LG Dispay gained 1.93 per

South Korean stocks declined to the lowest point in the year on Tuesday, as increasing fears on China's step to squeeze money added to fresh worries about the local economy on top of a possible end of the U.S. monetary easing, analysts said. The local currency inched up against the U.S. dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 18.38 points, or 1.02 percent, to close at 1,780.63. Trading volume was moderate at 326.3 million shares worth 4.40 trillion won ($3.78 billion

South Korean stocks traded 0.4 percent higher late Tuesday morning, as large-cap exporters reverted to gains from earlier losses, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 7.19 points to 1,806.20 as of 11:20 a.m.No. 1 steelmaker POSCO shot up 1.5 percent, with auto-parts maker Hyundai Mobis jumping more than 4 percent. But shares of financial companies moved downward. KB Financial Group, the second-largest banking firm, edged down 0.2 percent, with Samsung Fire

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon called Tuesday for a swift and thorough prosecution investigation into the intelligence agency's alleged illegal campaign against him and urged public institutions to stop intervening in politics.Last month, allegations surfaced that the National Intelligence Service (NIS) wrote documents in 2011 instructing its employees to suppress Park's political influence. The civic activist-turned-mayor is affiliated with the main opposition Democratic Party. The report, titled "t

South Korea's finance minister Tuesday called for businesses to expand investment and employment in order to help break the cycle of a prolonged low growth trend confronting the country's economy."I expect today's meeting will serve as a chance to have sincere and productive discussions that could lead to preemptive investment and expanded employment, eventually cutting the low growth trend," Finance Minister Hyun Oh-seok told heads of the country's major business lobby groups. The meeting held

South Korean stocks got off to a weak start Tuesday on worries that the Chinese economy is rapidly slowing down, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) slipped 6.12 points, or 0.34 percent, to 1,792.89 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Large-cap exporters led the decline, with tech heavyweight Samsung Electronics falling 0.7 percent and leading automaker Hyundai Motor dropping 0.5 percent. China's main Shanghai Index plunged more than 5 percent on Monday amid gr

Most South Korean manufacturers forecast their business to get bearish in the third quarter of this year due to the global economic slowdown, a survey showed Tuesday. The survey of 2,500 companies conducted between late May and early June by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) showed the Business Survey Index (BSI) at 97 for the July-September period, slightly down from 99 for the second quarter.  The index gauges the manufacturers' outlook on business conditions, and a reading bel