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Number of casual workers hits 5-year high in Q3

Oct 17, 2016

The number of South Korea's casual employees with no guaranteed hours of work reached a five-year high in the third quarter of this year, government data showed Monday, due to a rise in time-selective jobs amid a prolonged economic slump.The number of employees who work for one hour to 17 hours per week came to 1.34 million as of the end of September this year, up 91,000 from the same period a year earlier, according to the data by Statistics Korea. This file photo shows job seekers waiting in l
More homes have solar panels to save on electric bills

TechnologyOct 17, 2016

More homes in South Korea have installed solar panels in the past few years to reduce the cost of electricity, data showed Monday.According to the data compiled by Korea Electric Power Corp., some 165,449 homes had rooftop solar panels as of June this year to make up part of their electricity demand.The comparable figures were 139,393 in 2015, 95,718 in 2014 and 28,374 in 2011, according to KEPCO.Over the cited period, the amount of electricity generated by these rooftop solar panels increased t
‘누구 닮은’ 할로윈 호박 아이디어

Oct 17, 2016

미국에선 이달 말 다가오는 할로윈을 기념할 기발한 잭오랜턴 (Jack O’lantern) 호박 등 아이디어가 사회공유망서비스(SNS)에 떠돌고 있다. 　　바로 성추행 구설수에 오른 미국 대선 후보 도널드 트럼프의 얼굴을 새긴 ‘트럼킨’이다. 　 (사진=인스타그램 @suziejwong) (사진=인스타그램 @shelliwright)　트럼프의 이름과 호박이란 뜻의 영어 단어 ‘펌킨’을 한데 붙인 합성어 이름이 눈에 띈다.　　(khnews@heraldcorp.com)　
Use of prepaid cards nearly halves in Q2

Oct 17, 2016

Use of prepaid cards in South Korea almost halved in the second quarter of this year from three months earlier, government data showed Monday, as card firms are passive about the costly business.The country's prepaid card spending stood at 869.3 billion won ($765 million) in the April-June period, down 47.2 percent, or 164.8 billion won, from the prior quarter.It marks the first time since the second quarter of 2009 that quarterly prepaid card spending has fallen by more than 100 billion won.The
Victims of Japanese sexual enslavement to receive a compensation fund starting next week

Social affairsOct 14, 2016

Twenty-nine South Korean women forced into sex servitude for Japan's World War II soldiers will receive compensation money from the Japanese government starting next week, a non-profit foundation here said Friday.They are the first batch of a group of the 46 victims who were confirmed alive as of Dec. 28 when South Korea and Japan forged a landmark deal to end deep-rooted diplomatic feuds over the issue.Under the deal, the Japanese government injected 1 billion yen ($9.61 million) into the South
Symposium highlights Korean sovereignty over Dokdo

Social affairsOct 14, 2016

A group of South Korean scholars gathered Friday to address Japan's growing claims to Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo.In a symposium held at the Seoul Museum of History, experts from across the country held presentations and a debate on ways to counter Japan's claims. Historical records show that Dokdo has long been a part of Korea, but Japan has claimed it as its own since its 1910-45 colonial rule over the Korean Peninsula.Professor Song Hwi-young of the Dokdo Institute at Yeungnam Univers
Park expresses deep condolences over death of Thai king

InternationalOct 14, 2016

South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Friday expressed her "deep" condolences to Thailand over the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, saying his leadership for the Southeast Asian country's harmony will always be remembered. The king, the world's longest-reigning monarch, died peacefully at a hospital in the Thai capital of Bangkok on Thursday, according to a statement from the country's royal household bureau. He was 88. Since he took the throne in 1946 at age 18, he had been revered as a rare
Korea must beef up missile defense capabilities before THAAD

DefenseOct 14, 2016

South Korea's military chief stressed the need to strengthen the country's missile defense capabilities to counter North Korea's missile threats before a US anti-missile system is to be deployed on the Korean Peninsula, Seoul's military said Friday.Gen. Lee Sun-jin, chairman of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, made the remarks during Seoul and Washington's Military Committee Meeting held in Washington on Thursday with his counterpart, Gen. Joseph Dunford, it said."The generals agreed to cont
Customer service job can lead to sleep deprivation: survey

Social affairsOct 14, 2016

Job positions related to customer service can affect workers' psychology and even lead to sleep disorders, a survey showed Friday.According to the survey of 13,066 paid workers aged between 20 and 65, those working at customer service job positions complain of sleep problems. The workers who frequently have to deal with angry customers are six times more likely to suffer sleeping disorders than normal people, according to the survey.The survey was conducted by a team led by Yoon Jin-ha of Yonsei
Professor gets 16-month jail term for fabricating Oxy report

Social affairsOct 14, 2016

A local professor was sentenced to 16 months in prison Friday on charges of manipulating a report in favor of Oxy Reckitt Benckiser over the high-profile toxic humidifier disinfectant case.The Seoul Central District Court found the professor at Hoseo University in Asan, some 100 kilometers south of Seoul, guilty of writing the report in return for money between October 2011 and September 2012.The court ordered the professor, identified only by his surname Yoo, to forfeit 24 million won ($21,200)
Parliament audit ends with few gains: political watchers

PoliticsOct 14, 2016

The National Assembly's regular audit virtually ended Friday, with political watchers pointing out that the lawmakers failed to come up with constructive results due to a series of boycotts and partisan quarrels.The regular audit, which kicked off on Sept. 26, started amid the absence of the ruling Saenuri Party, which had refused to take part in proceedings on the controversy over the neutrality of the parliamentary speaker.Saenuri said Speaker Chung Sye-kyun unfairly took sides in the passage
철봉 고수女, 끝까지 봐야 할 영상

Oct 14, 2016

철봉 위를 날아다니는 한 여성의 영상이 지난 7일 ‘익스트림 피트니스 라이프스타일’ 페이스북 페이지에 공유됐다.　(사진=페이스북)　영상 마지막에 여성은 철봉을 박차고 공중제비를 돌아 착지하기까지 기막힌 묘기를 선보였다. 　　(khnews@heraldcorp.com)　
'막말 대통령' 두테르테 지지율 86% '용감한 지도자'

Oct 14, 2016

상대를 가리지 않고 끊임없이 막말을 해대고 기행을 일삼는 가운데 '마약과의 유혈전쟁' 논란을 일으켜온 로드리고 두테르테 필리핀 대통령의 지지율이 고공행진을 이어가고 있다.14일 필리핀스타 등 현지 언론에 따르면 두테르테 대통령은 현지 여론조사업체 펄스아시아가 9월 25일부터 10월 1일까지 필리핀 성인 남녀 1천200명을 대상으로 한 여론조사에서 86%의 신뢰율을 기록했다. (사진=유튜브)이는 취임 직후인 지난 7월 여론조사의 91% 지지율보다는 다소 낮지만 여전히 높은 수치다.지역별로 볼 때 수도 마닐라 시민의 신뢰율이 92%에서 81%로 비교적 크게 떨어졌으나, 다른 지역의 변화는 크지 않다.펄스아시아는 "필리핀 국민 대다수가 대통령 업무수행에 만족하고 신뢰한다는 반응을 보였다"고 말했다.미국 일간 뉴욕타임스(NYT)는 마약에 중독된 가족이 마약 소탕전의 희생자가 될 수 있음에도 두테르테 대통령을 열렬히 지지하는 50대 현지 남성의 사례를 소개하면서, 대통령의 막말과 극단적 정책
Doosan Heavy bags $850 mln order from Philippines

IndustryOct 14, 2016

Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction Co., South Korea's top power equipment maker, said Friday it has secured a $850 million order to build a power plant in the Philippines.Under the deal with Redondo Peninsular Energy Corp., Doosan Heavy will build the coal-powered plant in a region, 130 kilometers northwest of Manila, by December 2020.The deal follows a 1 trillion-won ($884 million) contract to build a power plant in Saudi Arabia.Stocks of Doosan Heavy were trading at 26,850 won on the Seoul
Belarus freezes bank account for violating UNSC resolution

North KoreaOct 14, 2016

Belarus has frozen a local bank account found to have violated the sanctions imposed under a resolution that the UN Security Council adopted in the wake of North Korea's nuclear test earlier this year, a foreign media report said Friday.This marked the first move of its kind confirmed after the Resolution 2270 was adopted in March, according to the Voice of America.The report quoted a foreign ministry spokesman of Belarus as saying that one of its banks suspended an account and has barred it fro