A North Korean man was found holding on to a styrofoam float in waters near the western border island of Yeonpyeong, military sources said Wednesday.According to the sources, the man was rescued by a fishing boat after a soldier spotted him at around 7:10 a.m.The military said it is currently investigating whether the 27-year-old wants to defect or was involved in an accident."Although it is true that a North Korean was rescued, we cannot provide details as such information is confidential," a s

Samsung Display Co. said Wednesday that it has formed an alliance with its sister company Samsung Electronics, and Chinese TV and panel manufacturers to further cooperate on expanding the curved panel industry.The agreement was made at a forum held by Samsung Display and the Congressional-Executive Commission on China in Beijing on Tuesday, the company said.China-based TV manufacturers, including market leader Hisense Co., panel makers such as TCL Corp. and Leshi Internet Information & Technolog

South Korea's antitrust watchdog is expected to file a petition against Lotte Group founder Shin Kyuk-ho with prosecutors for the false reporting of its overseas affiliates' shareholding, informed sources said Wednesday.The secretariat of the Fair Trade Commission (has already informed Lotte of the plan for the legal punitive step after a review of the case that happened when Shin was in control of South Korea's fifth-largest conglomerate.The FTC will soon hold a plenary or sub-committee meeting

German automaker Audi AG will recall certain model years of A8 luxury passenger cars sold in South Korea for a coolant leak that may cause the car to lose power while driving and thus possibly lead to accidents, the transportation ministry said Wednesday.The local government began investigating possible coolant leaks in the Audi cars in June 2014 following a series of reports from vehicle owners here, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.The government confirmed coolan

President Park Geun-hye on Wednesday called on South Korean female leaders across the world to support her government's efforts for a work-family balance, which she says is critical in tackling the low birthrate and enhancing national competitiveness.In a video message to an annual session of the Korean Women's International Network, Park underscored that her government has pushed for various initiatives, including a flextime system, to help workers strike a balance between work and family."I ho

　미국 공화당 대선후보 도널드 트럼프의 부인 멜라니아가 다수 언론사를 명에훼손죄로 고소하겠다 나섰다.　　미국 CNN방송은 지난 23일 멜라니아 트럼프 (Melania Trump)가 영국의 데일리 메일, 폴리티코 외 최소 여덟 언론사를 대상으로 명예훼손죄를 청구했다고 보도했다. 　 멜라니아 트럼프 (유튜브 캡쳐)　이 매체들은 장래 영부인을 꿈꾸는 멜라니아가 90년대 ‘업소’에서 일했다는 내용의 기사를 실었다고 한다. 　　멜라니아를 대변하고 있는 변호사 찰스 하더 (Charles Harder)는 이 매체들이 슬로베니아 출신 멜라니아가 미국으로 이민하던 과정 중 불법취업을 했다고 주장한 것이 그녀의 명예를 훼손했다고 말했다. 　　이러한 논란은 영국매체 데일리 메일이 잇따라 멜라니아가 “부유한 고객을 대상으로 ‘에스코트’ 일을 했다”는 보도를 낸 이후 불거졌다. 　　해당 보도는 다수 매체가 받아 써 확산됐다. 　　멜라니아 트럼프가 경고를 보낸 매체는 현재 데일리 메일, 더 위크, 폴리티코,

South Korea's No. 2 automaker Kia Motors Corp. again renewed its monthly sales record in Mexico in July, market data showed Wednesday, suggesting its annual target of 50,000 cars will be anything but unattainable.The South Korean carmaker sold 5,510 cars, including light trucks, in Mexico last month, up more than 260 percent from the same month last year, according to the data from AMIA, the Association of Auto Manufacturers in Mexico.Kia only began selling its cars in Mexico in July 2015, but i

Samsung Electronics Co.'s mobile-payment service, Samsung Pay, has hit 2 trillion won ($1.8 billion) in accumulated transaction volume in South Korea, the company said Wednesday. The record came about one year after Samsung launched the mobile-payment service at home. Of the accumulated transaction volume, the value of fingerprint-identification mobile payments, which started this year, stood at about 500 billion won, Samsung said. Samsung is expanding the mobile-payment service globally. The co

The South Korean government will have an annual consultation with Fitch Ratings Inc. this week on the country's credit valuation, the finance ministry said Wednesday.Led by Thomas Rookmaaker, head of Asia-Pacific sovereigns at Fitch, the delegation will visit South Korea for meetings with the Ministry of Strategy and Finance from Wednesday to Friday.Fitch will look into South Korea's macroeconomic policies, including its mid- and long-term plans, and financial issues like household debt and corp

A key measure of oil refining companies' profitability has tumbled in recent months due to surging crude prices, casting a cloud on South Korean refiners' third-quarter earnings, industry sources said Wednesday.The benchmark Singapore complex gross refining margin plunged to the $3 per barrel range this month from $4.80 in July after hovering at $9.90 in January, according to the sources.Singapore is the regional trading hub of the benchmark Dubai crude.The margin is the difference between the t

Finance Minister Yoo Il-ho on Wednesday said the National Assembly must speed up deliberation to pass the extra budget plan, adding that the fund must be distributed as soon as possible to effectively revitalize the national economy.Political parties, including the ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea, failed to put the extra budget bill of 11 trillion won ($9.82 billion) to a vote by Monday's deadline.Yoo said the parties must promptly pass the bill, noting that th

The presidential office Cheong Wa Dae on Wednesday held an emergency standing committee session of the National Security Council to discuss North Korea's submarine-launched ballistic missile launch. Photo taken on Aug. 22, shows President Park Geun-hye (center) presiding over a National Security Council session at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul. (Yonhap)Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said that the communist regime test-fired the SLMB near its eastern port city of Sinpo at around 5