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Foundation for former comfort women unable to launch as planned: sources

Social affairsJun 21, 2016

A foundation dedicated to help South Korean women sexually victimized by Japan during its colonial rule will not be launched as planned as more preparation time is needed, sources said Tuesday. On Dec. 28, South Korea and Japan reached a deal in which Tokyo expressed an apology for its colonial-era atrocities and agreed to provide 1 billion yen ($9.6 million) for the foundation aimed at supporting the surviving victims, euphemistically called comfort women. The deal aims to put an end to the com
S. Korean envoy rules out bilateral meeting with N. Korea in Beijing

North KoreaJun 21, 2016

A South Korean nuclear envoy said Tuesday he has "no plans" to hold a bilateral meeting with his North Korean counterpart on the sidelines of a regional security forum in Beijing this week. The annual Northeast Asia Cooperation Dialogue, which will begin its two-day run from Wednesday, brings together nuclear envoys from six nations involved in long-stalled talks on North Korea's nuclear weapons program. Among those attending the forum are Choe Son-hui, deputy director for North American affairs
N. Korea deploys ballistic missile to east coast: source

North KoreaJun 21, 2016

North Korea has deployed an intermediate-range ballistic missile to its east coast although there are no signs it's ready for launch, a South Korean government source said Tuesday. (Yonhap)"We have detected signs that the North has deployed what appears to be a Musudan missile," the source said on the condition of anonymity.A South Korean military official said the military is closely watching the situation.Earlier, Japan's Kyodo news agency reported the North is preparing to fire a missile. (Yo
테일러 스위프트, 유튜브에 반기를 들다

Jun 21, 2016

미국 엔터테인먼트 업계가 음악 스트리밍 플랫폼에 점점 더 거센 불만을 표현하고 있다. 케이티 페리, 빌리 조엘 등의 잘 알려진 미국 팝 가수들은 올해 초 미국 저작권 협회에 저작권법 개정을 요구하는 탄원서를 제출했다. 나아가 이제는 폴 맥카트니, 테일러 스위프트, U2 등의 유명인들이 서명한 공개 항의서가 의회에 전달되었다. (Taylor Swift's Instagram)이 항의서는 음반사 BMI, 소니 뮤직, 유니버셜 뮤직 그룹 등의 지지를 받아 앞으로 각종 정치 웹사이트에 광고로 게재될 것이다.항의서 내용은 ‘디지털 밀레니엄 저작권법’에 초점을 두지만, 그 기저에 깔린 의미는 유튜브 등의 플랫폼이 원작자에게 정당한 대가를 치르지 않은 채 음악을 상업화하고 있다는 것이다. 아래는 영문 항의서를 번역한 내용이다. 미국의 수출업에 일조하고 있는 싱어송라이터나 아티스트로써 우리는 다음 세대 창작자들의 생존가능성 여부에 대해 우려하는 바이다. 현존하는 저작권법으로는 음악 창작을 통한 생계
Seoul's spy agency to put 13 N.K. restaurant workers under its protection

North KoreaJun 21, 2016

South Korea's spy agency has decided not to send a group of 13 North Korean restaurant workers to a state-run resettlement facility as it plans to hold them under its protection, government officials said Tuesday.The National Intelligence Service has notified Seoul's unification ministry that it will put the group of 13 North Koreans who defected to Seoul en masse in April under its protection for their safety."The NIS has notified the government that its decision was made for their security, gi
23% of Seoul citizens prefer traditional toilets in public restrooms: poll

Social affairsJun 21, 2016

Nearly a quarter of citizens in Seoul prefer traditional toilets to western style ones in public restrooms, a government survey showed Tuesday.According to the survey conducted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government on 3,137 people in March 2015, 22.8 percent of the respondents said they prefer traditional latrines where there is no need for the user to make direct contact with the toilet bowl. A total of 86.7 percent of people who said they preferred traditional toilets cited sanitary reasons, am
BOK campaign ends with over 260 mln dormant coins

Jun 21, 2016

The Bank of Korea said Tuesday that its campaign to put dormant coins back to use has successfully put more than 260 million coins back into circulation.In just one month of the recollection campaign in May, people brought out some 267 million coins, worth 36.7 billion won ($31.64 million) in value, to have them changed into banknotes, according to the central bank. The result marks a 1.9-percent increase in the number of reclaimed coins from last year's campaign, and a 1.4-percent rise in their
Korea ranks 1st in using smartphones for news consumption: survey

Social affairsJun 21, 2016

Nearly half of all South Koreans consume digital news on their smartphones, topping the list of 26 countries studied, a survey showed Tuesday.According to the Korea Press Foundation that released the Korean version of the survey, "Digital News Report 2016," by Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, 48 percent of Korean respondents said they used their smartphones when reading digital news, followed by Sweden (46 percent) and Switzerland (42 percent).The poll checked 53,330 respondents fr
Korean Army eyeing to launch committee to chart its future

DefenseJun 21, 2016

The Army will soon launch a committee tasked with drawing up a master plan to proactively deal with future security risks, the Army chief of staff said Tuesday.South Korean senior military leaders have studied the U.S. National Commission on the Future of the Army, set up last year by Congress to study the future force and structure of the U.S. Army, as part of efforts to put the envisioned Future Committee in motion. The committee is called upon to establish the master plan based on socio-polit
Samsung unveils new budget tablet model

TechnologyJun 21, 2016

Samsung Electronics Co., South Korea's top tech firm, released the updated version of its budget tablet series, the Galaxy Tab A, on Tuesday, saying it guarantees a better connection with entertainment.The Android-based "2016 Galaxy Tab A" features a 10.1-inch full HD-level display, a 1.6 GHz octa-core processor, 2GB of RAM and a microSD card slot for up to 200GB of removable storage. It has a 7.300 mAh battery.The tablet is equipped with an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 2-megapixel front-facing
Minjoo floor head vows to root out corporate irregularities

PoliticsJun 21, 2016

South Korea's main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea said Tuesday it will make an effort to root out irregularities in large businesses, adding that there is a need to limit the exercise of excessive power by the heads of family-run conglomerates."The role of the National Assembly is not to speak out for big businesses, but to keep watchful eyes on them," Kim Chong-in, the party's interim leader said, adding the parliament should refrain from defending local conglomerates. On the ongoing debate o
Samsung SDS rules out steps to boost share price

Jun 21, 2016

Samsung SDS Co., a key IT unit of South Korea's top conglomerate Samsung Group, said Tuesday it has decided not to take measures to boost its share price as it mulls spinning off the logistic business.The decision came a week after a group of small investors demanded Samsung SDS buy back shares or pay interim dividends to bolster its share price."Samsung SDS has decided not to consider a share buyback or an interim dividend as a spinoff is under consideration," the company said in a regulatory f
Korea, Portugal promise to expand cooperation in culture-related areas

CultureJun 21, 2016

South Korea and Portugal agreed to expand bilateral cooperation in media, education, sports and other culture-related areas, the foreign ministry said Tuesday.The agreement was part of a three-year cultural exchange plan signed at a joint committee meeting in Seoul on Monday between Choi Young-sam, a director of the ministry's bureau in charge of cultural affairs, and Ana Paula Laborinho, head of Portugal's government agency leading international cultural exchanges.Under the plan, both agreed to
Koreans shifting to second-car ownership: data

TransportJun 21, 2016

The number of registered passenger vehicles in South Korea is expected to top 20 million this month, heralding the advent of the "one household with two cars” era, data showed Tuesday.The number of registered passenger cars here came to 19,964,178 as of the end of May, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (Yonhap)It marked a steady increase from 19.7 million in January, 19.75 million in February, 19.8
Nine in 10 seniors forecast to live on state pension in 2060

Jun 21, 2016

Nine in 10 South Korean seniors are expected to live on the state pension in 2060, when the country's national pension fund is estimated to dry up, a report said Tuesday.According to the report by the National Pension Research Institute, 91.3 percent of 17.62 million South Koreans aged 65 and older are projected to receive various state pensions in 2060.Last year, 36.4 percent of 6.78 million senior South Koreans received state pensions, but the ratio will likely soar to 41 percent in 2020, 50.2