The collective of hackers known as “Anonymous” has announced that they will attack the Korean government's server next month, officials said Saturday.According to the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, the group released its plan via its Twitter account and on Youtube that it will hack the Korean government on April 14, claiming that the government has wastes taxpayers' money, oppressed citizens and distorted the media.The target of the attack is unknown, officials added.The ministry

BEIJING -- First lady Michelle Obama told students in China, which has some of the world's tightest restrictions on the Internet, that freedom of speech and unfettered access to information make countries stronger and should be universal rights.Obama was speaking Saturday at Peking University in Beijing during a trip aimed at promoting educational exchanges between the U.S. and China.She said the free flow of information is crucial "because that's how we discover truth, that's how we learn what'

BEIJING -- China's Vice Finance Minister Zhu Guangyao on Saturday called on the U.S. Congress to approve a capital increase for the International Monetary Fund agreed four years ago.The U.S. Congress failed in January to ratify funding measures for the IMF that would give emerging nations such as China and South Korea a greater say in the operation of the organization.Zhu said some "risks" might occur depending on "whether or not the U.S. can honor its agreement at the G20 financial ministers' m

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's confidant has been promoted to a first vice director of the country's powerful Organization and Guidance Department, according to Pyongyang's state media.The Korean Central News Agency did not directly report the promotion of Hwang Pyong-so, but referred to him by his new title on Saturday as it reported an inspection by Kim of hospitals in Pyongyang.Earlier this month, the KCNA identified Hwang as a vice director of the Organization and Guidance Department, one

PERTH, Australia (AP) -- Six Australian planes took off Saturday for a third day of scouring the desolate southern Indian Ocean for possible parts of missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, now lost for two full weeks.Australia promised its best efforts to resolve the mystery, but two days of searching the seas about 2,500 kilometers (1,550 miles) southwest of Perth have not produced any evidence.A satellite spotted two large objects in the area earlier this week, raising hopes of finding the Boei

BEIJING -- China's economy is facing "downward pressure" as Beijing pushes for economic reforms amid persistent worries about global economic recovery, a senior official at China's top state think-tank said Saturday.Liu Shijin, vice president of China's State Council Development Research Center, however, voiced optimism that the Chinese economy can weather such downward risks, citing what he calls "conditions" set by China's leadership "for stabilizing its economy."Liu made the remarks at a glob

North Korea launched 30 short-range rockets into waters off its east coast early Saturday, South Korea's military said, in what appeared to be its latest show of force against Seoul and Washington.North Korea fired three bursts of rockets between 4 a.m. and 6:10 a.m. from a coastal area near Wonsan, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff.It said the projectiles appeared to be FROG surface-to-surface rockets, noting that they are estimated to have flown around 60 kilometers.The North did not impo

WASHINGTON -- The White House said Friday next week's trilateral summit meeting between the U.S., South Korea and Japan is of great significance in that it will demonstrateWashington's unswerving security commitment to Northeast Asia.National Security Adviser Susan Rice emphasized that the Obama administration stays focused on its policy of re-balancing toward Asia."After a period of tension, we will bring together two of our closest allies, the Republic of Korea and Japan, in a trilateral meeti

LG Chem Ltd, South Korea's largest chemical company, said Friday that it has decided to purchase a U.S. water filter firm for $200 million.A corporate source said the company's board approved the purchase of California-based NanoH2O, Inc. that controls cutting-edge reverse osmosis (RO) membrane technology."The process of buying the company will start immediately," said the insider, who declined to be identified. He said LG Chem will wholly own the venture tech company. NanoH2O manufactures and m

The convicted chief of the country's third-largest conglomerate SK Group will step down from his position as chairman, officials at the business group said Wednesday, removing him from all management affairs.Chey Tae-won, 53, was sentenced to a four-year prison term last week after being convicted of embezzling 46.5 billion won ($43.6 million) from two SK Group affiliates, including top mobile carrier SK Telecom Co., and funneling the funds into personal investments in stock futures and options

삼성전자가 인포테인먼트 글로벌 자동차 시장 공략에 나섰다. 5일 업계관계자는 “삼성전자가 인도 타타 자동차에 이어  BMW와 폭스바겐에도 드라이브 링크 공급을 논의 중”이라고 말했다.또한 “올해는 갤럭시 S5에도 드라이브 링크를 연동 할 것”이며 “보이스 UI도 개발 중”이라고 전했다. 삼성전자는 이에 대해 “글로벌 자동차 회사들과 공급을 논의 중인 것은 맞지만, 구체적인 회사명을 언급하기는 어렵다”라고 말했다. 드라이브 링크는 운전자의 편의성을 높이기 위해 삼성전자가 개발한 앱이다. 음악ㆍ내비게이션ㆍ전화 등 운전중 사용빈도가 높은 기능은 물론 날씨ㆍ일정(S 플래너)ㆍ문자메시지ㆍ음성 지원 기능 등을 갖추고 있다.한 증권사 관계자는 “TV와 스마트폰 시장의 성장이 둔화되면서, 삼성전자가 스마트카에서 새로운 사업모델을 확대 해 나가고 있다”라고 전했다.유진호 우리투자증권 연구원은 “애플과 구글이 스마트카 시장에 뛰어들면서, 삼성 또한 비즈니스 확장이 예상된다. 드라이브 링크 공급에 대해

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is willing to play a mediator's role in resolving difficult issues between the two Koreas, a South Korean official now visiting Iran said Monday.The Iranian leader made the remarks during his meeting with South Korean Assembly Speaker Kang Chang-hee in Tehran on Monday, according to Kang's spokesman Bae Sung-rye.Kang is the first South Korean Assembly speaker to visit Iran since the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1962.The spokesman said Rouhani told

President Park Geun-hye plans tovmeet with officials of her party later this week to mark the firstvanniversary of her election, a party official said Tuesday.The meeting will take place over dinner at the presidentialvoffice Cheong Wa Dae on Thursday, which marks exactly one year since Park's election."It will likely be an occasion to encourage the party leadership and staff who worked hard during last year's presidential election," the official told Yonhap News Agency by phone, asking that he

Russia and Vietnam will cooperate in offshore oil exploration and deepen military ties, President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday after "constructive and open" talks with his counterpart in Hanoi. Putin hailed increased bilateral trade -- worth some $3.6 billion last year, up 20 percent year-on-year -- as the two countries work towards a free trade agreement. They signed agreements on issues ranging from defence cooperation to joint oil exploration in Vietnam's offshore blocks, after Putin met Vietn

Most mobile phone users have never heard of Tizen. Neither have car owners or anyone with a fridge.Samsung Electronics Co. wants to change that. The South Korean electronics giant is in a quiet push to make its Tizen operating system a part of the technology lexicon as familiar as Google's Android or Apple's iOS. Its ambition doesn't stop there. Samsung sees the software in your car, fridge and television too.The first developer conference in Asia for Tizen wrapped up Tuesday after a two-day run