SEOUL -- South Korea saw crimes of supplying illegal psychoactive drugs increase by over 33 percent in the first half of this year from a year ago as an increasing number of foreigners used the country as a route to circulate illegal drugs, prosecutors said Sunday.The Supreme Prosecutors' Office said they caught 4,601 people using or circulating locally banned psychoactive drugs, including methamphetamines and marijuana, in the first six months of this year. The number marks a 4.8 percent increa

DAEJEON -- A South Korean consortium has secured approval from Jordan's nuclear watchdog to build a research reactor in the Middle Eastern country following a two-year review, the South Korean developers said Sunday.The Jordan Nuclear Regulatory Commission gave its final approval for the construction of the Jordan Research and Training Reactor (JRTR) on Saturday, according to the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI). The consortium includes South Korea's Daewoo Engineering & Constructi

South Korea's outstanding debt from bond issuance exceeded 800 trillion won (US$719 billion) for the first time in its history, related data showed Sunday, indicating that the government's expenditures have grown while tax revenues have significantly dropped.According to the data from the Korea Financial Investment Association, the combined amount of state bonds that need to be repaid breached the 800 trillion won mark on Tuesday and reached 800.34 trillion won as of Friday.The country's outstan

MEXICO CITY -- A major military operation in northeast Mexico near the Texas border Saturday has netted another major drug trafficker, a leader of the Gulf cartel, the government said. The army captured Mario Armando Ramirez Trevino, a former drug boss in Reynosa who has been vying for the top leadership since the Mexican government arrested top capo Jorge Eduardo Costilla Sanchez, alias ``El Coss,''  last September. Tamaulipas state government spokesman Rafael Luque said there was a major opera

Samsung Electronics Co. is struggling in the Chinese market, despite its steady sales growth in other parts of the world, according to company sales data released on Sunday.Samsung's net sales amounted to 77.2 trillion won (US$69.4 billion) in the first half of this year, its regulatory filing showed.The Americas accounted for 26.7 percent, or 20.6 trillion won, of the electronics giant's half-year turnover, followed by 23.3 percent for Asia and Africa, excluding China, and 21.5 percent for Euro

People who spend more time on social networking sites, feel less happy, a recent study showed.The research conducted by a neuroscience study team of University of Michigan, revealed that the amount of time spent on SNS, such as Facebook, is correlated to the level of happiness of its users. During the two-week study on 82 young U.S. adults who have both smartphones and Facebook accounts, researchers sent text messages five times a day to estimate the participants‘ psychological well-being.“On th

A former Seoul police chief accused of meddling in last year's presidential election refused to take an oath at a parliamentary hearing Friday, citing an ongoing trial on the case.Kim Yong-pan is one of two key witnesses in a parliamentary probe into allegations that the National Intelligence Service (NIS) conducted an online smear campaign to sway public opinion in favor of the ruling Saenuri Party ahead of December's presidential election.Kim, the then Seoul police chief, has been accused of r

South Korean stocks traded 0.47 percent lower late Friday morning due to losses in techs and brokerages, analysts said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) lost 9.08 points to 1,914.83 as of 11:20 a.m.Tech shares continued to fall, with market behemoth Samsung Electronics losing 0.85 percent and its domestic rival LG Electronics decreasing 2.24 percent. Top chipmaker SK hynix shed 1.54 percent.Brokerage houses also traded lower, with Samsung Securities losing 0.66 percent and

South Korean stocks closed 0.57 percent higher Wednesday as the U.S. is anticipated to keep its economic stimulus for the time being, analysts said. The local currency fell against the U.S. dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) gained 10.88 points to finish at 1,923.91. Trading volume was moderate at 357.1 million shares worth 4.06 trillion won ($3.62 billion) with gainers outpacing losers 447 to 338.The Atlanta Federal Reserve president, Dennis Lockhart, implied Tuesday

SEOUL, Aug. 14 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks traded almost flat late Wednesday morning due mainly to a weak growth momentum in the market, analysts said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 0.63 points, or 0.03 percent, to 1,913.66 as of 11:20 a.m.Blue chip exporters led the gain, with top chipmaker SK hynix adding 2.3 percent and No. 1 carmaker Hyundai Motor climbing 1.76 percent. Leading steelmaker POSCO moved up 0.45 percent.Mobile carriers traded mixed, with leadin

병을 치료하기 위한 목적으로 벌침을 찾는 중국 환자들이 급증하고 있다. 약 2만 7천명 이상의 사람들이 고통을 감수하고 벌침을 이용한 치료를 받았다. 하지만 문제는 벌의 독성이 질병 치료 효과가 있다는 의학적 근거가 존재하지 않는다는 점이다. 서양에서는 이러한 치료법을 일명 “돌팔이”라고 일컫는다.“벌을 잡고서 몸의 한 부분에 갖다 댄다. 그 다음엔 벌의 머리를 잡고 침이 나올때까지 누른다” 왕씨가 설명했다.왕씨는 이탈리아에서 수입해온 벌을 사용한다고 말했다. 이 벌은 침을 쏘는 순간 죽는다.“우리는 관절염부터 암까지 질병을 가지고 있는 많은 환자들을 치료했다. 그리고 그 결과는 전부 좋았다” 그가 말했다. 왕씨는 벌의 침이 질병의 예방에도 도움이 된다고 했다.폐와 뇌 암을 진단 받아 살 날이 얼마 남지 않았다는 판정을 받은 왕씨의 환자 중 한 명은 벌침으로 치료를 받은 후 자신의 수명이 연장되었기 때문에 벌침 치료법을 신뢰한다고 했다. “작년부터 지금까지 내 자신이 건강해졌다는 느