AUCKLAND, New Zealand (Yonhap News) -- Three crew members of a South Korean fishing boat went missing overboard and three others were injured after the ship caught fire in Antarctic waters early Wednesday, rescue officials said.The 51-meter-long vessel Jeong-woo 2, which had been fishing in the remote Ross Sea, some 3,704 kilometers southeast of New Zealand, issued a distress call at around 3 a.m. after it was engulfed in fire, according to the Rescue Coordination Center New Zealand (RCCNZ).The

More English teachers are being sought to participate in a volunteer program helping North Korean refugees. An established volunteer tutoring program is set to expand shortly and the organization is looking for more people to help teach new settlers here. Tutoring is currently done from 12:30-3 p.m. in the Daecheong area of Gangnam, southern Seoul. Those interested in participating should send an e-mail to jordan.groh@gmail.com for more information.

China sent North Korea’s new special economic zone laws back to the drawing board for measures deemed insufficiently business-friendly, sources said Wednesday.According to reports, Chinese authorities have rejected the new laws Pyongyang drew up in relation to two special economic zones ― Hwanggumpyong and Wihwa islands, that sit in the Yalu River along the border with China.The special economic zones, based on similar projects in China, are designed as a means to breathe some life back into Nor

Seoul Global Center will open a new branch Thursday in Seoul’s business district to help foreigners with startups and investments here, officials said Wednesday.According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the Yeouido Global Business Center will open its doors to counsel foreigners on opening small businesses and finding investment opportunities.Located within the newly opened Seoul International Finance Center, the center will also be able to help foreigners with administrative work outside

A man who held a pregnant woman hostage at a department store in southern Seoul Wednesday morning has been arrested, police said.Authorities said the man threatened the woman with a knife that was on display in the kitchen appliance section on the 7th floor of the Hyundai Department Store in Samseong-dong. The man didn’t demand anything throughout the incident. He was taken down by the police less than an hour after the confrontation started. No one was injured, officials added.Witnesses said th

The government pardoned or reduced the sentences of 955 convicts and lifted more than 3,700 administrative restrictions for construction companies on Tuesday.According to the Ministry of Justice, 540 prisoners including one serving a life sentence were pardoned or given reduced sentences. The convict on life sentence, whose sentence was reduced to 20 years, is a first-time offender who has served more than 10 years of his term, during which the prisoner has shown exemplary behavior, the ministry

Samsung Electronics Co., the world’s largest maker of memory chips and No. 2 handset maker, posted the largest revenue among global tech firms last year on the back of strong sales of smartphones, a financial information provider said Tuesday.Samsung Electronics’ 2011 sales reached $148.6 billion when its yearly revenue was converted into the dollar, according to data compiled by FnGuide Inc. The company estimated on Friday that it posted a record operating profit of 5.2 trillion won ($4.5 billi

Korea will seek to begin exporting beef within a few years as part of its efforts to help stabilize prices, the agriculture minister said Tuesday.“Considering wagyu (Japanese beef) is 1.5 times more expensive than Korean beef but that Japan still exports beef, I believe we, too, can export Korean beef,” Suh Kyu-yong, the minister of food, agriculture, forestry and fisheries, told a press briefing.Suh, however, noted it will take some time before the country can begin shipping its beef overseas.“

South Korea regained its status as the world’s leading shipbuilding nation in 2011 by beating its archrival China and securing deals for large, value-added vessels, data showed Tuesday.According to London-based market researcher Clarkson Research Services, South Korean shipbuilders won a combined 13.55 million compensated gross tons in new orders last year, while Chinese shipbuilders clinched a total of 9.2 million CTGs.Last year, South Korea accounted for 48.2 percent of a total of 28.11 millio

Apple Inc. Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook is due to receive annual compensation worth $378 million, boosted by restricted stock awards that are payable over the coming decade. The total includes $376.2 million in shares that will vest starting in five years, Cupertino, California-based Apple said Monday in a proxy filing to shareholders. Cook’s base salary was $900,000 in 2011. The company, which plans to hold its annual shareholder meeting on Feb. 23, had previously disclosed that Cook receiv