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Orioles manager Showalter concerned about confidence level of outfielder Kim

BaseballJul 19, 2017

Baltimore Orioles manager Buck Showalter expressed recently that he is concerned about the confidence level of outfielder Kim Hyun-soo, who has seen both his playing time and performance drop this season.As of July 18, Kim, who is in his second season in the major leagues, was hitting .227/.299/.277, a huge dropoff from 2016 where he hit .302/.382/.420. Due to the crowded platoon situation in Baltimore’s outfield this season, he has also seen a decrease in playing time, making it harder to find
Netizens abuzz over security robot’s apparent ‘suicide’

TechnologyJul 19, 2017

A security robot that fell into a fountain for unknown reasons while doing its regular rounds has become a hot topic on social media.On Tuesday (local time), US media programs Fox News and The Verge reported that a Nightscope K5 security robot that patrolled a Washington DC office building had fallen into a fountain and “drowned.” 　The robot, which stands 1.5 meters tall and weighs 300 pounds, has no arms or legs, and cannot right itself if it falls. The robot is of a new series of high-tech aut
[News Focus] Will hike in minimum wage hurt labor market?

EconomyJul 18, 2017

The sharp increase in the hourly minimum wage for next year, part of President Moon Jae-in’s vow to raise it to 10,000 won by 2020, was seen by many as an advancement in workers’ rights.The drastic increase, however, may also be a double-edged sword that squeezes the economy by discouraging cash-short business owners from recruiting, despite the government’s subsidy promises.Small and medium-sized firms and the distribution and service industries will be most affected by the ch
Samsung ramps up high bandwidth DRAM production

TechnologyJul 18, 2017

Samsung Electronics announced Tuesday it will ramp up production of its 8-gigabyte high bandwidth memory-2, known as HBM2, to meet growing demand across a wide range of applications including artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, advanced graphics, network systems and enterprise servers. The 8 GB HBM2 is a high-density DRAM chip, consisting of eight 8-gigabit dies (integrated circuit) produced on 20-nanometer processing technology and a buffer die at the bottom of the stack, which
Dongbu Daewoo looking for new investor abroad

TechnologyJul 18, 2017

Squeezed out by electronics giants Samsung and LG in the domestic market, Dongbu Daewoo Electronics, a small, affordable electronics provider, is looking for a new owner that is highly likely to be a foreign entity. According to the financial industry on Tuesday, a few foreign electronics businesses have shown interest in taking over management rights of the Korean company that is struggling to make a profit, and some meaningful deal may be clinched this month. One of the likely foreign buyers i
[Graphic News] Record high 200 green activists killed in 2016: watchdog

World NewsJul 18, 2017

At least 200 environmental activists, with 40 percent from indigenous tribes, were murdered worldwide in 2016, according to Global Witness, a watchdog organization. The tally was double the number slain two years earlier and the highest since the nongovernmental organization began tracking such violence in 2002. Fatal attacks against activists have become more widespread, occurring in 24 countries in 2016, compared to 16 the year before.Brazil, Colombia and the Philippines accounted for more tha
[Mohamed A. El-Erian] What a London cabbie taught me about Uber

ViewpointsJul 18, 2017

Much has been said about Uber’s multiple self-inflicted wounds during a period of very rapid growth and that are now being fixed. The reporting and commentary have tended to cloud the extent to which the company’s innovative approach has transformed urban transportation. Last week, on a trip to London, I was vividly reminded of the next stage of this transformation by a traditional London taxi driver.It is not easy to become a London cabbie. Applicants have to go through four years of training t
[Charles Wyplosz] Is the shine off Macron?

ViewpointsJul 18, 2017

Emmanuel Macron is on a winning streak. Within a year, he has gone from inexperienced political underdog, with no establishment backing, to President of the French Republic and leader of a newly created political party with an impressive parliamentary majority. Can he keep it up?Macron owes his recent success not just to good luck, but also to his ability to build on any break that came his way. For voters who were feeling mistrustful of the political establishment, he managed to provide an appe
[Ramesh Ponnuru] Talk of impeachment is premature

ViewpointsJul 18, 2017

Rush Limbaugh says we are witnessing “a silent coup.” The radio host has sometimes been accused of rhetorical excess, but his claim is based on a demonstrable truth.Many of President Donald Trump’s critics would indeed like “to get rid of him,” as Limbaugh says. A large majority of Democratic voters wants impeachment -- wanted it, in fact, well before the revelation that senior Trump campaign personnel decided to take a meeting after being promised Russian support in taking down Hillary Clinton.
Ex-People’s Party campaigner claims Ahn’s innocence

Social affairsJul 18, 2017

The tip-off against President Moon Jae-in’s son, now known to have been concocted by a member of the People‘s Party, was “verified 100 percent” by the party, and its then presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo had no part in it, the party‘s election campaigner Kim Seong-ho claimed Tuesday. Kim, questioned for the second time for his suspected part in the fabricated allegation against Moon’s son, served as a deputy chief of the party’s committee on campaign transparency. Former People`s Party elec
[Editorial] Endless cycle

EditorialJul 18, 2017

The state auditor’s latest findings about defects in an indigenous Army helicopter is yet another reminder that it is never easy to end corruption in weapons acquisition programs. The Board of Audit and Inspection’s findings about the Surion transport utility helicopter -- there are about 60 of them already in operation by the Army -- is indeed scary: It lacks protection from lightning and anti-icing capability, which means it cannot operate normally in winter. Furthermore, developers of the hel
Moon to raise defense budget to 2.9% of GDP within term

PoliticsJul 18, 2017

President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday said that he plans to raise the country’s defense spending to 2.9 percent of the gross domestic product from the current 2.4 percent during his term. President Moon Jae-in holds a meeting with military and defense officials including Minister of National Defense Song Young-moo (left) and former Defense Minister Han Min-koo (right) on Tuesday. YonhapSpeaking at a meeting with current and former defense ministers, and commanders of key branches of the military, Moo
[Newsmaker] Mercedes-Benz’ fast growth in Korea meets unexpected bump

TransportJul 18, 2017

Amid German prosecutors’ investigation into defeat devices installed in Mercedes-Benz diesel cars, the Environment Ministry here said Tuesday that some 110,000 units powered by the engines in question were sold in Korea. The ministry started examining 110,000 units across 47 models running on engines codenamed OM642 and OM651, following a report by German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung that said the number of concerned Mercedes-Benz cars totaled over a million units worldwide last week.The Germa
[Monitor] More mothers opt to work

EconomyJul 18, 2017

The number of South Koreans who are economically inactive due to reasons related to child care has dropped to a record low this year amid the country‘s chronic low birthrate, data by Statistics Korea showed Tuesday.The total number of economically inactive people aged over 15 stood at 15.83 million last month. Of them, about 1.24 million people, or 7.8 percent, were categorized as people not looking for work because they have to take care of children. It is the lowest since the government
Understanding Ex-MLB pitcher Noesi‘s sudden KBO dominance

BaseballJul 18, 2017

Kia Tigers pitcher Hector Noesi delivers a pitch against the NC Dinos in a game on July 11, 2017. (Yonhap)After a season and a half in the Korean Baseball Organization, Hector Noesi has become a bonafide star as the ace of the first place Kia Tigers. Noesi has won his last 15 decisions, a KBO record, and is on pace to break the KBO single season record for wins by a foreign-born pitcher.With all this success, one would be easily forgiven for thinking this Hector Noesi is a different player than