More than 1 in 10 people worldwide are now obese, with weight-related health problems claiming millions of lives every year, according to a major new global study released Monday.Conducted in 195 countries over a 35-year period, the study published in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented at a conference in Stockholm is billed as the most comprehensive research to date on the subject.Obesity numbers more than doubled in 73 countries since the study launch in 1980, triggering a surge

The Russia sanctions bill passed by the US Senate threatens to deepen the rift between the US and Europe that has emerged since Donald Trump won the presidency. Though in the US, the bill is only discussed in a domestic political context, German and Austrian leaders see certain provisions as an attempt to give an unfair advantage to US energy exports.Prior to the first three rounds of sanctions, which were linked to Kremlin-backed aggression in Ukraine in 2014, the US made a point of negotiating

French President Emmanuel Macron’s astonishingly fast rise to the top means it’s still hard to know how he will govern on many issues. With a background in finance and economics, many assume his focus will be on domestic policy; after all, the new French president has essentially no record on national security issues.Early indications are, however, the opposite -- that Macron will be more than engaged on the foreign policy front. Despite all the talk of multilateralism during his campaign, Macro

A clear foreign policy graph in Seoul is still evolving under the new President Moon Jae-in. Pointing toward a more engaging foreign policy, President Moon in his inaugural speech on May 10 argued Seoul’s policy ambition to restore peace in the Korean Peninsula, where the new administration might reach out to Washington, Beijing and Tokyo, including Pyongyang if required. This early policy depiction is certainly encouraging, given the foreign policy paralysis that Seoul has undergone in recent t

Three opposition parties, while fuming over President Moon Jae-in's appointment of the foreign minister against their rejection, pondered their next move on pending key issues, stalling parliamentary proceedings Monday. The liberal president also faltered in job approval last week, amid burgeoning disputes on the state chief’s personnel decisions and the appointment processes.The National Assembly’s Education, Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee and the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Commi

Hyundai Motor America, the US affiliate of South Korea’s No.1 automaker, has been sued by two owners of Hyundai vehicles in the US over a defective steering system posing major safety risks, according to local reports Monday.Law 360, a US-based legal news service, reported a class action lawsuit has been filed against the automotive company in the US District Court for the Central District of California for concealing the faulty steering system installed in Hyundai’s subcompact car Accent and be

South Korean workers only used 8.6 days of their annual paid vacation in 2013, government data showed Monday.According to a study conducted by the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute, employees in Korea took an average of 8.6 days off, or 60.6 percent of the average 14.2 days per year of guaranteed annual leave in 2013.The current Labor Standards Act in Korea stipulates that employees who work 80 percent or more of the year should receive 15 days of paid leave.(123RF)Another survey by global tou

The new head of South Korea’s antitrust watchdog said Monday he would meet top officials of the nation’s four largest business groups this week to communicate with them over the Moon Jae-in government’s drive for chaebol reform. Kim Sang-jo was appointed as FTC chairman by President Moon Jae-in last week, despite strong objection from conservative opposition parties. When named as the nominee for FTC chief a month ago, he had vowed to enhance monitoring of the four largest conglomerates here --

SK Innovation, South Korea’s top energy and petrochemical company, said Monday it is expected to reach another record operating profit this year with its oil refining business thriving and market prospects building on its new businesses.The company posted record-high operating profit of 1 trillion won ($883 million) this year, a 19 percent increase from a year before. Market expectations are high, with some analysts predicting the oil refiner would see around 3.4 trillion won of operating profit

President Moon Jae-in on Monday declared an energy paradigm shift away from nuclear and coal, vowing to end all existing plans for new nuclear reactors and phase out outdated facilities. “The permanent shutdown of the Kori-1 nuclear reactor is the first step towards a nuclear-free state and a paradigm shift to a safer Republic of Korea,” the president said at a ceremony to proclaim the shutdown of the Kori-1 nuclear reactor, located between Busan and Ulsan.Kori-1, the nation’s first atomic plant

South Korea’s export prices fell in May due to the strong won and a drop in oil prices, central bank data showed Friday.Export prices fell 1 percent in May, according to data. Still, year-on-year, export prices jumped 5.3 percent last month, marking the seventh consecutive month of gains.Export prices of industrial goods fell 1 percent month-on-month, according to the latest tally, while those of agricultural and fisheries products climbed 1 percent during the same period.Import prices also fell

Kim Dae-jung, the former president of South Korea, once told me a story that perfectly captures the spirit of reform that followed the 1997 Asian financial crisis. He was on an official trip to Vietnam when a panicked visitor from Seoul sought an audience. It was Kim Woo-choong, the flamboyant founder of Daewoo Group, then Korea’s second-largest business house. Over breakfast in Hanoi, the businessman said his companies were spiraling toward financial ruin and begged the president for help.In th