South Korea's business and political communities on Friday were divided over a local court's ruling to put Lee Jae-yong, the heir-apparent of Samsung Group, behind bars, with some expressing concerns over the potential fallout for the national economy.Multiple business insiders, who wished to remain anonymous, expressed shock over the Seoul Central District Court's decision to slap Lee with a five-year jail term for bribery, embezzlement and other charges in a massive corruption scandal that led

A lower court on Friday handed out prison sentences to several people for recording compromising videos of Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Kun-hee and using them to extort hundreds of millions of won from the conglomerate.  Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Kun-hee, before he fell ill (Yonhap)The suspects were convicted of colluding in secretly filming scenes of Lee spending time with women believed to be prostitutes at his homes in southern Seoul five times between December 2011 and June 2012.

South Korea named a two-star Army general to head the Defense Security Command (DSC) on Friday amid public calls for the reform of the key organization for military investigation and intelligence. Maj. Gen. Lee Suk-koo (Yonhap)The Ministry of National Defense said it has picked Maj. Gen. Lee Suk-koo, who is in charge of operation planning at the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as acting leader of the command.He will be officially appointed to replace Lt. Gen. Cho Hyun-chun after being promoted to the ran

Actor Lee Joon-gi, hugely popular in Korea and other Asian countries, has ended his relationship with actress Jeon Hye-bin, their talent agency confirmed Friday. (Yonhap)"Lee and Jeon recently broke up as they became estranged due to their busy schedules," Namoo Actors, which manages both stars, said in a release.The announcement came one and a half years after they began seeing each other in the first half of last year.Lee, 35, and Jeon, 34, worked together for the 2014 KBS 2TV historical drama

지난달 북한의 대륙간탄도미사일(ICBM)급 미사일 시험발사 성공 이후 북한에 미사일 기술이 유출됐다는 의혹을 받아온 우크라이나가 7년 전 미사일 기술을 훔치려던 북한 공작원의 체포 순간이 담긴 영상을 공개했다.기술유출 의혹을 시종 부인해오던 우크라이나 당국은 이번 영상을 공개하면서 그동안 북한 공작원들의 잇따른 미사일 기술유출 시도를 모두 막아냈다며 의혹을 재차 부인했다.25일(현지시간) 미국 CNN방송은 우크라이나 당국이 지난 2011년 미사일 기술을 훔치려던 북한 공작원들을 함정수사 끝에 검거하는 순간이 담긴 영상을 단독 입수했다고 전했다.(사진=연합뉴스)우크라이나 당국은 북한 공작원 검거 영상뿐 아니라 징역 8년형을 선고받고 2018년까지 우크라이나의 한 교도소에서 복역 중인 공작원 2명과의 인터뷰도 주선했다.CNN에 따르면 영상은 7년 전인 2011년 7월 27일 우크라이나 키예프에서 서쪽으로 140㎞ 떨어진 지토미르의 한 차고에 설치된 몰래카메라가 촬영했다.1분 남짓한 이

South Korea's military said Friday it will soon begin a full-fledged project to put five indigenous reconnaissance satellites into operation by 2023.The implementation of the ambitious program, worth about 1 trillion won ($880 million), has been delayed for more than four years amid conflict among the defense ministry, the science ministry and the National Intelligence Service over the details of the development and operation. (Yonhap)Under the decision made at the defense program committee, cha

(사진=연합뉴스)박근혜 전 대통령과 최순실씨 측에 433억원 상당의 뇌물을 주거나 주기로 약속한 혐의 등으로 재판에 넘겨진 이재용 삼성전자 부회장이 1심에서 징역 5년의 실형을 선고받았다. 기소된 5개 혐의 모두 유죄로 인정됐다. 다만 형량은 유죄 판단 시 받을 수 있는 가장 낮은 수준으로 내려졌다.법원은 핵심 혐의인 최씨의 딸 정유라씨에 대한 승마 지원을 뇌물 유죄로 판단했다. 또 최씨가 실질적으로 지배한 한국동계스포츠영재센터 지원도 유죄로 판단했다. 이에 따라 관련한 횡령과 재산국외도피 혐의도 유죄로 인정됐다.이 부회장의 뇌물 공여 혐의가 유죄로 인정됨에 따라 뇌물수수자로 기소된 박 전 대통령도 이 부분에 대해 유죄 판단을 받을 가능성이 커졌다.서울중앙지법 형사합의27부(김진동 부장판사)는 25일 이 부회장에게 적용된 공소사실과 관련해 5개 혐의 모두 유죄로 인정하고 징역 5년을 선고했다. 다만, 개별 혐의 가운데 사실관계에 따라 혐의가 유죄로 인정되지 않은 부분들도 있었다.함께

The International Atomic Energy Agency said Friday it has recently carried out a safety check on two nuclear power plants in southeastern South Korea following an earthquake there last year.In September 2016, a 5.8-magnitude temblor struck the historic city of Gyeongju, 371 kilometers southeast of Seoul, where the Wolsong and Sinh-Wolsong nuclear power stations are located.The UN nuclear watchdog said a five-member delegation visited the atomic power plants and its operator, the Korea Hydro & Nu

The finance ministry said Friday that it will put policy priority on restructuring state coffers and strengthening innovative momentum to pull off 3 percent economic growth going forward.Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon held a policy briefing before President Moon Jae-in in Sejong, an administrative city some 130 kilometers south of Seoul, along with heads of the Fair Trade Commission and the Financial Services Commission."The ministry will expand the South Korean economy's capacity to grow 3

The results of an environmental impact assessment required for the temporary deployment of additional US missile interceptor launchers will be released next week, a presidential aide said Friday, raising the prospects of their earlier-than-expected installation.The Ministry of National Defense has been conducting the assessment that President Moon Jae-in views as a legitimate domestic procedure for hosting a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system aimed at countering North Korea's escalating

 South Korea's three leading hypermarket chains said Friday they have discontinued sales of sausages and ham products made from German and Dutch pork that have been embroiled in an infection scandal.There have been allegations that products made of pork from the two countries may have infected British shoppers with the hepatitis E virus, which can cause fever, reduced appetite and nausea, according to media reports. "We do not sell sausages imported from Germany or the Netherlands but had produc

North Korea has responded negatively to a Seoul-based world taekwondo governing body's plan to send its demonstration team to Pyongyang next month, a sports official said Friday. The official from the World Taekwondo (WT) said it received a letter on Saturday from the North Korea-led International Taekwondo Federation (ITF) World Championships, which expressed a negative opinion about having the WT team in Pyongyang admid the current situation. "Separately with the ITF World Championships organi

Actor Park Hae-jin and former After School member Nana will star in a new TV romantic thriller, its producers said Friday.Park will play four different characters, including a mysterious business executive, while Nana will perform the role of a woman who unexpectedly bumps into a dead ringer of a man she loved, according to Victory Contents Co. and Mountain Movement Story.Park Hae-jin (left) and NanaThe drama whose Korean title means “four men,” will go into production in November and is expecte

President Moon Jae-in on Friday named the head of a newly created presidential committee on economic cooperation with northern countries, such as China, Russia and possibly North Korea.Rep. Song Young-gil of the ruling Democratic Party was named to lead the Northern Economic Cooperation Committee, according to the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae.Song, 54, visited Russia as a special envoy of Moon shortly after the new South Korean leader took office on May 10. Rep. Song Young-gil (Yonhap)The c

Former United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon said Friday that North Korea's nuclear development is now at a "tipping point," calling on the international community to keep up pressure to stop its provocations."The current situation (on the Korean Peninsula) is alarming, and tensions are escalating with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's continuing nuclear weapons program and missile test launches," the former secretary-general said in a keynote speech during a conference in Seoul hosted by t