South Korean artists on Wednesday filed a petition with the Constitutional Court over allegations the ousted President Park Geun-hye's administration blacklisted cultural figures deemed critical of the government, a civic group said.The People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy said eight artists and cultural foundations filed the case against Park and her former aides, asking the court to rule on the constitutionality of such action.Members of the People's Solidarity for Participatory Dem

Social Affairs April 19, 2017

Sales of South Korea's major chicken franchises rose last year from the previous year despite the outbreak of avian influenza and weak economic growth, government data showed Wednesday.Fried chicken and beer, called "chimaek" in South Korea, is one of the most popular foods in the country, as well as soju and samgyeopsal, or grilled pork belly. (Yonhap)Kyochon, the biggest franchise, posted a 13-percent increase to 291 billion won ($255 million) last year from $257 billion won a year earlier, ac

Industry April 19, 2017

South Korean drug maker Daewoong Pharmaceutical Co. said Wednesday its generic antibiotic, Meropenem, was launched in the United States.Meropenem, which is used in treatment for a wide range of diseases ranging from serious bacterial infection to general infection, was rolled out under the name "Daewoong Meropenem Inj" in the world's largest pharmaceutical market, it said. (Daewoong Pharmaceutical Co.)In December 2012, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accepted Daewoong Pharmaceuticals'

Industry April 19, 2017

An agency claiming to help the son of the slain brother of North Korea's leader has openly asked South Korean presidential contenders to reveal their stances on the protection of North Korean defectors on the run abroad.The website for Cheollima Civil Defense, seen on Wednesday, asked the candidates for the May 9 presidential election whether they are willing to accept and protect every North Korean in need of shelter. (Yonhap)"In the past, the government's policy on defectors fluctuated, depend

Social Affairs April 19, 2017

Progressive presidential nominee Sim Sang-jeung on Wednesday proposed initiating Asia's version of a European peace process to address North Korea's nuclear conundrum and growing regional geopolitical tensions.During a debate hosted by the Korea Broadcasting Journalists Club, the candidate of the far-left Justice Party also stressed she has never opposed sanctions or pressure on Pyongyang, saying there have been "great misunderstandings" about her stance on the communist state. Sim Sang-jeung, t

Politics April 19, 2017

Ryu Hyun-jin of the Los Angeles Dodgers has dropped his third straight game of the 2017 season, once again getting undone by long balls.Ryu gave up four earned runs on seven hits, including three home runs, in six innings against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Tuesday (local time), as the Dodgers fell 4-3. Ryu struck out seven and walked one.This was Ryu's third start of the season, after being held to just one start over the past two years with shoulder and elbow probl

Baseball April 19, 2017

South Korean singer and TV celebrity Jung Joon-young and Jiyeon, a member of girl group T-ara, on Wednesday denied a news report that the two were going out.  (Yonhap)"After confirming with Jiyeon, we've learned that the two are not seeing each other," MBK Entertainment, which represents T-ara, said. It did though confirm that the two made a recent trip to Southeast Asia together with friends."It's true that they went to Southeast Asia with mutual acquaintances, but the two are just friends. The

April 19, 2017

Samsung Heavy Industries Co., a major shipyard here, has clinched a deal to build two liquefied natural gas carriers with a local shipping firm, industry sources said Wednesday.Under the deal with Korea Line Corp., Samsung Heavy will build two LNG carriers that can carry 7,500 cubic meters of LNG each by May and December 2019, respectively, according to the sources.(Yonhap)The value of the deal was not immediately revealed.The ships will be used to transport LNG between local ports, they said.In

Industry April 19, 2017

Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Motors Corp., South Korea's two biggest carmakers, plan to promote China-oriented crossovers at the Shanghai auto show, a move aimed at absorbing growing demand for sport-utility vehicles (SUVs).In the 2017 Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition, open to the public from April 21-28, Hyundai Motor will debut its ix35 and its sister company Kia will reveal the K2 Cross.The two are SUV models tailored from the outset to satisfy the needs of Chinese consumers

Mobility April 19, 2017

Lee Min-ho is set to begin his mandatory military service in May, according to his agency on Tuesday.Lee Min-ho (MYM Entertainment)“Lee Min-ho’s enlistment date was confirmed today. He will begin service on May 12 at Gangnam-gu office as a public service officer,” MYM Entertainment said. “He’ll spend his time preparing for the service until May.” The actor has been assigned to a noncombat position due to an injury sustained in a 2006 car accident with actor Jung Il-woo. Earlier in the year, offi

Television April 19, 2017

A recent government survey showed Wednesday that 42 percent of North Korean defectors have experienced, witnessed or heard about human right violations by the North Korean regime.The Unification Ministry's Center for North Korean Human Rights Records unveiled the results of its survey of 253 defectors, in which 105 had such responses. The survey was conducted from January to March on those who were undergoing resettlement education at the state-run Hanawon.  (Yonhap)Of them, 69 percent had first

North Korea April 19, 2017

South Korea's capital city and its surrounding areas saw their net residents move out from the region in 2015 amid rising housing costs, government data showed Wednesday.About 2.39 million people moved to the Seoul metropolitan area in 2015 from five years ago, while 2.55 million people changed their homes to other regions, according to the data by Statistics Korea. The data is based on a census held in 2015. (Yonhap)The area includes Gyeonggi Province and the cities of Incheon and Suwon, home f

Social Affairs April 19, 2017

The number of fathers at private firms who took childcare leave showed a steep rise in the first quarter of the year, pushing the percentage of men on such leave above the 10-percent threshold for the first time, government data showed Wednesday.The figure for the January-March period gained 54.2 percent from a year earlier to 2,129, with fathers accounting for 10.2 percent of all 20,935 people on childcare leave, the Ministry of Employment and Labor said. This file photo, dated Aug. 25, 2016, s

National April 19, 2017

Seoul on Wednesday urged Pyongyang to stop intervening in South Korea's upcoming presidential election, accusing the North of seeking to drive a wedge among the voters in the South.The Rodong Sinmun, North Korea's main newspaper, said in its recent commentary that the conservative bloc in South Korea should not be allowed to take power again, displaying its intent to intervene in the May 9 presidential election. (Yonhap)The Ministry of Unification here said that North Korea seeks to mislead Sout

Politics April 19, 2017

One out of three middle-aged men in South Korea show risky drinking patterns, suggesting heavy alcohol dependence, a study said Wednesday based on a health and nutrition survey carried out on more than 15,000 people.The study was conducted by professors Kim Dong-jun and Hong Jae-won of Inje University Ilsan Paik Hospital, who analyzed the results of the 2009-2011 survey on 15,215 people, who were divided into male and female, and into three age groups of 19 to 44, 45 to 64 and over 65. (Yonhap)A

Social Affairs April 19, 2017