YON - Yonhap News Agency of Korea articles from July 2005

YON - Yonhap News Agency of Korea archives from July 2005

(2nd LD) New York contact marks no progress in setting dialogue dates.
July 1, 2005... NEW YORK, July 1 (Yonhap) -- Officials involved in North Korean nuclear talks made no headway in setting dates for resuming dialogue during their contact here during a seminar, sources said Friday. Ri Gun, the North Korean official...

(LEAD) New York contact marks no progress in setting dialogue dates.
July 1, 2005... NEW YORK, July 1 (Yonhap) -- Officials involved in North Korean nuclear talks made no headway in setting dates for resuming dialogue during their contact here during a seminar, sources said Friday. Ri Gun, the North Korean official...

New York contact marks no progress in setting dialogue dates.
July 1, 2005... NEW YORK, July 1 (Yonhap) -- Officials involved in North Korean nuclear talks made no headway in setting dates for resuming dialogue during their contact here during a seminar, sources said Friday. Ri Gun, the North Korean official...

New York contact dealt with six-party talks: U.S. official.
July 1, 2005... WASHINGTON, July 1 (Yonhap) -- U.S. officials have met with North Korean diplomats in New York and discussed the stalled six-party nuclear talks, a State Department official said Friday. "That would be the only reason why we would have...

Korean Airline pilots to work to rule.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- Unionized pilots of Korean Airlines, the larger of South Korea's two passenger airlines, said Friday that they will work to rule from 6 a.m. Monday. With union employees of rival carrier Asiana Airlines planning...

Harvard professor meets with high-ranking N.Korean figure.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- A professor from Harvard University in the United States met a high ranking member of North Korea's national assembly in Pyongyang on Friday, North Korea's state news agency reported. Jim Walsh, executive...

Tax investigation to be launched to curb property speculation.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's tax authorities said Friday it has decided to launch tax investigations into South Korean property owners to curb speculative real estate activity. The National Tax Service (NTS) will carry out...

Central bank has no plans to raise rate to curb property prices.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- The Bank of Korea (BOK) will continue to maneuver its monetary policy to bolster economic growth and not raise the key interest rate despite rising property prices, the assistant governor of South Korea's central...

(LEAD) Seoul launches independent agency to manage foreign reserves.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea launched an independent agency Friday to manage part of the world's fourth-largest foreign reserves, seeking to boost investment returns. The Korea Investment Corp. (KIC), modeled after Singapore's...

(LEAD) The following is the second summary of major stories moved by the Yonhap News Agency on Friday.
July 1, 2005... (LEAD) Rice likely to visit Seoul later this month SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is likely to visit Seoul later this month, South Korean officials said Friday. Talks were still under way to set the...

Daewoo founder Kim indicted for accounting frauds.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korean prosecutors on Friday indicted Daewoo Group founder Kim Woo-choong on charges of accounting and loan fraud and foreign currency smuggling, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office (SPO) said. Kim's indictment...

(2nd LD) S. Korean carmakers' H1 sales up 17 pct on brisk exports.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korean car manufacturers saw their sales rise 17.3 percent annually in the first half of the year, helped by strong exports, according to the companies Friday. Hyundai Motor Co., Kia Motors Corp. and three...

(2nd LD) Samsung, Motorola sign cross licensing agreement.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co. and Motorola Inc. of the United States signed an agreement Friday to share patents for wireless communication technologies, Samsung said. Motorola and Samsung, the world's second...

(LEAD) Samsung, Motorola sign cross licensing agreement.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co. and Motorola Inc. of the United States signed an agreement Friday to share patents for wireless communication technologies, Samsung said. Motorola and Samsung, the world's second...

(LEAD) Seoul shares end higher on large-cap tech gains.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks closed nearly 1 percent higher Friday as Samsung Electronics and other large-cap tech issues rose on foreign bargain hunting. The U.S. dollar climbed against the Korean won. The benchmark...

Samsung, Motorola sign cross licensing agreement.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co. and Motorola Inc. of the United States signed an agreement Friday to share patents for wireless communication technologies, Samsung said. (THROUGH ASIA PULSE)

Retrieval of historic monument from Japan draws attention.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- A stone monument erected in honor of a 16th-century Korean general's triumph over Japanese invaders, which was seized and taken to Japan one hundred years ago, is the focus of keen interest here ahead of its expected...

(LEAD) S. Korean carmakers' H1 sales up 17 pct on brisk exports.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korean car manufacturers saw their sales rise 17.3 percent annually in the first half of the year, helped by strong exports, according to the companies Friday. Hyundai Motor Co., Kia Motors Corp. and three...

S. Korean Bond Yields on July 1, 2005.
July 1, 2005... Today (%) Previous Day (%) Change (%P) 1-year TB 3.76 3.81 -0.05 3-year TB 3.95 4.02 -0.07 10-year TB 4.72 4.78 -0.06 2-year MSB 3.96 4.01...

Seoul shares end higher on large-cap tech gains.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks closed nearly 1 percent higher Friday as Samsung Electronics and other large-cap tech issues rose on foreign bargain hunting. The U.S. dollar climbed against the Korean won. The benchmark...

(LEAD) S. Korea's production of medicine exceeds 10 tln won in 2004.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea produced more than 10 trillion won (US$9.69 billion) worth of medicine for the first time last year, a local pharmaceutical group said Friday. The medicine produced in 2004 was worth 10.5 trillion won...

S. Korea's mobile phone shipments drop 30 percent in first half.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- Mobile phone shipments in South Korea plummeted 29.5 percent from a year ago for the six months ended June 30, underscoring the market's slow growth, an industry source said Friday. Shipments roughly totaled 7.15...

(LEAD) SKT loses market share to rivals for 5th consecutive month.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- SK Telecom Co., South Korea's top mobile phone operator, lost its market share to runner-up rivals for a fifth straight month in June after the government introduced a rule for users to switch operators without...

Hyundai Heavy wins US$520 mln order from French firm.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., the world's biggest shipbuilder, said Friday that it has won a US$520 million order to build a large floating oil facility for a French firm. Hyundai said it formed a consortium with...

Anti-corruption agency to raise rewards for whistle-blowers.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's anti-corruption agency is seeking to raise rewards for whistle-blowers, considering difficulties they may face after divulging wrongdoing in public organizations. "The reward rate was little, and...

Angry opposition party warns of struggle following failed votes.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's political parties remained in a political deadlock with no solution in sight Friday, one day after a plenary session of the National Assembly that saw the worst partisan strife in several months. The...

S. Korea to cut or free caller ID rates on mobile phones.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- The government said Friday it plans to make caller identification service -- which lets mobile phone users know who is calling -- be covered by basic monthly fees without paying extra charges. If the new system...

S. Korean carmakers' H1 sales up 17 pct on brisk exports.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korean carmakers saw their sales rise 17.3 percent annually in the first half of the year, helped by strong exports, according to the companies Friday. Hyundai Motor Co., Kia Motors Corp. and three other...

S. Korea grapples with thorny issue of real names on Internet.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- Should Internet surfers use their real names when they post comments or opinions on bulletin boards of Web portals, news sites or government agencies to curb growing mischief in cyberspace? South Korea, one...

Ssangyong Motor sales fall in 1st half.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- Ssangyong Motor Co., controlled by China's Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp., said Friday its sales for the first half of the year fell 11.9 percent from a year earlier to 60,908 units. Domestic sales dropped 43.8...

Hyundai Motor sales rise 15.7 pct in 1st half.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) - Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea's top automaker, said Friday its sales gained 15.7 percent from a year ago to 1,230,929 units in the first half of the year. Domestic sales dropped 4 percent to 260,785 units, but...

(Yonhap Feature) Housing bubble gripping S. Korea.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- Amid a lack of promising targets for investment, South Koreans are pouring money, much of it borrowed from banks, into apartments in a bid to tap soaring returns that far outperform stocks and bonds. The...

(LEAD) Rice likely to visit Seoul later this month.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is likely to visit Seoul later this month, South Korean officials said Friday. Talks were still under way to set the date and other details of her visit, but the arrival...

GM Daewoo sales rise 18 pct in 1st half.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- GM Daewoo Auto & Technology Co., South Korea's fourth-largest automobile manufacturer, said Friday it sold 507,910 cars in the first half of the year, up 17.7 percent from a year earlier. It exported 454,472...

(LEAD) S. Korean finance minister stresses need for low rates.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's finance minister said Friday that the country's central bank is "surely" expected not to raise its key rate in order to help growth in Asia's third-largest economy. "I think there should be no...

Kia Motors sales jump 22 pct in 1st half.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- Kia Motors Corp., South Korea's second-largest automaker, said Friday that its sales rose 22 percent from a year ago to 647,950 units in the first half of the year. Exports jumped 28 percent to 520,520 units, with...

Gov't move to launch integrated procurement agency accelerates.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- Government efforts to launch an expanded arms procurement agency gained momentum after parliament passed a proposal aimed at the integration of separate related organizations, officials said Friday. On Thursday,...

Rice likely to visit Seoul early next week.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is likely to visit South Korea early next week, South Korean officials said Friday. Talks were still under way to set the date and other details of her visit, but the...

Today in Korean History.
July 1, 2005... July 2 1950 -- An Australian air force unit leaves for Korea to join the U.S.-led U.N. command which fought on South Korea's side in the 1950-53 Korean War. Shortly after the war broke out on June 25 with a North Korean invasion of...

President to name new vice ministers this month: Cheong Wa Dae.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean presidential office is to name new vice ministers for four ministries before the end of the month, a Cheong Wa Dae official said Friday. The scheduled appointment follows Thursday's revision to...

Seoul shares advance on market heavyweight gains.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks rose Friday afternoon as large-cap stocks such as Samsung Electronics staged a rally on foreign buying. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) was up 7.20 points, or 0.71...

(LEAD) Renault Samsung sales jump 52 pct in June.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- Renault Samsung Motors Corp., one of South Korea's five automobile producers, said Friday its sales jumped 51.7 percent from a year earlier to 10,365 cars in June. Domestic sales rose 47.9 percent to 9,704 units, while...

Renault Samsung sales jump 44 pct in 1st half.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- Renault Samsung Motors Corp., one of South Korea's five automobile producers, said Friday its sales jumped 43.9 percent from a year ago to 57,977 cars in the first half of the year. Domestic sales rose 42.1...

SK Telecom adds net 59,682 customers in June.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- SK Telecom Co., South Korea's top mobile phone operator, said Friday it added a net 59,683 subscribers last month. As of the end of June, SK Telecom's mobile phone users totaled 19.19 million, accounting for...

S. Korean finance minister stresses need for low rates.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's finance minister said Friday that the country's central bank is "surely" expected not to raise its key rate in order to help growth in Asia's third-largest economy. "I think there should be no...

(2nd LD) S. Korea's trade surplus reaches US$2.7 bln in June.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's trade surplus rose to a preliminary US$2.7 billion in June, up from $2 billion in the previous month, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy said Friday. Customs-cleared exports grew 10.4...

Seoul shares rise on financial gains.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks traded slightly higher Friday morning as financial issues gathered ground on foreign buying. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) was up 2.27 points, or 0.22 percent,...

(News Focus) U.S. rate hikes expected to have limited impact on S. Korea.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- The rate hikes in the United States will likely continue in the coming months, but their impact on the South Korean economy will be limited, analysts said Friday. The U.S. Federal Reserve boosted its target for...

S. Korea's production of medicine exceeds 1 tln won in 2004.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea produced more than 1 trillion won worth of medicine for the first time last year, a local pharmaceutical group said Friday. The medicine produced in 2004 was worth 1.45 trillion won in 2004, up 9.65...

12th baby, a perfect gift for a Seoul couple.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- When Lee Yeong-mi, a 40-year-old housewife, heard in her delivery room that her new-born baby was a girl, she smiled and thought she can finally retire from this labor. The baby, born at 0:01 a.m. Thursday at Seoul's...

(LEAD) S. Korea's trade surplus reaches $2.7 bln in June.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's trade surplus rose to a preliminary US$2.7 billion in June, up from $2 billion in the previous month, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy said Friday. Customs-cleared exports grew 10.4...

(LEAD) SK Corp. finds 50-mln-barrel oil reserve off Brazil.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- SK Corp., South Korea's largest refiner, said Friday it has found a reserve of oil amounting to more than 50 million barrels at an oil field off Brazil. The company found the reserve in waters 250 kilometers east...

Audi drivers can listen music from Samsung phones without wires.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co. said Friday it has built a system that allows Volkswagen's Audi drivers to listen to music in their vehicles from its mobile phones incorporating "Bluetooth" technology. In...

Defense chief vows to push military reform after surviving no-confidence motion.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- Defense Minister Yoon Kwang-ung, who survived a parliamentary non-confidence vote against him, pledged Friday to press ahead with his plan to reform the armed services and reduce human rights abuses in military...

Seoul launches independent agency to manage foreign reserves.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea launched an independent agency Friday to manage part of the world's fourth-largest foreign reserves, seeking to boost investment returns. The Korea Investment Corp. (KIC), modeled after Singapore's...

Earnings of life insurers in S. Korea surge in 2004.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- Life insurance companies in South Korea saw their earnings soar nearly 33 percent in fiscal 2004 on the back of strong investment profits, the nation's financial regulator said Friday. According to the Financial...

(2nd LD) S. Korean consumer prices slip in June.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korean consumer prices fell unexpectedly in June from a month ago, led by a drop in prices of agricultural goods and housing rents, a government report showed Friday. The consumer price index (CPI) fell 0.3...

(LEAD) U.S. sees no problem with S. Korea's proposals to N. Korea.
July 1, 2005... WASHINGTON, June 30 (Yonhap) -- The United States has no problem with South Korea's "important" proposal to entice North Korea to rejoin stalled six-party nuclear talks, Washington's key nuclear negotiator with Pyongyang said Thursday. In a...

(3rd LD) U.S., N. Korea debate on nuclear issue.
July 1, 2005... WASHINGTON, June 30 (Yonhap) -- U.S. and North Korean negotiators debated how to resolve their nuclear dispute at a seminar on Thursday as South Korea stepped up efforts to mediate between the two countries. The security conference in...

SK Corp finds oil reserve of 50 mln barrels off Brazil.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- SK Corp., South Korea's largest refiner, said Friday it has found a reserve of oil amounting to more than 50 million barrels at an oil field off Brazil. The company found the oil reserve in the oil field, which is...

S. Korea's trade surplus reaches $2.7 bln in June.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's trade surplus rose to a preliminary US$2.7 billion in June, up from $2 billion in the previous month, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy said Friday. Customs-cleared exports grew 10.4...

POSCO to set up another service center in Japan.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- POSCO, South Korea's largest steelmaker, said Friday it will set up a new service center in Japan for automotive steel and stainless steel sheets. The center, named "POS-NPC," will be constructed in Toyohashi,...

Seoul shares start lower on U.S. stock fall.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks opened weaker Friday as investor sentiment was dented by an overnight fall in the U.S. stock market. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) was down 4.16 points, or 0.41...

S. Korea to unveil 2nd-half economic plan next week.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean government plans to announce a blueprint next week that will outline its handling of the faltering economy during the second half, officials said Friday. The envisioned economic management plan...

U.S. sees no problem with South Korea's proposals to North Korea.
July 1, 2005... WASHINGTON, June 30 (Yonhap) -- The United States does not have any problems with South Korea's proposals to North Korea regarding six-party nuclear talks, Washington's key nuclear negotiator with Pyongyang said Thursday. "We don't have any...

(2nd LD) South Korean ambassador meets N.K. diplomat.
July 1, 2005... WASHINGTON, June 30 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's ambassador to the United States met a senior North Korean diplomat in New York on Thursday and discussed the nuclear issue and other matters, an official said. Amb. Hong Seok-hyun held...

(LEAD) South Korean ambassador meets N.K. diplomat.
July 1, 2005... WASHINGTON, June 30 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's envoy to the United States met a North Korean diplomat in New York on Thursday and discussed the nuclear issue and other matters, an official said. Wi Sung-lac, minister for political affairs...

Global mobile phone shipments rise 7.1 pct in second quarter.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- Worldwide shipments of mobile phones rose 7.1 percent from a year ago in the second quarter after suffering a typical seasonal slowdown in the first quarter, a U.S.-based research firm said Friday. Second-quarter...

(LEAD) S. Korean consumer prices slip in June.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korean consumer prices fell unexpectedly in June from a month ago, led by a drop in prices of agricultural goods and housing rents, a government report showed Friday. The consumer price index (CPI) fell 0.3...

Ten Crucial Years.
July 1, 2005... (EDITORIAL from the JoongAng Daily on July 1)Experts say the next decade will be critical to Korea's evolution into a fully advanced country. Heightening Korea's competitive power could pull the nation's growth rate up to 6.1 percent over 10...

Samsung Wrong About Constitutional Petition.
July 1, 2005... (EDITORIAL from the Hankyoreh on July 1)Three affiliate companies in the Samsung group, Samsung Life Insurance, Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance, and Samsung Corp., have filed a petition with the Constitutional Court about the part of the...

Film Industry's Troubles: Actors, producers should co-prosper through concessions.
July 1, 2005... (EDITORIAL from The Korea Times on July 1 )The local movie industry, after riding high on the ``Korean wave [macron] [macron] of the nation [macron]s cultural boom overseas, has hit a snag at home. On the surface, the ongoing strife between...

S. Korean consumer prices unexpectedly slip in June.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korean consumer prices rose in June, led by a fall in prices of agricultural goods, and a decline in housing rents, a government report showed Friday. The consumer price index (CPI) fell to 117.3 last month...

South Korean ambassador goes to New York to meet N.K. diplomat.
July 1, 2005... WASHINGTON, June 30 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's envoy to the United States met with a North Korean diplomat in New York on Thursday for broad talks on bilateral issues, including the nuclear row. Wi Sung-lac, minister for political affairs...

Top headlines in major South Korean newspapers.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- The following are the top headlines in major Korean newspapers on July 1. Vernacular dailies -- Controversy brews over rejection of bill on nationality of Koreans born abroad (Kyunghyang Shinmun) -- Dismissal of...

Gov't offices implement five-day workweek.
July 2, 2005... SEOUL, July 2 (Yonhap) -- South Korean government offices were almost empty Saturday, the first weekend since their adoption of the five-day workweek, with only a few staff on hand to answer light telephone enquiries. At the Jongno Ward...

(LEAD) Nuclear plant halts operation due to lightning.
July 2, 2005... YEONGGWANG, South Korea, July 2 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean nuclear power plant was forced to halt operation Saturday, after its power transmission line was struck by lightning, a plant official said. The lightning did not cause any...

Heavy rain is expected across the nation throughout next week: KMA.
July 2, 2005... SEOUL, July 2 (Yonhap) -- Heavy rain, blamed for the deaths of at least three people in the southern part of the nation on Saturday, will continue to grip the nation next week as the strong rain front strengthens in the midst of this year's...

New airline brings out French plane.
July 2, 2005... CHEONGJU, South Korea, July 2 (Yonhap) -- A French airplane to be used by a new South Korean passenger airline arrived in this southern South Korean city Saturday, airline officials said. Hansung Airlines plans to use the turboprop ATR...

S. Korean nuclear plant halts operation due to lightening.
July 2, 2005... YEONGGWANG, South Korea, July 2 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean nuclear power plant was forced to halt operation Saturday, after its power transmission line was struck by lightening, a plant official said. The lightening did not cause any...

S.K. official describes new combination of proposals to P'yang.
July 2, 2005... WASHINGTON, July 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the United States are ready to combine their previous and new proposals to try to convince North Korea to give up its nuclear ambitions, a Seoul official said Friday. In a press briefing...

Roh enjoys first shortened workweek.
July 2, 2005... SEOUL, July 2 (Yonhap) -- President Roh Moo-hyun enjoyed his first shortened workweek Saturday without any official meetings or functions, his office said. Still, Roh may have to spend most of his supposedly free weekend on preparing for...

S. Korean movie audience declines in June.
July 2, 2005... SEOUL, July 2 (Yonhap) -- The number of movie watchers in Seoul declined nearly 15 percent in June from a year earlier, stirring concern that the Korean box office might be in its initial stage of stagnation, a local film investor said. IM...

Today in Korean History.
July 2, 2005... July 3 1961 -- Army Maj. Gen. Park Chung-hee takes office as chairman of the Supreme Council for National Reconstruction, a military junta that ruled South Korea. On May 16, Park staged a coup to seize power. 1971 -- South Korea...