Small sample size alert: but Oh Seung-hwan, the usually reliable South Korean reliever for the St. Louis Cardinals, has been hit hard so far in the 2017 season because, as analytics shows, his slider hasn't been nearly as effective as last year.Oh recorded 19 saves and posted a 1.92 ERA last season, after replacing Trevor Rosenthal as the Cards' closer in July. The all-time saves leader in the Korea Baseball Organization struck out 103 batters in 79 2/3 innings, and the opponents batted .190 aga

Baseball April 13, 2017

 South Korean boy band Winner will drop its Japanese debuting single next month, the group's management agency said Thursday. (Yonhap)The group will release the album with the same title as its latest Korean EP "Fate Number For" and have an event for local fans on May 31, the YG Entertainment said.The album will have the Korean and Japanese versions of "Really Really" and "Fool" from the EP released on April 4.Last year, Winner had a concert tour of four Japanese cities, drawing about 36,000 loc

April 13, 2017

Hyundai Motor Group, South Korea's top automotive conglomerate, will start selling its new midsize Sonata and the Rio compact in the United States in the third quarter to boost its presence in the growing market. Hyundai Motor Co. plans to introduce the revamped Sonata sedan in the US market during the July-September period. Its affiliate Kia Motors Corp. also plans to have the Rio reach dealerships in the same period, the group said in a statement.Hyundai's Sonata facelift at New York Auto Show

Mobility April 13, 2017

Police on Thursday raided a conservative civic group over a violent street rally against the Constitutional Court's decision to unseat former President Park Geun-hye last month, they said. The Jongno Police Station in Seoul said they confiscated materials related to the March 10 demonstration from the office of the pro-Park group in southern Seoul. The group was formed to campaign against Park's impeachment over a massive corruption scandal involving her close friend and aides. Protesters suppor

Social Affairs April 13, 2017

Exports of South Korea's traditional sauces like red pepper paste reached a record high last year on the back of growing popularity for the country's unique fares around the world, customs data showed Thursday.Overseas sales of Korean sauces, such as ganjang (soy sauce), gochujang (red chili paste) and doenjang (soybean paste), rose 8 percent to a combined $53 million last year from a year earlier, according to the data by the Korea Customs Service.(Yonhap)The 2016 figure marked the largest sinc

Industry April 13, 2017

South Korean football club Suwon Samsung Bluewings trounced Eastern SC 5-0 on Wednesday to move atop Group G standings at the Asian Football Confederation Champions League.Ko Seung-beom and Johnathan each grabbed a brace for their hosts at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, and led the K League Classic side to their second victory in Group G, which also features Guangzhou Evergrande of China and Kawasaki Frontale of Japan.Suwon, led by head coach Seo Jung-won, now have eight po

Soccer April 13, 2017

Mexico has extended its provisional tariff on steel product imports from South Korea by six more months, the third such extension, a trade body here said Thursday.The Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency said the tariff, which was due to expire at the end of this month, will be in place for another six months. Mexico first imposed the 15 percent tariff in October 2015 on 97 steel products from South Korea, China and other countries. The provisional action was extended in April and October las

Industry April 13, 2017

Advertisement sales of hit audition show "K-pop Star 6" is estimated to have exceeded 30 billion won (26.4 million), thanks to high ratings and its unique programming model, according to industry sources Thursday. (Yonhap)The sixth and final season of the SBS TV show, which ended its 20-week run last Sunday, opted for a unique programming model, airing two, back-to-back one-hour shows each Sunday. In between the shows, SBS TV sold 15-second commercial air time referred to as "premium commercials

April 13, 2017

Satellite imagery shows continued activity at North Korea's nuclear test site in its northeastern mountainous area, US researchers monitoring the secretive nation said Thursday.Commercial satellite imagery, taken on April 12, of the Punggye-ri region shows "continued activity around the North Portal, new activity in the Main Administrative Area, and a few personnel around the site's Command Center," they said in a report posted on the 38 North website.A new commercial satellite imagery of North

North Korea April 13, 2017

The United States will first consult with South Korea before taking any serious measures, including a pre-emptive strike, against North Korea to punish the communist state for possible provocations, Seoul's top diplomat said Thursday.Yun Byung-se refused to speculate whether Washington was preparing to pre-emptively strike following additional provocations from the communist North but insisted the US will not take such measures without first consulting with Seoul."In fact, the US is working to r

Foreign Affairs April 13, 2017

Five out of every 100 South Korean adults have experienced being too dependent on smartphones, a poll showed Thursday, indicating that the problem of smartphone addiction has risen as a major social issue.According to the survey by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, five percent of 5,102 people aged over 18 experienced an addiction to smartphones at least one time during the past one year.  (Yonhap)Those considered at risk of addiction experience withdrawal symptoms physically and mentally duri

Social Affairs April 13, 2017

St. Louis Cardinals' closer Oh Seung-hwan has finally tossed his first scoreless outing of the season.Oh threw one shutout inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park in Washington on Wednesday (local time), as the Cardinals won the game 6-1.Oh took the mound in the bottom of the ninth with his team up 6-1, a day after giving up a run on two doubles in one inning of work.St. Louis Cardinals' closer Oh Seung-hwan (AP-Yonhap)Daniel Murphy, who drove in that run with a double the prev

Baseball April 13, 2017

Presidential front-runner Moon Jae-in maintained his lead in approval ratings this week despite the continued rise of a longtime rival, a poll showed Thursday.Moon, former leader of the liberal Democratic Party, garnered 44.8 percent from Monday to Wednesday, up 2.6 percentage points from last week, Realmeter said. The main contenders in South Korea's presidential election (from L to R): Sim Sang-jeung, Ahn Cheol-soo, Hong Joon-pyo and Moon Jae-in. (Yonhap)Ahn, co-founder and former leader of th

Politics April 13, 2017

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has watched a contest aimed at showing the special military forces' capacity to drop from planes and strike targets, Pyongyang's state media said Thursday, amid tensions over the North's nuclear and missile programs.The North's leader guided the contest of the Korean People's Army special operation forces, during which combatants dropped from light transport planes, according to the Korean Central News Agency.These photos released by North Korea's Rodong Sinmun on

North Korea April 13, 2017

Collegians who are depressed or stressed out try to find solace in drinking, which exacerbates their mental conditions and perpetuates a cycle of deterioration, a study said Thursday, indicating a different perspective is needed to solve campus drinking problems.The latest health and social welfare review from the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs said a survey of 503 university students indicated the degree of depression raised a person's desire to find a way to deal with it. When s

Social Affairs April 13, 2017