North Korea ‘detains US citizen Kim Hak-song’

North Korea says it has detained a US citizen on suspicion of “hostile acts” against the state. Kim Hak-song worked at the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology (PUST) and was held on 6 May, state-run news agency KCNA said. Three other US citizens are currently held in North Korea, including Kim Sang-duck, who had taught at PUST. The US has in the past accused North Korea of detaining its citizens to use them as pawns. KCNA said that “a relevant institution” was “conducting [a] detailed investigation” into Kim Hak-song’s…

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U.S. Scrambles to Clear Egg Exports to Bird Flu-Hit Korea

U.S. officials are urgently seeking an agreement with South Korea that would allow imports of American eggs so farmers can cash in on a shortage caused by the Asian country’s worst-ever outbreak of bird flu. The two sides are negotiating over terms of potential shipments after South Korea lifted a ban on imports of U.S. table eggs that it imposed when the United States grappled with its own bout of bird flu last year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. If an agreement is reached, U.S. shipments could bring…

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South Korea Clears Oracle of Anti-Competitive Acts After Software Probe

South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission (FTC) said on Wednesday Oracle Corp did not engage in anti-competitive behaviour following a probe over its practice of packaging new software upgrades into database management service contracts. South Korea’s antitrust regulator last year opened an investigation into the practice to determine whether it was using its dominant market position to shut out rivals. The US company controlled 58.5 percent of the domestic database management system market as of 2014, according to the FTC, marginally lower than 59.6 percent in 2011. The regulator said on…

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100,000 Samsung Galaxy S7, S7 Edge Units Sold in First 2 Days in South Korea: Report

More than 100,000 units of Samsung Electronics Co.’s Galaxy S7 series smartphones were sold in South Korea within the first two days of its official launch, data showed on Sunday. Sales of the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge reached a combined 60,000 on Friday and 40,000 on Saturday after the smartphones hit South Korean market on Friday, Yonhap cited the official data as showing. The Galaxy S7 Edge accounted for some 40 percent of the two-day sales, the data added. The initial pace of sales is roughly on par…

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