Looting hits Tunisia as new leader sworn in

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) _ Looting, deadly prison riots and street chaos engulfed Tunisia on Saturday, the day after mass protests forced its strongman to flee. A new interim president was sworn in, promising to create a unity government that could include the long-ignored opposition.

It was the second change of power in this North African nation in  less than 24 hours.

Amid the political instability, looters emptied shops and torched the main train station in Tunis, soldiers traded fire with assailants in front of the Interior Ministry, and thousands of European tourists sought a plane flight home.
 

Destroyer approaching hijacked vessel

A 4,500-ton South Korean destroyer was proceeding toward a Korean commercial vessel apparently hijacked by the Somali pirates Sunday, as the Seoul government remained firm against holding direct negotiations or paying ransom for the 21 crew members.

The 11,500-ton Samho Jewelry freighter, carrying eight South Koreans, is believed to have been seized Saturday in the waters between Oman and India while en route to Sri Lanka from the United Arab Emirates.

The vessel, belonging to Samho Shipping Co., was also carrying two Indonesians and 11 others from Myanmar, all of whom have been confirmed safe, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said. 

(AP)

After being briefed about the situation, President Lee Myung-bak called on his government to “make the utmost effort in having the crew return home safely,” presidential secretary Hong Sang-pyo told reporters. 

Having confirmed the location and the safety of the crew members, the Foreign Ministry here said it will “not get dragged into” the psychological warfare often launched by the Somali pirates. 

“We are working together with our Cheonghae Unit to locate the ship on a real time basis,” a ministry official said. “The government remains firm not to directly negotiate with the pirates or pay ransom.”

Samho Jewelry freighter (Yonhap News)

Task forces have been set up in the Foreign Ministry and the South Korean Embassy in Kenya to tackle the kidnapping. 

South Korea’s 4,500-ton destroyer Choi Young, which belongs to the Cheonghae Unit, was moving toward the hijacked freighter and is expected to reach it in two days, according to other government sources here. 

The Cheonghae Unit, with some 300 troops and a destroyer, has been in charge of patrolling the pirate-infested waters off Somalia, since its deployment in early 2009 under a U.S.-led multinational campaign. 

The Samho shipping firm, based in the southern port city of Busan, had seen another of its vessels, Samho Dream, released in November after being held hostage by Somali pirates for more than 200 days. Although it has not officially revealed the exact ransom, the company is said to have paid some $9 million to have the 300,000-ton tanker released. 

South Korea’s 4,500-ton destroyer Choi Young (Yonhap News)

The recent hijacking comes as two South Koreans continue to be held captive by Somali pirates after their 241-ton ship Geummi 305 was kidnapped in October in the waters off Kenya’s Lamu Island.

Korea Pass Cards to spur demand during 50-day shopping event

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said it would aggressively promote the use of Korea Pass Cards during the “Korea Grand Sale,” which kicked off Monday at major department stores and shopping malls and runs through Feb. 28.

Korea Pass Cards, consisting of pre-paid cards and check cards for non-Koreans and credit cards and check cards for Korean nationals, can be used on subways, buses and taxis. They also offer 5-10 percent discount benefits at major shopping stores, tourist sites, museums, theaters and restaurants in Seoul.

A foreign visitor receives hotel accommodation vouchers and cultural performance tickets through a lottery at Incheon International Airport on Monday. The seven-day event is part of the shopping festival “Korea Grand Sale” which runs through Feb. 28. (Yonhap News)

The ministry launched the tourism cards, in cooperation with Lotte Card and the Korea Tourism Organization, on Dec. 20. 

Samsung eyes mid-range smartphone market with Android, bada software

Building on the success in the market for premium smartphones last year, Samsung Electronics Co. hopes to make a splash in the mid-range smartphone segment, the president of its mobile business said Wednesday, as smartphones are expected to quickly become a mainstream device.

   At the center of its push into the smartphone mass market will be the Android system and "bada," the company's 1-year-old proprietary mobile software, Shin Jong-kyun, Samsung's mobile president, said in a written interview with Yonhap News Agency before a tech gadget fest in Las Vegas, the United States. 

Japanese manga vilifies KARA, Girls’ Generation

A Japanese manga comic has sparked anger among Korean netizens for its depiction of lewd scenes of women clad in the signature clothes of Girls’ Generation and KARA’s butt dance.

Korean fans of the two famous girl groups claimed that the manga titled, “An Analysis on the K-Pop Boom Lies” is intended to vilify the groups who have made successful debuts in Japan.

The manga shows former Korean girl group idols-turned-hostesses revealing secrets of the dirty Korean music industry to reporters. The cartoonist of the controversial comic reportedly insists that the story is based on information he acquired. 

Voting campaign launched to pitch Jeju for ‘New7Wonders of Nature’

JEJU ISLAND ― South Korea has launched a campaign to encourage people to vote for Jeju Island in an initiative to list seven natural wonders of the world. 

The island is one of the final 28 global candidates for “New7Wonders of Nature.”

Lead by the Swiss-based, non-profit New7Wonders Foundation, the New7Wonders of Nature initiative started in 2007.

With 300 days left before the final voting date on Nov. 10, the National Committee for New7Wonders of Nature held a ceremony in Jeju to launch its campaign for votes. Some 200 people attended the ceremony.

“Jeju’s biggest strength in competing against other sites is that Jeju became the world’s first and only place to be awarded a triple crown in the natural science field by UNESCO a Biosphere Reserve in 2002, a World Natural Heritage in 2007 and a Global Geopark in 2010,” said Chung Un-chan, former prime minister and chairman of the National Committee for Jeju New7Wonders of Nature, at a press conference at Haevichi Resort Jeju in Jeju City on Thursday.

Google charged over credit card info, passwords

Company denies illegal activity
Police said they have charged global Internet giant Google Inc. Thursday for their online location tracking service over allegations it violated Internet privacy laws here. 

According to the Cyber Terror Response Center, the National Police Agency’s Internet crime unit, the conglomerate’s “Street View” mapping service gathered private information from unencrypted wireless networks during the filming process, violating three communication laws here.

Of the 16 countries currently investigating Google’s Street View, South Korea is the first to charge the headquarters, officials said. 

Google is suspected of traveling some 50,000 kilometers through the country using cars attached with special video-recording, information-collecting devices, not only taping streets and landscapes, but also gathering private information through unprotected Wi-Fi networks