Activision Inc.

, a Santa Monica-based video game publisher, announced it has opened a publishing office in Seoul, South Korea. The move comes through the acquisition of CSR Entertainment, a leading Korean software distributor. The creation of the new office will enable Activision to leverage its portfolio in one of the fastest-growing gaming markets in Asia.

Gemstar-TV Guide International Inc.

has purchased the Web site, jumptheshark.com. The site is popular among television viewers, who log on to debate whether popular programs have peaked. Gemstar didn’t disclose terms of the purchase.

Occidental Chemical Corp., a division of Westwood-based

Occidental Petroleum Corp.

, agreed to pay $12 million for treatment of Lake Ontario and two rivers polluted by chemicals from the company’s Niagara Falls plant. The settlement concludes a case that began with a lawsuit in 1983. An Occidental Chemical spokesman said the settlement resolves all the issues in the 23-year-old case. Shares of Occidental Petroleum rose $1.52 to $93.85.

The former chief executive of

Homestore Inc.

was wrongly implicated by other executives seeking to avoid prison, his attorney argued during closing arguments in a Los Angeles federal court on Wednesday. Stuart Wolff is on trial in a $67 million accounting and securities fraud case involving the online real estate sales company. Prosecutors claim Wolff used fake transactions to artificially inflate sales in order to meet Wall Street demands.