Political pendulum swings to left as parties churn out populist pledges A progressive political leader recently expressed embarrassment at the intensifying competition between the two major parties to shift to the left. Rhyu Si-min, co-leader of the splinter United Progressive Party, said in a radio program that the ruling Saenuri Party as well as the main opposition Democratic United Party hav...

Aged voters now find themselves being elbowed out of electoral politics as the major parties have focused on younger people in their swing to the left. They are alienated from the process of forging political discourse through social network services, which are dominated by tech-savvy youth. Gray voters, who form a main conservative voting bloc, also feel frustrated by the ruling party’s dumping...

Fruit seeds stored away by squirrels more than 30,000 years ago and found in Siberian permafrost have been regenerated into full flowering plants by scientists in Russia, a new study has revealed. The seeds of the herbaceous Silene stenophylla plant, whose age was confirmed by radiocarbon dating at 31,800 years old, are far and away the most ancient plant material to have been brought back to li...

ON THE EDGE -- A tour bus going from Dongnimmun to Sinchon in Seoul hangs on a highway after an accident on Monday evening. The bus overturned and was struck by a sedan traveling in the opposite direction. Sixteen passengers suffered minor injuries, according to police. Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald

The Korean Wave, or hallyu, has hit Latin America, where an increasing number of people are becoming more interested in Korean dramas, K-pop and Korean classical musicians, the Korean ambassadors to Peru and Argentina said. “In Peru, the Korean Wave is literally explosive. While the state-run TV’s viewer ratings hit an average 2 percent, channels that air hallyu content such as K-dramas, sitcoms...