Organizers of the 2011 world athletics championships in Daegu launched its official song on April 7. They say the melody and lyrics of the song titled “Let’s Go Together” express the dreams, passion and challenges of track and field athletes as well as their harmony. Shin Myung-soo, Korea’s first Emmy nominee, composed the song sung by Insooni, a veteran singer with a singing career three-decad...

HMB Foundation, established by former national soccer player Hong Myung-bo, will donate 200 million won ($183,600) in proceeds from a recent benefit soccer match to three charity organizations. The three are Community Chest of Korea (140 million won), Seoul Welfare Foundation (30 million won) and ChildFund Korea (30 million won). They will use the money for child cancer patients and other under...

Jerry is a 39-year-old air force pilot whose exceptional agility and speed in maneuvering fighter planes earned him the nickname “Smokin’ Jeeves.” Over the last three months, however, Jerry noticed it was increasingly difficult to achieve the same degree of high performance during his routine physical training exercises. More recently, he felt as though “his heart was beating out of his chest” ...

This is the second in a series of articles on international clinics at major medical centers in Seoul. ― Ed. Severance Hospital’s international health care center is the oldest medical facility dedicated to foreign patients in Korea. Established in 1962, the clinic has looked after tens of thousands of foreigners residing in Korea. Recently, it has expanded its care to foreigners outside the co...

Despite the lingering chill, things are looking fresh and green at area farmers markets. Little by little, baby greens, hearty spinach and kale ― locally grown in hoop houses or greenhouses ― are showing up. You can buy just about any produce year-round, but something changes when spring finally arrives. Cooks crave these delicate green harbingers because they require so little fuss. They’re si...

KATMANDU (AP) ― A team of mountaineers led by a veteran Sherpa guide flew Wednesday to Mount Everest on an expedition to clear away tons of trash left on the world’s highest peak. Since Everest was first conquered in 1953, thousands of people have climbed it, leaving behind the empty oxygen bottles, ropes, tents and other garbage that made their journey possible. Nepal’s government has since im...

Bundang has the lowest smoking and drinking rates among cities in Gyeonggi Province, statistics showed Monday. The research was conducted on 41,000 Gyeonggi residents who visited local health care centers in the region in September, October and November. Among the visitors, residents of Bundang, one of the wealthiest cities in Gyeonggi province, showed the lowest smoking rate at 17.2 percent. ...

Star of one-woman play to perform in front of birth parents in first Asian production Read from within the audience, a letter begins: “Dear ….” Following hesitantly, as the 20-year-old struggles to find the term for someone who should be so close, but is as yet unknown, comes the title ― “mother.” Written, adapted and performed by Amy Mihyang, “between” explores growing up as a Korean-American...

Jang Jeong, a Korean golfer on the U.S. LPGA Tour, is set to marry a former professional golfer Lee Jun-sik in Daejeon on April 9. The 31-year-old Jang joined the U.S. LPGA in 2000 after winning the Korea Women’s Open in 1997 as a high school student. She won the 2005 Weetabix Women’s British Open, the 2006 Wegmans LPGA and the 2006 Japan Women’s Open. Her 32-year-old husband-to-be became a ful...

Former Justice Minister Kang Kum-sil has been appointed as a chair-professor of the University for Peace. According to the One, a professional law corporation where she works as an attorney, an academic committee of the UPEACE Asia Pacific Center in Seoul proposed the post in recognition of her efforts to protect the rights and interests of women and the underprivileged. Kang says that Korean s...

SYDNEY ― Funding for the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism takes up about 1 percent of the Korea’s total budget this year, but spending should be doubled, Culture Minister Choung Byoung-gug said. “The cultural content industry is a new growth engine for the Korean economy and about 1 percent of the national budget should go to investment for cultural content development,” Choung told The K...