Most Popular
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1 in 3 Koreans live alone, family types becoming diverse
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Korea, Japan finance chiefs vow to tame rampant FX market volatility
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US 'incredibly concerned' about suspected NK-Iran military ties
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K-pop group's manager dismissed for setting up spycam in theater dressing room
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K-pop singer lost consciousness after being hit by foul ball, cancels show
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Korean Muslim YouTuber's plan to build mosque in Incheon goes viral
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[Kim Seong-kon] Democracy and the future of South Korea
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Yoon's office denies considering liberal figures for key posts
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Why is Apple Pay struggling to get purchase in Korea?
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Seoul says Fu Bao loan 'not going to happen'
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Pony Chung Foundation gives 30 students scholarships
The Pony Chung Foundation awarded scholarships to 30 students in a ceremony in Seoul on Friday. The students will receive a year of tuition fees and benefits including overseas study trips and connections with mentors.The foundation also awarded research grants to two scholars, each of whom will receive 40 million won in research expenses and 10 million won in publication subsidies for a year. Those who have acquired doctoral degrees within the past five years are eligible for research support f
PeopleDec. 27, 2013
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TVXQ celebrates 10th anniversary
Thursday marked 10 years since the then five-member group TVXQ made its official entrance into the K-pop scene, performing the single “Hug” on a TV showcase for BoA and Britney Spears. The two remaining members of TVXQ reminisced about their most memorable moments during a press conference held at the Kintex in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday, hours before taking the stage for an anniversary concert. “In the 10 years that we have been holding concerts in Korea and Japan, we have been told tha
PerformanceDec. 27, 2013
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Korea’s tourism growth may slow next year
Korea has seen double-digit growth in tourism over the last couple of years, with record annual growth of 11.3 percent last year, and is on track to welcome over 12 million visitors this year. But the strong Korean currency and changes in the political dynamics in Northeast Asia may put a stop to the fast growth next year, experts suggest. Korea earned 1.4 billion won ($1.3 million) from tourism in the January to October period, a 25 percent increase form the same period last year.According to t
TravelDec. 26, 2013
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[Best Brand] Oakwood Premier Coex Center upgrades serviced residence
Oakwood Premier Coex CenterServiced Residence/World Wide/Oakwood Premier COEX CenterThe Oakwood Premier Coex Center Seoul aims to upgrade its sophistication and luxury with the extensive renovation of its apartments. The serviced residence has undertaken a renovation project 11 years after opening. With the first phase just completed, giving a fresh look to the rooms, the second phase is expected to finish by April 2014 and will transform the overall ambience of the residence from classic to chi
TravelDec. 26, 2013
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[Best Brand] Imperial Palace strives for supreme services for working professionals
The lobby of Imperial Palace SeoulOn top of being a landmark in the city, Imperial Palace Seoul aims to offer the best environment and services for working professionals from home and abroad. The hotel celebrates its 24th anniversary this year.Located in the central business and cultural district of Gangnam in southern Seoul, the property, known as one of the best business hotels in Korea, contains 430 guest rooms and suites including the Royal Suite as well as two-storied duplex suites. Each gu
TravelDec. 26, 2013
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Walter Mosley makes an e-book, ‘Odyssey’
Back in April, as we were wandering the L.A. neighborhood in which he was raised, Walter Mosley mentioned “Parishioner,” a novel that he had published as an e-book original. If you don’t know it, that’s not surprising; it was a small book, sneaked out (if such a thing is possible) in the months leading up to the release of the Easy Rawlins-resurrecting “Little Green.”When I asked why he’d chosen to do it as an e-book, he gave a little shrug. “Oh, you know,” he said. “I write so much, I write so
BooksDec. 26, 2013
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Poetic sketches evoke solitude
DrawingsBy Sylvia Plath(Harper)The most striking thing about the 44 images reproduced in Sylvia Plath’s “Drawings” may be how unpopulated they are.Produced during the two years the poet spent on a Fulbright fellowship at Cambridge ― the same period in which she met and married (secretly, at first) Ted Hughes ― this material evokes a world bound almost entirely by objects: boats, shoes, rooftops, all of it detailed, shadowed, but at the same time more than a little bit removed.That’s not entirely
BooksDec. 26, 2013
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‘Unbound’ explores Roth’s standing
Roth UnboundBy Claudia Roth Pierpont(Farrar, Straus and Giroux)If you’ve been tempted to dismiss Philip Roth as a misogynist, a self-hating Jew or simply an old white male dinosaur, Claudia Roth Pierpont’s “Roth Unbound: A Writer and His Books” makes a strong argument for giving the novelist another chance.At a minimum, Pierpont’s lucid book, intelligent but not academic, makes the case that “The Ghost Writer,” “Sabbath’s Theater” and “American Pastoral” are compelling works of fiction worth rea
BooksDec. 26, 2013
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Family connections and small moments
“A poem is not so much read as navigated,” Nikki Giovanni writes in “Chasing Utopia.” “We go from point to point discovering a new horizon, a shift of light or laughter, an exhilaration of newness that we had missed before. Even familiar, or perhaps especially familiar, poems bring the excitement of first nighters, first encounters, first love ... when viewed and reviewed.”That’s a pretty good description of what Giovanni is up to in this book, marked by her signature blend of toughness and acce
BooksDec. 26, 2013
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Hyundai launches youth service corps
Hyundai Motor Group will send 500 university student volunteers abroad. The group launched its 12th youth service corps at its headquarters in Seoul on Thursday.Founded in 2008, the corps is one of the largest civilian volunteer groups in Korea. So far, 5,500 university students have volunteered for previous corps, visiting a total of 18 countries. “What’s important in life is not speed but direction. I hope overseas services will give new momentum in setting the right direction of life and lear
PeopleDec. 26, 2013
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Consulate in Shanghai issues 500,000th visa
The South Korean Consulate General to Shanghai issued more than 500,000 visas this year, becoming the first overseas diplomatic mission to top the number. The figure is equivalent to the combined number of visas issued by all diplomatic and consular offices abroad in 2003. The Consulate General to Shanghai issued 178,000 visas in 2010, 241,000 visas in 2011 and 367,000 visas in 2012. The number rose 36 percent this year from last year. This year’s figure reflects setbacks due to North Korea’s mi
PeopleDec. 26, 2013
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Queen Elizabeth calls for ‘quiet reflection’
LONDON (AFP) ― Queen Elizabeth II urged people to take the time for quiet reflection in 2014, in her annual Christmas Day message to the Commonwealth.The head of the 53-country organization looked back on her own six decades as monarch, in a personal broadcast Wednesday.And the 87-year-old also looked forward to the future, saying her baby great-grandson Prince George ― third in line to inherit the thrones of 16 Commonwealth realms ― was likewise set for a lifetime of service and duty.She also t
PeopleDec. 26, 2013
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Ex-IOC executive Ericsson dies at 94
LAUSSANE, Switzerland (AP) ― Gunnar Ericsson, a long-time International Olympic Committee executive and former member of the executive committee, has died. He was 94. The IOC says on its website that the former Swedish parliamentarian died Tuesday but does not provide a cause of death. IOC President Thomas Bach says Ericsson “personified the Olympic values and was a true Olympic gentleman. The IOC will always remember him with deep gratitude and great respect.” An IOC member since 1965, Ericsson
PeopleDec. 26, 2013
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No more ‘bean curd dregs’ ― Korea to standardize food translations
It goes without saying that expats living in Korea or international travelers have all experienced the tribulations of going into a Korean restaurant, reading the translated descriptions of the dishes and still having no idea exactly what they ordered. With the hopes of minimizing these struggles for non-Koreans, the government will soon establish its latest project to release a descriptive guideline on Korean cuisine.The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is planning to release an official
CultureDec. 26, 2013
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Record-breaking work displayed at Portland museum
PORTLAND, Oregon (AP) ― The most expensive artwork ever sold at auction is on display at the Portland Art Museum.In New York last month, an anonymous collector paid more than $142 million for the “Three Studies of Lucian Freud,” a 1969 triptych by Francis Bacon. The museum is exhibiting the work for three months before it heads to the owner’s private collection.Two drivers transported the panels across the country, ensuring the climate-controlled truck was always on the move and never left alone
PerformanceDec. 26, 2013
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Dubai promises to break records with New Year’s fireworks
DUBAI (AFP) ― Dubai has promised to celebrate New Year’s Eve with a record-breaking extravaganza featuring over 400,000 fireworks, the largest display the world has ever seen, its government said. The United Arab Emirates city state, home to the world’s tallest tower, largest man-made island and one of the world’s busiest airports, will “break the Guinness World Record for the ‘Largest Firework Display,’” a government statement said.The six-minute show over two of its manmade islands ― The Palm
CultureDec. 26, 2013
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Japan’s ‘Tree Town’ sculptors make living art
SOSA, Japan (AFP) ― With a deft clip here and a gentle tug there, Makoto Ishibashi sculpts trees with the skill of an artisan whose work is far more than just a job.The heir to a centuries-old family business, he creates masterpieces that can turn a pine tree into a work of art that could fetch $40,000. “This tree is a woman ― the leaves are soft,” the arborist says of the pine into a triangle at his farm in the city of Sosa.“Trees are my family ― they don’t say what they want but they are sendi
CultureDec. 26, 2013
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Rare story by Zelda Fitzgerald published
Here’s a look at what’s buzzing in the book world:Tip of the iceberg: The New Yorker has published a “recently unearthed” story by Zelda Fitzgerald (written before she was the wife of Great Gatsby author F. Scott Fitzgerald). Titled “The Iceberg,” Fitzgerald (then known as Zelda Sayre) wrote the story in 1918, when she was about 17 or 18 years old. It tells the tale of a young woman named Cornelia who comes from a rich Southern family, but is seeking something more. It was published in her high
CultureDec. 26, 2013
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Period blockbusters to fill silver screens next year
The Korean film industry attained a meaningful achievement this year by selling more than 200 million tickets for the first time in history. Following this year’s success, the country’s major film producers recently announced their lineups for 2014. And it seems like local moviegoers will be bombarded with period blockbusters next year.Some of the most anticipated films of 2014 are period dramas, including Cannes-winning actress Jeon Do-yeon’s upcoming martial arts flick “Hyeopnyeo” and “Battle
FilmDec. 26, 2013
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Deulgukhwa to split after drummer’s death
The legendary rock group Deulgukhwa, dubbed the Beatles of Korea, has reportedly decided to disband, just one year after reuniting with a sold-out concert series.The death of drummer Joo Chan-gwon earlier this year is seen to have played a major role in the band breaking up, insiders said. According to sources, the band, originally with three members but now consisting of lead vocalist Jun In-kwon and bassist Choi Sung-won, has been under great stress since Joo’s sudden death in October. Joo, co
PerformanceDec. 26, 2013