Fluttering their shaggy hair against the wind, Sapsaree dogs run towards Dr. Ha Ji-hong as he steps into the pen. The once-endangered canine breed of Korean origin has made a dramatic comeback, thanks largely to decadeslong preservation efforts by Dr. Ha, also known as ”Father of Sapsaree.“ The long-haired dogs were killed en masse for their fur to make winter coats for Japanese soldiers, as doc...

The long, shaggy hair of Sapsarees flutter against the wind as they run across a hillside pen in Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang Province. The Korea Sapsaree Foundation compound houses more than 300 Sapsarees, a once-endangered Korean native breed of dogs brought back through decades of preservation efforts. These bear-like Sapsarees, whose name means “one that dispels evil spirits,” have tradition...

A police officer fell nine stories to his death while trying to stop a man from taking his own life, Thursday. According to Daegu Suseong Police, Jeong Yeon-ho, an 11-year-veteran of the force, died in a fatal accident that occurred at an apartment in Daegu at around 9 p.m. on Thursday. Jeong was sent to the apartment with another officer in response to a call from the man’s parents, who said t...

The PyeongChang Olympics torch relay in Jecheon, North Chungcheong Province, scheduled for Friday has been put off after a major fire broke out at a building in the city on Thursday. Via official statement early Friday, the PyeongChang Organizing Committee announced the suspension of the torch relay in mourning for the victims. The torch bearers for the Jecheon leg had individually been notifie...

A fireworks display at South Korea’s tallest building will light up Seoul’s skyline on New Year’s Eve. The celebration will take place from 8:30 p.m. on Dec. 31 to 1 a.m. the next day at Lotte World Tower and the surrounding area, said the skyscraper’s developer Lotte Property and Development on Wednesday. The event is sponsored by Seoul City, Korea Tourism Board and the PyeongChang Olympics Or...

Bong Joon-ho’s latest film “Okja” has advanced to the 10-film shortlist in the visual effects category for the 2018 Oscars race. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Monday the 10 films that are to compete for the five nomination spots Best Visual Effects at the 90th Academy Awards. Shot with a budget of under $50 million, “Okja,” along with Guillermo del Toro’s “The Shape ...

A restaurant in Beijing rolled out “Moon Jae-in Combo” after the South Korean president dropped by the cozy establishment for a low-key breakfast during his state visit to China last week. Featuring the exact same dishes the president enjoyed at Yonghe Xian Jiang, the special menu went on sale two days after his visit on Thursday. A photo of "Moon Jae-in Combo" posted on Chinese social media pl...

Korean actor Gang Dong-won is set to make his stateside debut with “Tsunami LA,” a disaster action film to be directed by Simon West. Gang’s agency YG Entertainment said Monday that the actor had been cast for the leading role in the new feature by West, who directed blockbuster action films “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider” and “Con Air.” According to Variety magazine Sunday, “Tsunami LA” is set in Lo...

More than 8,000 musicians performed at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul Saturday to set the Guinness World Record for the biggest ever orchestra. The giant orchestra, consisting of amateur musicians from churches across the country, played a medley of Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance Marches, the South Korean national anthem and two hymns for seven minutes in total. With 8,076 musicians involved, an orch...

Medical staff at Ewha Womans University Medical Center face investigation after the deaths of four premature babies late Saturday. The Seoul hospital’s PR director Kim Han-su said at a press conference Sunday that four premature babies at the hospital’s intensive care nursery suffered cardiac arrest and died between 9:32 p.m. and 10:53 p.m. Kim said the medical team performed CPR on the babies f...

President Moon Jae-in kicked off the second day of his state visit to China with breakfast at a streetside restaurant in Beijing early Thursday. President Moon and First Lady Kim Jung-sook popped in to a small restaurant called Yonghe Xian Jiang near Diaoyutai State Guesthouse where he is staying during the state visit. The menu included Youtiao, Chinese fried churros, accompanied with salty mi...

A track worker was struck and killed by a train at Onsu Station in Seoul, causing delays along Subway Line No. 1 on Thursday morning. According to Guro Fire Station, the 35-year-old worker was performing maintenance on the track with two colleagues, when he was hit by an incoming train at around 8 a.m. Following the incident, northbound trains on Line 1 were delayed by 10 minutes, affecting rus...

Billy Elliot danced back onto the Seoul stage this December with a bold opening performance on Dec. 7 that looks set to inspire Seoul audiences again. The Tony-winning West End hit about an aspiring ballerino from a British mining town had its first non-English speaking production in Korea in 2010, after sweeping North America and Australia. Billy Elliot’s return to Seoul, with an updated trans...

First lady Kim Jung-sook will recite a Korean poem on a Chinese webcast platform Wednesday to support President Moon’s state visit to China. Cheong Wa Dae said Monday that Kim would read “Visitor” by Chong Hyon-jong on “The Poem for You,” a China-based media platform that promotes poetry as a tool for communication. Kim’s reading will be aired on the platform at 10 p.m. local time, which will a...

The release of BTS’ promotional track for the City of Seoul on the city’s official website has sent fans into a viewing frenzy, causing the website to crash. The song, titled ‘With Seoul’ was released for free on Seoul City’s official tourism website visitseoul.net on Wednesday at noon Korea time. Screenshot of BTS` promotional video for Seoul City (Seoul City) When the clock struck noon, the ...