South Korea posted a current account deficit in January for the first time in two years as exports slumped amid the eurozone debt crisis, the central bank said Tuesday. The current account deficit reached $770 million last month, shifting from a surplus of $2.81 billion the previous month, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK). The figure compares with a surplus of $150 million a year earlier, t...

Weight gain or loss may not always be caused by diet and exercise; it could be affected by medications, a U.S. pharmacist said. Ryan Roux, chief pharmacy officer, Harris County Hospital District, said certain medicines can cause significant weight changes. Fox example, weight side-effects are common in medicines used for diabetes, high-blood pressure and mental health conditions. “Because of th...

An expat 10s rugby union league in Korea is set to kick off its 2012 season on March 10. Expat rugby was first played in Korea by Seoul Wanderers in 1972. In 1978, U.S. military rugby teams formed and the Wanderers were reborn as Seoul Survivors. Despite the relatively long history of amateur rugby in Korea, as well as the long establishment of the Korea Rugby Union, it wasn’t until last year t...

Perhaps you‘ve heard of Tommy Jordan. He’s the North Carolina dad who recently recorded a video of himself reading and responding to a Facebook post composed by his 15-year-old daughter, Hannah, after which he shot her computer nine times with a .45 pistol. Hannah had done what 15-year-olds have been doing since time immemorial: She complained to her friends, in this case in rather foul-mouthed ...

Gen. George S. Patton -- that old “Blood and Guts” philosopher himself -- once said, “We herd sheep, we drive cattle, we lead people. Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way.” Most Republicans would love for President Barack Obama to get out of their way. Yes, exit stage left, please. But most black folk would want him to lead for four more years. Try to the tune of 96 percent black voter supp...

How would America respond to another terrorist attack on its soil? We never thought very much about that before 9/11, back when the subject of terrorism only came up in discussions about other countries. The topic is still one we avoid, but it‘s not too soon to consider it, because U.S. government officials have been making increasingly louder noises about the possibility of an Iran-backed atta...

Expat comedy club Stand-up Seoul is celebrating its third-anniversary Thursday, having quickly gained a reputation both in the expat community and among traveling comics. Stand-up Seoul was the first English comedy club in the city and has evolved from a small group of friends into an expat hot spot. “I remember the first ever Stand-up Seoul show. There was a group of about 10 people just frien...

After being contacted “by a mysterious envoy with a briefcase full of unmarked currency,” comedian James Adomian was reluctant to accept an invitation to perform in Seoul. After the deal was sweetened with an offer for a hotel, he eventually agreed and is set to perform at the amateur comedy club Stand-up Seoul at Rocky Mountain Tavern in Itaewon on Friday and Saturday. Adomian follows in the f...

Korea International Students Support Association will host a forum on policy development for international students Tuesday. The forum will invite specialists on international student policies who will present studies, point out policy weaknesses and recommend solutions. International students will also speak on issues that affect them and discuss ways to assist students and universities. Ther...

An essay that used barley as a central theme to highlight the experiences of Ireland and Korea has won the Irish-Korean Essay contest. Ro Seong-ja wrote the essay that got the top-prize in the competition run by the Irish Association of Korea and supported by the Irish Embassy and the Dublin-based Emerald Cultural Institute. “‘Barley -- A story of Resilience’ is a piece of evocative, imaginativ...

CHARDON, Ohio (AP) -- A teenager opened fire in the cafeteria at his suburban high school Monday, killing one student and wounding four others before he was chased from the building by a teacher and captured a short distance away, authorities said. A student who saw the attack up close said it appeared that the gunman targeted a group of students sitting together and that the one who was killed ...

Ratings firm Standard & Poor's on Monday declared Greece in "selective default" after banks agreed to write off more than half of their Greek debt holdings in a second EU bailout of the country. The rating was lowered from S&P's already junk-level "CC" grade for Greece, which has been seeking to avoid an outright default on its massive debt by negotiating a "voluntary" debt exchange with credito...