Most Popular
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Do Korean doctors make too much money?
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Korean industries gauge impact of Biden's steep tariffs on China
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Court refuses injunction on medical school expansion
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Why Korean crime stories typically feature nameless, faceless perpetrators
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Is FTC's conglomerate listing a boon or bane for Hybe?
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NewJeans to headline palace show
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Coupang's Kim Bom escapes chaebol chief designation again
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Debate on 'no-seniors zones' heats up
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S. Korea, Cambodia forge strategic partnership
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Rare mid-May heavy snow warning issued over mountainous areas of Gangwon
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Before Facebook, there was Manet, painting friends
TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) ― Long before smartphones turned so many of us into amateur photographers and revolutionized how we depict each other through social media, there were the works of French Impressionist Edouard Manet.Known for portraits of friends and celebrities of his era, the painter often called “the first modern artist’’ came of age during the mid-1800s when photography first became available to the public. He even kept his own collection of photos of the subjects he painted.Manet’s portrai
PerformanceOct. 15, 2012
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Busan Biennale presents fresh, provocative contemporary art
Artists shed light on painful memories of rapid modernization and labor movementThe 2012 Busan Biennale engages with the audience with experimental and provocative contemporary art by young Korean and foreign artists, keeping the core values of the original form of the art event, which was an exhibition for young artists in Busan. Young local and international artists present thought-provoking artworks that shed light on social and environmental problems stemming from rapid modernization.Austri
PerformanceOct. 15, 2012
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When a “Company Man” tries to quit his job
So Ji-sub returns as a professional killer in his latest action flickHe seems like yet another urban professional in Korea who has no life outside of his work. The 30-something is one of the most trusted employees at his work, and always gets things done right. But when he tries to quit his job, he faces a series of ordeals that tests his courage and fortitude. Director Im Sang-yoon’s feature debut “A Company Man” shows the extremes of Korea’s office politics, and the mundane lives of urban prof
FilmOct. 15, 2012
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Psy gallops his way Down Under
The dancing machine Psy has begun another promotional tour with a trip to the land down under, performing on the music reality TV show “X Factor” and morning show “Sunrise.” Psy’s fame among his Aussie fans is still red hot as “Gangnam Style” is currently ranked number one on Australia’s ARIA singles chart. As the brains behind the addictive horse dance choreography sets off around the world on his promotional tours, he has revealed that his next single will be in English, and that he is feeling
PerformanceOct. 15, 2012
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Kaas to return to Seoul with sounds of Piaf
French singer-actress Patricia Kaas will hold two concerts in Seoul in promotion of her newest live album “Kaas chante Piaf,” or “Kaas sings Piaf.”Kaas, considered one of the most internationally successful French singers today, is set to perform the celebratory show in 45 countries. The “Kaas sings Piaf” concert tour is in commemoration of renowned French musician Edith Piaf, who passed away 50 years ago this year. Piaf was widely regarded as France’s national pop singer and become an icon in t
PerformanceOct. 15, 2012
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Envoys learn value of nature in Changdeok Palace tour
With its temperate weather, fresh air and clear blue skies, autumn is often described as the best time of year in Korea. No wonder then that throngs of tourists, as well as the occasional office worker sneak out for a short break, at any one Seoul’s many palaces.That’s why a group of working-level officers and diplomats from more than two dozen foreign embassies here were treated to a special tour The Presidential Council on Nation Branding, Korea Furniture Museum and Seongbuk district governmen
PeopleOct. 15, 2012
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Gong chronicles 25-year literary career
Popular author Gong Ji-young, who is also known for her social activism, has published an anthology chronicling her 25-year literary career. The book, titled “To love is to be hurt,” consists of a total of 365 excerpts from Gong’s previous novels and essays.“The book is my own celebration of my career,” Gong told reporters during a press conference in Seoul, Monday. “I chose a total of 365 entries, as one year consists of 365 days. I thought it’d be nice for my readers to read one entry a day.”G
BooksOct. 15, 2012
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Father of singer dies ahead of daughter’s wedding
A Korean celebrity couple expected to tie the knot next month has been saddened by the death of the bride-to-be’s father on Monday. The father of singer Kim Go-eun, better known as Byul, passed away a month ahead of her wedding to 32-year-old comedian Ha Dong-hoon, known by his stage name Haha. Kim’s father had struggled with paralysis after an accident in 2002.The couple reportedly completed regi
TelevisionOct. 15, 2012
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Cute pictures help work better
A study by a Japanese research team showed that people work better after looking at images of cute animals.The study, “The Power of Kawaii: Viewing Cute Images Promotes a Careful Behavior and Narrows Attentional Focus” was published on the online edition of U.S. journal “Plos One” on Sept. 26. “Kawaii” is a Japanese word meaning “cute.” The research conducted a test to see the performance of university students doing work such as a fine motor dexterity task. It observed the efficiency of the wor
CultureOct. 15, 2012
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S. Korean women: Stress linked to diabetes
Diabetic married women in South Korea say the stress of caring for their families was a factor in their contracting the disease, researchers say.Postdoctoral fellow Hyunjeong Park and Jennifer Wenzel of the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing in Baltimore said in a Korean household, it is commonplace for women to focus on their family when overwhelmed with multiple roles, while men tend to focus on work when faced with the same situation.One of the study‘s findings was that in married Kor
CultureOct. 15, 2012
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Foundation established for cultural assets’ repatriation
Repatriation of looted cultural assets is an issue that engages not only scholars and experts but also rouses patriotic sentiment among the public.The decades-long negotiation to bring back royal books that were taken from Korea in 1866 during the French troops’ invasion of Ganghwado showed that cultural assets are more than just art. “They are our roots, who we are. They are the objects of our ancestors and direction for our future,” said Ahn Hwi-joon, professor emeritus of art at Seoul Nationa
PeopleOct. 14, 2012
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Nobel winner Mo Yan urges China dissident’s freedom
BEIJING (AP) ― China’s newly named Nobel laureate for literature expressed hope Friday that an imprisoned Chinese winner of the Nobel Peace Prize will be freed, putting a dent in the ruling Communist Party’s attempts to burnish its credentials with the latest prize.Mo Yan, the first Chinese writer to win the literature Nobel, made the comments about dissident Liu Xiaobo, who was awarded the Peace Prize while serving a prison sentence for opposing single-party rule, in response to a question at a
BooksOct. 14, 2012
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Korean band wins Asia radio festival grand prix
The two-member Korean boy band Bily Acoustie took home the Grand Prix trophy at the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union Radio Song Festival on Thursday for their performance of “For a Rest,” a mid-tempo acoustic folk song inspired by everyday life. Thirteen finalists from 10 countries including Australia, Brunei, Malaysia and Bhutan performed at the ABU 49th general assembly at KBS Hall on Thursday. All the contestants were unsigned musicians and were judged by an international selection committee b
PerformanceOct. 14, 2012
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K-lit forums to be held in Spain, France
Literary forums featuring modern Korean literature will be held in Spain and France, according to the Literature Translation Institute of Korea (LTI Korea). The upcoming events in Europe follow LTI Korea’s two-day session forum held in the U.S. last week.The state-run organization kicked off its literary tour on Friday, holding its first sessions in Washington, D.C. Poet Oh Se-young and novelists Oh Jung-hee and Lee Hye-kyung attended the event, which was held at the Korean Cultural Center in Wa
BooksOct. 14, 2012
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Photographer paints pictures with camera
Rene Magritte paintings recreated by renowned Korean photographer Kim Jung-manThe celebrated photographer Kim Jung-man has always photographed objects as they are, without alteration. But for the first time in his 38-year career, he had to use Photoshop editing techniques to recreate paintings of Belgian Surrealist painter Rene Magritte with photographs. “The recreation of one of the greatest artists was meaningful because no one has ever tried to do it before,” Kim said at a news conference las
PerformanceOct. 14, 2012
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Thai, Lebanese films share top award at Busan festival
BUSAN (AFP) ― A low-budget, experimental production from Thailand and a gripping Lebanese drama shared the main award at Asia’s largest film festival, which drew to a close on Saturday.Jurors for the New Currents award at the Busan International Film Festival described first-time Thai director Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit’s “36” as “breathtaking” while praising the “extraordinary sympathy” director Maryam Najafi was able to draw from her audience throughout her entry “Kayan.”Both productions recei
FilmOct. 14, 2012
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Becoming a known face
Canadian entertainer hopes to take the Korean scene by stormThis is the first in a series featuring foreign entertainers rising in popularity in the Korean entertainment world. ― Ed.Jesse Day has always had two goals since he came to Korea from Canada in October 2009: to become a recognizable face, and to build a successful career in Korean entertainment.“One of the main reasons I’m really into doing entertainment stuff is because the people that I look up to, that inspire me, that make me super
CultureOct. 14, 2012
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Chinese political system could ‘blow up,’ says U.S. academic
PARIS (AFP) ― China’s top-down political system, under pressure from a growing middle class empowered by wealth and social networks, is likely to “blow up at some point,” U.S. academic Francis Fukuyama told AFP in an interview.“China has always been a country with a big information problem where the emperor can’t figure out what’s going on” at a grassroots level, said Fukuyama, best known for his 1992 book “The End of History and the Last Man,” which argues that liberal democracy is the fulcrum
PeopleOct. 14, 2012
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Eric Clapton sells Richter painting for record $34.2m
LONDON (AFP) ― A painting by Gerhard Richter owned by British guitarist Eric Clapton has sold for 21.3 million pounds ($34.2 million), a record for the work of a living artist, auction house Sotheby’s said.An anonymous bidder bought the red, blue and yellow oil painting on canvas, “Abstraktes Bild (809-4),” in London on Friday for more than ten times the $3.4 million that Clapton paid for the painting plus two others in New York in 2001.The price beat pre-sale estimates and Richter’s previous re
PerformanceOct. 14, 2012
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Swimmer Thorpe reveals battle with depression
SYDNEY (AFP) ― Australia’s five-time Olympic gold medalist Ian Thorpe has spent much of his life battling depression, and even considered suicide, excerpts from a new book by the swimmer revealed Saturday.The swimmer also uses the book to address persistent rumors about his sexuality, saying: “For the record, I am not gay,” adding that he would one day like to have a family.The soon-to-be-released book “This is Me: The Autobiography” describes the athlete’s struggle with what he describes as “cr
PeopleOct. 14, 2012