Dispute over rant by DUP’s Lim intensifies
The dispute involving the rant by Rep. Lim Su-kyung of the Democratic United Party (DUP) on North Korean defectors is escalating despite the lawmaker’s apology. Lim, a former pro-North Korean student activist, is drawing fire not only from the ruling Saenuri Party but also from conservative groups as a whole for her abusive remarks. Rep. […]
High TOEIC scorers not fluent in English
Park Jai-sang, a 27-year-old college graduate in Seoul, is nicknamed a “TOEIC genius” among his peers because every time he takes the English proficiency test, he scores higher than 900. Considering his score, his level of proficiency should be excellent. When he applied to work at a major trading company, he was even asked by […]
Kim Doo-gwan to announce presidential bid in July
Kim Doo-gwan Gov. Kim Doo-gwan of South Gyeonsang Province said Monday he is considering running for the presidency and will make a formal announcement in July. “The opposition camp must prevent the conservatives from winning power in the upcoming presidential elections, after they promised to realize regime change,” said Kim in an interview with an […]
Calls mount to tackle favoritism for athletes
Baseball players from Kyungki and Paichai high schools compete during a national tournament held in Seoul. The recent controversy over academic privileges enjoyed by award winning athletes is touching off a debate about reform of their admission, attendance and graduation from top universities. The nation’s figure skating heroine Kim Yu-na has suffered recent accusations over […]
Ginseng proved effective for cancer patients in U.S.
WASHINGTON, June 4 (Xinhua) — High doses of American ginseng, the herb, over two months have reduced cancer-related fatigue in patients more effectively than a placebo, according to a study presented Monday at the annual meeting of American Society of Clinical Oncology. Researchers studied 340 patients who had completed cancer treatment or were being treated […]
UAE to give Yemen food aid worth US$136 million
DUBAI, June 3 (Xinhua) — The president of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan approved food aid worth 500 million Dirham (about 136 million U.S. dollars) to help the Yemeni people suffering from a year-long turmoil, local news agency WAM reported Sunday. “The gesture is in line with the brotherly […]
Prolonged Syrian crisis widens gap among people
DAMASCUS, June 3 (Xinhua) — The longer the current crisis in Syria lingers, the wider the gap goes among the Syrian people, as the topic of who is with and who is against the government has become the main talk of the country. The 15-month bloody unrest continues with no foreseeable end so far. It […]
Turkish PM accuses Assad of behaving autocratic
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during the Istanbul Conference on Somalia in Istanbul, Turkey, on June 1, 2012. <File Photo=Xinhua/Ma Yan> ANKARA, June 3 (Xinhua) — Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused on Sunday Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of behaving autocratic and harming peace, playing down the recent elections held in Syria. […]
‘Korean dream’ has a long way to go
Shift from brain drain to talent circulation Brain drain has long been issue for Korea because of the large numbers of students and professionals who move abroad. But now, foreign talent is choosing to come here, and encouraging professionals from abroad to continue working in Korea is a priority. S. Imtiaz Ali is a veteran […]
Turkish pianist accused of insulting Islam
Fazıl Say, a Turkish pianist and composer with an international career who is facing a court case in Turkey for insulting Islam on account of reposting a message written by someone else on Twitter, has said, “It is unbelievable that it was made into a court case.” In Say’s much-debated Twitter message, heaven’s promise of […]