Shaky financial market
KOSPI dips below 1800 on Europe worries This week was a nightmare for Korea’s financial markets, which fell sharply due to renewed fears over another economic downturn fueled by the Greek crisis. In the coming weeks, investors are expected to go through a roller coaster ride. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) sank further […]
Full Gospel Church mired in corruption
The son of the founder of the largest church in Korea was summoned Monday by the prosecution for questioning on suspicions of embezzling funds from an affiliated company. His mother is also suspected of having used church money in a real estate deal. These are only two of many allegations surrounding Yoido Full Gospel Church […]
Greek Interim Cabinet Decline Salaries
At the first meeting of the newly-elected Interim Greek Cabinet of Ministers all of its 16 members promised to give up their salaries as the country grapples with a political and economic crisis that could have effects far beyond its borders, Greek state TV reported on Thursday. A caretaker administration led by senior judge Panagiotis […]
Turkish accession to EU to be speeded up
EU Minister and Turkey’s Chief EU Negotiator Egemen Bagis and the European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy Stafan Fule met in Ankara and had a joint press conference regarding the new EU/Turkey “Positive Agenda” initiative. The “Positive Agenda” plan has been started by Turkish and EU authorities hoping to restart the stalled Turkey […]
Facebook’s value comes to $104 billion
NEWYORKㅡ Facebook says it has priced its initial public offering of stock at $38 per share. That’s the high end of its expected range of $34 to $38. It means investor demand is strong for the world’s largest online social network. Facebook now stands to reap as much as $18.4 billion from the IPO, if […]
Parochial China
China often shows the opposite characteristics of Oskar Matzerath, an adult trapped in a child’s body in Gunter Grass’s novel, The Tin Drum. The Middle Kingdom has experienced explosive growth for the past three decades, enabling it to replace Japan as the world’s No. 2 economic powerhouse, second only to the United States. In other […]
Gambling episode gives bad name to Buddhism
The recent scandal involving gambling Buddhist monks could not have erupted at a worse time for the proponents of spreading Korean Buddhism globally. Modern Korea is not a predominantly Buddhist country, but the nation has practiced and nurtured its own brand for more than 1,700 years after adopting it from China. Compared to Buddhism in […]
French digital economy minister is adopted Korean
Her birth of was a series of misfortunes. Fleur Pellerin, 39, new French minister for digital economy, was thrown out on the streets of Seoul right after she was born on Aug. 29, 1973, spending her first days in an orphanage. Her adopted father was a nuclear physicist and her mother a housewife. The new […]
Little women of Korean cinema
Cannes publicity ignores chronic lack of interesting roles for actresses No one can dispute that the Korean film industry is flourishing. Investment and return are both on the upside. The sheer number of productions is rising, spawning hits and, of course, misses. This year, the local press is abuzz about two homegrown works vying for […]
Wishing I were wrong
Nobody wants to hear anything negative when their saju is read. It doesn’t matter how successful one is now. People can’t be assured of their future and because of that uncertainty, they fear to seek out fortune tellers while at the same time they are insatiably curious. I am often asked not to reveal upcoming […]
![[Novel] The Road to Shamawes ⑯](http://www.theasian.asia/wp-content/themes/city-desk/timthumb.php?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theasian.asia%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2013%2F08%2FAshraf-2novel-news_9601.jpg&q=90&w=300&h=0&zc=1 "[Novel] The Road to Shamawes ⑯")
