• Society

    3 plastic surgeons fined for false claims about K-pop stars

    Three plastic surgeons and their marketing agent were fined Monday for respectively approving and creating false advertising that claimed a member of a girl band had undergone facial cosmetic surgery. Seoul Central District Court ordered the four to pay a combined total of 20 million won ($17,500) to Kim Jae-kyung,…

    Read More »
  • IT-Science

    Mobile messenger war in full swing

    Following the new trend of the popularity of smartphones, content providers are stepping up efforts to strengthen their mobile contents, especially in messenger services. The three most popular mobile messengers in Korea ― Kakao Talk, Line and My People ― are quickly evolving to provide more diverse services due to…

    Read More »
  • Politics

    Syrian opposition members asked to unite by Turkey, Arab League

    Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu and Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby have called on the fragmented Syrian opposition to unite, during a meeting in Cairo on Monday to discuss a new international plan for a transitional government. Davutoğlu and Elaraby addressed nearly 250 members of the Syrian opposition at the…

    Read More »
  • Column

    Moscow supports Kim Jong-un

    Russia claims it is willing to link divided Korea with energy pipelines and electricity grids. But its economic relations with North Korea indicate a return to the Cold War politics of the past. In 1948, Stalin sponsored the creation of the DPRK in the northern half of the Korean Peninsula.…

    Read More »

  • Stem cells may cure liver failure

    Pharmicell submits commercialization plan on new therapy A way to revive failed livers through stem cells could be available within the next few years as clinical tests of a new treatment regimen are underway. Pharmicell, a Korean pharmaceutical company developing stem cell therapeutics, said Monday that it has submitted a…

    Read More »
  • Society

    Rebellion against lame duck

    Did foreign minister endorse staff’s criticism of Cheong Wa Dae’s Japan pact handling? President Lee Myung-bak tried to patch up a rift exposed over the handling of a military pact with Japan, admitting to a “procedural” flaw Monday. This came a day after a senior foreign ministry official blamed Cheong…

    Read More »
  • Society

    China confirms H5N1 bird flu outbreak in Xinjiang

    BEIJING, July 2 (Xinhua) — China’s northwestern Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region has reported an outbreak of H5N1 in poultry, the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) announced Monday. The disease has killed 1,600 chickens raised by the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC), a unique economic and semi-military government organization of about…

    Read More »
  • Column

    Sejong City and decentralization

    July 1, 2012 marked a major change in Korean geography: Sejong City became the first “special autonomous city” in Korean history and the 17th province-level administrative division. This gives it equal status to Seoul and other provinces and cities. Sejong City’s new status is important because it is the first…

    Read More »
  • Society

    Kim Yu-na to retire after 2014 Sochi Olympics

    Olympic gold medal-winning figure skater Kim Yu-na said Monday that she will hang up her skates after the 2014 Winter Games. “I will retire after the Sochi Winter Olympics. Although the Vancouver Games were my final destination in my childhood, I have extended it to Sochi,” the 21-year-old said in…

    Read More »
  • Society

    N. Korean media promote song praising leader

    North Korea’s state-run media are promoting a song praising its new leader Kim Jong-un in an apparent move to justify his power succession. The new song is titled “Moving Ahead for the Final Victory.” The name of the name is identical to the last phrase of Kim’s speech on April…

    Read More »