• World

    Egyptians Get Angry With Verdict Against Mubarak

    An Egyptian protester waves a national flag as he sits on a tree during a demonstration in Tahrir Square to protest against the mixed verdict against former leader Hosni Mubarak and his aides, in Cairo, Egypt, late Monday, June 4, 2012. <AP/NEWSis> news@theasian.asia

    Read More »
  • Business

    English divide deepens further

    The massive gulf between the rich and poor contributes to a dramatic disparity in English skills, government researchers said Monday. With the economy in decay, low-income earners are unable to pay for private language courses while the quality of public education just isn’t cutting it. This marginalizes them in society…

    Read More »

  • What’s in a neighborhood name?

    The Seochon neighborhood that sits between Mt. Inwang and Gyeongbok Palace is no stranger to controversy. For most of the 2000s, debates over apartment-style redevelopment riled the neighborhood. In 2008, the city of Seoul stopped redevelopment plans for most of the area and began drawing up plans for preserving the…

    Read More »

  • Decency of lawmakers

    Lim should make sincere apology to defectors Rep. Lim Su-kyung’s abusive remarks last week against North Korean defectors and a ruling party lawmaker are creating a stir, raising the possibility that the controversy over “pro-North’’ legislators may spread to her main opposition Democratic United Party (DUP). The row comes at…

    Read More »

  • Smuggler arrested for helping N. Korea launch cyber attack

    Police have arrested a smuggler for allegedly helping North Korean intelligence attempt cyber terrorism on government computer networks through online game software. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said Sunday that the 39-year-old man, surnamed Cho, is under investigation for purchasing 10 versions of gambling software with malicious code from North…

    Read More »
  • Politics

    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…

    Read More »

  • 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,…

    Read More »
  • Politics

    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…

    Read More »
  • East Asia

    Major news in Japan on Jun 5

    Top news in <Kyodo News>: Japan makes no comment on possible G-7 conference call    news@theasian.asia

    Read More »
  • Society

    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…

    Read More »