-
Seoul, Tokyo to discuss sanctions on N. Korea
The top envoys of Korean and Japan were set to meet Thursday to discuss how to handle North Korea’s growing nuclear threat, including possible sanctions to punish the Stalinist state for its missile development. The talks in Seoul between Lim Sung-nam, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs…
Read More » -
Samsung, LG locked in OLED battle
A legal battle between Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics is getting fiercer. The conflict focuses on the intellectual property of a variety of products and technologies ranging from refrigerators to the futuristic organic light emitting diode (OLED) televisions. Leading the LG charge is Koo Bon-joon, LG Electronics CEO and brother…
Read More » -
4-river project a failure: audit
An audit of President Lee Myung-bak’s signature four-river project found it was poorly executed and that as a result water quality of the rivers may have been worsened. Unveiling the results of its investigation Thursday, the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) voiced concern that the project would require the…
Read More » -
West Asia
[Novel] The Road to Shamawes ①
*Editor’s note: We start to carry “The road to Shamawes,” a novel written by Egyptian novelist Ashraf Aboul-Yazid, in series. The novel was originally written in Arabic, and translated into Korean and English. The novelist, now working as a journalist in Kuwait, also serves as the editor of the Arabic version of The AsiaN. Shamawes…
Read More » -
Retooling government
What matters are not organizations but their operations Restructuring the government has become one of the traditional tasks of newly-elected leaders in Korea. Park Geun-hye is no exception. There may be little wrong with the organizational reboot ― why not put new wine into new bottles? ― except Korea is…
Read More » -
East Asia
Korea’s Japanese problem
Just a few days before Park Geun-hye was elected as the new Korean president, Shinzo Abe and his Liberal Democratic Party won a landslide victory in Japan. That event could have a major impact on Park’s administration over the next five years. The state of Korean-Japanese relations might even overshadow…
Read More » -
East Asia
KTO gets big deal with Amway China
25,000 Chinese to be on Korean tour next year The state-run Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) said Wednesday that it has succeeded in attracting 25,000 Chinese tourists as part of an Amway China incentive tour. The Chinese corporation of the American direct-sales company has decided to send groups of employees to…
Read More » -
East Asia
Historic values of Baekje-era fortress
On New Year’s Day 1997, an event took place in Pungnap-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul, which changed the understanding of Korea’s history. In the summer of 1925, heavy rain caused the Han River to flood. After the waters subsided, various historical artifacts were uncovered in the area. Thanks to the effects of…
Read More » -
East Asia
US warns NK against nuke test
The United States’ top envoy for East Asia affairs warned North Korea, Wednesday, against further provocations amid concerns Pyongyang could conduct a third nuclear test. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, who paid a visit to President-elect Park Geun-hye, told reporters that Washington was “very clear on our position…
Read More » -
East Asia
Culture veteran to hold the pansori contest in Paris
A culture veteran is initiating a drive to globally spread Korean traditional music “pansori” by holding a contest in Paris, France, sometime in June. Pansori is a Korean style narrative song, in which a single performer accompanied by a drummer sings a story. Lee In-gweon, CEO of the Sori Art…
Read More »