Korea
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East Asia
‘Ssireum’ listed as UNESCO intangible cultural heritage
“Ssireum,” Korean traditional wrestling, successfully made its way onto the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list, Monday, through the first-ever joint bid by North and South Korea. The Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) announced that the two Koreas’ bid to inscribe ssireum on the list was accepted during the 13th session of…
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East Asia
Prostrating monks call for truth in Myanmar worker’s death
Several Korean monks displayed a rare religious practice on Monday to demand the government investigate the death of a Myanmar migrant worker two months ago. The pro-immigration activists performed the three-steps-and-one-prostration-bow practice, starting from Jogyesa in Jongno-gu, Seoul ― the headquarters of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. Each monk…
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East Asia
Senior Korean diplomat found unconscious with brain bleed in Singapore
One of South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s key staffers has collapsed with an apparent brain bleed while the president and state executives were in Singapore for this year’s annual ASEAN Summit. Moon broke the news on Friday. He said Kim Eun-young, the director-general of the South Asia and Pacific Foreign…
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East Asia
South Koreans overuse antibiotics: World Health Organization
Antibiotic consumption is higher in South Korea, compared with most other members of the OECD, a club of mostly rich countries, according to a report revealed Monday. The World Health Organization’s (WHO) report on an overview of consumption of antibiotics around the world shows that South Korea used 27.68 defined…
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East Asia
K-Trend: Finished Korean college exam? Time for cosmetic ops
With Korea’s annual College Scholastic Ability Test for high school students and others wishing to go to universities set for this Thursday, many of those sitting tests are likely to have a common post-exam agenda ― getting their looks perked up with cosmetic surgery. The seasonal trend has been…
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Culture
Kimchi festival to spice up Seoul
Six thousand people will be invited to make kimchi in downtown Seoul over the weekend at the fifth Seoul Kimchi Festival. The annual festival will kick off at Seoul Plaza and nearby Mugyo-dong area on Friday through Sunday, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said. People in Korea have traditionally made a…
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East Asia
Peace in Korea: Next Steps
I thank the organizers of the Jeju Forum for giving me the opportunity to contribute to these important discussions. I am not an expert on Korea. I am sorry to say it, but I must admit that I do not even speak Korean, as all modern people should. I can…
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East Asia
Moon Jae-in and the Politics of Reform in South Korea
One year and five months have passed since South Korean President Moon Jae-in took office. During this period, Moon’s democratic leadership style and spirit of service have lifted public morale and salved past wounds. In his inaugural address, he voiced his desire to become a president who communicates with the…
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East Asia
North Korea Ready to Expand Internet Access
North Korea is a country where residents do not have free access to the internet, but the country’s science-priority policies are leading to an expansion in the number of new users. On Aug. 31, the Korean Society for Internet Information (KSII), a South Korean institute focusing on information technology, published a…
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East Asia
Moon ratifies Pyongyang Declaration
President Moon Jae-in ratified an agreement signed between him and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at their third summit in Pyongyang last month. “Moon ratified the Pyongyang Joint Declaration. An official announcement will soon follow,” a Cheong Wa Dae official said. As a procedural step for the ratification, the Cabinet earlier…
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