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East Asia
A Growing Number Of Foreigners Visiting Pyongyang Use Cellphones With Its Loosening Of Some Restrictions
A Chinese man, second left, asks about the newly started cellphone service through a man, left, translating for him at a Koryolink cellphone rental booth at Pyongyang Airport in Pyongyang in North Korea Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013. North Korea is loosening some restrictions on foreign cellphones by allowing visitors to…
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East Asia
British And U.S. Ambassadors To UN Vote On Security Council Resolution Condemning NK Rocket Launch
British Ambassador to the United Nations Mark Lyall Grant, left, and American Ambassador Susan Rice vote on a Security Council resolution condemning North Korea’s rocket launch in December that sent a satellite into orbit, Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013 at United Nations headquarters. <AP Photo/Mary Altaffer> Li Baodong (C), the Chinese…
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tobechecked
Hun Sen, Chinese Ambassador To Cambodia Attend Inauguration Ceremony Of New Container Terminal In Phnom Penh
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen (R Front) and Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Pan Guangxue (L Front) start a boom button at the inauguration ceremony of China-financed new container terminal of the Phnom Penh Autonomous Port in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Jan. 22, 2013. Cambodia on Tuesday inaugurated a new container terminal…
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Kickbacks for doctors
The government is stepping up its crackdown on the long-standing practice of offering and receiving kickbacks in the medical community. Yet it remains to be seen whether the illegal practice will be uprooted this time, given that it is endemic and deep-rooted. A joint investigation team of prosecutors, police and…
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East Asia
Presidential transition team
When President-elect Park Geun-hye announced her presidential transition team, each member surprised many people. Some were not so well-known or surprise picks that went against people’s expectations. What caught my eye was a critical article pointing out that four of the 24 members were “children of the Yushin regime,” those…
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East Asia
Samsung comes of age
You don’t have to hang around Samsung Electronics for long before the word “innovation” is mentioned. Samsung people love to use it; I am not sure you can even have a chinwag with them without the “i” word cropping up. Personally, I have never been convinced. Certainly, Samsung is a…
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50% of Korean feel belonging to lower class
About half of South Koreans perceive themselves as belonging to the lower income class, according to a recent report by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs (KIHASA). A survey of 1,000 adults conducted by KIHASA showed 50.5 percent of respondents said they believed they earned below average. The…
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East Asia
3 actors to show off talent in ‘Sinsegae’
The casting of the three mega stars Choi Min-sik, Lee Jung-jae and Hwang Jung-min doesn’t happen often. But the three have come together for the first time for director Park Hoon-jeong’s second film. Choi, Lee and Hwang are ready to show off their impeccable acting talent once again to viewers…
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East Asia
HSBC expects Korean tourism to expand further
Tourism is likely to remain one of the few bright spots in the Korean economy, saddled by an aging workforce, sliding industrial competiveness and hefty household debt. Korea will continue to benefit from an influx of travelers from China and other Asian countries and improved global awareness, according to a…
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East Asia
Desperate scratching
Lottery sales set record in downturn, invite new concerns Surpassing 3.19 trillion won (about $2.95 billion), lottery ticket sales in Korea set a record last year despite a dismal economy, or perhaps because of it. While this supported the old belief that a lottery is a recession-proof business, there are…
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