• East Asia

    A Protester Holds A Defamed Picture Of Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying Outside Legislative Council

    Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying speaks at a news conference after delivering his policy address in Hong Kong Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013. Hong Kong’s unpopular Beijing-backed leader said he is making the city’s housing crisis a priority in a bid to soothe widespread discontent. Hong Kong Legislative Council member…

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  • East Asia

    Number Of China’s Internet Users Rises To 564 Million Despite Gov’t Control On Content

    In this Feb. 1, 2012 photo, job seekers use laptops connected with Internet at a job fair in Wuhan, in central China’s Hubei province. China’s population of Internet users rose 10 percent last year to 564 million even as communist authorities tightened controls on content, according to data released Tuesday…

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  • East Asia

    China And Mongolia Deepen Cooperation For Developing Natural Resources

    Zhang Xiaoqiang (L), deputy director of China’s National Development and Reform Commission, speaks during a press conference in Ulan Bator, capital of Mongolia. China and Mongolia have broad prospects to deepen cooperation in mineral resources and energy, Zhang Xiaoqiang said in Ulan Bator on Tuesday. Photo taken on Jan. 15,…

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  • East Asia

    Living as a female smoker in Korea

    Smokers are almost being treated as criminals these days and are shunned by others as if they carry some contagious diseases. They face tougher restrictions and are being deprived of spaces to light up. However, women smokers here have to confront another barrier ― social prejudice. As evidenced by the…

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  • East Asia

    ‘I perform with all my heart and soul’

    Psy, YouTube, pianist prodigy get CICI award Decked out in his signature sunglasses and suit, singer and rapper Psy expressed thanks Tuesday on receiving the Korea Image Stepping Stone Award from the Corea Image Communication Institute (CICI). “The year 2012 was unforgettable,“ said Psy in an interview that was pre-recorded…

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  • East Asia

    Holiday reading

    Last month, I went on a beach vacation. I am a compulsively light packer. Before my daughter was born, I was known to take a single purse on a two-week getaway. When I went away to college, I arrived with a backpack and a suitcase, and was shocked to see…

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  • East Asia

    Open door to N. Koreans

    Last Dec. 12, I fired off an opinion piece of about 1,500 words to the Washington Post. It easily could have been 1,600 words, but I deleted all of the curse words. The day before, I had learned that the United States government had rejected visa applications by three of…

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  • East Asia

    Pro sports – children’s dream job

    Kim Tae-yoon, an elementary school student living in Seoul, changes what he wishes to become when he grows up almost every month. Kim doesn’t switch from wanting to be a medical doctor to a teacher but from soccer player to baseball player. In other words, he wants to be a…

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  • East Asia

    Park puts economy, safety first

    President-elect Park Geun-hye’s government restructuring plan, unveiled Tuesday, calls for empowering ministries overseeing the economy while emphasizing public safety amid a rising number of sex crimes. Under the proposal, the team scrapped the Ministry of Special Affairs in charge of facilitating dialogue with opposition parties. Analysts widely agreed that the…

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  • East Asia

    Global Korea, global education

    Dear Madam President-Elect, On behalf of the Korean Association of Private University Presidents (KPU), I offer sincere congratulations for your success in the presidential election. The nation, I believe, made the decision based on your respect for trust and promises, in addition to your political leadership and experience. As the…

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