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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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East Asia
Prolonged Fog In Chinese Cities Causes Inconvenience On People’s Livelihood
Women wearing masks ride on road in fog-enveloped Zhengzhou, capital of central China’s Henan Province, Jan. 14, 2013. Thick smog pushed the sales of protection masks as the foggy weather expanded to many parts of northern and eastern China. <Xinhua/Li Bo> Motorcars run on the Bayi Bridge amid heavy fog…
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East Asia
Japanese Youths Walk In The Snow After Attending Coming Of Age Ceremony At A Park In Tokyo
Dressed in Japanese kimonos, Japanese youths who have turned or will turn 20-year-old this year, the traditional age of adulthood in Japan, walk in the snow following a Coming of Age ceremony at an amusement park in Tokyo Monday, Jan. 14, 2013. <AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi> Young girls dressed in traditional…
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East Asia
More Than 100 Million Galaxy Smartphones Have Been Sold Since The Release Of Its First Model Three Years Ago
In this a, Monday, Nov. 5, 2012, file photo, a man windowshop at a mobile phone shop near advertisement of Samsung’s Galaxy S III smartphone in Seoul, South Korea. Samsung Electronics Co. said Monday, Jan. 14, 2013, it has sold more than 100 million Galaxy S smartphones since the first…
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