East Asia - THE AsiaN

East Asia

Campaigns of convenience

No TV debate, political jockeying baffle voters With the presidential election just around the corner, Lee Ho-yeong, a 35-year-old college lecturer, remains confused. Although he thinks it would be one of the most important elections in his life, Lee like many others is still wondering whether Moon Jae-in and Ahn…
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East Asia

No. of students studying overseas falls

Economic slump puts pressure to curtail education spending The number of South Korean students studying in foreign colleges for degrees decreased this year for the first time in seven years mainly due to the economic slump, according to a government report, Monday. Money remittance from parents in Korea to their…
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East Asia

Eliminating discrimination key to multiculturalism

As Korea is becoming more multicultural and multiracial, the government is seeking to introduce an anti-discrimination law, arguing that racism should not be tolerated. Minister of Gender Equality and Family Kim Kum-lae pointed out that the country doesn’t have a law banning racial discrimination although it is seeing a growing…
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East Asia

‘I’ll be a singer more famous than Michael Jackson’

GWANGJU ― Everybody recognized him. On his way back home from school on Nov. 12, eight-year-old Hwang Min-woo, the boy who appeared in Psy’s “Gangnam Style” music video, was surrounded by other students who kept following him, calling him “the Gangnam Style boy” and even asking for his autograph. He…
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East Asia

From killing fields to healing fields

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia ― Kim Gi-dae, a missionary and principal of a vocational school in Cambodia, takes a lengthy pause when he is asked in which years his three children are at school. Koreans tend to ask ages indirectly. The person who asked the question teases him, “You are their…
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Actress Lee Young-ae to open Korea souvenir shop in Seoul

Actress Lee Young-ae, best known for her title role in the MBC TV drama “Daejanggeum,” will open a souvenir shop in Seoul for foreigners drawn to visit the country by Asian-wide enthusiasm for Korean pop culture, her management agency said Monday. The shop will open in mid-December on Seoul’s Samcheong-dong…
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East Asia

Kokdu Museum opens branch in Bukchon

“Kokdu,” traditional wooden figurines which were used to adorn a bier to drive out evil spirits for the deceased, can now be seen in Bukchon Hanok Village in Seoul. The Kokdu Museum, which is based in Dongsoong Art Center in Daehangno, opened a new branch in a “hanok” (traditional Korean…
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East Asia

[The AsiaN Video for Indonesian] Terpilihnya Kembali Obama Dan Prioritasnya

Halo! Saya Meidyana Rayana dari Indonesia. Berikut adalah berita mengenai masa jabatan ke-2 Obama. Untuk masa jabatan kedua Presiden Obama, tidak ada kebutuhan untuk transisi dari pemerintah. Namun ada kemungkinan akan menjadi kabinet baru dengan Sekretaris baru untuk beberapa departemen termasuk Negara, Pertahanan, Keuangan dan Peradilan. Ini akan memakan waktu…
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One month to go

Nominees must show what elections are for To the relief of many, the two opposition nominees resumed talks Sunday for unifying their candidates. It is anybody’s guess, however, how many ordinary voters are among the people who feel thrilled with the single candidacy tug-of-war. Exactly 30 days are left before…
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Germany and Japan

Tokyo must learn from its European counterpart Last week, Germany decided to increase government compensations for victims of Nazi crimes and sharply broaden eligibility for such payments. In Japan, would-be prime ministers were vowing to visit a militarist shrine honoring fallen soldiers, including 14 Class-A war criminals. No two countries…
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