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East Asia
Right to smoke vs. right to breathe
“I can’t stand the smell of cigarette smoke when I step into the restroom in my office building. Some people smoke inside the booths, it’s really irritating,” says Kim Ga-eun, a 31-year-old sales manager. Under the current People’s Health Promotion Law, buildings with floor space of over 2,000 square meters…
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East Asia
Jeong-dong: historic hideaway where East meets West
A trail less than a kilometer from the periphery of Seoul City Hall to Sinmun Road in the Jeong-dong area is one of few spots where one can calmly stroll amid the hustle and bustle of downtown Seoul. But its birth was as dark as the fate of the Joseon…
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KT, SKT may face credit downgrade
SK Telecom and KT, the country’s two leading wireless service providers, may face a credit ratings downgrade in the near future due to their excessive marketing war for new customers, Moody’s Investors Service said Tuesday. The global ratings agency also said E-Mart and Lotte Shopping, Korea’s two retail giants, have…
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East Asia
African connections
The government announced Tuesday that it plans to boost Korea’s trade with African countries with a goal to increase bilateral trade to $80 billion by the year 2020. The Ministry of Strategy and Finance said that it had a new set of measures that will boost economic support for African…
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East Asia
Ceremony held to unveil sign board inscribing brief career of Samsung Group founder Lee Byung-chull
A ceremony was held to unveil a sign-board inscribing Samsung Group founder Lee Byung-choll’s brief life story involving when he was born and when he started his business at the entrance of the Hwa Su Building located Myeongnyun-dong, central Seoul, Tuesday (Nov. 13). The sign board was put on the wall just beside Lee’s statue erected earlier…
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East Asia
[Korea Report] Matviyenko gives speech for Korean and Russian students
Valentina Ivanovna Matviyenko, Russian highest-ranking politician, delivered a speech for the students of Korea University, Seoul. Matviyenko is currently Chairman of The Federation Council of the Russian Federation and formerly served as Governor of St. Petersburg. Matviyenko came accompanied by her Russian contingent and staff members of the Russian Embassy in Seoul. The speech…
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East Asia
K-pop; pre- and post-Psy
The scene: 8:59 a.m. in the headquarters of “Cool Corea” a music corporation set in darkest Gangnam. In a recording studio sits a spotty youth in torn jeans and a leather jacket, tuning an electric guitar. The door opens. In struts a smart, be-suited gent. Gent: Are you Kool Kim?…
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East Asia
Aerobatic Wingwalker Performs In Zhubai, China, Before Opening Of International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition
Members of Breitling Wingwalkers, a famous European aerobatic team, perform during a test flight in Zhuhai, south China’s Guangdong Province, Nov. 11, 2012. The 9th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition will kick off on Tuesday in Zhuhai. Breitling Wingwalkers is known for its acrobats who perform on the wings…
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East Asia
Pros, cons on voting-hour extension
Presidential candidates sparring over the potential extension of voting hours certainly makes for a great headline. We all care about our basic rights, improving access to the polls and strengthening the electoral power of our social groups and communities, right? Of course we do. But it’s also hard to deny…
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East Asia
NK to celebrate Mother’s Day
North Korea said Monday it would begin celebrating Mothers’ Day in another move by the Stalinist state to present a softer image to its citizens. Pyongyang’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the special day would be established at the “4th National Meeting of Mothers,” an event being held in…
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