• 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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  • East Asia

    Multicultural awards on Dec. 13

    The Korea Times will host the inaugural Multicultural Korea Youth Awards at the Korea Press Center in downtown Seoul on Dec. 13, with the aim of promoting diversity and supporting talented children from multi-ethnic families. The recipients of the awards will be selected by a panel of judges including experts,…

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  • East Asia

    ‘Hallyu is firmly established trend’

    Some dub the widespread Korean wave, or “hallyu,” as a short-term frenzy but a renowned distributor of various hallyu products in Japan claims it is already a firmly established trend. Hallyu Department Store CEO Kim Deug-hong is optimistic about Korean pop culture’s continuous popularity in Japan despite its recent struggle…

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