• East Asia

    Gov’t Estimation: More Than 2.5 Million South Koreans Addicted To Smartphones

    In this Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2012 photo, passengers operate their smartphones on a subway in Seoul, South Korea. Across the entire population, South Korea’s government estimated 2.55 million people are addicted to smartphones, using the devices for 8 hours a day or more, in its first survey of smartphone addiction…

    Read More »
  • East Asia

    Tibetans Enhance Self-Immolation, Other Forms Of Protests Against Chinese Rule

    In this Oct. 23, 2012 file photo released by London-based rights group Freetibet.org, Dorje Rinchen, a farmer in his late 50s, runs after setting himself on fire on the main street in Xiahe, in northwestern China’s Gansu province. A surge in self-immolations and large demonstrations by Tibetans in western China…

    Read More »
  • South East Asia

    Buddhist Monks, Villagers Protest Against Expansion Of Mine In Northwestern Myanmar

    A group of protesting villagers who has blocked a road with rocks and wood guard their position in Letpadaung mine, Monywa town shop, northwestern Myanmar, Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012. Hundreds of Buddhist monks and villagers occupying the mine, they said is causing environmental, social and health problems, defied a government…

    Read More »
  • Red card for prosecution

    Sex-for-leniency argument for wanton prosecutor doesn’t hold Questions have been raised over whether it is proper for the prosecution to bring “bribery” charges against a trainee prosecutor for allegedly having sex with a suspect in return for favors in an investigation. The public expressed bewilderment over why the prosecution has…

    Read More »
  • East Asia

    Election hot online, cool offline

    The storm of opinion stirring up on Facebook and Twitter signals that polling day is near. However, it’s questionable whether a traveler arriving in Seoul today would recognize that Koreans are preparing to elect a new president when the streets, buildings and houses provide almost no hint. This is a…

    Read More »
  • East Asia

    Korea ranks second on global education index

    South Korea ranked second in global ranking out of 50 countries surveyed by Pearson Education on a new global education index called the Learning Curve. But, the country remains notorious for the amount spent on higher education, a fact that weighs heavily on parents. The Learning Curve is a new…

    Read More »
  • East Asia

    Unification Church eyes new engagement with NK

    The Unification Church Foundation in South Korea has told the government that it intends to fold its joint auto-venture in North Korea, an official said Wednesday, confirming earlier reports. But the church founded by the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon, appears to want to continue its engagement with Pyongyang, one…

    Read More »
  • East Asia

    ‘Lower voting age below 18’

    17 year-olds can serve in military but denied vote Are you 18 years old? If so, you cannot vote in any elections in South Korea. You can neither join political parties nor express your views on a certain candidate because to do so is regarded as a form of political…

    Read More »
  • East Asia

    Addiction vs. distraction

    These days, many smartphone users in Korea are busy playing Anipang, a cyber game on Kakao Talk. In a crowded subway train, teenagers are absorbed in whipping their fingers to match three of the same animals in a row, a completely different scene from subway trains in countries in the…

    Read More »
  • East Asia

    [Korea Report] Mini market selling world food in Itaewon is a great comfort for foreigners

    Living abroad away from home could be tough for some people. There would be a lot of things that must be missed. One might think that foreigners miss all the time are the food from his home country. As people travel and move here and there easily now, most of host countries…

    Read More »