Pakistan’s Gandhara ruins to receive Korea’s Buddhists

According to some historians, Korea’s Buddhism traces its roots to the Gandharan Civilization that thrived 2,000 years ago in the territories of today’s northern Pakistan and Afghanistan. The Mahayana school of Korea’s Buddhism ― one of two main branches alongside the Hinayana school ― was introduced to the ancient Kingdom of Baekje (B.C. 18-A.D. 660) in 384 by monk Maranatha, native of Gandhara, the historical records say. The triangular tract largely to the west of the Indus River and bounded

Nov. 16, 2015

Argentine wine rouses taste buds in Seoul

The Argentine Embassy, in collaboration with the Wines of Argentina, held a wine tasting event on Nov. 9 at the Millennium Seoul Hilton, introducing 28 wineries. The event, in its fifth run, is a government-sponsored scheme to promote national wines around the world, whose popularity has risen sharply in Korea. Since 2011, the export of Argentine wines to Korea has increased by 64 percent in volume and 90 percent in value. Argentina is the world’s fifth-largest wine producer and the largest in S

Nov. 16, 2015

Festival of India enchants culture lovers

The Festival of India in Korea was held last week across the country, celebrating India’s dance, music, food, film and yoga, and weaving Indians and Koreans in a tapestry of friendship. Under the catchphrase “Sarang,” the venue also showcased traditional percussion, puppetry and lectures in Seoul, Busan and Namiseom Island from Nov. 9-15.The weeklong event started this year, organized by the Indian embassy, Teamwork Arts and Indian Culture Centers in Seoul and Busan. It aims to be an annual fest

Nov. 16, 2015

Danish biotech firm to launch in Korea

Danish probiotics company Biocare Copenhagen will enter the Korean market by partnering Korean health food manufacturer and distributor Health Balance. Biocare is Denmark’s leading biotech firm specializing in microbial compounds: probiotics, dietary fibers, microbial lysates and medical devices. Based in Copenhagen, the joint-venture enterprise collaborates with Copenhagen University Hospital’s research and development centers and clinical facilities. For the last 20 years, the company has deve

Nov. 16, 2015

Park joins condemnation of Paris terror attacks

South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Sunday joined global condemnation against the Paris terrorist attacks with leaders participating in the annual summit of the Group of 20 advanced and emerging economies in Turkey, vowing to take countermeasures against terrorism. President Park Geun-hye is greeted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as she arrived at the venue for the Group of 20 summit in Antalya, Turkey, on Sunday. (Yonhap)On the first day of the two-day summit, Park discussed ways

Nov. 15, 2015

Korea issues travel alert for France

South Korea issued a travel alert for France on Saturday as part of efforts to ensure the safety of its citizens residing or traveling in the European country, in reaction to a series of terrorist attacks in Paris that killed at least 129 people. Vice Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul presides over a meeting with government officials to discuss protection measures for citizens in France on Saturday. (Yonhap)No South Korean victims had been reported as of Sunday, said Seoul’s Foreign Ministry, which h

Nov. 15, 2015

Seoul, Tokyo fail to bridge differences over sex slavery

South Korea and Japan failed to reconcile their differences over the issue of Japan’s wartime sexual enslavement of Korean women during their 10th round of director-general-level talks in Seoul on Wednesday. Lee Sang-deok (right), director general of Northeast Asian affairs at the ministry, and Kimihiro Ishikane, director general of the Japanese Foreign Ministry’s Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau. (Yonhap)They agreed to hold another round of talks “at an early date” in line with their leaders’

Nov. 11, 2015

‘Korea should go its own way’

Many in Korea have called for a shift in the government’s policy toward Japan since the beginning of this year, which marks the 50th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic ties between the two countries. They argue that Korean President Park Geun-hye’s first-ever summit with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Nov. 2 must mark a turning point for strained relations. Yet, doubts remain: Would Japan change its policy towards Korea if Korea does toward Japan?　Professor Hwang Jae-ho“Walk a

Nov. 11, 2015

Korea, Japan to hold talks over sex slavery

Officials of Seoul and Tokyo will resume their negotiations over Japan’s colonial-era sexual enslavement of Korean women on Wednesday, the first to be held after their leaders agreed to speed up the talks during a summit last week.Observers say that this round of talks led by directors general of each side would be a touchstone for the neighbors’ will to settle the long-festering issue within this year. They have held talks since April 2014, but no significant progress has been made.Park Ok-seon

Nov. 10, 2015

‘China’s complex strategic culture raises unpredictability over use of force’

This is the fifth installment in a series of interviews with scholars and experts on China as a resurgent Asian power that is changing the regional order. This installment looks into China’s threat perceptions and its military strategy and modernization. -- Ed.　China’s “strategic culture” is a complex mixture of Confucianism, the revolutionary aspect and the West’s realist streak, raising uncertainties over its possible responses to security threats including one related to the ongoing South Chi

Nov. 10, 2015