Most Popular
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Actor Jung Woo-sung admits to being father of model Moon Ga-bi’s child
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Wealthy parents ditch Korean passports to get kids into international school
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Man convicted after binge eating to avoid military service
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First snow to fall in Seoul on Wednesday
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Final push to forge UN treaty on plastic pollution set to begin in Busan
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Korea to hold own memorial for forced labor victims, boycotting Japan’s
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Nvidia CEO signals Samsung’s imminent shipment of AI chips
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Job creation lowest on record among under-30s
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NK troops disguised as 'indigenous' people in Far East for combat against Ukraine: report
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Opposition leader awaits perjury trial ruling
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Linguists set to interview ambassadors
Korean students with foreign language skills are being invited to interview ambassadors posted here to help bridge cultural gaps.Students proficient in one of 20 languages are being sought to question foreign diplomats on their jobs and their impressions of Korea.Citizens who are near fluent in a European language such as English, French, Italian, Portuguese, German, Polish, Swedish or Spanish are eligible for the program. Those who can speak Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Arabic, Vietnamese, Indonesi
Jan. 1, 2012
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Envoy says ancient Mayans predicted harmony, not disaster
It could be said that 2011 was a year to which the old Chinese proverb “May you live in interesting times” has been amply applied. Civic uprisings toppled Middle East regimes; continuing economic crises blighted America and Europe and a series of natural disasters were wrought across the globe.But some interpretations of the ancient Mayan calendar have predicted even more dramatic events to befall us by the close of 2012 ― the end of the world.Cults and Hollywood disaster movies have pegged the
Jan. 1, 2012
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Veteran economist named new trade minister
SEOUL, Dec. 30 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Myung-bak named a veteran economist as trade minister on Friday, an official said, as the country's free trade agreement with the United States is set to take effect early next year. In a minor Cabinet reshuffle, Bark Tae-ho, a professor of the Graduate Schoo
Dec. 30, 2011
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First ‘diplomat academy’ admission set for 2013
The Foreign Ministry said it will administer the first admission test for the tentatively named Korea National Diplomat Academy in early 2013 to secure a pool of trained diplomats who can serve from 2014.As the current written exam for recruiting diplomats will be scrapped soon, the government is to select about 60 trainees through the admission test and choose 40 of them to work at the Foreign Ministry.The government’s move came as it believes the new system of diplomat recruitment will help ma
Dec. 29, 2011
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Korea, China press talk for stability
Vice ministers discuss N.K., illegal fishing at highest-level meeting since Kim’s deathSouth Korea and China agreed to strengthen “strategic communication” in seeking stability in the region at high-level talks held in Seoul on Tuesday.Conducted by Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Suk-hwan and Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun, the meeting was of the highest level since news of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il’s death was announced on Dec. 19.“The two countries share the opinion tha
Dec. 27, 2011
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Polish Embassy marks end of EU presidency
The Polish Embassy in Korea has held a reception in Seoul to mark the end of Poland’s presidency of the European Union. The event hosted by Polish Ambassador Krzysztof Majka at the Seoul Hilton hotel was held to recognize Poland’s role in Europe as its six-month period at the head of the EU Parliament draws to a close at the year’s end. He and his wife greeted other foreign diplomats in Korea at the Hilton Hotel in Seoul on Wednesday. The European Parliament has a rotating presidential system wh
Dec. 25, 2011
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Chance to learn Hebrew in Seoul
The Israel Culture Center in Seoul is to hold modern Hebrew courses for business and travel as well as biblical Hebrew classes from January until March. The modern language classes aim to lay out basic Hebrew concepts in a fun learning environment while the biblical Hebrew course is suitable for those who would like to one day read the Old Testament in Hebrew. Classes for different levels and interests will be held weekly on different days from Jan. 6 until March 7. Each course costs 180,000 won
Dec. 25, 2011
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Native American life shown in Gyeonggi
Photos of Native Americans are being showcased in Gyeonggi Province in an exhibition sponsored by the U.S. Embassy Korea. The exhibition titled “The North American Indian” is said to offer one of the most prolific and controversial representations of traditional American Indian culture ever produced, detailing customs and traditions as well as daily life. The collection of Edward S. Curtis photographs is being displayed at the Sodam Han Gallery in Gyeonggido Arts Center from now until March 11.T
Dec. 25, 2011
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Singapore scholarships now open
Application to a Singapore-sponsored scholarship for 2012 is now open until Jan. 17. The Dr. Goh Keng Swee Scholarship Fund supports up to 4 years of undergraduate study, providing tuition and other compulsory fees; return airfare to Singapore, as well as living allowances. It was set up by the financial community in Singapore in honor of the country’s former deputy prime minister, who fostered Singapore’s economic development as an international financial centre. The private sector scholarship
Dec. 25, 2011
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Qatar National Day takes off in Seoul
Diplomats and business people gathered to mark the Qatar National day in Seoul last week. Ali Hamad Mubarak Al Marri, the ambassador of the State of Qatar in Korea, held the special reception on Dec. 19. The event marked the anniversary of the accession of Sheikh Jassim bin Mohamed bin Thani, who founded Qatar. In 1878, he unified the peninsula bordered by Saudi Arabia and surrounded by the Persian Gulf. Qatari citizens in Seoul wore their national dress and enjoyed traditional food from the Mid
Dec. 25, 2011
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Danes sought to talk to robots
Danish people in Seoul are being sought to communicate with Korean robots designed to help exercise older people’s brains. The Danish Embassy has published a plea from the Korea Institute of Science and Technology for native Danish speakers to come forward to help test its hi-tech prototypes. Native-speaking Danes who are also able to communicate in English are sought to help out for 3-4 days a week from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. from now until Jan. 13. The KIST center for intelligent robotics wishes t
Dec. 25, 2011
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Santa visits Angel’s Haven via Finland
Santa Claus has delivered gifts to children at a Seoul welfare center, with the help of the Finnish ambassador. The Northern European country’s ambassador to Korea, Pekka Wuoristo, and Mr. Claus made the trip to Angel’s Haven in northeast Seoul to give a donation and presents to 60 children just before Christmas. “The visit to Angel’s Haven was focused on the visit of Santa Claus, who is as we all know, a Finnish citizen,” Wuoristo said. “This is a long-running joke in the Scandinavian countries
Dec. 25, 2011
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Diplomats seek parade, pact for migrants
Envoys pledge to support foreign workers’ rights in KoreaDiplomats in Seoul have called on the South Korean government to sign an international pact to protect foreigners working here, and are planning a large-scale migrant workers’ rally for next year. A group of diplomats met at an event organized by the International Conference on Foreigners Welfare in Seoul to mark the international day for migrant workers on Dec. 18. They pledged to mark next year’s International Migrant’s Day on a large sc
Dec. 25, 2011
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S. Korea, China to discuss N.K. next week
Seoul hopes for coordination with Beijing on post-Kim Jong-il N. KoreaSouth Korea and China will hold their annual high-level talks in Seoul next week, which Seoul officials hope to use as a chance to seek coordination on the post-Kim Jong-il North Korea. The meeting will likely be led by Korean First Vice Minister Park Suk-hwan and Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun and could take place on Tuesday, an official at the Korean Foreign Ministry said.“The meeting is aimed at sharing views o
Dec. 23, 2011
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S. Korea to add Japan‘s wartime sex slavery to high school textbooks
The education ministry is set to approve a set of revised guidelines for high school history textbooks that will mention Korean women who were forced into sexual slavery for Japan’s World War II soldiers, an official said Wednesday.The move comes as South Korea has pressed Japan to resolve long-running grievances over Tokyo‘s wartime sexual enslavement of Korean women, euphemistically called “comfort women.” Japan has adamantly rejected South Korea’s calls to hold talks to discuss the issue of c
Dec. 21, 2011
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Business normal for diplomats in Seoul
Seoul’s diplomatic community remained unruffled following Monday’s announcement of Kim Jong-il’s death, with many envoys departing on planned Christmas vacations despite South Korean institutions’ “high alert” status. Branches of the South’s government and military held emergency meetings following the announcement that left uncertainty over the North’s leadership and fears of turmoil in the communist regime. Irish Ambassador to Seoul Eamonn McKee contacted the Irish community in Korea Tuesday t
Dec. 20, 2011
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Jambo for jamhuri at Kenyan national day
Celebrations to mark Kenya’s Jamhuri Day in Korea were held at Seoul’s Lotte Hotel on Thursday. The anniversary of the country’s 48th year of independence was on Dec. 12. Jamhuri ― the Swahili word for “republic” ― marks Kenya’s establishment as a republic in 1963 and subsequent independence from the U.K. in 1964 and is the East African country’s most important holiday.Kenyan Ambassador to Korea Ngovi Kitau proposed a toast to cries of “jambo” as well as giving Kenyans attending the event an eco
Dec. 18, 2011
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Tastings, films and tango flavor of Argentine week
The cultural bounty of Buenos Aires is being shared this week thanks to a host of events in Korea.A photo exhibition of modern images snapped in the Argentine capital by renowned photographer Miguel Molinari kicked off the Latin American country’s events at the Korea Foundation Cultural Center in Seoul last week. “The show brings another aspect of Argentina and allows us to get closer to Korea,” said Argentine Ambassador to Seoul Carlos Arganaraz, at the opening on Wednesday. “These kinds of pho
Dec. 18, 2011
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German diplomacy exhibited through art
Monumental German art is being displayed in the Korean capital thanks to a new installation at a diplomat’s house. Two sculptures from contemporary artist Dietrich Klinge are being displayed at the German Ambassador’s residence on a hill overlooking Seoul. The sculptures are being shown in the grounds of Hans-Ulrich Seidt’s Seongbuk-dong home in order to give Koreans and international guests an impression of Germany’s expressive contemporary art scene. Klinge, who was born in 1954 in what was th
Dec. 18, 2011
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Sweden sparks kids’ imagination
Swedish stories and inventions are set to awaken Korean kids’ imagination thanks to an exhibition in Seoul. Stories of innovations from the zipper to dynamite are being told at the newly-opened “Hello? Sweden” exhibition at the National Library of Children and Young Adults. Even the iconic Coca-Cola bottle is revealed as a Swedish design at the exhibition in Gangnam, which will run until Feb. 15.Other inventions of Swedish origin including the pacemaker, safety matches, adjustable wrench, three-
Dec. 18, 2011
