High-tech equipment and carefully planned tactics helped Seoul's navy rescue a South Korean ship and its crew from Somali pirates, military officials said Monday.Navy commandos on Friday stormed the Samho Jewelry, a 11,500-ton freighter hijacked on January 15 in the Arabian Sea, and rescued all 21 crew members -- eight South Koreans, two Indonesians and 11 from Myanmar.Eight pirates were killed an

Politics Jan. 25, 2011

Muju resort in North Jeolla Province staged a bikini ski contest on Jan. 22. The cold weather did not stop participants, clad only in bikinis and ski boots, from going down the slope. Muju resort awarded the participants at the contest according to audience’s applause. The prizes ranged from 500,000 won ($446) to the highest, 4 million won ($3,573).<한글 요약> 22일 전북 무주군 설천면 무주리조트 만선 베이스 루키힐 슬로프에서 '20

More Sports Jan. 24, 2011

Hollywood may be the goliath of the movie industry, but Korean film director Shim Hyung-rae is not afraid to knock on its door.“I believe that Hollywood absolutely bought the idea of the main character in the recently released movie, ‘The Last Godfather.’” Despite critics’ skepticism over his entrance into Hollywood after a string of poorly received movies such as “Yong-gari” and “D-war,” Shim is

Film Jan. 23, 2011

The number of Apple Inc.'s iPhone users has surpassed 2 million in South Korea in a little more than one year of its local debut, its distributor said Sunday. Two million iPhones were activated in South Korea as of Jan.20, including 1.03 million units of the iPhone 4, the latest version of the hot-selling device, and 977,000 units of the iPhone 3GS, KT Corp. said in a statement. KT, South Korea's

Industry Jan. 23, 2011

South Korea edged Iran 1-0 in extra periods to advance to the semifinals at the ongoing Asian Cup in Doha, Qatar.At Qatar Sports Club Stadium early Sunday, Korean time, midfielder Yoon Bitgaram broke the scoreless deadlock in the dying moments of the first 15-minute extra period. Dribbling in from the right wing, the midfielder fooled an Iran defender Pejman Nouri before striking a left-foot shot

Soccer Jan. 23, 2011

WASHINGTON - Like two strangers in the night, a US spacecraft and a speeding comet will dash by one another on Valentine's Day, NASA said Wednesday, and skywatchers are eager to see what happens.The Stardust-NExT spacecraft will be rapidly snapping pictures of the Tempel 1 comet as they pass at a mere distance of 200 kilometers (about 124 miles).Space experts are curious to see how a trip around t

English Eye Jan. 20, 2011

WASHINGTON - Playboy founder Hugh Hefner is bringing his iconic men's magazine to the iPad.The octogenarian publisher, in a message on his Twitter feed, @hughhefner, said current and back issues of Playboy would be available on the Apple device in March."Big news! Playboy -- both old & new -- will be available on iPad beginning in March," Hefner said.He did not provide any more details but in resp

International Jan. 20, 2011

South Korea appreciates the outcome of the U.S.-China summit, an official said Thursday, after the high-stakes meeting called for inter-Korean dialogue as an "essential step" in reducing tensions and expressed "concern" about North Korea's uranium enrichment program.U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao held a summit in Washington on Wednesday (U.S. time) that touched on a wi

Politics Jan. 20, 2011

The Financial Supervisory Service plans to ask the prosecution to investigate Deutsche Bank AG and several individual investors for allegedly engaging in fraudulent stock trading, sources told The Korea Herald on Wednesday.The financial regulator has completed its investigation into the Germany-based investment bank’s brokerage unit in Hong Kong. It plans to refer the case to the prosecution in th

Jan. 20, 2011

Shin Jung-hwan, a disgraced singer-turned-television personality, returned to South Korea on Wednesday after staying abroad for five months to avoid police questioning over gambling charges, police said.The 36-year-old Shin was taken to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency after arriving at Gimpo International Airport in western Seoul from Japan, police said. Shin Jung-hwan answers questions of re

Social Affairs Jan. 19, 2011

ROME _ Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi had sex with a significant number of prostitutes, Milan prosecutors alleged Monday in documents seeking authorization to search some of his properties.The prosecutors are leading a probe aimed at determining if the 74-year-old media mogul paid for sex with a 17-year-old Moroccan girl nicknamed Ruby who attended parties at one of his villas last year. Prosti

Politics Jan. 18, 2011

(Captured from Straits Times)William Chavarriaga, 49-year-old cleaner at the Olaya Herrera Airport, poses as a cartoon character "Popeye the Sailor" during an interview with local media in Medellin, Colombia, January 17, 2011. Chavarriaga, who looks like the character Popeye, said he has been entertaining his friends and colleagues from the past 30 years. He said he continues playing Popeye becaus

Social Affairs Jan. 18, 2011

NASHVILLE, Tennessee _ Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban have added a second daughter to their family, born through a surrogate mother.The couple announced Monday the arrival of Faith Margaret Kidman Urban, born on Dec. 28 at a Nashville, Tennessee, hospital. Nicole Kidman arrives with her husband Keith Urban for the Golden Globe Awards Sunday, Jan. 16, 2011, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP-Yonhap News0K

Film Jan. 18, 2011

The highly contagious foot-and-mouth disease, which has forced South Korea to order the culling of nearly 2 million head of livestock, appears to have broken out in North Korea, too, according to officials.Citing recent visitors to the impoverished communist country, South Korean government officials said Tuesday that the North is believed to be stepping up its quarantine efforts after outbreaks o

North Korea Jan. 18, 2011

SEATTLE _ Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs, the charismatic frontman for the company that overturned the smart phone industry and invented a new category of tablet computers, is taking a second medical leave of absence in two years.In the last decade, Jobs, 55, has survived a rare but curable form of pancreatic cancer and undergone a liver transplant. The news that he will again step down from his day-to

Industry Jan. 18, 2011