Thousands of people evacuated from a high-rise office building after tremors were felt throughout the building for unknown reasons in Seoul on Tuesday.According to the Gwangjin Fire Station, the 39-story Prime Center including TechnoMart, a major electronics retail outlet in Gwangjin-gu, shook violently for 10 minutes at around 10:10 a.m., prompting some 300 people to evacuate.At the time of the t

Social Affairs July 5, 2011

Walter SharpThe Seoul Metropolitan Government will name U.S. Forces Korea Commander Gen. Walter Sharp as an honorary citizen for his contribution to the safety of the Korean Peninsula, officials said Monday.“Gen. Sharp has made many efforts to promote bilateral relations between the U.S. soldiers and surrounding citizens, like starting the Good Neighbor English Camp program for Korean high school

Social Affairs July 4, 2011

The latest strand of the Korean wave isn’t coming from the usual pop culture, but Chinese parents sending their children to learn Korean. Leading the boom is 10-year-old Liu Ming-feng who took home the gold from the Homtamin Cup Korean Chinese Children’s Broadcasting Culture Festival, in the category for narrating children’s stories in Korean. The seventh contest held by China Radio International

Social Affairs June 28, 2011

A term synonymous with Hawaii much like ukulele, luau or humuhumunukunukuapua’a (the state fish), shaved ice is a must-have for anyone visiting from the mainland. Shave ice, as the locals call it, has its roots in Asian culture, as it was Japanese plantation workers who first started shaving ice with machetes and flavoring it with fruit juice. One of the near infinite flavor combinations available

Food June 24, 2011

Seoul City pumps 2,000 tons of tainted water from around U.S. military basesPollutants remain in drainage water from a central Seoul U.S. military base, despite the capital pumping nearly 2,000 tons of contaminated water since 2001, city officials said on Tuesday.The discovery of pollutants is increasing concerns about waste disposal at U.S. bases, already heightened by concerns of possible Agent

Social Affairs June 7, 2011

Confrontation between city, street vendors may escalateNormally a street that contains a harmonious balance of both tranquility and bustling excitement, Insa-dong can leave you with a sense of what Korea might have been.But with the recent crackdown on street vendors, many foreigners are left wondering why the streets look like a warzone and stores are without customers.After deciding to create a

Social Affairs June 5, 2011

U.S. says it has found no official records of orders given to remove materials yetA U.S. Army commander told South Korean officials on Thursday that there was no confirmation that chemicals were removed from Camp Carroll, contrary to earlier statements that herbicides were disposed offsite.Earlier in the month, Lt. Gen. John D. Johnson, commander of the Eighth U.S. Army and head of the Joint Inves

Social Affairs June 2, 2011

Ministry to begin health survey of residents living near U.S. baseSouth Korean and U.S. officials agreed to use ground-penetrating radars, and underground water analysis within a southern U.S. army base to help verify whether a toxic defoliant was buried there nearly three decades ago, officials said Wednesday.The results of their meeting Wednesday were announced during a briefing at Camp Carroll

Social Affairs June 1, 2011