Kim Ki-duk, one of the best known Korean directors overseas, said on Thursday he has realized that filmmaking makes him happy, in his first appearance before local media in four years."It will be my first feature film to be shown in four years,"Kim said during a news conference in Seoul to promote his new film "Pieta." "I haven't worked on any movie for many reasons so far.This time, I surely felt

Film July 19, 2012

Labor unionists of South Korea's biggest umbrella union said Thursday that an estimated 130,000 members will stage a second nationwide strike to demand better working conditions.Affiliated companies of the Korean Metal Workers' Union (KMWU), one of the largest industrial guilds under the progressive Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), will go on a one-day walkout on Friday, following the

Social Affairs July 19, 2012

JOHANNESBURG (AP) -- Double amputee Oscar Pistorius is going to the London Olympics after being selected for South Africa's 4x400 relay team.Pistorius is set to become the first amputee track athlete ever to compete at the Olympics. South Africa's Olympic committee picked him Wednesday.The selection eased Pistorius' disappointment at his failure to qualify in the individual 400 meters. The 25-year

More Sports July 4, 2012

A South Korean unification activist on an unauthorized visit to North Korea met with the communist nation's No. 2 leader on Wednesday, Pyongyang's official news agency reported.Ro Su-hui, 68, a leader of a pro-Pyongyang organization, has been in North Korea since March 24 on an unsanctioned trip to attend a memorial service to mark the 100th day anniversary of the death of Pyongyang's long-time le

North Korea July 4, 2012

President Lee Myung-bak met with Laotian Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong on Wednesday and discussed ways to expand cooperation in energy and resources as well as development aid between the two countries, the presidential office said.Thongsing arrived in Seoul earlier Wednesday for a two-day visit that also includes talks with South Korean Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik and a business forum aime

Foreign Affairs July 4, 2012

South Korea's ruling Saenuri Party will stick to its current presidential candidate selection process, but will check to see if there are shortcomings that can be addressed, the party's chairman said Saturday.At the end of a workshop event for lawmakers, Hwang Woo-yea said meeting the primary election timetable set by the party's constitution will be a challenge in itself. He said that because the

Politics June 9, 2012

China will launch a manned spacecraft this month, state news agency Xinhua said Saturday, in the latest step in a programme aimed at giving the country a permanent space station by 2020.The Shenzhou-9 spacecraft and its carrier rocket have already been moved to the launch platform at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China, Xinhua said, quoting an official with the country's manned

Technology June 9, 2012

The main opposition Democratic United Party (DUP) was set to pick its new leadership at a national convention Saturday ahead of this year's presidential race.Party sources said that Reps. Kim Han-gil and Lee Hae-chan were in the lead for the top post as the party gathering got underway at the KINTEX convention center, northwest of Seoul.They added that Kang Gi-jung, Choo Mi-ae, Woo Sang-ho and Cho

Politics June 9, 2012

Police have arrested 190 people and rescued 18 children in a major US crackdown on child pornography, including some detained in Europe and elsewhere, judicial authorities said Friday.Most of the arrests in Operation Orion through the month of May took place in the United States, but suspects were also picked up in Argentina, Britain, the Philippines and Spain."Many of the child exploitation cases

World News June 9, 2012

Britain's government announced plans Friday to make forced marriage a criminal offence, with parents who coerce their children into marrying to face "very tough punishments".Prime Minister David Cameron said forced marriage had been tolerated as a cultural practice in Britain's Asian community for too long and was "little short of slavery"."For too long in this country we have thought 'well, it's

World News June 9, 2012

MEXICO CITY -- The Peruvian military and police are ready to send in rescue teams to find a helicopter carrying eight South Koreans that went missing earlier in the week, a diplomatic source said Friday.The South Korean Embassy source in Lima said a 21-person air rescue team is on standby so they can be sent in by helicopter to the Hualla Hualla region where the ill-fated S-58 chopper may have cra

Social Affairs June 9, 2012

Two North Korean nationals were sentenced to eight year prison terms after being caught trying to steal secret rocket technology from the Ukraine, local sources said Saturday.Sources said the North Koreans identified as Ryu Song-chul and Lee Tae-kil were arrested for spying in July after they tried to steal classified technology from the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau in Dnipropetrovsk. The sentence was h

North Korea June 9, 2012