In Myanmar, people have strong religious faith. On weekends and even weekdays the major pagodas in Yangon are often packed with worshippers praying for a better life.Myanmar is also famous for its fortune-tellers. Their supposed occult powers made headlines here when then-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra reportedly consulted a famous Burmese soothsayer. For believers, fortune-tellers can offer clues on how and when to act in order to increase personal prosperity.Yet despite their prominence, My

World News Oct. 21, 2014

Recently, a referendum was held in Scotland on whether it should become independent of the United Kingdom, or if it should stay in the union. After years of campaigning from both sides and after a contest so close that it was difficult to predict the outcome, the majority in Scotland voted “Yes” to stay with the United Kingdom.The referendum might not have resulted in the breakup of a union that have lasted centuries, but it did change the political landscape of the United Kingdom tremendously.T

World News Oct. 21, 2014

Indonesian President Joko Widodo (center) and Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O’Neill walk together after their meeting in Jakarta on Tuesday. (AFP-Yonhap)When Joko “Jokowi” Widodo takes his oath of office as Indonesia’s seventh president on Oct. 20, it will be a testament to the peaceful and orderly succession of the country’s leadership. It will also be a testament to the fact that electoral democracy works. This, more than anything, is probably the most important legacy, yet underapprec

World News Oct. 21, 2014

The last words of the deceased official of the Gyeonggi Institute of Science and Technology Promotion, the organizer of the accident-stricken pop concert in Pangyo that killed 16 spectators, were revealed on his Twitter account Saturday, adding to the tragic deaths of the Pangyo grate accident. The 37-year-old official, only identified by his surname Oh, tweeted at 7:01 a.m., only 15 minutes before his body was found. The note gives strong indications of his intention to commit suicide, the loca

Social Affairs Oct. 19, 2014

The legal representative of Lee Ji-yeon on Thursday stated that the model was in a relationship with top actor Lee Byung-hun.The first hearing on the celebrity blackmailing case, held at the Seoul Central District Court, aroused public criticism nationwide of all three celebrities involved: Lee Byung-hun, Lee Ji-yeon and Kim Da-hee of girl group GLAM. The trial comes a year after Lee Byung-hun married actress Lee Min-jung in Aug. 10, 2013.  Actor Lee Byung-hun. (OSEN)The prosecutor claimed that

Oct. 16, 2014

Kailash Satyarthi’s journey as an activist began when he was just six ― when he saw a child of the same age polishing shoes alongside his cobbler father outside his school.“I was going to school with a lot of excitement and I saw this child working. I was very disturbed. I spoke to my teacher and headmaster and they said that the child had no option but to work.“So one day I spoke to the father of the boy and he replied that his child had been born to work. That went deep in my heart and made me

World News Oct. 14, 2014

There is an image of her where she sits in an auditorium. A lone figure with a notebook and a pen, she sits surrounded by rows of empty seats covered in shiny black leather. The picture tells much about Malala and her struggle: a vulnerable girl out on her own, holding on to her books like a talisman, drawing strength from her belief in the power of education.The empty seats suggest that the teenage female education activist is in a class of her own. But for a country that has the third-largest

World News Oct. 14, 2014

Luhan, the Chinese member of K-pop boy band EXO, filed for the termination of his exclusive contract against S.M. Entertainment chief executive Lee Young-man and the star agency on Thursday.EXO Luhan (OSEN)Luhan submitted the legal documents to the Seoul Central District Court allegedly to partially nullify the exclusive contract that he had signed on entering the country’s largest entertainment agency by market capitalization. Although the specific cause of the lawsuit was not publicly revealed

Oct. 10, 2014

Kim Beom-su, the founder of mobile messenger service Kakao Inc., has become Korea’s wealthiest IT entrepreneur by stock value, financial market researcher’s data showed. After Kakao merged with the country’s No. 2 portal Daum Communications Co., Daum shares have rallied on the tech-focused secondary bourse KOSDAQ, according to recent data provided by corporate financial information provider FnGuide.Lee Hae-jin, the founder and CEO of the country’s biggest portal Naver and who had long held the t

Technology Oct. 5, 2014

Photos of Park Hae-jin and Ma Dong-suk, two of the five lead actors of OCN’s new television action series “Bad Guys,” were released on Sunday. The photos showed Park and Ma leaning on each other’s shoulders while taking a short break between the scenes.  Actors Ma Dong-suk(top left) and Park Hae-jin (top right) take a break between the scenes for OCN's new television series "Bad Guys." (CJ E&M)The action drama portrays the alliance of two police officers and three outlaws who team up in a plea b

Oct. 5, 2014

Model and actor Julien Kang was not high on drugs when he was caught walking around half-naked in public, the National Forensic Service confirmed on Wednesday. The local police said the Korean-French actor’s drug test results were negative, citing the state forensic agency. Model and actor Julien Kang. (OSEN)Kang was suspected of illegal drug abuse after being arrested on a busy street in Gangnam, southern Seoul, on Sept. 25 while wearing only his briefs. He was taken to the local police for an

Oct. 1, 2014

Lee Byung-hun’s two celebrity blackmailers had requested he give them a new house and cash before threatening to release a lewd video of him, prosecutors alleged on Tuesday.  Actor Lee Byung-hun. (KBS)The 24-year-old model surnamed Lee and 20-year-old Dahee of girl group Glam attempted to blackmail the 44-year-old married man after he turned down the request, according to prosecutors. The women were detained on charges of conspiracy. The prosecutors said the women were introduced to Lee Byung-hu

Sept. 30, 2014

g.o.d. (sidusHQ)g.o.d., Korea’s first generation K-pop boy band, will hold its first U.S. concerts in California and New Jersey, the group’s label Sidus HQ said on Tuesday. The five members, now in their 30s and 40s, will highlight their 15-year careers with two U.S. concerts at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, on Nov. 7 and in the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, on Nov. 9.In the U.S. concert, g.o.d. plans to introduce a variety of new performances that it has not shown at

Sept. 30, 2014