The following article was contributed by the Embassy of Sri Lanka. – Ed.Sri Lanka and the Republic of Korea enjoy longstanding friendly relations and historical bonds based on Buddhist cultural links spanning centuries.  Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and Korea in 1977, there has been steady expansion of bilateral relations in the political, economic and cultural spheres.  In terms of high-level visits, a presidential visit from Sri Lanka to Korea took place in

Politics Feb. 3, 2016

DES MOINES, Iowa - The US presidential race looked suddenly wide open Tuesday after frontrunners Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton suffered chastening evenings in Iowa, the first step on the long road to the White House.It was a particularly humbling experience for Trump, who cut a forlorn figure after Republican arch-rival Ted Cruz streaked to victory in the Iowa caucuses, staking his claim as the new standard bearer for the conservative camp going on to New Hampshire. And if Clinton was in any

World News Feb. 3, 2016

Despite the dark clouds gathering over Korea’s economy, its sovereign ratings are at the highest levels on record, data shows. Standard & Poor’s, one of the world’s big three credit ratings agencies, on Wednesday decided to maintain Korea’s rating at AA-, the fourth highest level in its evaluation scheme, with an outlook of “stable.” A stable outlook means the rating is most likely to stay at the same level for the time being. An AA-, the highest rating given to Korea, is where the country was b

Feb. 3, 2016

In a short span of time, pianist Cho Seong-jin has risen from an unknown musician to a household name in Korea who shatters classical music records. His popularity has grown since he won the highest prize at the prestigious International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition last October. “It’s been almost a year since I’ve been back in Korea and I’m both anxious and happy to be back,” said Cho, during a press conference at the Seoul Arts Center on Monday, just hours after he arrived back to Seoul.“

Performance Feb. 2, 2016

A scene from the Korean play “Come to See Me,” which is on an open-run at the Myeongdong Theater until Feb. 21. (Pro’s LAB)In 1986, the quiet rural town of Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, was left in horror when a young local woman was found bound, raped and murdered in a ditch near a grassy field. At the time, no one could have predicted that the victim was only the first of what is estimated to be 10 woman killed over a five-year period at the hands of Korea’s most notorious serial killer -- who

Performance Jan. 31, 2016

The number of global hallyu fan club members surpassed 35 million across 86 countries last year, up from 21.8 million in 2014, according to new data from the Korea Foundation Tuesday. There were a total of 1,493 official hallyu fan clubs worldwide, a 21 percent increase from 2014 when there were 1,229 clubs.  A total of 26.21 million fan club members were reported in Asia-Pacific -- a 48 percent increase from 2014. The Americas had 7.58 million fans, a staggering 182 percent rise from 2014 to 20

Latest News Jan. 27, 2016

 A prosecutor overly reliant on using his fists in the name of justice and a corrupt politician looking to take advantage of that hot temperament -- the underlying premise of director Lee Il-hyeong’s newest flick, “A Violent Prosecutor,” may appear grim on the surface, but do not be fooled. The prison comedy doles out its fair share of laugh-out-loud moments.The film stars the contrasting combo of the stoic-faced Hwang Jung-min as Seoul district prosecutor Byun Jae-uk and Gang Dong-won as the sl

Film Jan. 26, 2016

Fans of ’70s pop music will soon have a chance to indulge their nostalgia as stars Olivia Newton-John and Tom Jones are set to hold concerts in Korea at Seoul Olympic Park in May and April, respectively.It has taken a long time for both musicians to return to Korea -- 16 and 33 years, respectively, for Newton-John and Jones.Olivia Newton-John (Official Facebook)Newton-John, a four-time Grammy award-winner recording five No. 1 and ten other Top 10 Billboard Hot 100 singles, will perform old favor

Performance Jan. 26, 2016

Adding fuel to the thriving electronica music craze in Korea, international electronic dance music phenom Zedd kick-started this year’s Hyundai Card “5 Nights” concert series with his solo performance at the AX-Korea stadium Friday night. Dance music fan or not, it would be hard to come across a music lover who has never once listened to a Zedd collaboration. Since his U.S. debut in 2012, the young artist has become one of the music world’s most popular mainstream DJs.A visual concert if there e

Performance Jan. 11, 2016

Near the shopping district of Myeong-dong, cultural street of Insa-dong and Gwanghwamun in downtown Seoul, Lotte City Hotel Myeongdong seeks to “kill two birds with one stone.”Launched as Lotte Hotels & Resorts’ biggest Lotte City Hotel brand hotel in Myeong-dong Jan. 6, the “premium business hotel” aims to attract both business travelers and foreign tourists to Seoul’s well-known travel sites.With 430 rooms, including 140 Superior Double-Bed rooms and 70 Standard Double-Bed rooms, the hotel is

Culture Jan. 8, 2016

Director of the World Jewelry Museum Lee Kang-won remembers vividly an Ethiopian woman she saw 37 years ago in the corner of a local market in Addis Ababa. The woman, dressed in a white cotton dress, was wearing a meticulously detailed, “ultramodern looking” silver necklace. Her necklace captivated Lee, who had just arrived in the country. “Her necklace was breathtaking,” said Lee, in an interview last month at the museum in Hwa-dong near Samcheong-dong.Lee Kang-won, director of the World Jewelr

Culture Jan. 8, 2016