Stories about South Korea from August, 2010
South Korea: Government Plan To Increase Cigarette Price Meets Public Backlash
South Korea’s health department announced on tripling the price of cigarettes to curb the nation’s high smoking rate, prompting a new round of cigarette price disputes online. Many Koreans agree that smoking rates should come down, but still doubt the effectiveness of the new move.
South Korea: Extras Went On Strike
In South Korea, about one hundred extras from movies and soap operas went on strike, protesting over low pay and verbal abuse in the work place, South Korea's Segye [kr] reported.
North Korea: Former President Carter Rescued A Detained American from North Korea
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter left North Korea with a detained U.S. citizen AIjalon Mahli Gomes today South Korea's Joongang reported, quoting North Korea's state media KCNA (Korean Central News Agency).
South Korea: Controversy Overshadows Woman Climber’s World Record
South Korea's Oh Eun-sun is believed to be the first woman to have climbed the world's 14 highest mountains. One of her peaks was being disputed and bloggers have delved deeper into how this unseemly incident got formed from the start.
South Korea: Kim Yuna, the Star Figure Skater Parted Ways With Her Coach
South Korea's figure skating queen and the gold medalist Kim Yuna split from her longtime coach. However, it seems like not a clean breakup. Suspicions are intensified as Yuna twitted “Would you please stop to tell a lie B? I know exactly what’s going on now and this is what...
South Korea: Civil Service Exams Removed, Years of Studies Wasted?
Many South Koreans are angry over a government's decision to replace the civil service exam with open recruitment. The exam has been praised for giving equal opportunities to applicants regardless of their education and family background. The online space is exploding with enraged bloggers' condemnations of the reform as a way of stalling the nation’s already flatlining social mobility.
South Korea: North Korea's Stealth War Manual Disclosed
South Korea’s Chosun Ilbo exclusively revealed a confidential field manual that shows North Korean military’s camouflage materials like stealth paint and fake facilities and equipment to cheat other sides’ satellites and aircraft.
South Korea: Small Tips for Green Growth
South Korea’s JoongAng Ilbo wrote an article on giving tips for green growth, focusing on how green practices can be done in every day life in ordinary houses.
China and the U.S: Trouble Waters
Sinica podcast looks at the trouble waters between China and the U.S around China’s coast.
North Korea: A North Korean Jet Fighter Crashed
North Korea has confirmed today that a North Korean jet fighter crashed in Liaoning Province, China Tuesday. South Korean experts assume that the pilot sought to defect the North with his airplane South Korea’s Donga reported.
South Korea: North Korea's Twitter Is Limited In South
On North Korea's newly opened twitter[en], South Korea's Unificiation Ministry hurriedly went checking legal issues in interacting with the North's Twitter account. South Korea's Chosun, along with other Korean local media predicted that the South's government may limit [kr] its people from retweeting some of North Korean propaganda links and...
South Korea: Shrewder Commercials As Viewers Get Smarter
In South Korea, an indirect type of commercial was apppeared in the country's largest network's prime time news. It was a netizen who caught it, proving once again that the internet user groups are not gullible enough to eat up the reality traditional media project.
South Korea:South Korean President Opened His Twitter
South Korean President, Lee Myung-bak opened his official Twitter account (@BluehouseKorea) yesterday, South Korea’s IT online media ZDnet reported [kr].
South Korea: A Pastor Facing Arrest for Visiting North Illegally
A left-inclining South Korean pastor who made an unauthorized trip to North Korea will be arrested for violating the National Security Law as soon as he returns to South, South Korea’s Joongang reported. Pastor Han is scheduled to return tomorrow from his 10 day visit to North.
South Korea: Lax Safety Control Lead to Bus Explosion
An ordinary bus in Seoul has exploded with a loud bang, injuring 17 people. The accident was due to overheated gas tanks but fear is growing among the people as the city is planning to replace every bus to this CNG model which exploded this week.
South Korea: Police Raided Google Korea In Street View Probe
South Korean Police raided Google Korea over privacy concerns with Google's Street View Korea Herald reported.
South Korea : Lost in Translation, Especially During Vacations
Translation is probably one of the most grueling and painstaking works in the world. In South Korea, to add the translator's already full baggage, people are venting their stress from English-craziness to translators.
South Korea: Iran Envoy Said South Korea To Avoid Sanctions on North
Iranian Ambassador warned South Korea of substantial economic loss if it follows US led sanction on North Korea in an exclusive interview with South Korea’s Joongang Ilbo, few days later the top sanctioning envoys from the US made visits to Seoul.
North Korea: North reopened A hotel at Mt. Kumgang Resort Without Approval
North Korea reopened a hotel at Mt. Kumgang resort which is on long lease to South Korean Hyundai Asan without getting the South’s approval, South Korea’s Chosun reported, quoting Chosun Shinbo, a North Korean mouthpiece published in Japan.
China: Visa tales
With all the economic growth in China over the past few decades and a growing number of global travelers to match, have visa requirements for Chinese citizens been adapting in step? Well-heeled journalist Chen Zikun shares his experiences, see if or how any of them compare to yours.
North Korea: Young Kids Suffering from North Korea’s Mass Games
North Korea proudly presents ‘Arirang performance’ is one of the world’s largest mass games, designed to promote its regime and earn dollars. More than 20 thousand young students mobilized for the show are forced to practice the routine intensively under directly exposed sunlight for hours and not a few have...
