South Korea - The Korea Times

Defamation suit against President

Hwang Seon, former deputy speaker of the now-defunct Democratic Labor Party, shows an envelope containing written complaint that she filed against President Park Geun-hye for defamation for calling her forum pro-North Korean, at the Seoul Central Prosecutors’ Office in Seoul, Monday. While conservative groups regard Hwang’s forums about North Koreanissues as sympathetic toward Pyongyang, Park said that she was concerned about social conflict over so-called pro-North Korea forums. / Yonhap

Dec 22, 2014

Frozen battleship Choe Yeong enters Russian port

/ YonhapRussian media outlets have highlighted “frozen” Korean navy destroyer ROKS Choe Yeong entering Vladivostok frozen in thick ice. Yonhap News Agency photos showed the 4,400-ton, Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin-class battleship was literally an ice ship, with its deck and cannon barrels covered in thick ice. According to a local news outlet, the ship encountered a snow storm off Russia. But the vessel functioned normally, because it is designed to withstand extreme temperatures.The ship arrived in Vladivostok on Thursday near the end of a 90-day exercise that began from Guam and included stops in 12 countries, including Australia, India and Russia, covering 37,000 kilometers.Travelling with combat support ship Cheonji, ROKS Choe Yeong is due to return to Jinhae, South Gyeongsang Province, on Tuesday.

Dec 22, 2014By Ko Dong-hwan

Frozen battleship Choe Yeong enters Russian port

Power Rangers tops X-mas lists in Korea

Parents line up at the Lotte Mart at Seoul Station on Dec. 17 to purchase Power Ranger Dino Force toys for their children a week before the Christmas. / YonhapKorea’s hottest-selling items this Christmas season are Power Rangers from the “Dino Force” series, retailer Lotte Mart said last week.According to Lotte, the top children’s item for Christmas this year is the Power Rangers’ Dino Force DX Tyranno King. Other products in the Dino Force series follow close behind. “Dino Force products are hard to obtain and aren’t always in stock,” a Lotte official told Yonhap. “Still, the toys managed to become the bestsellers in December.” Since debuting on Korean television in July, the “Dino Force” series has seen explosive popularity.Robots from the “Tobot” animation series were also popular, ranking third and seventh on the list.

Dec 21, 2014By Kim Jae-heun

Delicious 'patjuk'

Staffers make "patjuk," or red bean porridge, for tourists at the Korean Folk Village in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, Sunday, a day before "dongji," or the winter solstice. Traditionally, patjuk was believed to scare away ghosts./ Yonhap

Dec 21, 2014

Visit to front unit

Rep. Kim Moo-sung, chairman of the ruling Saenuri Party, offers words of encouragement to soldiers serving at the Army’s 12th Infantry Division at Inje, Gangwon Province, Sunday. During a visit to the front line unit, Kim, along with senior party members, looked around a guard post and general outpost to check the military’s security posture against threats from North Korea. / Yonhap

Dec 21, 2014

Now and Forever

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Dec 20, 2014

Sexiest cheerleader tops pay ranks

A soju advertisement with Park Gi-ryang posing as a model. / YonhapAfter being voted the most beautiful cheerleader in the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) league, Park Gi-ryang, 23, confessed on a TV show Thursday that she also earned the most among cheerleaders this year.The Lotte Giants cheerleader didn’t reveal the exact amount when she appeared on KBS TV talk show Happy Together, but she mentioned that her income was “the highest in the history of KBO” for a cheerleader.Annual incomes for the pom-pom brandishing squads are generally managed by separate event companies and range from 25 million to 30 million won ($22,700 ~ 27,200) five to six years into their careers. Park’s income is believed to easily surpass that amount as she debuted in the industry in 2007 as a cheerleader for the Ulsan Mobis Phoebus (which she still performs for, along with basketball team Daejeon Samsung Fire Bluefangs).Known for her pure and sexy image, Park previously appeared in commercials and TV programs, a rare opportunity for a cheerleader in Korea.

Dec 19, 2014By Ko Dong-hwan

Busy comedian Kim Gu-ra diagnosed with 'panic disorder'

Kim Gu-raOne of the busiest comedians in Korea Kim Gu-ra abruptly cancelled all of his TV appearances on Thursday after he was diagnosed with a panic disorder.The 45-year-old star, according to local newspapers on Friday, sought medical help due to tinnitus and chest pain. Kim was hospitalized on the same day forcing him to cancel his upcoming appearances.A spokesman from Line Entertainment said Kim did not want visitors and kept his hospital information a secret.The spokesman confirmed Kim has been struggling to compensate for a debt owed by his wife out of foiled surety worth 1.8 billion won ($1.63 million) over the past few years. The comedian quipped a number of times on TV that he’s living a hard life because of that debt.Kim rose to stardom in the mid-2000s breaking away from his underground career as host of an online radio show in which he, along with two friends, habitually made vulgar comments about celebrities.

Dec 19, 2014By Ko Dong-hwan

Busy comedian Kim Gu-ra diagnosed with 'panic disorder'

Virtual NK-SK marriage TV show underscores unification

From left, Park Soo-hong, Park Soo-eh, Kim Eun-ah and Yang Joon-hyuk are playing as virtual married couples in "Nam Nam Buk Nyeo." / Courtesy of YouTubeA TV show generated hope for the unification of Korea by holding a special talk concert at a performance theater in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province on Wednesday.The casts of “Nam Nam Buk Nyeo” (South Korean man and North Korean woman in Korean), TV Chosun’s reality show where two couples go through virtual wedlock, invited North Korean defectors and some 300 guests to the theater.Comedian Park Soo-hong, former Samsung Lions baseball star Yang Joon-hyuk, and female defectors Park Soo-eh and Kim Eun-ah joined together to sing, dance, perform magic tricks and introduce behind-the-scene episodes to the audience.Celebrity guests were also invited to spice up the occasion, including singers Cho Young-nam and actress Kim Min-hee.“Why don’t you guys get married for real?” the guests encouraged the cast members. Park, 45, and Yang, 46, who are married to Soo-eh and Eun-ah respectively on the show, r

Dec 19, 2014By Ko Dong-hwan

Virtual NK-SK marriage TV show underscores unification

Just the way you are

Dec 19, 2014

Others

Others

Defamation suit against President

Frozen battleship Choe Yeong enters Russian port

Power Rangers tops X-mas lists in Korea

Delicious 'patjuk'

Visit to front unit

Now and Forever

Sexiest cheerleader tops pay ranks

Busy comedian Kim Gu-ra diagnosed with 'panic disorder'

Virtual NK-SK marriage TV show underscores unification

Just the way you are

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