WASHINGTON (AP) ― Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke may feel surrounded when he testifies before Congress this week.From his left, Democrats will demand to know what the Fed can do to create jobs, especially after the government reported last week that unemployment rose to 9.2 percent in June and the economy generated just 18,000 net new jobs.From his right, Republicans will likely question th

Mario MaurerThe Korea Tourism Organization on Monday said it named Mario Maurer, a popular entertainer in Thailand, as a PR ambassador. Born to a German father and Thai mother in 1988, the model, actor and singer is one of the most popular celebrities in Thailand.Maurer is scheduled to arrive in Seoul on Thursday and visit major tourist sites in Korea for four days.Photos and videos of his visit w

The U.S. Forces Korea on Monday conferred its annual Good Neighbor Awards to 24 Korean and U.S. civilians and military staff for their contribution to strengthening the alliance between the two nations.Fourteen South Koreans, including Dongducheon Mayor Oh Sea-chang and Pyeongtaek Culture Center head Oh Yong-won, were given the awards in the category of individuals during the ninth GNA ceremony at

Park Tae-hakPark Tae-hak, senior researcher at the Agency for Defense Development, will lead a project to develop technologies needed to launch an entirely Korean-made space launch vehicleThe Ministry of Education and Science and Technology said Tuesday that it has appointed Park the project leader at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute and would soon initiate the first phase of the project. Du

Kang Chil-soon, 51, has become the first female to head a regional headquarters of Korea Railroad, the national rail operator.In the July 1 reshuffle, Kang was named chief of Korail’s regional headquarters for Seoul, making her Korail’s first female regional chief in the company’s 111-year history. Kang Chil-soonKorail’s Seoul headquarters is responsible for the company’s services and facilities i

If a poll were taken to pick the most reviled man in Japan, Ryu Matsumoto would win hands down. Until Tuesday, he had Japan’s second-most important job: reconstruction minister. Four months after the earthquake and tsunami, no issue looms larger than how Japan rebuilds, boosts growth and reassesses its nuclear industry. On July 3, a week into the job, Matsumoto headed north to check the devastatio

The establishment of South Sudan last weekend sowed a seed of new hope. For the seed to bear fruit, wholehearted assistance from the international community is crucial.A major breakup occurred over the weekend and this one was very peaceful. The southern part of Sudan seceded from the country and went independent. The Republic of South Sudan was thus established on July 9 with the attendance of ma

President Lee in uphill battle to keep his ‘fair society’ campaign afloatA workplace inspector suspected of taking bribes from companies called on a police investigator and tried to bribe him with an envelope of cash only to be caught red-handed early this year.When police later raided the Seoul branch office of the Employment and Labor Ministry, where the inspector surnamed Park worked, they foun

It has been an unusually quiet year for Korean women’s golf. In recent years, the leader board at LPGA golf events has been dominated by Korean women: they combined for 22 wins from 2009-2010. But this year has been disappointing with no title yet for the Koreans until last week. The deadlock was finally broken when Ryu So-yeon claimed the U.S. Women’s Open title on Monday by beating her fellow co

In a world where everything’s refundable, fast-forwardable or otherwise disposable, it’s easy to forget that buying a movie ticket has never been a risk-free proposition.There’s something exhilarating about walking out of a movie. Not only does it reacquaint you with the notion of your own free will (“Wait a second, no one is forcing me to watch Tom Hanks ride around on a scooter!”), it’s like get