Actor Hyun Bin (Yonhap News)　Actor Hyun Bin joined the Marines on Monday for his military service in South Korea.  “I have received great attention and love in the year 2010 and now I have been ordered by my country (to serve in the military). I will return the love you have given me in two years and I will spend those two years well,” Hyun said in the farewell message to his fans gathered in fron

A group of lawyers gathered in front of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office in Seoul on Monday, denouncing a plan to recruit prosecutors from law school graduates based on school headmasters’ recommendations and interviews only. “Selecting prosecutors, one of the most prestigious occupations in the nation, without objective criteria is unacceptable. People with personal connections such as good family

Ven. Myeongjin, former chief monk of Bongeun Temple, has left the temple permanently, claiming that he was coerced to leave by the nation’s intelligence agency chief who allegedly took issue with his anti-government comments. The Bongeun Temple is part of the Jogye order, the largest Buddhist sect in Korea, and is the largest temple in southern Seoul. Since Nov. 9, Ven. Myeongjin has been away for

Fresh off her first victory of the 2011 season, South Korean female golfer Park In-bee said she has her sight on a bigger goal.“This year, I would like to be among the top 10 players of the world,” Park said after winning the Daichi Orchid Ladies Golf Tournament in Okinawa over the weekend. It was the first event of the 2011 Japan LPGA Tour, and Park overcame a three-stroke deficit to win by three

Korea’s household savings rate stayed far below the average for major economies in the world, a report showed Monday, apparently indicating that the latest economic crisis resulted in a decline in income reserved for bank savings. According to the report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Korea’s household savings rate ― the ratio of savings to total disposable income ―

The head of Korea’s largest trade organization urged the country’s National Assembly Monday to quickly ratify the free trade agreement with the European Union.SaKong Il, chairman of the Korea International Trade Association, said the Korea-EU FTA is the key to boosting the country’s annual trade volume to over $1 trillion for the first time in its history. SaKong Il“The Korea-EU FTA is expected to

Experts warn subsidy spree may store up trouble for the futureKUALA LUMPUR (AFP) ― As prices of food and fuel reach historic highs, Asian nations with a wary eye on Middle East uprisings are doling out subsidies that experts warn are storing up trouble for the future.Robust Asian economies largely escaped the global downturn, and are now in danger of overheating, stoked by low interest rates, dema

PARIS (AFP) ― John Galliano ― the label, not the man ― presented its fall-winter collection on Sunday in the intimate surroundings of a Parisian salon, and in a far more relaxed atmosphere, after a week that saw the spectacular fall from grace of the iconic British couturier.Eschewing Galliano’s signature passion for bigger-than-life theatrics, the lower-key presentation saw some of the world’s to