WASHINGTON ― It’s hard to imagine Rome giving a state dinner for the marauding Barbarians. Or ancient Athens feting a rising Sparta. So before you make any assumptions about inevitable conflict between America and China, consider the image of President Hu Jintao tapping his toe to the music of Herbie Hancock in the East Room of the White House. The social whirl of a state visit is as short-lived a

A former pastor has been sentenced to nine years in prison for having sex with underage members of his congregation, the Seoul High Court said Sunday. The 65-year-old man, surnamed Kang, had been indicted on charges of having sex with his victims, including a then 11-year-old girl, and sexually molesting three others at his church in 2006. (MCT)He was also found to have taken photos of them in sex

Forget the symbolic vote to repeal health care. Republicans don’t have the votes to override Obama’s sure veto.The real move happens later, when Republicans try to cut the money needed to implement the law’s requirement that all Americans buy health insurance.On its face it’s a smart tactic. The individual mandate is the lynchpin of the heath-care law because it spreads the risks. Without the part

 Among the many kingdoms of Korea, Silla (57 BC ― 935 AD), along with its neighbor Gaya, was the one that artfully used gold for its royal crafts. Its gold crowns, in particular, are known as some of the most spectacular national treasures uncovered in Korea.Korea Foundation’s newly released English book, “Gold Crowns of Silla: Treasures from a Brilliant Age,” features five Silla gold crowns disco

ASEAN-Korea Centre has announced the winners of the “2010 ASEAN-Korea Children’s Drawing Contest” for the nation’s elementary school students.Under the theme “My Friend ASEAN,” last month’s contest received over 160 entries that explored the diverse cultures of ASEAN member states and expressed the friendship shared between Southeast Asian countries and South Korea. The winner of the contest was L

Park Wan-suh, a well-known South Korean novelist and essayist who delved into post-Korean War realities of everyday people, died of gallbladder cancer on Saturday. She was 80. Park had been suffering the disease in recent years and died earlier in the morning, leaving behind four daughters, according to her acquaintances. The memorial photo of late writer Park Wan-suh is placed at a funeral room o

To mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Australia and South Korea, the embassy will kick off a plethora of yearlong events on Wednesday at their national day celebration. In March 2009, when President Lee Myung-bak visited Australia, the Australian and Korean governments agreed to mark this milestone by designating 2011 as the “Australia-Korea Year of Frie

Pusan International Film Festival deputy director and one of the cofounders of the festival, Jeon Yang-jun (Jay) was honored last week for his accomplishments in promoting ties between Czech and Korean film industries.A diverse group of people from both countries attended the event where Czech Republic Ambassador Jaroslav Olsa Jr. conferred the medal from the Czech Foreign Ministry.Jeon is a well-