KT Corp., the country’s biggest fixed-line operator, said that it will join the Asian branch of the International 3-D Society as the Korean chair Thursday.With the goal of activating 3-D stereo-scopic image projects, the Asian branch will be joined by representatives from Korea, Japan and China, according to KT officials.It will focus on activities like developing 3-D related technical education p

The number of registered automobiles in South Korea could top 18 million as early as next month.The Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs said the number of registered automobiles in the country came in at 17.94 million units at the end of last year.The ministry expects the number of registered automobiles to rise above the 18 million mark in February if the pace is maintained at last y

Military cooperation in such rudimentary areas as sharing of information and mutual logistics supporting in emergencies may sound harmless with any friendly countries, but we have reasons to be cautious if it concerns Japan. Two things have to be considered: Are we ready to forget about all the legacies of the past, and are we prepared to antagonize China as Japan emerges as our military ally? Bel

North Korea again said many words in the latest verbal peace offensive, launched from the beginning of the year. This time, a joint statement by the government, political parties and civic groups called for an immediate and unconditional opening of “dialogues, negotiations and contacts” with South Korea “to discuss and resolve all problems related to the important matters of the (Korean) nation in

China’s decision to further cut exports of rare-earth elements last week should serve as a wake-up call to Washington: The Chinese monopoly in these minerals ― essential for precision-guided munitions, cruise missiles, radar, high-tech gadgets, solar panels and wind turbines ― must be broken.There are substantial rare-earth deposits outside China, including within the United States. But China’s re

If frequent-flier points convert to diplomatic progress, the endless tensions with North Korea might be reduced by a flurry of air travel.This week, U.S. special envoy to North Korea, Stephen Bosworth, will be in South Korea, China and Japan. His trip and others hint at a return by North Korea to six-party talks that stalled two years ago, when the government in Pyongyang walked away.After a letha

If you’ve never seen a child die, consider yourself very lucky. A few years ago I sat with a 19-year-old mother watching her daughter in a fast, agonized decline. The small hospital lacked the needed medicines to help. For hours the child battled for every single breath, then lost the fight. Suddenly, she was limp, gray ... gone. All hope and possibility for an entire life suspended in that last,

The Christmas to New Year’s period (Gregorian-style) is popular for conducting controversial business. During the little-covered Belarusian “elections,” President Alexander Lukashenko arrested his other competitors, even threatening to send the 3-year-old son of one presidential hopeful to an orphanage. At the same time, Ukraine’s president rounded up his political opponents. In Russia, Mikhail Kh

Welcome to the year of the bubble.It may seem an odd assertion at a time when many key economies are in, or on the verge of, recession. Yet near-zero interest rates in Washington, Tokyo and Frankfurt have a way of wreaking havoc with markets and human psychology. It’s not a reach to say we have a bubble in bubbles.The forces that will make for an interesting 2011 go beyond monetary policies. A var