North Korea is said to have sharply scaled down an annual firing contest for its armored units, apparently reflecting the rising detente on the peninsula, government officials in Seoul said Saturday.North Korea’s major armored units hold a tank mobilization and firing competition in the first six months of the year.The North’s leader Kim Jong-un observed the contest in 2016 and 2017 in person, but didn’t show up at this year’s event, according to the Seoul officials. (Yonhap)In addition to Kim’s

South Korea has lost its fifth consecutive game at the men’s hockey world championship.The 18th-ranked South Korea was blown out by the world No. 6 United States 13-1 in Group B action at the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championship in Herning, Denmark, on Friday (local time). (Yonhap)Forward Ahn Jin-hui gave South Korea its first lead of the tournament on a power play in the first period, before the US rallied with 13 unanswered goals, including five on power plays, at Jysk

The East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership celebrated the World Migratory Bird Day in Seoul, to raise global awareness on the need for international cooperation to conserve migratory birds worldwide, the organization said Friday.Under the theme, “unifying our voices for conservation,” the EAAFP has started to promote a campaign to spread its message to a broader audience by collaborating with major migratory bird corridors worldwide, including the African-Eurasian flyway, the East Asian-Aust

Since its launch in 1975, the Broadway musical Chicago has set a string of boundary-pushing records: the show was revived Broadway in 1996 and the ongoing revival became the longest-running American musical in Broadway history.In South Korea, the show was first staged in 2000 with local casting. Since then, the South Korean production has set its own share of unprecedented records in the South Korean musical market and the history of Chicago.For one thing, Park Kolleen, after directing the local

South Korean immigration officials raided the main office of Korean Air Lines Co. on Friday in connection with an investigation into alleged illegal employment of foreign housekeepers, sources said.The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office sent its investigators handling immigration affairs to the headquarters of the country's flagship carrier in western Seoul, according to the sources. It was later confirmed that the residence of Korean Air Chairman Cho Yang-ho was not included in the raid

Upcoming SBS drama series “Secret Mother” hopes to draw attention to the overheated Korean education environment, adding elements of mystery along the way. The Saturday-Sunday TV series features Kim So-yeon and Song Yoon-ah as the main leads. The story is set around “Gangnam mothers,” referring to moms excessively committed to their children, especially for their academic achievements.  Song Yoon-ah (left) and Kim So-yeon pose for photos at a press event held for “Secret Mother” at SBS headquart

Only 24 hours ago I was lamenting the Malaysian political system’s incapability to self-correct after a plunder as brazen as the alleged $4.5 billion looting of 1MDB, a state investment firm. The voters proved me wrong.　By unseating Prime Minister Najib Razak, and handing his Barisan Nasional coalition its first loss of power in six decades, Malaysians have sent a clear and optimistic message: Corruption matters.　But what now? Mahathir Mohamad, the 92-year-old former leader who staged the upset,

Red Velvet talked about what it was like to perform in North Korea.The K-pop act attended a luncheon hosted by President Moon Jae-in at Cheong Wa Dae on Friday, as the girl band had visited Pyongyang last month to stage an art performance along with several other artists.  Red Velvet (South Korean joint press pool in Pyongyang)Before the lunch meeting, Red Velvet recounted the performance of their hit tracks “Bad Boy” and “Red Flavor” in Pyongyang to the press.“The North Koreans were unfamiliar

Ha Ji-won has agreed to become a full-time cast member of a new tvN sci-fi series, according to her agency on Friday. Ha Ji-won (Yonhap)TvN’s new sci-fi reality show is designed to bring viewers information regarding Mars. The cast will visit the Mars Desert Research Station in the US state of Utah to film in June. The station offers a simulated Mars environment and space missions for Earth-based research. Girl group Gugudan’s Kim Se-jung and well-known celebrity explorer of “Law of the Jungle”

Seoul‘s hopes for Panmunjeom dashed as Trump announces Singapore as US-NK summit venue

Up the long escalators from the depths of Noksapyeong Station, along the barbed wire-topped walls of the aged US Yongsan Garrison and left at the kimchi pots; HBC unfolds from beneath the gaze of Namsan Tower. At one time a shooting field for the Japanese Army during colonial rule, the area became a refuge for those returning after Japan's 1945 expulsion with nowhere to return to, forming Haebangchon: “Liberation Village.” Over the years it’s seen shifts in populations and industries time and ag

Growing allegations that biopharma firm Samsung BioLogics fabricated financial statements, coupled with checks by authorities and activist shareholders, are bringing questions on a controversial deal between two Samsung affiliates back to the fore, according to market experts Friday.The Financial Services Commission plans to review the case of Samsung BioLogics next week via an oversight panel. The financial regulator is reportedly seeking clues on whether the change in accounting method was ass

A statue honoring Korean women who were forced to work in Japanese military brothels during World War II will be displayed at the Capitol Building in Washington next month, according to a New York-based Korean-American group.　“The upcoming exhibition of the statue will be a historic moment, just as the moment back in 2007 when the US House of Representatives approved a resolution urging Japan to apologize (to the survivors),” Kim Min-sun,  head of the Korean American Association of Greater New Y