Receding Arctic ice has opened up a speculative oil El Dorado that has got the world’s eight Arctic Council nations ― Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the United States ― scrambling over conflicting territorial claims in a 21st century land run.That has pulled Korea and Denmark together in an unlikely partnership to develop oil, natural gas and mineral resources in the Arctic in their so-called “global green growth alliance,” the first economic partnership of its ki

Small pocketknives are to be allowed onboard U.S. flights for the first time since their prohibition after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, following an announcement by the Transportation Security Administration on Tuesday.The new rules, to come into effect on April 25, will allow passengers to carry non-fixed blades of less than 6 cm in length and 1.3 cm in width. Happily for sports enthusiasts, golf clubs, ski poles, hockey sticks and baseball bats will also be permitted. Attracting its f

The majority of the cardinals who are to select the next leader of the Roman Catholic Church held their first pre-conclave meeting in Rome on Monday, having being summoned the previous Friday by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, dean of the College of Cardinals.Of the 117 cardinals eligible to vote for the next pope, 107 attended the meeting on the future of the church and when to hold the conclave to select the pontiff. While the date for the conclave is yet to be set, the cardinals reportedly hope to co

The Dominican Republic’s Embassy in Korea celebrated a number of milestones during its Independence Day reception at Seoul Millennium Hilton Hotel on Wednesday.Dominican Ambassador to Korea Grecia Fordalicia Pichardo took note during the reception commemorating the Caribbean nation’s Independence Day that a number of anniversaries coincide this year.“This anniversary of our national independence coincides with the bicentennial of the birth of our nation’s founding father Juan Pablo Duarte and th

The New Zealand's trade commission in Korea promoted the nation’s food exports to Korea in Busan on Tuesday. At an event dubbed the New Zealand Food Connection 2013, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise showcased quintessentially New Zealand favorites including Manuka honey, greenshell mussels and black currants at Paradise Hotel.Organizers talked up the healthy properties of these New Zealand food exports such as Manuka honey, said to have antibacterial properties, and greenshell mussels containing

The Slovakian Embassy in Korea hosted professional men’s volleyball star Martin Nemec of the Incheon Korean Air Jumbos, as the team vies to qualify for V-League playoffs, in a special reception at the Central European nation’s chancery on Feb. 22.Slovakian Ambassador to Korea Dusan Bella said it was his honor to host a great Slovakian athlete, Martin Nemec, adding he is proud of Slovakian men and women who represent their country through sports around the world including in East Asia. Slovakia’s

Kazakhstan’s new first deputy prime minister, Bakytzhan Sagintayev, thinks of himself less as a politician, and more as a civil servant.“I am first a civil servant, and then a politician,” said Sagintayev, who stepped into his role as first deputy prime minister and as minister of regional development on Jan. 16. Although such modesty might be uncommon among political figures, it illustrates a characteristic that could be called an essential aspect of today’s Kazakhstan. Sagintayev, the country’

South Korea's new President Park Geun-hye urged Japan on Friday to face up to history and be more responsible for its wartime wrongdoing, saying they are preconditions for the two neighbors to build genuine trust and cooperation. Park issued the appeal in an address marking Korea's 1919 nationwide uprising against Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule. The speech was watched closely as it came just days after her inauguration and could set the tone for relations between the two countries.The March 1st I

Acknowledging the “rough seas” the Catholic Church has navigated in recent years, Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday appeared in front of a crowd of more than 150,000 people at Vatican City to give the last public address of his papacy.“…There were moments, as there were throughout the history of the church, when the seas were rough and the wind blew against us and it seemed that the Lord was sleeping,” he told the crowd at St. Peter’s Square in Rome. As of Thursday evening, Joseph Ratzinger ceased