Novelist Lee Oi-soo, dubbed “Twitter president,” is in hot water over Twitter remarks on Tuesday, which fired back at netizens who expressed disappointment over his perceived “soft spot” for conservative presidential candidate Park Geun-hye. The celebrated writer on Tuesday afternoon wrote on his Twitter account: “I warn you, petty Internet users. I don’t care what you call me with your nasty vocabulary. But what you must bear in mind is that with just my single tweet, you can lose hundreds of t

Street performances, fireworks and music offer rich cultural experiencesSeoul has transformed into a giant stage for dance performances, music and fireworks as the annual Hi Seoul Festival and other festivals begin this week. A total of 62 local and international performance groups are taking over the streets and neighborhoods with various genres of performances from parades, street theater, circus and stunt flying, to dance and a lot more. About 200 dance performances will be seen throughout t

Rev. Kim Chang-in, founder of Chunghyeon Church in Yeoksam-dong, Seoul, passed away on Tuesday afternoon. He was 95. Kim was born in Euiju, North Pyeongan Province in today’s North Korea, in 1917 and started his ministry as a pastor of Shineuiju Jeil Church. He was jailed by the Japanese colonial government for refusing to pay respects at Shinto shrines. He fled to South Korea in 1948 and established Chunghyeon Church, which became one of the most influential Presbyterian churches here with form

About 100,000 Chinese tourists are expected to flock to Korea during the long Chinese holiday this week, Korea’s tourism agency said. Korea has seen a significant surge in the number of Chinese tourists entering the country since last week as the neighboring country began the nine-day “golden week” holiday that started on the lunar full moon day on Sept. 29 and continues through the national holiday from Oct. 1-7. Tourism experts also find that Korea is rising as an alternative travel destinatio

MANILA (AFP) ― The 83-year-old widow of late Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos will seek a second term as congresswoman, an aide said Monday, as the family seeks to extend a remarkable political comeback.Imelda Marcos plans to file her candidacy this week for next year’s mid-term elections to represent Ilocos Norte, a northern province where the patriarch was born and which has for decades been the main support base for the family.“She is filing her candidacy for congresswoman in Ilocos Norte

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) ― Yahoo! chief executive Marissa Mayer, 37, has had a baby boy, her husband announced in a tweet Monday.“Baby boy Bogue born last night. Mom (@marissamayer) and baby are doing great ― we couldn’t be more excited!” her husband Zachary Bogue said on Twitter.Mayer and Bogue, a venture capitalist, were married in 2009.Mayer took over in July at Yahoo! after 13 years at Google, in a move aimed at reinvigorating the struggling Internet firm. She announced just after accepting the p

NEW YORK (AP) ― Barry Commoner, a scientist and activist who raised early concerns about the effects of radioactive fallout and was one of the pioneers of the environmental movement, has died in New York. He was 95. Commoner died Sunday afternoon at a Manhattan hospital, where he had been since Friday, said his wife, Lisa Feiner. He lived in Brooklyn Heights. Commoner was an outspoken advocate for environmental issues. He was one of the founders of a well-known survey of baby teeth in St. Louis

VOJAKOVAC, Croatia (AP) ― Tihana Nemcic wants to be treated just like any other head coach. The 24-year-old Nemcic, a former Croatia women’s international and part-time model, just happens to be getting more attention than usual. That’s because she has taken over as coach of a Croatian men’s football team ― fifth division side NK Viktorija Vojakovac. Nemcic, a former club player in Croatia, graduated in July from the country’s Sporting University. Since taking over at NK Viktorija Vojakovac, she

 A New York state man whose 1,505.5-pound pumpkin took the top prize at a festival said his secret is “lots of water and lots of luck.”Karl Haist of Clarence Center, who took first in the 30th World Pumpkin Weigh-off at the Great Pumpkin Farm‘s fall festival in Clarence, said he has been growing pumpkins for 10 years, The Buffalo (N.Y.) News reported Monday.Haist, who said his prize-winning pumpki

One of three archaeological pieces of Mayan culture, recovered in the United States where they were sold illegally, is presented by Guatemalan authorities in Guatemala City Sept.12. (AP-Yonhap)MEXICO CITY (AP) _ As the clock winds down to Dec. 21, experts on the Mayan calendar have been racing to convince people that the Mayas didn't predict an apocalypse for the end of this year.Some experts are

Theater / dance“A Tale of Two Cities”: A Korean adaptation of Broadway musical “A Tale of Two Cities,” based on Charles Dickens’ 1859 novel of the same title, is currently being staged in Seoul. The show is set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution, and tells the story of French peasantry demoralized by the aristocracy. It received the 2009 Outer Critics Circle Award nomination for outstanding new musical. Korea’s musical star Ryu Jeong-han is playing its protagonist Sydney