New chief stresses two-way communication between Korea and ‘middle powers’With South Korea increasingly flexing its diplomatic muscles on the international stage, it is time to focus on strengthening its soft power, a scholar-turned-diplomat in Seoul said.Korea Foundation president Kim Woo-sang argues that the nation should foster a network of multilateral cooperation, particularly with emerging “middle power” countries.“The time has come for Korea to take a leading role in resolving global issu

The Pony Chung Foundation presented on Thursday Kakao Talk chairman Kim Beom-su with the Pony Chung Innovation Award. Pony Chung Innovation Award is presented to people who have achieved great changes with innovative ideas. The award was first made in 2006, and given to Ban Ki-moon, now secretary-general of the United Nations.  The sixth recipient was awarded in recognition of his creation of a new channel for mobile communication, organizers said. One of his mobile creations is Kakao Talk, the

Paintings from the cultural golden age of Joseon will go on public display at the Kansong Art Museum starting Sunday. It will be the first exhibition this year for the museum, a treasure trove of artwork including more than 10 National Treasures, which also marks the 50th anniversary of the death of its founder Jeon Hyeong-pil. Named after Jeon’s pen name, the museum holds only two exhibitions a year, each free of charge and lasting two weeks. The doors and the windows at this venerable institut

With unusually hot weather signaling an early end to spring, many women are taking up weight loss regimes, getting ready to show off slender figures in summer.According to business group CJ, the women’s weight-loss market is worth around 200 billion won ($175 million) a year. However, many fail in their attempts to shed a few kilograms. Here are 11 reasons suggested by Fox News and other news outlets as to why people stumble on their way to a slimmer figure.  1. You eat the wrong food: Many peop

CHICAGO (AP) ― Men rarely get breast cancer, but those who do often don’t survive as long as women, largely because they don’t even realize they can get it and are slow to recognize the warning signs, researchers say.On average, women with breast cancer lived two years longer than men in the biggest study yet of the disease in males.The study found that men’s breast tumors were larger at diagnosis, more advanced and more likely to have spread to other parts of the body. Men were also diagnosed l

KANSAS CITY, Missouri ― Margie Warden is walking.It’s 4:45 a.m., and even some of the birds aren’t up yet, but she’s walking. She’s 70 years old and sweating through a gray shirt as she trudges up a long hill in the dark. She’ll walk 10 kilometers on the grounds of Kansas City Kansas Community College before the sun comes up. Ten years from now ― God willing, she says ― she’ll still be walking 10 kilometers every day. She’ll walk in the heat, in the cold, in the rain and the snow, because that’s

Anemia is a condition in which the blood has a below-normal level of red blood cells, hemoglobin, or hematocrit. In general, the patient is diagnosed as anemic if their hemoglobin content is lower than 13 grams per 100 ml in men, or 12g per 100 ml in women.Not every case of dizziness is diagnosed as anemia.Though many people think they are same, dizziness and vertigo are often not caused by anemia. Anemia could be one reason behind dizziness, but there are many other possible reasons including d

An Australian woman has made her own ‘fins’ to realize her childhood dreams; to become a mermaid and swim with whales.Hannah Fraser, 36-year-old Australian living in Los Angeles, swims in her mermaid costume with whales, dolphins and even sharks to promote awareness of marine life protection, according to news reports. She has been featured in children’s books and documentaries to inspire whale conservation.Fraser said her own experience of witnessing brutal dolphin slaughtering in Japan greatly

An apple a day keeps blood clots away, claim scientists.In fact, oranges, onions, green tea and black tea -- all of which contain the chemical rutin -- may also contribute to preventing blood clots. Researchers at Harvard Medical School tested 500 different chemicals to find that rutin was most effective in blocking protein disulfide isomerase, a key enzyme linked to the formation of blood clots.“Clots occur in both arteries and in veins,” says Professor Robert Flaumenhaft, who led the research

Pioneering British celebrity hairdresser Vidal Sassoon died Wednesday aged 84 after a "long and courageous" battle with leukemia, his family said. Vidal Sassoon (AP-Yonhap News)The man credited with creating the modern bob haircut and relieving women from the rigors of old-fashioned perms was surrounded by his loved ones when he passed away at his home in Bel Air, California."It is with great sadn

KB Financial Group Chairman Euh Yoon-dae will represent South Korea at the 2012 Microsoft CEO Summit to be held May 15-17 in Seattle, U.S. More than 100 leading CEOs will participate in the 16th global summit to discuss international management trends and economy-related issues. It is the second time Euh has been invited to participate in the event. This year’s participants include the host, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates, genius investor Warren Buffett, former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair, GE