Top actress Jun Ji-hyun, a.k.a. Gianna Jun, will marry a business man in June. Jun’s agency announced on Thursday that the actress will wed on June 2 at Hotel Shilla in Jangchung-dong, central Seoul, with a man named Choi Jun-hyeok. The agency added that Jun will continue her acting career after the marriage. Choi is the grandson of acclaimed hanbok designer Lee Young-hee. He is of same age as Jun, 31, and currently working at Bank of America, according reports. The two have known each other sin

Music bars take older crowd down memory roadThe familiar tune of Turbo’s 1999 hit “White Love” boomed out the doors of K-pop Music Club in Seocho-dong, southern Seoul. The song that should have seemed outdated for the streets of Gangnam in 2012 was fresh for being so unexpected.The music seemed to attract every passerby who had spent part of their teens in the 1990s. A group of women in their late 20s walking by squealed with joy and yelled “Turbo!” as they came close enough to hear the song.The

In a backstreet of Sinchon, western Seoul, lined with dubious motels, a staircase leads into a basement den lined with padded walls and padded floors. Inside, to the beat of rock music, a dozen young men roll around on the floor, locked in sweaty grapples. It’s rough stuff, but the master of this combat asylum is not a muscle-bound human gorilla with a degree from the school of hard knocks. He is a lithe Californian with a Harvard doctorate in Korean literature. Meet John Frankl: Yonsei Universi

WEST PALM BEACH, Florida (AP) ― Davy Jones, a British actor-turned-singer who helped propel the TV rock band The Monkees to the top of the pop charts and into rock and roll history, died Wednesday in Florida. He was 66.Jones, lead singer of the 1960s group that was assembled as an American version of the Beatles, died of a massive heart attack in Indiantown, Florida, where he lived, his publicist Helen Kensick confirmed.A former racehorse jockey, Jones turned to acting and then became lead singe

Professor Sung Myung-suk of Hallym University Department of Nursing was elected the 34th president of the Korean Nurses Association on Wednesday, the group announced Thursday. The organization has also appointed professors Kim Ok-soo of Ewha Womans University and Yang Soo of Catholic University as vice presidents. The new leadership begins their two-year terms on Friday. Sung received her bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees at Ewha Womans University.By Bae Ji-sook (baejisook@heraldm.com)

Lee Gil-ya, former doctor and founder of a medical foundation, was appointed president of Gachon University on Thursday.Lee, 81, became the inaugural president of the university established by merging Gachon Medical and Science University and Kyungwon University. Lee is known as a pioneer in medicine, becoming a doctor in 1957 when female doctors were rare, and later founding the Gil Medical Foundation, which later established Gachon University of Medicine in 1998. Lee has also been an active so

 Former Ambassador to Australia Kim Woo-sang has been tapped to lead the Korea Foundation.Kim is a political science and international relations academic, who taught that subject at Sookmyung Women’s University and Yonsei University. He has also been president of Yonsei University’s Institute of East and West Studies. Before serving as ambassador to Australia from April 2008 until August 2011, Kim served as an advisor for foreign affairs and unification issues and was a member of the special del

It is high time to beware of seasonal depression. It occurs most frequently before or after the winter, when the early spring breeze begins to blows away the winter cold. As the spring gets closer, however, we are at increased risk of committing suicide as symptoms of depression are most intense. In recent years several Korean celebrities have committed suicide while suffering from depression. Most of these deaths occurred in the spring. Suicide is the greatest potential evil that can result fro

Eyes become sensitive just after winter; yellow dust may cause various symptomsSpring is right around the corner, but whole many look forward to warmer weather, some dread the season because of pollen, dust and other allergies. Our eyes are especially sensitive in spring. The dryness and extreme temperature differences between morning and nighttime during winter weakens the immune system, leaving yellow dust and pollen able to cause intolerable itchiness, sneezing, tears and more. Dr. Kim Jin-gu

WASHINGTON (AP) ― The battle of the bulge has been a big, fat failure for U.S. drugmakers. But that hasn’t stopped them from trying.For nearly a century, scientists have struggled to make a diet pill that helps people lose weight without side effects that range from embarrassing digestive issues to dangerous heart problems.Earlier this week, a government panel recommended the FDA approve the latest diet drug Qnexa. The recommendation raises hopes that the U.S. could approve the first anti-obesit

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) -- Pop star Lady Gaga descended on Harvard University with some powerful friends Wednesday to launch her new foundation aimed at empowering young people.The singer was joined by Oprah Winfrey, spiritual leader Deepak Chopra, and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen