LOS ANGELES (AFP) ― Miley Cyrus remained firmly in the U.S. show business spotlight Tuesday after her steamy new video set a viewing record on the Vevo.com website.“Wrecking Ball,” featuring the erstwhile Disney teen idol swinging topless on a wrecking ball, drew 19.3 million views in its first 24 hours online, said Vevo via Twitter.She handily broke the record previously held by the British boy band One Direction.Cyrus, 20, with an album due out in October, provoked a national stir last month a

Vietnamese students who receive scholarships from Kumho Asiana, a South Korean business group, recently graced an official reception for the Korean head of state with fine melodies of classical music.A total of 11 university students and graduates who are recipients of scholarships from Kumho Asiana Vietnam Scholarship & Cultural Foundation held a concert at the state dinner hosted by Vietnam at Hanoi International Convention Center on Monday, Kumho Asiana said. The dinner was attended by South

Filipino secretary pursues emotional approach that emphasizes fun, warmth of its people

From ancient tombs to Buddhist temples, walking in Gyeongju brings history to life

The 48 Hour Film Project launched in Seoul on Saturday, giving prospective filmmakers the chance to size up this year’s competition and meet potential collaborators.The Seoul project is part of an international competition that takes place in 120 cities worldwide, in which teams get two days to make a short film.The best film in each city is sent to Filmapalooza, the official awards event for the global project, at which the best 10 films are chosen for a screening at the Cannes Film Festival. C

A day trip is being held to give people the chance to experience Korean culture, food and shamanistic dance on Sept. 28. Hosted by Korean food consultancy Zenkimchi International and food communications company Plan EL, the tour will travel from Seoul to Cheongpyeong Lake in Gyeonggi Province and cross by ferry to a traditional hanok home. There, they will be given a full Korean lunch of local, seasonal food, and take in a “neokjeon” performance by Buddhist monk Hyein, who is also a shamanistic

Filipino Scholars Organization in Korea (PIKO) will host a “Running Man” style competition for young Korean and expat Seoulites next month. “Tara Na: Finding the Philippines in Seoul” is a race connecting four locations in Seoul on Oct. 6.Teams of three are required to stop at each site and do different tasks related to Philippine culture. The first to complete the course will receive prizes worth 300,000 won ($270), with second and third prizes of 250,000 won and 200,000 won, respectively.“Inst

The World Travel & Tourism Council’s Asia Summit kicked off its inaugural year by hosting its first gathering at the Lotte Hotel in Seoul on Tuesday. The WTTC works to raise awareness of tourism and travel as one of the world’s largest industries, generating nine percent of the world’s GDP.“This dynamic and vibrant city is known for its advancing technology,” said WTTC Chairmen Michael Frenzel. “It is the 11th ranking and fastest growing tourist economy in the world ... so it is only fitting tha

Four designers share the runway, showing off distinctive personalities

Two groups that campaign against illiteracy in India and Chad have won the 2013 UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prize. UNESCO presented the prize to the Federation of the Associations of the Promotion of the Languages of Guera, Chad, and the National Literacy Mission Authority of the Indian Ministry of Human Resources Development in an award ceremony in Paris on Monday, the Korean National Commission for UNESCO said.  The prize was created by the South Korean government in 1989 to memorialize the ou

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has been chosen as a winner of the alumni award from his alma matar in Seoul for his contribution to world peace, his school said Tuesday.Seoul National University decided to confer the Distinguished Alumni Award on Ban “for his decades of service to his home country and his contribution to global peace and the welfare of all mankind as the U.N. chief,” it said. The awards ceremony is scheduled to be held next month to mark the school’s foundation day, though i

Kim Jong-jin, a former director of the Cultural Heritage Administration, was appointed the president of the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation, the CHA said Monday. Kim will serve a three-year term.The government said Kim’s wealth of experience in cultural heritage management will boost the state-subsidized organization’s work to preserve and transmit traditional culture in a creative way.Kim started his career at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and then moved to the CHA. The Korea C

Second Vice Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Park Jong-kil on Tuesday offered to resign over a scandal involving the illegal transfer of a private shooting range to his wife. Park is also likely to face prosecution if found to have fabricated an official document in the process. Those who fabricate public documents could face up to 10 years in prison. According to the revelation made by Rep. Lee Yong-sup of the Democratic Party, Park fabricated a Seoul Metropolitan Government document whi