Microsoft founder Bill Gates recently became a topic of heated discussion online after a picture of his handshake with President Park Geun-hye was released by media.Park and Gates held a meeting at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae on Monday and discussed various topics including alternative energy sources, nuclear reactors and Seoul’s drive for economic growth.Controversy arose from an unexpected element of their meeting; their handshake. As Gates shook Park’s hand, he had the other hand in

Korean travel agencies asked for financial help from the government on Monday to assuage their financial difficulties amid a sharp decline in the number of Japanese tourists to South Korea due to threats from North Korea and ongoing political tensions between the neighboring countries. The Korea Association of Travel Agents, a group of 15,000 members from local travel agencies, sent an official letter to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, requesting financial support for their promotio

Seoulites were offered free children’s books and brochures a day before Tuesday’s World Book Day.In celebration of World Book Day on April 23, the state-run Publication Industry Promotion Agency of Korea gave out free roses, a total of 100 children’s books, and 50,000 brochures on book recommendations in central Seoul near Gwanghwamun. The day, organized by UNESCO to promote reading, publishing, and copyright, was chosen as it is the anniversary of the death of many renowned writers, including W

Trot queen Jang Yoon-jeong and KBS announcer Do Kyung-wan on Monday announced their September wedding. Do Kyung-wan is an anchor for “Morning Forum,” “Live Info Show” and “Entertainment Weekly.” Soon to be Korea’s first singer-announcer couple, the two have been together since they first met through a TV program in 2011.Jang’s agency Inwoo Entertainment conveyed the couple’s message about their wedding plans. “I always felt something was missing in my heart. But after I met her I felt for the fi

LG Group has rolled up its sleeves to help develop Ethiopia. LG said Monday that it successfully dug a joint well in Guta village in Sendafa Woreda, Ethiopia, on April 16, the first part of its project to turn its underdeveloped villages into self-supported farming centers.Guta is populated by about 760 people in 138 households, and is hardly sustainable without outside support due to its lack of electricity and running water.  LG will build on momentum from the well construction to build more i

Playing basketball, going swimming, dancing to his favorite music, or just walking up a flight of stairs is not what an average 12-year-old boy would call “his dream.” But for Luka, doing such simple everyday activity is possible only in his imagination. He is suffering from a muscular dystrophy, a degenerative disease that deprives his ability to move his body over time.Right now, the only parts of his limbs that he can move at his will are his fingers, which allow him to control the joystick o

Ensemble to play May 10 at Goyang Aramnuri Haydn Hall

In times past, trains served as the backbone of the nation’s economic development, delivering freight and coal to inland cities. As the coal industry declined and other forms of transport came into being, demand for industrial trains dwindled. So KORAIL, the state-run railroad operator, turned the existing rail network into a tour train line in the mid-2000s. “We paid attention to rising demand for rail tours, which offer room to think for people who live busy modern lives as they take in the be

The Suncheon Bay Garden Expo 2013 opens its doors to the public on Saturday, marking the first time that Korea is hosting the international garden event with a 15-year history. The Garden Expo, which is organized by the International Association of Horticultural Producers, is located in Suncheonman Bay, in Suncheon, South Jeolla Province and will run through Oct. 20.  The expo stands as an example of natural beauty and an eco-friendly environment with three sections including the 564,000-square

Theater“Les Miserables”: The all-Korean production of Cameron Mackintosh’s legendary musical “Les Miserables” is being performed in Seoul. Based on 19th-century French writer Victor Hugo’s timeless novel of the same title, the musical tells the story of Jean Valjean ― a hapless French peasant who serves 19 years in prison for stealing a piece of bread for his starving family in turbulent 19th-century France. After being released, he manages to assume a new identity and becomes mayor of a town. W