Ahn Chul-sooSeoul National University nominated Professor Ahn Chul-soo to head its Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology as of June 10. Ahn will be serving the position for two years. Formerly from KAIST, he joined the department of Digital Contents Convergence at SNU GSCST this month.(koreacolin@gmail.com)

Indonesia is more than just a honeymoon destinationBali, beautiful island of Indonesia filled with luxury resorts and hotels, has been grabbing the attention of Korean tourists, particularly after Korea’s hugely famous celebrity couple Jang Dong-gun and Ko So-young chose Bali for their honeymoon last year.However, the South Asian country has a lot more to offer, a tourism official said.“Not just B

PARIS (AP) ― Writer and politician Jorge Semprun, who chronicled his own experiences in the Nazis’ Buchenwald death camp, struggled against dictatorship in his native Spain and later became that country’s culture minister, has died, the French and Spanish governments said Wednesday. He was 87.Semprun died Tuesday in Paris, where he spent most of his life, the French capital’s mayor, Bertrand Delan

Korea’s Culture Ministry and the Korea Tourism Organization have appointed Zhang Jingchu, an award-winning actress, as a goodwill ambassador for promoting Korea’s cultural tourism. The proportion of Chinese visitors to Korea has risen sharply in recent years. Zhang is widely known for her talent in acting out elegant characters, as well as for her bamboo-slender physique. Zhang JingchuHaving studi

A Busan man arrived back Tuesday after completing an epic trip around the globe alone.Yoon Tae-geun took 20-months to complete the round-the-world journey and sailed into Busan port where he had begun the trip.The 49-year-old yachtsman left for his high seas adventure in October 2009 and sailed about 57,400 kilometers to fulfill his dream. Yoon is the first Korean solo circumnavigator to begin and

The Traffic Broadcasting System, which operates the all-English radio station TBS eFM here, celebrates its 21st anniversary on Friday. The broadcaster’s chief said the media company will keep its identity, which is to put public interest before ratings.The Seoul City-run media company operates five channels ― TBS at 95.1 FM in Korean, TBS eFM on 101.3 FM in English, Chinese and Japanese broadcasts

Kim Jun-yop, a renowned historian on China and North Korea and the former president of Korea University, died Tuesday at a hospital in Seoul. He was 90.Born in Ganggye, North Pyongyang Province in 1920, Kim was one of Korean independence fighters organized by the Gwangbok Association to end Japanese colonial rule. Kim Jun-yopAfter Korea’s liberation from Japan, he attended National Central Univers

NEW YORK (AP) ― It was Scott Pelley’s first night as anchor of the “CBS Evening News” on Monday, but you’d hardly know it.The veteran “60 Minutes” correspondent made no mention of the change. From Afghanistan to France, through wayward public officials and promising cancer treatments, he covered the news.“I’m Scott Pelley,” the Texan said at the broadcast’s end. “For all of us at CBS News around t

A girl who has dreamed of being a police officer like her father since she was young is now assigned to work at the police station alongside her father. Shim Soon-tae, 24, has been appointed as police constable and assigned to work at the regional office in Eumseong County in North Chungcheong Province, since June 1.  Shim Soon-tae (left) and her father Shim Seong-bo (Yonhap News)Her father Shim S

Actress returns in a new type of role in ‘Moby Dick’Actress Kim Min-hee has returned in a new type of role in the movie “Moby Dick,” set for release on June 9. Kim, who debuted in 1999 with the drama “School 2,” now hopes to broaden the work of her 12-year acting career by playing a wider variety of characters. Her previous roles have been pretty, bubbly characters in romantic comedies. Kim Min-he

PARIS (AFP) ― Napoleon’s first English lessons while he was banished to exile on the South Atlantic island of Saint Helena fetched more than 93,000 euros at an auction in France Sunday, several times more than they had been valued.Three lots of text in English and French, as well as drawings, by the fallen emperor had been valued 7,000 to 9,500 euros, said the Osenat auction house.A fragment of a

Shin Joo-yeon, winner of the third season of “Project Runway Korea,” won 100 million won ($92,000) and the chance to have her designs featured in the Korean edition of “Bazaar.” The 26-year-old’s stellar performance is particularly notable given that she has a modest background compared with other contenders. Shin Joo-yeonThe Korean version of the American show, starring established Korean designe

Film looks into unsavory ties between TVs, restaurantsDirector Kim Jae-hwan exposes the unflattering truth behind major TV food shows in a new film. His documentary “True Taste Show,” which received an audience-award at the 12th Jeonju International Film Festival, reveals TV food shows taking money to feature certain restaurants. Named after the satirical movie “The Truman Show,” the “True Taste S