Singer Sean and his wife, actress Jung Hye-young, have pledged to sponsor an additional 100 children through Compassion Korea on Tuesday.The couple has been giving support to 100 children, including six Haitians, in 26 countries. The additional sponsorships bring the total number of children supported to 200. They began sponsoring needy children around the world three years ago.  Sean and his wife

The Korea-Israel Friendship Association held new year greetings and a membership party at the Diplomacy Center on the 12th floor of Forever Leader’s in Yangjae-dong, Seoul, on Jan. 18.Israeli Amb. Tuvia Israeli said the two countries have being steadily developing their cultural exchanges and that many Koreans have visited Israel as part of a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.  (From left) Ofer Fohrer,

(Yonhap News)Growing number of migrant women seeks legal advice on divorce, child rearingA growing number of migrant women living in South Korea sought legal advice on divorce and children last year, a state-funded aid center said Thursday, raising concerns about difficulties at home faced by multicultural families.According to the Emergency Support Center for Migrant Women, 54,194 people have con

Popular cartoonist and author Rhie talks about writing overviews of world historyAccording to ancient Greek sage Thales, the hardest thing is to know yourself and the easiest to advise others. Perhaps it is a certain cartoonist of the 21st century who best follows the drift of what the ancient sage tried to impart. Rhie Won-bok, a famous cartoonist and author, has a world view resembling that of T

Professor Ahn Jae-hwan, of Ajou University’s department of chemical and new materials engineering, will head the university as its 14th president, the university board announced on Monday.The new president earned his bachelor’s degree in metal engineering at Seoul National University, and a master’s and doctoral degree in material engineering at the University of California, Berkeley.  Ahn Jae-hwa

News of a 13th zodiac sign may be better viewed as an astronomer’s personal suggestion rather than an official change made by an internationally recognized astronomical organization. Astronomer Parke Kunkle of the Minnesota Planetarium Society has promoted the new sign, named Ophiuchus. Astronomer Parke Kunkle talks with a reporter about the changing astrological signs in his office in Minneapolis

LAS VEGAS (AP) ― A 17-year-old from Nebraska became the youngest winner of the Miss America crown in 90 years on Saturday after beating 52 other young women from across the United States.Teresa Scanlan won a $50,000 scholarship and a yearlong run with the crown at the competition at the Planet Hollywood casino-resort in Las Vegas.She was the youngest Miss America since the pageant’s first competit

LONDON (AP) ― If you’re invited to the royal wedding, don’t go buying Kate Middleton an engraved gift ― the poor woman doesn’t know yet what her title’s going to be.She will be a princess, possibly a duchess, perhaps even a countess. But the exact title is unlikely to be divulged until shortly before April 29, the day she officially joins “the firm” ― as the lordly British royal family is known.Mo

The Shilla Seoul hotel has something new at its arcade. But it isn’t western-style haute-couture or designer labels that catch the eye. What grabs your attention are the four big Chinese characters in vermeil red ― Jeon Tong Han Bok ― meaning traditional hanbok boutique.The shop is run by Kim Young-seok. His bold signature transformation of conventional hanbok is what lures in the visitors.Unlike

An ethnic Korean has been elected a mayor in Peru, a first in the 106-year history of Korean immigration to Latin America. The South Korean Embassy in Peru said Thursday that Jung Heung-won, 64, was sworn in as the mayor of Chanchamayo in central Peru, about 300 kilometers east of Lima, on Jan. 2. The term is four years. Jung Heung-won (sitting), newly elected mayor of Chanchamayo in Peru, poses w

Rhee Hang-bock, vice president of the Korea Scout Association, was elected chairman of the World Scout Committee at the 39th World Scout Conference in Brazil, Jan. 13, the association said.He is the first Korean chairman of the main executive body of the World Organization of the Scout Movement. His term is three years.  Rhee Hang-bockRhee succeeds Rick Kronk of the U.S., who served as chairman si

A transgender woman is looking for a marriage proposal in China’s capital Beijing.According to the Global Times, the woman wore a large white wedding dress on Dec. 26 and held a sign asking, “I have changed my gender. Who will propose to me?” (captured from Global Times)Several pictures of the unidentified woman circulated across the Internet after some fascinated spectators posted them on a Chine

Dream on iceThere have been many foreign athletes here, but they don’t come much more successful than Czech-born ice hockey star Patrick Martinec.Now 40, Martinec has established himself over the course of five seasons as one of the all-time best ice hockey players in Korea. His name will not be familiar to many, but the former Czech national player is a superstar among hockey fans here.Unfortunat

Chun fights U.S. visa discrimination, publishes books on immigration“Firmness of purpose is one of the most necessary sinews of character, and one of the best instruments of success. Without it genius wastes its efforts in a maze of inconsistencies.”So said the famous man of letters Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield (1694-1773).And when describing men of unwearied industry, Chun Jong-joon,