Renowned South Korean artist Lee U-fan confirmed Thursday once again that he did paint all 13 paintings that are suspected of being forgeries.In a press briefing in central Seoul, the artist said the paintings in question were his work beyond a doubt."I checked them with my own eyes and they are certainly all mine judging from their breath, rhythm and colors," the artist said.He continued: "Breath and rhythm are like fingerprints, which no one can copy. A third person, however talented the perso

Park Yu-chun, the troubled member of popular K-pop boy band JYJ, appeared before police Thursday to face questioning over his sexual assault allegations which have been rocking the local entertainment scene. The 30-year-old singer-actor appeared at the Gangnam Police Station in southern Seoul about three weeks after he was first sued over allegedly raping a woman working at a local bar."First of all, I am very sorry for causing many people concern," he told reporters before entering the office,

Samsung Group denied rumors circulated Thursday that its chairman Lee Kun-hee, who has been hospitalized for over two years, has died.Earlier in the day, rumors that the 74-year-old has died and that the news will be made public at 3 p.m. were circulated around the local stock market and social media.Samsung Electronics Co., the flagship of South Korea's largest family-run conglomerate, said the rumors are "groundless," shortly after the Korea Exchange (KRX) demanded an explanation over the spec

The head of a private education institution has received a jail term for leaking questions from a U.S. college admissions test and teaching students with the material, court records showed Thursday.The Seoul Central District Court sentenced the defendant, identified only by her surname Kim, to a year in prison, suspended for two years, for obtaining questions of earlier Scholastic Aptitude Tests (SATs) from her acquaintances and students, and using them in classes in 2011. Previous tests are not

A South Korean umbrella labor union and progressive civic groups held a massive rally Saturday to protest the government's policy on labor reform, police said.About 15,000 members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions gathered at Seoul Plaza in central Seoul to protest the government's push for labor reform, according to police. An association of farmers also held a rally at a separate place to call for a parliamentary hearing on the alleged violent crackdown by police on last year's rally

European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said Britain's planned departure from the European Union was "not an amicable divorce" but called for it to be quick."I do not understand why the British government needs until October to  decide whether to send the divorce letter to Brussels," he told German public  broadcaster ARD late Friday."I'd like it immediately."He admitted that the EU had hoped Britain would stay but that now it was  key to make the separation process as speedy and painless

The China-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has approved its first four loans worth US$509 million as the bank holds its first annual meeting. Three of the four loans were co-financed with other multilateral lenders such as the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank. The loans will be funded for infrastructure projects in Pakistan, Indonesia, Tajikistan and Bangladesh, the bank said in a statement. The AIIB "looks to take its place as one of the leading multilateral financial

Founding EU members are to hold a crisis  meeting Saturday on the future of the bloc after Britain's seismic vote to  leave the union and the resignation of Prime Minister David Cameron.As the "Brexit" vote sent global financial markets into freefall, Moody's cut Britain's credit rating outlook to "negative", saying the vote to pull out of the European Union could hurt its economic prospects.After the shock result German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President  Francois Hollande led calls