STOSIKOVICE NA LOUCE, Czech Republic (AP) ― In a vineyard in Moravia, the Arctic chill striking Europe at least has some people jumping with joy.Winemakers in southeast Czech Republic, waiting for a dip in temperatures during an unusually warm winter, finally got the deep chill they needed to harvest grapes for the most prestigious part of their business ― ice wine.The sense of relief was palpable after temperatures finally dropped to minus 7 Celsius allowing grapes to be picked for the sweet,

 Herbal cosmetic products, shampoos and even red ginseng spa popularA housewife in her early 50s, Kim Jung-won has been using Sulwhasoo’s Snowise UV Protection Cream ever since she first spotted it at a local shop about 10 years ago. Though she has always been a fan of Korean cosmetics, the cosmetic brand’s oriental ingredients especially attracted her. “Who would know better about Koreans’ skin, Koreans or foreigners? From what I have used, cosmetic products made in Korea were milder and better

Refugees and asylum seekers who have fled their countries for Korea are soon to have a new center to go to in Seoul. NANCEN refugee support organization is renovating the ground floor of its office to provide a kitchen, shower and laundry room for refugees to use. The NGO recently opened the new office in the Garibong-dong area of Guro-gu, in southwest Seoul. The center also plans to provide small rooms ― called goshiwon ― around the area for some of the asylum seekers to use overnight. “The gos

The following article was contributed by Robert Park, a Korean-American missionary and human rights activist who went to North Korea on Christmas day in 2009 to protest against genocide and crimes against humanity. He is also a member of the nonpartisan Worldwide Coalition to Stop Genocide in North Korea. For more information or ways to get involved, contact r2pnorthkorea@gmail.com. ― Ed.The U.N. Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and Article 6 of the Rome Statu

U.S. Central Intelligence Agency Director David Petraeus will visit South Korea to discuss developments regarding North Korea after the death of Kim Jong-il.According to reports, Petraeus is scheduled to visit Seoul at the end of the week and meet President Lee Myung-bak and South Korean intelligence officials.  Government officials Petraeus is reportedly planning to meet include National Intelligence Service Chief Won Sei-hoon, Minister of National Defense Kim Kwan-jin and Senior Presidential S

Expert says ruling elite favors status quo, but reform inevitable for economyKim Young-hui, a North Korean defector working here as a researcher on the communist state’s economy, believes any big change there is inconceivable for now as the power elites want to preserve the status quo to maintain their vested interests. Kim of the state-owned Korea Finance Corporation also said that a wave of democratic movements in the Middle East and North Africa would hardly affect the tightly controlled coun