Performers are being sought to celebrate Black Beauty in Seoul on Feb. 4. The Beaute De Noir group is looking for performers and poets to contribute to a Bob Marley Birthday Bash in Itaewon. Photographers and videographers are also needed to record the event to run from 8-11:30 p.m. at Bar Yuki and then from 12-3 a.m. at Spy Club.Janet Kim, Jae Yoo, Fancy, Sarah B, Da Green, Lyric, JoshRoy, Dj Chris, Dj Rico and Elliot Ashby are already confirmed to perform. Tickets are 10,000 won and can be bou

North Korea has banned the use of China’s yuan and other foreign currency in its markets, saying this was part of the last instructions of late leader Kim Jong-il, according to a Seoul-based aid group.People have repeatedly been instructed to go to banks and exchange foreign currency for the won, Good Friends said its English-language newsletter seen Tuesday.Those using yuan in markets or circulating it would be severely punished and have their money confiscated, it said.“We are just carrying ou

WASHINGTON (AP) ― U.S. intelligence experts expect North Korea’s new young leader Kim Jong-un to continue Pyongyang’s policy of attempting to export its weapons systems.Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told the Senate Intelligence Committee Tuesday that the North’s export of ballistic missiles and associated materials to countries including Iran and Syria illustrated the reach of its proliferation activities.He also cited North Korea’s assistance to Syria in building a nuclear rea

President Lee Myung-bak on Wednesday tapped Rep. Ko Heung-kil of the Grand National Party as minister for special affairs, a post left vacant since the former minister returned to the ruling party last August.Ko, 67, has served in key GNP posts such as chief policymaker. The third-term lawmaker also chaired the National Assembly’s culture, broadcasting and tourism committee in 2008.Before entering politics in 1997, Ko had worked as a journalist at the local daily JoongAng Ilbo for nearly three d

North Korea owes a total of 3.5 trillion won ($3.11 billion) to South Korea, but strained inter-Korean relations make it uncertain whether Pyongyang will pay back the loan as scheduled.According to South Korea’s Ministry of Unification, the South Korean government provided its northern neighbor with 1.37 trillion won in loans from 1998 to 2006 to support the construction of a light water reactor, as part of the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO) project to curb North Korean

The Daegu community is to help raise cash to pay an English teacher’s bill for life-saving surgery by selling Valentine’s Day flowers.The “Artists and Flowers,” shop in Siji, Daegu, has offered to donate 10 percent of its Valentine’s Day flower sales to a nationwide fund-raising campaign that has already collected more than 27 million won for Mick Milne.Milne, an English teacher from New Zealand, suffered a failed liver in October and had a live organ transplant in December after spending weeks

Kim Myung-ho, a former Sungkyunkwan University professor made famous for attacking a judge with a crossbow, filed a complaint with the prosecution against Judge Lee Sang-ho on Tuesday, accusing him of unlawful detention and abuse of authority, prosecutors said Wednesday.Lee was the presiding judge in the case that found former Democratic Party lawmaker Chung Bong-ju guilty of spreading false information about President Lee Myung-bak. Chung was jailed for one year in relation to his claims about

Two judges who posted disparaging comments on social networking services about President Lee Myung-bak are facing disciplinary measures and possible dismissal.Judge Seo Ki-ho of the Seoul Northern District Court has been included on the list of judges deemed unfit for reappointment. Seo caused controversy when he used derogatory expressions about the president. He was reportedly informed through an e-mail that his performance record was too poor for him to continue serving as a judge. Since 1988

Unnamed official stationed abroad suspected of trading diamond miner stockThe Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade on Wednesday summoned an official from an overseas diplomatic mission suspected by the state watchdog of gaining personal profits through insider trading of CNK International stocks.“As the Board of Audit and Inspection ordered disciplinary measures on the unnamed official, we summoned the official from Europe. The BAI’s audit will be strictly reflected on the future course of pers

The nation’s most popular podcast’s hosts have come under fire for encouraging their fans to make racy actions to save one of its imprisoned colleagues. Several female supporters took pictures of themselves dressed in bikinis with a slogan written on their breasts, saying “let’s save Chung Bong-ju,” and posted them on a website created to rally support for a drive to free the former Democratic Party lawmaker. Feminists and opponents are demanding the show hosts apologize and drop the plan. Chung