Daegu residents are to get the chance to give to needy kids while looking for love thanks to a special speed dating event ahead of Valentine’s Day. Participants in the “Time to Date” charity event on Feb. 11 at the city’s MF bar will be given three minutes to impress potential partners before moving on to the next person at the bar. At the end of the evening, the pair voted most eligible bachelor and bachelorette will be awarded a romantic meal for two. A special prize will also be awarded to th

Donors across the globe help fund English teacher’s life-saving liver transplant Three months ago, Mick Milne’s family did not know if he would live to see 2012. The 47-year-old from New Zealand spent three weeks in Busan University Hospital’s intensive care unit fighting for his life after his liver failed in October.But friends, family and even strangers from around the world have rallied to help the English teacher receive a life-saving liver transplant. Mick, who has lived in Miryang for alm

Itaewon Global Village Center volunteers will participate in a range of activities in January starting with a trip to a center for disabled people. Participants will visit the Yongsan Center for the Disabled from 2-4:30 p.m. on Jan. 13. Volunteers will help center users to make crafts to sell on in the local area, raising some money for the makers. Another event will see volunteers visit the Yongsan Senior Welfare Center from 1:30-3 p.m. on Jan. 16. English speakers are invited to do some free-t

A new charitable group in Daegu has given gifts to 195 local orphans and is now set to provide more help to local kids in need. The Daegu’s Time to Give group started after one member, Bea Howells, decided to collect some Christmas gifts from kids at an orphanage in the city’s Susong-gu area. She and other volunteers Rebecca Baker and Sara Fayaz were so overwhelmed with donations to their appeal that they were able to give to many more kids. “We thought that since there are so many foreigners --

North Korean civilians were ordered not to wear hats or gloves for the snowy funeral of leader Kim Jong-il because his son and successor chose to escort the hearse bare-headed, a report said Tuesday.Daily NK, a Seoul-based online newspaper run by defectors, said it had received information from a Pyongyang source about the “level of stage-management” for the Dec. 28 ceremony.It said local officials had told residents the day before the massive ceremony that Kim’s son and heir “Comrade Kim Jong-u

Two eco movie nights are set to be held at a Daegu cafe. The films promoting environmentally-friendly living will be screened on Jan. 15 and 29 at 6 p.m. The events are being hosted by the Daegu Green Living group at the used English bookstore, Buy the Book, with the film titles yet to be announced. The group hosts regular meet-ups to enjoy eco-friendly food and to promote green living in Korea. For more information on screenings and the group go to noksaeksari.blogspot.com.

Pyongyang may idolize Kim Jong-un with typical party-centric communist systemUnder the new leadership of Kim Jong-un, the center of power of the North Korean regime is seen as moving toward the Workers’ Party from the military, experts said. The deceased despot Kim Jong-il, who the North announced died of a heart attack on Dec. 17, was general secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea and chairman of the National Defense Commission of North Korea. As such, the senior Kim, Jong-un’s father, exerci

The police force in Seoul launched a special squad on Wednesday in a bid to root out school violence as a string of recent suicides by young bullied students drew attention to rampant violence in classrooms.The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency commissioned the “School Police,” a squad that will work jointly with the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, earlier in the day. The special team, composed of officers with backgrounds in adolescent education and psychology, will be dispatched to elem

Seoul’s ministry denies news reports on impending free trade negotiations with ChinaPresident Lee Myung-bak will depart for China on Monday for a three-day state visit that includes talks with Chinese President Hu Jintao, other top Beijing officials and business leaders, Cheong Wa Dae said Wednesday.His second state visit to China was arranged at the invitation of the Chinese head of state. It comes as the two countries celebrate the 20th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations this year.“

Male civil servants with newborns may be given an hour off their work day to attend to their children in a move to raise the country’s low birthrate and time spent with family, government officials said Wednesday.According to the Ministry of Public Administration and Security’s 2012 plan, officials are discussing the feasibility of expanding the current measure which allows female civil servants with an infant an hour off their day to include fathers.The Seoul Metropolitan Government has also ru

A feud in the ruling Grand National Party over candidate nomination rules deepened Wednesday, with some of its defiant lawmakers threatening to take no-confidence action against the party leadership led by Rep. Park Geun-hye. Rep. Chang Je-won stepped up pressure on two key members of the GNP leadership council ― Kim Jong-in and Lee Sang-don ― calling for them to resign. The two have been calling on old guard members and those close to President Lee Myung-bak to give up the nomination race in th