Lee Dae-ho of the Lotte Giants has refused to sign a new deal with the Busan-based club in order to pursue new opportunities in Japan.The veteran slugger, who debuted with the Giants in 2001, became a free agent this winter. His team was trying hard to retain him, offering 10 billion won ($8.7 million) in a four-year deal, which would have been the league’s biggest signing. The current record in the Korea Baseball Organization is Sim Jeong-soo’s 6 billion won deal with the Samsung Lions in 2004.

DP set to decide today whether to physically obstruct vote on trade pactRival political parties on Sunday braced for a showdown on the parliamentary ratification of the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, with both showing little willingness to compromise. The main opposition Democratic Party will hold a general meeting of its legislators Monday, where it is expected to decide whether to try to physically obstruct a floor vote on the trade pact, should it happen. The ruling Grand National Party was

K-pop groups KARA and TVXQ have been nominated for the top prize of the 53rd Japan Record Awards, while 2NE1 has been nominated for Best New Artist, the awards committee announced on Saturday.A major music awards show held annually in Japan, the Japan Record Awards is organized and hosted by the Japan Composer’s Association.  Ten acts have been nominated for the top award this year, including Nishino Kana, Mizumori Kaori, Hikawa Kiyoshi, and AKB48. KARA has been nominated for “Go Go Summer!” wh

Korea will establish a mission dedicated to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Jakarta in the first half of next year, President Lee Myung-bak said Thursday.“In order to strengthen economic cooperation with the increasingly important ASEAN, I will dispatch an ambassador to Jakarta who will deal exclusively with ASEAN affairs,” Lee was quoted by news reports as saying at the 2011 ASEAN Business and Investment Summit in Bali, Indonesia. “I hope that the new ASEAN mission will contribute

NEW YORK (AP) ― Occupy Wall Street protesters clogged streets and tied up traffic around the U.S. on Thursday to mark two months since the movement’s birth and signal they aren’t ready to quit, despite the breakup of many of their encampments by police. Hundreds of people were arrested, most of them in New York.The demonstrations ― which took place in cities including Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Boston, Washington and Portland, Oregon ― were for the most part peaceful. Most of the arrests were for b

DAMASCUS (AFP) ― Rebel troops hit offices of Syria’s ruling party on Thursday, a day after a daring raid on an intelligence base that prompted Russia to warn that its longtime ally risks “full-scale civil war.”The rocket-propelled grenade attack in northwestern Idlib province, near Turkey, came as government forces killed eight people, including two children, despite an Arab League ultimatum that Syria halt the bloodshed or risk sanctions.“A group of dissident troops attacked regime youth office

GENEVA (AFP) ― Swiss banking giant UBS said Thursday it was to dramatically cut back its investment bank arm, reducing its risky assets by half or 145 billion Swiss francs ($158 billion).“We have chosen to substantially reduce the risk profile of the bank by exiting and downsizing businesses which are not value added (for) our client franchise or deliver unattractive risk-adjusted returns,” newly-appointed chief executive Sergio Ermotti said in a statement.The shake-up comes as the bank, Switzer

BUDAPEST (AFP) ― Hungary said Thursday it was seeking a new deal with the International Monetary Fund, in what would mark a U-turn from its earlier stance, but the financial institution denied talks were under way.Hungary got a 20 billion euro ($27 billion) bailout from the IMF and the EU in 2008 but, after some progress, it has come under increasing pressure to calm nervous investors and halt the depreciation of the forint.“Within the regular annual economic policy consultations with the IMF, w

Exhibitions“The Masters”: Opera Gallery Seoul is showcasing 40 masterpieces by some of the greatest artists of recent times. The exhibition includes works by Claude Monet, Fernand Leger, Alexander Calder, Pablo Picasso, Joan Miro, Marc Chagall, Auguste Rodin, Georges Braque, Andy Warhol, Robert Indiana, Yves Klein, Keith Haring and Tom Wasselman. This is the first time that a high-profile exhibition is being held by the chain in Seoul while most of the Opera Gallery branches hold such big-name e

 Foreign envoys visit select places in Bukchon as city promotes ‘responsible tourism’Despite the cold weather, a group of ambassadors to Korea gathered at Jongno-gu Office, excited to start their first group tour in central Seoul.The cultural tour was organized by Jongno-gu and the Korea Tourism Organization to promote “responsible tourism,” which the district office newly introduced to tap sustainable tourism.“Jongno district, one out of 24 districts in Seoul, is home to major palaces. You’re g

SIU (Korea)Opening Nov. 24Crime. Directed by Hwang Byeong-gook. When his colleague is brutally murdered by an unknown assailant, detective Seomg-beom (Eom Tae-woong), with the support of the Police Agency, sets up a special investigation bureau to chase down the suspect. He gets Ho-ryong (Joo Won) a former FBI member, as his partner in the team. After a series of investigations, the duo pegs working police officer Park Gyeong-sik (Kim Jeong-tae) as the suspect on the basis of several circumstanc

Three years and three films into “The Twilight Saga,” Robert Pattinson can see the finish line for the role that made him famous.With the release of “Breaking Dawn ― Part 1,” he knows that the whirlwind surrounding him and his cast mates is about to peak, then subside. He says he’s relishing the end, and he’s taking it all in: the attention, the career boost and the way his peers have coped with the sudden fame of a film series whose fans are nothing if not fanatical.“I am constantly amazed that