President Obama, the mayor of London, China's top dissident artist and Madonna -- every time someone signals the death of "Gangnam Style" up pops another high-profile figure to keep the phenomenon alive.   In the four months since the music video by South Korean rapper Psy went viral on YouTube, it has been name-checked and imitated by an impressive roster of global notables from world leaders to sports stars and business tycoons.   And the public has joined in with tens of thousands turning o

 A high-ranking prosecutor is expected to be summoned by police for questioning on suspicions of taking large sums of money in kickbacks from a notorious con artist and a major conglomerate, a police officer said Friday.   The prosecutor, surnamed Kim, is accused of taking some 200 million won ($183,908) from a man surnamed Kang who is close to famous swindler Cho Hee-pal, the National Police Agency (NPA) officer said. The prosecutor is also suspected of receiving 600 million won from an officia

 Carrying a bouquet of flowers, South Korean presidential candidate Park Geun-hye stepped forward to honor one of the martyrs in her country's long struggle for democracy. A protester threw himself at her feet.     ``How dare you come here?'' the man shouted, sitting between Park and a statue of activist Chun Tae-il. Chun's 1970 labor protest suicide is seen as an expression of dissent against the rule of Park's father, the late president and longtime dictator Park Chung-hee.    As cameras flash

The 105-story, pyramid-shaped hotel that has stood over North Korea's capital city like a mountain for more than 20 years just might be on the verge of opening for the first time.   Pyongyang's Ryugyong Hotel will ``partially, probably'' open in the middle of next year, Reto Wittwer, CEO of international hotel operator Kempinski AG, said Thursday at a forum in Seoul.    Kempinski will manage the hotel, which Wittwer said will open with shops, offices, ballrooms, restaurants and 150 rooms.   The

South Korean stocks opened higher Friday, led by gains in tech and auto shares, analysts said.   The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 19.27 points, or 1.02 percent to 1,917.71 in the first 15 minutes of trading.    Shares gathered ground across the board, with market bellwether Samsung Electronics increasing 1.31 percent and chipmaker SK hynix adding 3.14 percent.   Top auto parts maker Hyundai Mobis gained 1.67 percent and its affiliate Kia Motors added 0.67 percent.   U

Korea canceled the launch of the Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1, or the Naro rocket, on Friday after detecting a gas leak in the helium injection system.Officials of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and Korea Aerospace Research Institute said that it would have to postpone the launch by at least three days until engineers and researchers fixed the problem.Korea has until the end of this month to launch the Naro rocket.Otherwise, the country will need another clearance from global

South Korea postponed its launch of a space rocket Friday due to a problem that was detected only hours before its scheduled liftoff.   Cho Yul-rae, vice minister of education, science and technology, said the launch of the Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 (KSLV-1) will be delayed at least three days.    "A leak has been detected from a connection between the first-stage rocket of the KSLV-1 and the launch pad," Cho told a press briefing.   The problem was detected during a final inspection of the s

   EUIJEONGBU -- A municipal government expressed concern Sunday over a U.S. plan to redeploy a unit in their region, saying it would undermine a project to replace the U.S. base with a college campus.   The U.S. Army plans to relocate the 23rd Chemical Battalion from the U.S. state of Washington to Camp Stanley in Euijeongbu, just north of Seoul, by March of next year, an official of the Euijeongbu city government said Sunday.   The relocation would come nine years after the unit withdrew from

In recent years, world powers have been quick to convene emergency sessions to discuss what the U.N.'s response should be to North Korean provocations. But nowhere in the room was the most important party concerned -- South Korea.One of the world's major economies, South Korea was also left out of the discussion of other urgent global security issues such as Iran and Syria.But with its return to the U.N. Security Council, South Korea will once again be at the forefront of U.N. diplomacy. "The pr

South Korea was elected Thursday as a non-permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, regaining ground to step up its involvement in handling the North Korea issue and other global security challenges."South Korea will be able to take leading part in the U.N.'s efforts for world peace and security and holding a seat again on the Security Council is also expected to contribute to the stable management of situations on the Korean Peninsula," Seoul's foreign ministry said in a statement.South Ko

Samsung Electronics Co., the world's top smartphone maker, on Friday unveiled its Galaxy S3 mini phone, a compact version of the flagship Galaxy S3 device, to cater to consumers looking for a practical option.   The 4-inch smartphone is powered by Jelly Bean, the latest version of the Android operating system, and runs on a dual-core processor, Samsung said in a press release, noting the device is

  Independent presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo vowed to seek closer dialogue and cooperation with North Korea as he announced his first official set of election pledges on Sunday.   "Upon the basis of firm security, I will facilitate peace on the Korean Peninsula through dialogue and cooperation between the South and the North," the computer technology mogul-turned-politician said in a news co

 The Russian space program's Mission Control Center says it will move the International Space Station into a different orbit to avoid possible collision with a fragment of debris.   Mission Control Center spokeswoman Nadyezhda Zavyalova said the Russian Zvevda module will fire booster rockets to carry out the operation Thursday at 07:22 a.m. Moscow time (0322 GMT).   The space station performs eva

A Chinese-owned company has filed a lawsuit in a U.S. federal lawsuit against President Barack Obama for blocking its wind farm project deal in Oregon.In a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Washington, Ralls Corp., owned by Chinese nationals, alleged Obama acted in "an unlawful and unauthorized manner" in issuing his order without providing "any evidence or reasoned explanation" for hi

The top prosecution pledged no leniency Wednesday on the possession and distribution of child pornography in the wake of a recent spate of sex crimes against children.   The Supreme Prosecutors' Office said it will make it a rule to detain for investigation anyone suspected of having made or distributed pornography featuring minors or introduced minors for the production of such porn.    Those who

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- Republican challenger Mitt Romney looks to use Wednesday's debate against  Barack Obama to revive his struggling presidential campaign, seeking not only to win over undecided voters but also fire up Republicans who have begun questioning whether he can win.    Though polls show the race remains tight ahead of the Nov. 6 vote, Obama clearly has momentum and the edge not only i

OTSEGO, Mich. (AP) -- A Great Dane from Michigan is doggone tall.The Guinness World Records 2013 book published Thursday recognizes Zeus of Otsego, Michigan, as the world’s Tallest Dog.The 3-year-old measures 44 inches from foot to shoulder.Standing on his hind legs, Zeus stretches to 7-foot-4 and towers over his owner, Denise Doorlag. Zeus is just an inch taller than the previous record-holder, G

Seoul National University professor Lee Sang-mook. (Ahn Hoon/The Korea Herald)Lee works to improve lives with technology, facilitate science education for disabled studentsIn July 2006, marine geophysics professor Lee Sang-mook of Seoul National University was on a field trip in the U.S. along with his 12 students when the vehicle carrying them rolled over in the desert. One student was killed and

An explosion at a chemical plant in Gumi in the southern part of Korea killed at least three workers and injured five others Thursday, police said.The death toll may rise as some of the wounded are in critical condition, police said. The blast broke out at around 3:45 p.m. at the Gumi National Industrial Complex in North Gyeongsang Province when the employees of Hube Global were unloading hydrochl

Chief Justice Yang Sung-tae said Sunday that a provision of law should be repealed to ensure sex offenders can be punished without the need for a complaint from their victims.   The provision in the current law stipulates that those suspected of sexual offenses are prosecuted only when victims file formal complaints.   The loophole could allow sex offenders to get off scot-free as many victims are