A military officer has become the youngest ever 8th-dan in taekwondo.Lieutenant Colonel Choi Jeom-hyeon, 44, passed the test held by Kukkiwon, the world’s taekwondo headquarters.Dan refers to level in the martial art. From the 6th level is usually referred to as “high-dan,” one which amateurs cannot usually reach. One must not only be the right age and fit but pass “poomsae,” breaking and combat.

 

A man was booked without detention for stealing countless Lego collectables from an acquaintance’s home, according to Imsil Police Station of Jeonbuk province.The victim, known only by his surname Kim, had been devoted to collecting Lego for the last 20 years.The accused, only known as Chun, became acquainted with Kim and visited his home several times, figuring out that his treasured collection w

How does Generation X fare in the 21st century?About half the educated women from Generation X, the term once used to describe the new generation, are childless, according to American research.Born between 1965 and 1978, Generation X was first used in a novel written by Douglas Coupland, “Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture.”The idea quickly spread to describe those born in economic pro

A Porsche 911 Black Edition is seen at the Porsche SE annual shareholders meeting in Stuttgart, Germany, on Friday, June 17, 2011. (Bloomberg-Yonhap News)Everyone knows the racier the car, the racier the hormones.Now, researchers at the University of Minnesota have brought scientific precision to that age-old observation. To wit:Sexual signalling really works _ but not necessarily the way a young

In this June 10, 2011 photo, entertainer Debbie Reynolds poses between dresses worn by actress Marilyn Monroe in the films "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes," left, and "River of No Return," right, at the Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills, Calif. Pieces in Reynolds' extensive collection of Hollywood memorabilia will be put up for auction at the Paley Center. AP-Yonhap NewsLOS ANGELES (AFP) – The leg

Kwon Oh-joong. (Yonhap News)Kwon Oh-joong calls for structured ways into volunteeringThe culture of giving should start as young as possible, Korean drama actor Kwon Oh-joong has said. The star from SBS drama “Miss Ajumma” also called for more structured ways of volunteering to make it easier for celebrities like him to give their time. “The more you expose children to people in need the better.

   LONDON (AP) _ Video game developer Sega said that its online database has been hacked, making it the latest in a string of games companies to be attacked.   The company sent an email to users of the Sega Pass system on Friday to warn them that email addresses, dates of birth and encrypted passwords had been stolen from online database.   The email stressed that no financial information was at r

 

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― Laura Ziskin was a “Spider-Man’’ novice when she first met with her future producing partner on the blockbuster film franchise.She quickly became an expert on the Marvel Comics superhero and his alter-ego Peter Parker, applying the same tenacity that took her from humble beginnings as a game-show writer to Hollywood’s top echelons in a career of nearly 40 years.“She became a gee

LONDON (AFP) ― International donors pledged $4.3 billion to vaccinate nearly 250 million children against life-threatening diseases such as pneumonia and diarrhoea, at a London conference Monday.GAVI (Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation), the group backed by Microsoft tycoon Bill Gates, said the funding would save more than four million lives over the next four years.Britain pledged $1.3

BUENOS AIRES (AFP) ― U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was forced to rough it on an overnight bus to meet Argentine leaders on Monday because of Chile’s volcanic ash cloud. Worse still ― it was his birthday.Ban became the highest-profile person to fall victim as the eruption of Chile’s Puyehue volcano, high in the Andes, entered a second week, spewing ash that has disrupted air travel from South

   Scientists have uncovered a trio of genes tied to migraine headaches, including one in which the link is exclusive to women, according to a study published Sunday.   Migraines are acutely debilitating headaches -- sometimes with an "aura", in which patients have the impression of seeing through frosted glass -- that strike up to 20 percent of the population.   Scientists describe the condition,

 

　국내에서는 1위 무선통신사업자인 SK 텔레콤이지만, 유독 해외무대에서는 연이은 고배를 마셨다.　미국과 중국 같은 여러 해외시장에 발을 들여놓으려고 지난 6년 동안 노력해왔지만 대부분이 실패했다.　정만원 SKT 전 대표도 이런 현상을 빗대어 “잃어버린 6년”이란 표현을 썼을 정도다.　국내에서는 우수한 성적을 거두는 SKT가 해외시장에서 맥을 추스르지 못하는 이유는 해외시장에 대한 이해부족과 과감한 재정적인 투자가 뒷받침이 되지 않았기 때문이라고 전문가들은 얘기한다.　　“통신망이라는 게 국가적인 재산인데 성공하기가 쉽지 않다. 기왕 할거면 엄청난 투자가 들어가야 하는데 그런 부분은 하지 못하면서 퍼포먼스는 빨리 내고 싶어하기 때문”이라고 안재민 키움증권 애널리스트는 말했다.　시장에 대한 이해없이 사업을 벌인

국내에서는 1위 무선통신사업자인 SK 텔레콤이지만, 유독 해외무대에서는 연이은 고배를 마셨다.　미국과 중국 같은 여러 해외시장에 발을 들여놓으려고 지난 6년 동안 노력해왔지만 대부분이 실패했다.　정만원 SKT 전 대표도 이런 현상을 빗대어 “잃어버린 6년”이란 표현을 썼을 정도다.　국내에서는 우수한 성적을 거두는 SKT가 해외시장에서 맥을 추스르지 못하는 이유는 해외시장에 대한 이해부족과 과감한 재정적인 투자가 뒷받침이 되지 않았기 때문이라고 전문가들은 얘기한다.　　“통신망이라는 게 국가적인 재산인데 성공하기가 쉽지 않다. 기왕 할거면 엄청난 투자가 들어가야 하는데 그런 부분은 하지 못하면서 퍼포먼스는 빨리 내고 싶어하기 때문”이라고 안재민 키움증권 애널리스트는 말했다.　시장에 대한 이해없이 사업을 벌인 대

 Unsuccessful ventures eat into No.1 mobile carrier’s value　SK Telecom, the nation’s No.1 wireless service provider, has proved to be far from savvy when it comes to overseas ventures. 　After unsuccessfully knocking on the doors of numerous overseas markets including the U.S. and China for six years, the company was forced to call it a day.  　The failure was such that former SKT chief executive Ch

   ROME (AP) _ Lady Gaga sang a few bars of her smash hit ``Born This Way'' and demanded the end of discrimination against gays as she proclaimed herself a ``child of diversity'' at a gay pride rally Saturday night in the ancient Circus Maximus.   The star, whose ``Born This Way'' album recently topped 1 million sales in a week, delighted tens of thousands of people at a brief concert in the vast

   South Korea's private universities could cut tuition fees by as much as 15 percent if the government funds their scholarship programs, the head of a private universities' council said Sunday, amid a growing political debate over tuition cuts.   Park Chul, who heads a council of presidents of private universities, told Yonhap News Agency in an interview that the council is surveying its members

　Warren Buffett’s annual charity lunch auction raised a record $2.63 million on the final day of the weeklong contest after the bidder who’d already won offered more cash to set the mark. 　The revised winning bid for a steakhouse meal with the 80-year-old billionaire beat by $100 the record set last year by an unidentified donor. This year’s contest is the 12th benefiting San Francisco’s Glide cha