Close to 25 percent of South Korea's military conscripts suffer from depression, some of them pushed to their limits from insults and isolated environments at barracks, a study showed Sunday.The study conducted in 2012 by Kim Sun-young, a nursing major at Seoul National University graduate school, showed that nearly 25 percent of the 288 conscripts she surveyed were suffering from depression, while 17.4 percent complained of obsessive compulsive disorder. Frequent derogatory insults and difficul

Asian churches must have open minds and empathy toward others to truly communicate with people in other Asian countries out of the reach of the Gospel, Pope Francis said Sunday as he spoke to the region's bishops."On this vast continent which is home to a great variety of cultures, the church is called to be versatile and creative in her witness to the Gospel through dialogue and openness to all," the pope said in his speech before some 70 Asian bishops in the South Korean west coastal city of S

Samsung Electronics said Sunday it began production of what is called the world's first 20-nano mobile application processor, the Exynos 5430, which can save up to 25 percent in power consumption compared to the previous model.Set to equip its new smartphone Galaxy Alpha that will hit the local market early next month, the new processor is an octa-core chip made up of four Cortex A15 cores running at up to 1.8GHz and four Cortex A7 cores of 1.3GHz.The chip features a function that activates and

North Korea took a swipe Sunday at South Korea's latest conciliatory proposals, saying the South should first deal with "fundamental" inter-Korean issues to mend cross-border relations.The reaction from Pyongyang came two days after South Korean President Park Geun-hye proposed in her Liberation Day speech that the two Koreas join hands in cultural heritage preservation efforts. She also invited the North to an international convention on biological diversity to be held in South Korea in October

Executives of South Korea's global tech giant Samsung Electronics swept the list of the country's highest-paid CEOs in the first half of 2014, according to the latest corporate business reports, although the CEOs' bonuses were somewhat reduced because of a slowdown in business performance in the second quarter.Shin Jong-kyun, head of the company's information technology and mobile division, topped the list with 11.34 billion won(US$11.1 million), followed by his colleague Kwon Oh-hyun, leader of

Pope Francis on Sunday baptized a father of one of the children killed in April's ferry disaster who chose the same Catholic name as the pope."Pope Francis baptized Lee Ho-jin, who lost his youngest son in the ferry sinking, early in the morning. His baptismal name is Francis, the same as the pope," Hur Young-yup, spokesman for the organizing committee of the papal visit, said during a daily briefing in Seoul. (Yonhap)The ceremony was held closed-door with only his immediate family members atten

 The governor of the US state of Missouri declared a state of emergency and curfew Saturday following race-tinged violence in the suburb where an officer shot dead an unarmed black teenager.The curfew will begin overnight and last from midnight until 5:00 am for the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson, where 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot dead by police a week ago.(AFP-Yonhap)"To protect the people and property of Ferguson today, I signed an order declaring a state of emergency and ordering impleme

Pope Francis at lunch with a group of youth at Major Seminary of Daejeon, South Korea, 15 August 2014. Pope Francis is on an official visit to South Korea from 14 to 18 August 2014 to attend the Asia Youth Day in Daejeon. The pontiff is also expected to lead the beatification ceremony of 124 Korean martyrs. (AFP)

Pope Francis is expected to begin the fourth day of his visit by baptizing the father of a boy who died in the Sewol ferry sinking at the Vatican Embassy in Seoul. 　The 62-year-old Lee Ho-jin will be baptized before the pope begins his official schedule on Sunday morning. Lee asked to be baptized to the pope when he met the pontiff at the Mass for the Assumption of Mary in Daejeon on Aug. 15. 　(Yonhap)The pope will head to Haemi Martyrdom Holy Ground in North Chungcheong Province to meet 60 Asia

Pope Francis beatified 124 Korean martyrs in a large-scale outdoor Mass at the heart of Seoul, on Saturday, telling hundreds of thousands of people in attendance that their ancestors’ martyrdom had lessons for the church around the world today. 　A highlight of the pope’s five-day apostolic visit here, the ceremony drew some 800,000 Koreans to the streets of Gwanghwamun, the traditional center of Seoul and a historic place where large numbers of early believers were martyred in the 18th and 19th

A homegrown action film about a 16th-century Korean naval hero's astonishing victory against Japan gathered more than 13.62 million in attendance at home, a local box-office tracker said Saturday.The Korean Film Council said "Roaring Currents" became the most-watched movie at theaters in the country as of Friday, breaking the previous record held by Hollywood blockbuster "Avatar" that gathered 13.62 million.The record came a day after "Roaring Currents" became the most-watched South Korean-made

President Park Geun-hye on Friday pressed North Korea again to give up its nuclear weapons programs as she offered her latest conciliatory overture meant to lay the groundwork for potential unification with Pyongyang.She suggested that North Korea should follow in the footsteps of Kazakhstan in giving up nuclear weapons and emulate Vietnam and Myanmar, which opted for reform and openness, noting those countries enjoy peace and prosperity. (Yonhap)"Now, North Korea should abandon its nuclear prog

Pope Francis has reinforced his reputation as a man of surprises during his five-day pastoral visit to Korea.　From an impromptu speech on the division on the Korean Peninsula to a surprise visit to a Jesuit-run university, here are some notable, unexpected, surprising moments from the top Catholic cleric’s visit in Korea so far. 　(Yonhap)Taking KTX to Daejeon 　Shunning the presidential helicopter, the pontiff hopped onto a high-speed train to the southern city of Daejeon along with about 500 pas

Pope Francis said Saturday the legacy of Korean martyrs will contribute to promoting peace and human values in South Korea and the rest of the world.(Yonhap)"The legacy of the martyrs can inspire all men and women of good will to work in harmony for a more just, free and reconciled society, thus contributing to peace and the protection of authentically human values in this country and in our world," the pope said during a beatification Mass in central Seoul for 124 Korean martyrs.Yun Ji-chung an

A tight security cordon was thrown around central Seoul Saturday to screen out possible threats as up to one million people gathered for a huge, open-air mass by Pope Francis.Office windows overlooking Gwanghwamun plaza, the South Korean capital's main ceremonial thoroughfare, were sealed, with snipers on the rooftops among 30,000 police deployed for the event.(Yonhap)The mass, which will see the pope beatify 124 early Korean martyrs, is the centrepiece of his five-day visit to South Korea, the

[Papal Visit] Pope to baptize father of Sewol victim 　　Pope Francis will baptize the father of a boy who died in the Sewol ferry disaster in April, organizers of the papal visit said Saturday. 　The pontiff, on his first trip to Asia, will lead the ceremony himself Sunday at the Vatican Embassy in Seoul, said Rev. Hur Young-yup, spokesman for the government-civilian Committee for the Papal Visit to Korea. 　The man, 62-year-old Lee Ho-jin, asked to be baptized by the pope when he met him Friday be

K-pop legend Seo Taiji finally broke his silence on Wednesday, clarifying his stance amid mounting controversy after his former wife, actress E Ji-ah made comments on their marriage on a TV show.　On Monday, E revealed her side of the story about her marriage to Seo, most of which has been hidden behind a veil of secrecy.　On the TV talk show “Healing Camp,” E confessed that the two fell in love after they first met at concert in the U.S. E talked about how lonely her life was as she had to keep t

2NE1 member CL released a photo she took with American fashion designer Jeremy Scott on Tuesday, boasting of their steady friendship. In the photo posted on Instagram, CL and Scott pose for the camera while holding glasses. Meanwhile, CL is scheduled to perform along with her label mates at the upcoming “AIA Real Life: Now Festival 2014,” to be held on Aug. 15 in Seoul.　(laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)

Rookie K-pop group Winner has made a splash not only at home but also abroad with its debut album released Tuesday. 　As Winner dropped its debut EP “2014 S/S” at midnight on Aug. 12, one of the band’s two main tracks, “Empty,” instantly topped Korea’s nine major music charts.  (YG Entertainment)A day after the release, the track is drawing positive reactions from abroad as well. The tune debuted at No.1 on iTunes album charts in five countries -- Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Tai

G-Dragon of K-pop boy group Big Bang released a photo he took with an American singer-songwriter Pharrell Williams on Wednesday.　“The man who always inspires me. Thank you,” G-Dragon wrote on his Instagram alongside the photo.　In the photo, G-Dragon makes a funny face while Pharrell gazes straight-faced.　Meanwhile, G-Dragon is scheduled to perform along with his label mates at the upcoming “AIA Real Life: Now Festival 2014,” to be held on Aug. 15 in Seoul.　(laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)