A new drama co-produced by South Korea and China will attempt to depict the famous 1592 war against Japan in a way that promotes viewers' understanding of the people and warfare involved in the conflict, producers said Thursday.   The "Imjinwaeran" war, which lasted from 1592-98, is best remembered in Korea as a series of successful naval battles led by Admiral Yi Sun-shin. With a significantly smaller fleet, Yi won all46 battles he fought against invading Japanese forces, making him one of the

The Dalai Lama called for love, mercy and sympathy for a better future at a meeting with a South Korean Buddhist group advocating for his visit to the country.   "I have not been able to visit Asian countries except Japan," the 81-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader told about 10 representatives from the group and the accompanying Korean journalists at his residence in Dharamshala, northwestern India, on Tuesday. "I am certain about my future visit to South Korea, if the South Korean believers' re

North Korea says it has resumed plutonium production from spent fuel rods and has no plans to stop nuclear tests as long as the United States still "threatens" Pyongyang, Kyodo News reported Wednesday.   The North's Atomic Energy Institute, which has jurisdiction over the country's main atomic complex Yongbyon, told Kyodo it had been producing highly enriched uranium for nuclear arms and power "as scheduled".   "We have reprocessed spent nuclear fuel rods removed from a graphite-moderated reacto

Open water swimming star Rachele Bruni was hailed Wednesday as the first Italian athlete to publicly declare her homosexuality.   Bruni, who won silver in the 10km swim in Rio on Monday, dedicated her medal to her family, her coach and her girlfriend Diletta Faina.   Italian media and gay rights groups said it was a landmark moment for a country which has been slower to recognise same sex relationships than other Western states.   La Reppublica reported that Bruni was the first Italian sportsman

A lawyer says a German convert to Islam who was convicted over a thwarted plan to attack American soldiers and civilians in Germany has been granted early release from prison.    Fritz Gelowicz was one of four men arrested in 2007 and convicted in 2010. A Duesseldorf court found that they operated as a cell of the radical Islamic Jihad Union and plotted to attack Americans at facilities including the U.S. Air Force's Ramstein Air Base.      Gelowicz was sentenced to 12 years in prison for member

The man killed in a police shooting that sparked two nights of violence in Milwaukee suffered from cognitive and mental health issues, and he carried a gun because he had been shot more than once in the past, his grandfather said.    Sylville K. Smith had a lengthy criminal past, but was just trying to survive in the inner city, William Brookins told The Associated Press.    ``In this city, there's a lot of killings going on in the street,'' said Brookins, who detailed Smith's problems in a lett

After making history at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, South Korean shooting champion Jin Jong-oh has returned to his homeland Wednesday with a warm reception from his family and fans.    Jin won the 50m pistol gold medal at the Rio Games and became the first shooter, man or woman, to win a single event at three Olympics in a row. The 36-year-old also became the first South Korean athlete to win a gold medal at three consecutive Olympics, winter or summer.   "I really wanted win the gold medal (at

New Zealand runner Nikki Hamblin was lying on the track, dazed after a heavy fall and with her hopes of an Olympic medal seemingly over. Suddenly, there was a hand on her shoulder and a voice in her ear: "Get up. We have to finish this.''      It was American Abbey D'Agostino, offering to help.      "I was like, 'Yup, yup, you're right. This is the Olympics Games. We have to finish this,'" Hamblin said.      It was a scene to warm the hearts of fans during a qualifying heat of the women's 5,000

Despite the scorching heat wave that has swept across the nation, thousands of music fanatics flocked to the Penta Park in Incheon to partake in one of the country’s time-honored summer traditions -- the Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival. 　This year’s three-day festivities kicked things up a notch with some big-time heavy hitters including the alternative punk icons Weezer, Panic! at the Disco, Two Door Cinema Club, Suede and Group Love. 　The 11th annual festival kicked off Friday with the sounds

Crowds flocked to the grass lawn in front of Bucheon City Hall on Thursday night for the opening of Asia’s biggest genre film event, the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival. The festival kicked off with fireworks, a modern dance performance, and an outdoor screening of “Captain Fantastic,” this year’s opening film directed by American actor-turned-director Matt Ross. 　　“This is a very personal film, about parenthood and parenting, choices we make as people and how they impact those aro

You do not have to look far to stay healthy during summer, as run-of-the-mill foods such as watermelon and cold buckwheat noodles can do the trick, according to Korean traditional medicine. 　The key is to understand the strengths and weaknesses of one’s own body and its organs, said Korean medicine professor Lee Young-jong from Gachon University. 　For instance, some people tend to sweat more than others during summer, which makes them lose energy easily. 　“But for certain people, sweating in fac

Nothing short of impressionable, Red Hot Chili Peppers’ first gig in Korea in 2002 still has some people talking.　Back again after 14 years, the American rock band is headlining one of the most-anticipated music events of the year, the 2016 Jisan Valley Rock Music & Arts Festival.　“Each country we go to, we try to get our own perspective of the place we’re in,” said the group’s bassist Michael Balzary -- who goes by the stage name Flea -- at a press conference at the Grand InterContinental Seoul

South Korea's finance minister on Monday agreed with the City of London's mayor to work closely for bilateral cooperation in trade in the aftermath of the British vote to exit the European Union, or Brexit, the finance ministry here said.   In a Seoul meeting with Jeffery Mountevans, the Lord Mayor of the City of London, Finance Minister Yoo Il-ho said the two countries have to join tight hands for close coordination to prevent any contraction in trade and investment in each nation when Britain

Investigators in Australia on Monday were examining a wing flap found last month on an East African island that is suspected to be from the missing Malaysian airliner, officials said.    The "large piece of aircraft debris'' arrived at the Australian Transport Safety Bureau headquarters in the capital, Canberra, for examination as part of the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, said a joint statement by Australian and Malaysian government authorities.    "The large piece of what is likely t

North Korea is accelerating the development of its county of Samjiyon, where Korea's highest mountain is located, under the direction of its leader Kim Jong-un, a report by the communist country's main newspaper said Monday.   The Rodong Sinmun, the organ of the ruling Workers' Party, reported that Kim instructed the development of the northern area of Ryanggang Province near Mt. Paektu, which is claimed by the North to be the sacred origin point of the Korean revolution.   Pyongyang has claimed

South Korea's official development assistance provider, KOICA, has signed deals with its U.S.counterpart and Microsoft founder Bill Gates' foundation to help Korean social ventures make inroads into the global market, the state agency said Monday.Under the deals, KOICA, or the Korea International Cooperation Agency, will invest US$1 million in Global Innovation Exchange (GIEx), a global platform for marketing social innovation ideas over the next five years.   The investment will enable KOICA to

Maestro Chung Myung-whun returned home Wednesday to accede to a prosecution probe later this week into his defamation allegation filed by the former head of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO).   "I don't think it's an investigation. Rather I think the time to disclose the truth has come," the former SPO music director told reporters upon arrival at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul.   Both Chung and his wife, just identified as her family Koo, were accused by former SPO CEO Park H

The cast of the upcoming musical “Peste” pose at a press conference held at the Di Nozze Convention center in Seoul on Thursday. (Yonhap)　A musical based on the tragic tale of French author Albert Camus’ “The Plague” combined with the sounds of legendary K-pop icon Seo Tai-ji, new local musical “Peste” is gearing up to hit the stage later this month. 　To this day, Seo is widely considered an unparalleled iconic musician for his controversial and politically defiant lyrics that pushed the envelop

When Lee Jin-ah came on singing audition program “K-pop Star” two years ago, the panel, consisting of famed music producers Yang Hyun-seok, Park Jin-young and Yoo Hee-yeol, unanimously praised the squeaky-voiced, piano-playing contestant as a “genius” so far not seen in the K-pop world.　While many viewers agreed, others were baffled: What was so special about the then-23-year-old girl whose self-written tunes resembled children’s songs and whose vocals sounded infantile?　Producer Yoo, who heads

India's transport ministry admitted Thursday it has so far failed to improve road safety but said it was pushing for stricter laws, as new figures revealed 17 people die in traffic accidents every hour.   Transport minister Nitin Gadkari acknowledged an urgent need to improve road infrastructure as the numbers showed traffic accidents were one of the single biggest causes of death in India.   The report found 146,133 people died in 501,423 road accidents in 2015, an increase of almost five perce