Top diplomats of two Koreas shun each other at ASEAN forum
Yonhap News
Top diplomats of the two Koreas have pointedly shunned each other at annual security talks here, dashing hopes of a possible encounter and underscoring frozen inter-Korean relations.
July Issue: Ethnic Print Media Isn’t Extinct Yet
Never Say Die
Ethnic print media are going the way of the dodo. But one Japanese American paper went the non-profit route to say alive.
by VIVIEN KIM THORP
In June, the Nichi Bei Weekly, a Northern California Japanese American paper, hosted the second annual Soy and Tofu Festival. The event, held in San Francisco’s Japantown, drew thousands of visitors, doubling from last year and bringing the nonprofit organization some much needed funding. Three years ago, this event would not have been possible.
The Nichi Bei Weekly is an English-language, nonprofit offshoot of the Nichi Bei Times, a Japanese, bilingual paper that closed its doors in 2009 after 63 years of publication. Its roots can be traced even farther back, as the Nichi Bei Times was actually a reincarnation of the Nichi Bei Shinbun, which was founded in 1899, but forced to close after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1942.
Kim Jong Un’s Mystery Woman Rumored to be Next First Lady
Kim Jong Un’s recent appearance at a concert featuring performers dressed up as colorful Disney characters wasn’t the only thing making headlines last week.
Footage and photographs of a young woman next to Kim sparked rumors and extensive investigations of their relationship. Initially, various news sources speculated the woman to be Kim’s wife, younger sister or mistress.
South Korean intelligence sources have now identified the woman as Hyon Song-wol, former front woman of the popular Bochonbo Electronic Music Band. She headed the North Korean hits such as “Footsteps of Soldiers,” “I Love Pyongyang,” and “Excellent Horse-Like Lady,” according to The Telegraph.
Park Geun-hye aims to become South Korea’s first female president
The Guardian (U.K.)
The daughter of a former South Korean dictator who was assassinated more than 30 years ago has announced a campaign to become the country’s first female president with promises to tackle inequality and improve ties with North Korea.
Declaring her candidacy for the ruling New Frontier party at a rally in Seoul, Park Geun-hye, who once described her politics as “Korean Thatcherism”, promised to “create a country where no one is left behind” and break the “vicious cycle of mistrust” between North and South Korea.
South Korean 10-Year-Old Commits Suicide Saying ‘Life Is Too Tough’
A 10-year-old girl in South Korea’s Gangwon Province reportedly committed suicide on July 3 and left a note saying life was “too tough” for her, according to the Korea Herald.
Her mother found the girl dead in the garden of the family’s apartment. A teacher had informed her of her daughter’s absence in school earlier that morning.
“After I received a call from her teacher that she did not come to school, I scolded her on the phone since it was a test day,” said the girl’s 37-year-old mother, whose name was withheld, to police. “She did not answer the phone when I called her again. I felt strange and went home to find her.” (more…)
Activists Protest South Korea’s Plans to Resume Whaling
South Korea’s recent announcement to resume whale hunting for scientific purposes triggered an outcry from environmental activists, according to news reports.
“We believe this move is a thinly veiled attempt by Korea to conduct commercial whaling under the guise of scientific research, similar to hunts conducted by Japan in the Southern Ocean whale sanctuary,” said Wendy Elliott, head of World Wildlife Fund’s delegation to the whaling commission.
A statement from the South Korean delegation to the International Whaling Commission announced ongoing work on a proposal to hunt minke whales for scientific purposes. (more…)
Money rolls into Los Angeles’ CD13 council race
89.3 KPCC (Calif.)
A former member of the Board of Public Works announced today that his campaign for city council has raised $110,000 in donations for the 2013 race.
John Choi’s camp announced the milestone after the fundraising window closed June 30. The city’s Ethics Commission will post detailed financial reports later this month.
“This is an incredible and humbling way to start off my campaign, I am honored to have such broad support from the community,” Choi said in a statement. “This early momentum is key, the amount of encouragement and support from family and friends has truly been overwhelming.”
UN Report: North Korea Defies UN Sanctions
Voice of America
United Nations report has concluded that North Korea continues to “actively defy” international sanctions by attempting to ship arms to Burma and Syria and by importing luxury goods.
The report by a panel of experts says U.N. sanctions imposed on North Korea following nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009 have slowed but failed to halt banned activities.
But the panel said it has received no new reports of violations involving the transfer of nuclear, chemical or biological weapons or ballistic missiles.
Hines Ward says NFL players get what they agreed to in CBA
USA Today
Ward told radio station WFNZ in Charlotte Tuesday that Steelers players, some targeted multiple times by Goodell for allegedly illegal hits, did not sign off on the CBA in large part because of Goodell’s power to discipline players.
“So Roger Goodell, even though a lot of players don’t like having him in charge, the NFLPA, we signed off on the collective bargaining agreement,” said Ward.
