Free Republic

(Reuters) - Scientists in South Korea say they have found a way of converting used cigarette butts into a material capable of storing energy that could help power everything from mobile phones to electric cars. In a study published on Tuesday in the journal Nanotechnology, researchers from Seoul National University outlined how they transformed the used filters, which are composed mainly of cellulose acetate fibers and are considered toxic and a risk to the environment when discarded. "Our study has shown that used cigarette filters can be transformed into a high-performing carbon-based material using a simple one-step process, which simultaneously...

<p>Creation research is alive and well in South Korea. This year, the Institute for Creation Research’s own Dr. Randy Guliuzza was invited to speak at several major occasions, and the results were nothing less than astounding.</p> <p>The ever-dynamic Korea Association for Creation Research (KACR) hosted its annual conference on May 30 in Wonju, South Korea. KACR kicked off in 1981 with the help of ICR founder Dr. Henry M. Morris and Dr. Duane Gish, and it has since grown into the world’s largest creation organization.1,2 Several hundred of its 10,000 members perform doctorate-level research in academic institutions throughout South Korea.3 KACR President Dr. Eunil Lee, a professor of medicine at Korea University, takes care to nurture KACR’s historic roots with ICR—this year inviting Dr. Guliuzza to give the keynote address at their annual conference. The lecture had an overflow attendance of young creation scientists, and Dr. Guliuzza was enthusiastically received.</p>

On Wednesday, about 200 South Koreans attached thousands of chocolate snacks to 50 giant balloons and released into North Korea after Pyongyang reportedly banned the coveted treats from the country earlier this month. The pies, which have become popular among hungry North Koreans, are considered as a symbol of capitalism and represent a cultural impact that might encourage an uprising. “We will continue to send Choco Pie by balloons because it is still one of the most favorite foodstuffs in North Korea,” said Choo Sun-Hee, one of the organisers of Wednesday’s balloon launch.In response to the activity, Pyongyang has pressed...

The sister of an American tour guide who has been detained in North Korea for nearly two years renewed her urgent call for his release Thursday, saying that reports he feels abandoned are devastating. Choson Sinbo, a pro-North Korea newspaper based in Japan, published an interview July 30 with Kenneth Bae in which he is quoted as saying that nothing seems to be happening in his case and he feels abandoned.

The story of Fr. Kapaun, 2011 recipient of the Medal of Honor.

The American Museum of Ceramic Art visits Icheon, South Korea, to observe artists as they create beautiful Korean ceramics using traditional methods. Icheon has a history of ceramic culture that spans thousands of years, and it continues to this day.

Migrant workers must now wait until they leave the country to receive severance pay. Migrant workers must leave the country when their visas expire, and according to law since 2011, South Korean employers have been obliged to pay their severance before their departure. Government officials claim that the revised law will prevent more illegal migrant workers from staying in the country. “We’ve found that a certain portion of registered workers did not leave the country even after they were paid their severance pay,” an official said. “They had no choice but to become the target of law enforcement authorities as...

North Korea launched a short-range ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan on Saturday. The launch came the day before the 61st anniversary of the Korean War armistice. South Korean military officials say the North fired a Scud missile from around Ryongyon county in South Hwanghae Province on the western coast near the military demarcation line on Saturday night. North Korean media on Sunday suggested the country's leader Kim Jong Un himself ordered the missile to be fired. The official Korean Central News Agency reported that Kim directed a firing drill after checking on the deployment of US forces in...

The 7th Air Force called last weekend’s ban on drinking a “success,” with no alcohol-related incidents recorded during the 66-hour period. The ban on alcohol purchase and consumption was in place for all airmen in South Korea from noon Friday through 6 a.m. Monday. Violators could have faced punishment under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Command spokeswoman Maj. Richelle Dowdell said the alcohol stand-down was successful because it gave airmen a chance to reflect on their mission, gave them “time to consider what we must do to change — not only as individuals but to promote a culture of...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Obama announced today that a deal had been struck with North Korea to trade the South Korean capital of Seoul to secure the safe return of the USS Pueblo, a U.S. Navy spy ship held captive since 1968. Standing next to the ship’s christener, Mrs. Dorothy Duvall of Palm Beach, Florida, the president told reporters at the Rose Garden ceremony he decided to act when he learned of the ship’s “rapidly deteriorating condition.” “Could we someday regret handing over the capital city of an important ally to its mortal enemy? Absolutely. Might this encourage more mischief...

North Korea announced Friday that it has detained a U.S. citizen who it says entered the country as a tourist in April and broke the law. The North's state-run Korean Central News Agency reported that authorities are investigating the man, who it said "carried out acts that were inappropriate for a tourist."

Originally blue-eyed with blonde hair, he became interested in having plastic surgery after spending some time as an exchange student in Korea. He was inspired by how common plastic surgery is here. Xiahn, who asked not to be named to protect his family from Internet scrutiny, underwent 10 surgical procedures on his eyes, along with other less-invasive procedures, which cost him around $3,100. He also began wearing contact lenses to change his eye color.

Practical or patronizing? South Korea is spending mega-money on creating larger car parking spaces for women. Capital city Seoul is introducing "lady-friendly" spots reserved exclusively for female drivers, the Korea Times reports. Wider and longer than regular spots, they will be closer to elevators and marked out with pink mini-skirted logos. It's not yet known, however, if men will be fined if busted for using them. Korea Times reports the initiative is part of a nearly $700 million push to make the metropolis more female-friendly over four years. Other projects include installing 7,000 new women-only toilets, and the resurfacing of...

South Korean President Park Geun-hye warned this week that if North Korea conducts another nuclear test, it could prompt the volatile country's neighbors to seek their own nuclear defense. "North Korea would effectively be crossing the Rubicon," she told the Wall Street Journal.

One of the most decorated battles in US military history. These first-hand accounts, .... As a fellow combat veteran, director Brian Iglesias forged a unique connection with the men he interviewed.

A convoy carrying South Korean investigators looking for Yoo Byung-eun enters a compound in Anseong, south of Seoul, on Wednesday. Getty Images South Korean authorities are conducting a nationwide manhunt for three members of the family that controls the company that operated the Sewol ferry, which capsized and sank last month, leaving more than 300 people dead or missing. On Wednesday, prosecution investigators–backed by more than 1,000 riot police–raided a sprawling church compound in Anseong, south of Seoul, where family patriarch Yoo Byung-eun was suspected to have been hiding. Prosecutors said Mr. Yoo may have left the compound days earlier....

From children working hard in the fields to a group of soldiers pushing a broken-down bus, these are the photographs that North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, didn't want you to see. Taken by photographer Eric Lafforgue during what would prove to be his final visit to the rogue state, the images reveal the shocking extent of the hunger, deprivation and oppression suffered by the people who live there. Lafforgue, who has now been banned from North Korea, took the pictures while in the company of state-approved guides and was asked to delete each of the images but managed to...

Beijing's lack of faith in rule of Kim Jong-un exposed in contingency plans to detain key North Korean leaders, set up border refugee camps and respond to "foreign forces" China has drawn up detailed contingency plans for the collapse of the North Korean government, suggesting that Beijing has little faith in the longevity of Kim Jong-un’s regime. Documents drawn up by planners from China’s People’s Liberation Army that were leaked to Japanese media include proposals for detaining key North Korean leaders and the creation of refugee camps on the Chinese side of the frontier in the event of an outbreak...

Shortly after the United Nations released a comprehensive report detailing North Korea’s crimes against humanity, the autocratic state has angrily responded with it’s own report on abuses it sees inside the United States. The official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Wednesday published an article titled “News Analysis on Poor Human Rights Records in U.S.” The report lists a number of complaints against the U.S., including the “racial discrimination” that was supposedly revealed during the 2013 acquittal of George Zimmerman for the 2012 fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin. “The U.S. is a living hell as elementary rights to existence are...

I, U.S. Army PFC Hubert E. “Ed” Reeves, a 19-year-old quadruple amputee, was flying home in a stretcher attended by a medic—but going home! While visiting with my folks, a short note arrived in the mail from a high school girl, accompanied by her senior picture. In the letter, she wrote, “I’m writing just to thank you for what you have done for our country and for me as a citizen. I’ve read in the newspaper of your amputations and write, not out of pity, but to wish you speedy recovery, knowing you will do well…” This was not another...