With Kim Jong-il, the Reverend Moon and military coups grabbing headlines, Korea has not always been the kingdom of cool.But since the South Koreans sent their generals back to the barracks and became the world's most internet-wired people, the transformation has taken place...

A group of South Korean women who have protested outside the Japanese embassy every week for 20 years halted their protests for only the second time ever to show support for those affected by the March 11 tsunami in Japan.

Leaflets flown in by North Korea used to be spotted in Seoul until the late 1970s. They were full of unsophisticated propaganda about how happily the people lived under the leadership of their “Great Leader” Kim Il-sung.

There were some sweaty brows among South Korea’s construction executives last year, when Libya accused Seoul’s gaffe-prone intelligence service of snooping on Colonel Gaddafi. The builders weathered that diplomatic storm only to be rocked by this year’s rebellion against Col Gaddafi’s 41-year rule.

When the democratic revolt in Tunisia successfully ousted the old regime, the world reacted with amazement. Democracy from below in the Arab world? After the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak’s 30 year-old regime in Egypt, the heartland of the Middle East, amazement has turned into certainty.

Seoul is using an old-school method — leaflet bombing — to tell its northern neighbors about events in the Middle East. As part of its ongoing campaign to win over North Koreans, South Korea has once again turned to "balloon diplomacy," sending gas-filled balloons skyward with messages and goodies in tow.

Lebanon and South Korea have yet to establish the necessary foundations to promote political and economic ties as Lebanese investors find little interest in the South Korean market and vice versa, Lebanon’s Ambassador to South Korea Issam Mustapha told The Daily Star.

Many observers of the Korean Peninsula have traced the apparent relaxation of tensions there to the supporting contributions made by China and the United States, with attention now focusing on the upcoming inter-Korean dialogue. But Russia's role in this process also deserves mention, since Moscow can be a positive force regarding the Koreas.