Korean soloists were invited to perform lead roles in a Bolshoi Ballet performance, and it seems the unprecedented event may be more than a one-time gesture of friendly diplomacy.

The concept of "nation branding" has become increasingly familiar here as the government has introduced various programs to promote Korea's economic and social achievements abroad, and to attract foreign visitors and investment. In terms of global image, however, Korea lags behind its multinational firms such as Samsung, LG, SK and Hyundai.

Sports are making the well-known ambassador, who often goes by her Korean name, Shim Eun-kyung, even more popular among Koreans. She regularly plays tennis, for example, with Korean friends at her residence behind downtown Seoul's Deoksu Palace.

As part of a major cultural exchange initiative, a Saudi youth delegation will visit South Korea on Nov. 2 as part of efforts to strengthen bilateral relations. A 10-member Korean youth delegation is currently in the Kingdom.

Less than a week after the appointment of a new leadership hierarchy in North Korea, the South Korean defense minister said that his country’s military would initiate a new and expanded propaganda war if provoked by the North.

A collection of 12 Taiwanese films are ready to take the 15th Pusan International Film Festival by storm this week to show Taiwan's cinematic prowess, the Government Information Office (GIO) said yesterday, two days before the festival is set to kick off.

Like many Japanese compatriots of his age, Eiji Hattori, 66, turned to volunteer work in his hometown of Kani in Gifu Prefecture after retirement in 2009. But last month, the former drink factory manager jumped on a plane to South Korea, drawn by his newfound interest in an ancient Korean kingdom that was once close with Japan but now is little known beyond its borders.

A convoy of trucks crossed the border with North Korea on Friday, carrying the first South Korean rice donations for North Korea in nearly three years, as officials from both Koreas huddled to discuss the reunion of families separated by the Korean War six decades ago.