Seoul - Sh

Seould  - South Korean housewife Kim Seok Ok is claiming a world record after singing for 76 hours and 7 minutes, beating a previous record of 75 hours by American Marcus Lapratt.

Kim, 54, sang 1,283 songs in her marathon session at a Seoul karaoke bar, pausing for less than 30 seconds between songs and for only five minutes each hour to comply with Guinness Book of Records rules, local media reports said Sunday.

She kept going with sips of honey and water and brief snacks of fruit in what was her second world record attempt after a nearly 60- hour effort two years ago.

Seoul  - Do you need something to refresh your mind and body? If you live in the hustle and bustle of the South Korean capital, Seoul, this may be the time to warm up and go out for a walk along the river bank.

A one or three-hour stroll along the Yangjae River becomes a pleasant experience during which you can enjoy nature, ride a bike, walk your dog or indulge in conversation or romance.

Defying the reputation of Seoul as a city of dynamism and speed with its population of 10 million, the Yangjae River flows slowly at the heart of the city's most affluent southern district of business and commerce.

The river and its surroundings in the city centre are an unlikely hub of bio-friendliness.

Seoul - North Korea's missile programme represents a serious threat to world security because Pyongyang could link it with its nuclear programme, South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung Hwan said Wednesday.

He also warned the North that it faced international sanctions if it again carries out a launch.

Seoul - Lee Myung Bak on Tuesday became the first South Korean president in five years to preside over a national security meeting in the wake of a series of threats from North Korea.

The focus of the annual gathering - which brought together 200 military, intelligence, security and local government officials - is defending South Korea from "enemy infiltration and provocation of limited scale," the Defence Ministry said.

South Korea fears tensions with its Stalinist neighbour could escalate into a limited military altercation, possibly over the two countries' contested border in the Yellow Sea.

Seoul - South Korean Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou Hwan died Monday at the age of 86, media reports said.

Kim, who was the country's first Roman Catholic cardinal and played an important role in South Korea's democratization, died at Seoul's Saint Mary's Hospital, where he had been hospitalized for the past year.

He had been treated for pneumonia and complications for several months and had fallen into brief comas multiple times, the national new agency Yonhap reported.