Allen Ginsberg, who passed away in April 1997, once wrote a defiant poem entitled, “Capitol Air,” which begins: “I don’t like the government where I live.” I met him in 1981 in Buffalo, New York, where he read ― actually performed ― the poem to music on stage. The celebrated poet, who heralded the Beat Generation with his monumental poem “Howl” in 1956, fascinated the audience by reading his new...

Experts say tremendous stresses are building, increasing chances of major rupture JAKARTA (AP) ― The skeleton of what will soon be one of the world’s biggest nuclear plants is slowly taking shape along China’s southeastern coast ― right on the doorstep of Hong Kong’s bustling metropolis. Three other facilities nearby are up and running or under construction. Like Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi plant...

Rejection of new interpretations of traditional dishes hamper hansik globalization The following is the first in a series of articles on the contemporizing of Korean culture -- Ed. It also leads to restaurateurs competing with each other in terms of the number of dishes that are offered in a set. “It is also responsible for the tremendous waste of food. More than 1.3 trillion won is wasted ever...

Popular television actor Hyun Bin has been ordered to serve on a frontline island. The actor, famous for recent appearance in hit television drama “Secret Garden,” joined the Marines last month for the mandatory military service. Able-bodied South Korean men are required to serve 20 months in the military, and Hyun’s decision to join the Marine Corps brought him much public attention, as the el...

PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) ― Amid a burst of fireworks and a haze of smoke, a burly showman in a white sequined suit and gold lame cape appears with a flourish. Over the next 45 minutes, he appears to make a Pyongyang bus levitate and wriggles free from a box sent crashing to the stage through a ring of fire. This is magic North Korean-style performed in a show touted as the country’s biggest e...

One-run games on the rise in Korean baseball league Games decided by the smallest of margins in South Korea’s top baseball league have been on the rise in the early going of the season, a trend that experts say has been exciting for fans but distressing to managers. In the first 52 games in the Korea Baseball Organization through Sunday, 18 games, or 35 percent, have been decided by a single ru...

This is a regular feature introducing associations and clubs for expats. This week, Expat Living spoke to Marcus von Engel of In Vino Veritas wine club ― Ed. •Name of Club: In Vino Veritas •Location: Seoul •Number of members: 80. About 50 to 80 members and guests attend each monthly tasting •Started: In 1996. It is Korea’s oldest wine club Who is it for? Professionals ― Koreans and expats ―...

The New Zealand and Australian chambers of commerce in Korea raised 105.5 million won ($97,000) with The Rugby Charity Dinner and auction held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel on April 13. The New Zealand Chamber decided to convert a Rugby World Cup promotional event into an opportunity to help rebuild devastated communities on the Pacific Rim. AusCham and The Seoul-Japan Club added their support. New ...

“People who litter public areas suffer from mental and social dysfunction which makes them unable to achieve success in modern societies,” writes journalist Sandra Brasil in one of the most prestigious Brazilian weekly magazines, VEJA. Harsh words to describe a common but unfortunate behavior pattern of people from all over the world. Littering does not spare any country or culture whether it is...

Camarata concert also features Latin-influenced work by Ariel Quintana May might be a morbid month for Camarata Music Company. For the second year in a row Camarata is putting on a requiem. This year, an orchestra will accompany the 55-voice CMC Chorale for Mozart’s Requiem on May 7. There will also be a performance by the CMC Chamber Singers of Argentinean-American composer Ariel Quintana’s “...

The number of mobile phone users in North Korea jumped nearly fivefold in 2010 to exceed 430,000, nearly 2 percent of its population, Orascom Telecom, the sole telecom operator in the communist country. The Egypt-based wireless carrier said in its annual report that North Korean subscribers totaled 431,919 in December last year, an increase of 470 percent from 91,704 in the same month in 2009. ...