Most Popular
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Yoon's approval rating plunges to all-time low
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S. Korea votes in favor of Palestinian bid for UN membership
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Bae Doo-na shares portraying Korean identity in Hollywood's 'Rebel Moon'
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[From the Scene] Monks, Buddhists hail return of remains of Buddhas
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Medical schools granted enrollment quota flexibility for next year
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Yoon offers first one-on-one meeting with opposition leader next week
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France rejects opening Paris flight routes to T'way Air, deals blow to Korean Air merger
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Chinese man behind drug scam targeting teens nabbed in Cambodia
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Iran fires air defense batteries in provinces as sound of explosions heard near Isfahan
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[Graphic News] French bulldog most popular breed in US, Maltese most popular in Korea
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Centuries of Baghdad poetry
Baghdad: The City in VerseBy Reuven Snir(Harvard University Press)Baghdad is a city that looms large in the American imagination. In 2003, at the start of the last Iraq war, it was occupied by U.S. troops. In the years that followed, thousands of U.S. citizens (soldiers, contractors, officials and journalists) passed through Baghdad.My own memories of the city are of its heat and light and the brokenness of its buildings and the kindness of its people. I lived there in 2003, briefly, as a report
BooksJan. 2, 2014
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Bridget Jones in the age of Twitter
Bridget Jones: Mad About the BoyBy Helen Fielding(Knopf)When a character like Bridget Jones is so beloved that she becomes something of a virtual best friend, it’s devastating to loyal, emotional readers when she just up and disappears for 13 years. (It was only two years between “Bridget Jones’ Diary” in 1998 and “Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason” in 2000.)After such a long wait, it’s a grand delight to find that author Helen Fielding’s third Bridget romp is every bit as engaging, hilarious an
BooksJan. 2, 2014
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‘Faithful Scribe,’ a keen insight into Pakistan’s past, present and future
From the first pages of his debut book, “The Faithful Scribe,” journalist Shahan Mufti gets personal.He imagines a dinner party in which you, the reader, ask where he’s from, and after hearing him reply, “Pakistan,” you ask him why the country is such a mess.Mufti, who grew up in the United States and Pakistan, attempts to answer that question and many more by probing his own family history to better understand the roots of the world’s first Islamic democracy.He artfully weaves stories of his an
BooksJan. 2, 2014
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‘Mother, Mother’: powerful trip through mom-daughter angst
Feeling overwhelmed by all the, you know, cheer in the air this time of year? Wishing for a little doom, a little gloom to balance things out? Have I got the book for you, and I mean that in a most complimentary way to the author.Koren Zailckas’ fiercely disturbing “Mother, Mother” is, under no circumstances, a book that you should read when you’re feeling depressed, or you’re kind of hating your mom, or you feel the need for some light chick-lit. It is, however, one of the most profound and ins
BooksJan. 2, 2014
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Who wrote the book on work? Lots of people
Earlier this month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 144 million people were employed in the United States ― people who are making a living, keeping the country going, stoking the engine of the economy and living their lives in the American story.All of this hyperbole is to lead up to the news that the Labor Department, in partnership with the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, has created a new section on its website to list books that have shaped work in America.The bo
BooksJan. 2, 2014
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Koreans’ favorite delivery food: fried chicken
Fried chicken was ranked No. 1 among people’s favorite delivery foods, beating the long-loved noodle dish jajangmyeon, according to a survey released Wednesday.The state-run Korea Rural Economic Institute polled 3,200 households nationwide, using self-report questionnaires or questions asked through household visits, to find out people’s ordering-in preferences. The poll showed that 42.4 percent of Koreans favor fried chicken, followed by Chinese delivery meals at 21.5 percent and pizza at 16.6
FoodJan. 2, 2014
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Rain says his girlfriend Kim tae-hee is rock
Actor and singer Rain expressed his fondness toward his girlfriend, actress Kim Tae-hee, in a recent interview. “My girlfriend is someone I can rely on and trust when I am down,” said the 32-year-old star, who just released his 6th album, titled “Rain Effect,” on Thursday.“We are on good terms, but we cannot go on dates frequently as both of us are too busy. We are keeping in contact by phone.”He drew a clear line between love and work, however. “I don’t want love to be mixed with work. I don’t
PerformanceJan. 2, 2014
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Pope stresses strength, courage, hope in new year
Pope Francis on Wednesday urged people to accept each other's differences and for enemies to recognize that they are brothers. “We are all children of one heavenly father, we belong to the same human family and we share a common destiny,” Francis said, speaking from his studio window overlooking St. Peter's Square, jammed with tens of thousands of faithful, tourists and Romans. “This brings a responsibility for each to work so that the world becomes a community of brothers who respect each
CultureJan. 1, 2014
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Dongdaemun Design Plaza creates futuristic Seoul scape
Dongdaemun, one of the largest commercial districts in Korea, will have its new face revealed with the opening of the latest masterpiece by star architect Zaha Hadid, in an ambitious Seoul Metropolitan Government project to establish a design and cultural hub in the capital. The Dongdaemun Design Plaza and Park will be unveiled in March amid anticipation that the new flashy building and its adjacent public park will attract citizens much like Korea’s first sports stadium originally located on th
Arts & DesignJan. 1, 2014
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‘Snack culture’ to lead cultural trends this year
In 2014, more people are expected to use smartphones in their spare moments to watch short video clips or engage in cultural activities, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Wednesday. Koreans will likely live more private and individualistic lives while seeking a sense of attachment in real life, not just in cyberspace, it said. According to a joint report by the ministry and the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute, titled “10 Likely Trends for 2014,” this “snack culture” ― in which
CultureJan. 1, 2014
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[Herald Review] Revisiting Roh Moo-hyun
Though director Yang Woo-seok’s latest film “The Attorney” specifies in the very beginning that it is “fiction,” it is hard to separate Song Woo-seok, the protagonist of the film and a fierce Busan-based lawyer in the 1980s, and the late President Roh Moo-hyun. Starring Song Kang-ho, of “Snowpiercer” and “The Face Reader,” who is undoubtedly one of the most famed and respected actors today, the film, which hit its 5 million viewers mark in just 12 days of its release on Monday, revisits Roh’s ea
FilmJan. 1, 2014
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Lee Seung-gi and SNSD’s YoonA dating
It has been revealed that popular TV personality and singer Lee Seung-gi and Girls’ Generation’s YoonA have been seeing each other for the past several months. On New Year’s Day both of the stars’ agencies confirmed rumors that the two were dating after local online news media Dispatch released several photos of YoonA getting into Lee’s car on a number of occasions since October. The two have reportedly been dating in secret since September.“Lee Seung-gi and YoonA’s feelings for one another are
PeopleJan. 1, 2014
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Herald Corp. names new managing editors
Herald Corp. has conducted a major shuffle of senior staff at its media business units to enhance its digital and mobile content, data-based news and visual presentation online and offline.Hwang Jang-jin, National Desk editor, was appointed managing editor of The Korea Herald, the nation’s No. 1 English daily newspaper, on Monday. He replaced Chon Shi-young, who led the newspaper since 2010 and will now write editorials.The media firm also named Kwon Yong-kook, chief of the English Business Divi
PeopleJan. 1, 2014
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Pope asks if people helped others in 2013
VATICAN CITY (AP) ― Pope Francis used his year-end prayer service on Tuesday evening to urge people to ask themselves a tough question: Did they mainly spend 2013 promoting self-interests or helping others? That’s what we all should consider as New Year’s celebrations get under way, the pontiff said as he led the service in St. Peter’s Basilica to give thanks, a Vatican year-end tradition.“Let us courageously ask ourselves: How did we live the time (God) gave us?” Francis asked in his homily. “D
PeopleJan. 1, 2014
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Vegas hypnotist will bring out your inner Strip dweller
LAS VEGAS ― Sure, Anthony Cools is a hypnotist, but this slick pompadour-sporting showman won’t help you quit smoking.He drives a Lamborghini and dresses in form-fitting suits with a bow tie, skull ring and pointy-toed, black-and-white Giorgio Brutini wingtips. Under his calculated spell, in fact, you might even start chain-smoking, or engage in other nefarious activities you wouldn’t be caught dead doing in your right mind.Maybe you’ll move your bra outside your blouse, dirty-flirt with a stran
CultureJan. 1, 2014
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World’s hottest pepper is grown in U.S.
FORT MILL, South Carolina (AP) ― Ed Currie holds one of his world-record Carolina Reaper peppers by the stem, which looks like the tail of a scorpion. On the other end is red fruit with a punch of heat nearly as potent as most pepper sprays used by police. Last month, The Guinness Book of World Records decided Currie’s peppers were the hottest on Earth, ending a more than four-year drive to prove no one grows a more scorching chili. The heat of Currie’s peppers was certified by students at Winth
FoodJan. 1, 2014
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Japan’s ‘Tree Town’ sculptors make living art
SOSA, Japan (AFP) ― With a deft clip here and a gentle tug there, Makoto Ishibashi sculpts trees with the skill of an artisan whose work is far more than just a job.The heir to a centuries-old family business, he creates masterpieces that can turn a pine tree into a work of art that could fetch $40,000. “This tree is a woman ― the leaves are soft,” the arborist says of the pine into a triangle at his farm in the city of Sosa.“Trees are my family ― they don’t say what they want but they are sendi
PeopleJan. 1, 2014
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[Photo News] Actress Hwang Jung-eum gives tearful speech
Singer and actress Hwang Jung-eum gives a tearful speech during her acceptance address after winning the best actress award in the 2013 KBS Drama Awards on Tuesday night, New Year’s Eve. In her speech, she expressed affection toward her long-term boyfriend Kim Yong-joon, a member of vocal group SG Wannabe, by saying, “Thanks to my other half for always being by my side. Love you.”By Ock Hyun-ju, Intern reporter(laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)
TelevisionJan. 1, 2014
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[Rookies of 2014] Clara Jumi Kang, latest darling of classical music
Twenty-six-year-old Clara Jumi Kang was 5 when she was admitted to the Mannheim Musikhochschule as the youngest student ever accepted to study under Valery Gradov. Brought up in a music-filled environment ― her father is the famed Wagnerian bass singer Philp Kang and her mother is the equally noted soprano Han Min-hee ― the violinist climbed steadily to the top. At five, she made her debut with the Hamburg Symphony and at seven she was accepted at the Juilliard School to study under Dorothy Dela
PeopleDec. 30, 2013
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[Rookies of 2014] Media artist Yang Min-ha draws on latest technologies
Media artist Yang Min-ha’s interactive media work was one of the well-received artworks at the inaugural exhibition of the Seoul branch of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea. His “Intervention, Misalignment,” on exhibit until Feb. 28 in Seoul, has been hailed as a fresh take on the existing media art form. His media installation, based on advanced technologies, not filmed images, set an example of the latest innovations in media art. “Yang is emerging in the international
PeopleDec. 30, 2013