Most Popular
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1 in 3 Koreans live alone, family types becoming diverse
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Korea, Japan finance chiefs vow to tame rampant FX market volatility
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K-pop singer lost consciousness after being hit by foul ball, cancels show
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K-pop group's manager dismissed for setting up spycam in theater dressing room
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Contentious grain bill put directly to plenary meeting for vote
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Korean Muslim YouTuber's plan to build mosque in Incheon goes viral
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Why is Apple Pay struggling to get purchase in Korea?
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Yoon's office denies considering liberal figures for key posts
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Trilateral talks acknowledge ‘serious’ slumps of won, yen
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[Today’s K-pop] BTS pop-up event to come to Seoul
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A tuneful campaign for unification
On Aug. 14, one day before Koreans mark their independence from Japanese colonial rule, Lee Seung-chul will embark on a tuneful campaign for the reunification of the Korean Peninsula. With a group of young North Korean defectors, the singer-songwriter will travel to the easternmost islets of Dokdo, where they will together sing his “unification song” and “Arirang,” an iconic folk song loved by Koreans on both sides of the border. The performance will be primarily symbolic with hardly any audienc
Aug. 8, 2014
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Calendar
Dance“Prince Hodong”: The Korean National Ballet is slated to restage its production of “Prince Hodong,” an original work based on the traditional Korean tale “Princess Nakrang and Prince Hodong” ― a dramatic cultural tale of love, war and death. The ballet is a modernized retelling of the classic tale, combining elements of Western artistic culture with traditional Korean culture. “Prince Hodong” will be staged on Aug. 29 and 30 at the Sungnam Arts Center in Seoul. For more information, call (0
Aug. 8, 2014
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A book forest for everyone
It is the first of its kind. The library is open 24 hours a day, carrying over 200,000 donated books. A wide selection of texts, ranging from literature, science, and arts to humanities welcomes people of all ages. Located in the heart of Paju Book City, a publishing community that creates, publishes and sells Korean books in Paju, north of Seoul, The Forest of Wisdom opened in June. Since then, thousands of visitors have visited the library.The Forest of Wisdom library in Paju, Gyeonggi Provinc
Aug. 6, 2014
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Tiny Van Goghs: Kids bloom through preschool art program
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina ― Jessica McQuillen never saw herself as a preschool teacher. Instructing at an elementary school was always the goal.Still she went down a winding road that led her to the job as the only arts and music teacher at Charlotte’s Thompson Child Development Center, a preschool facility that serves many children from families that have struggled with substance abuse, mental health, poverty or other issues.McQuillen, 44, uses the creative process through Thompson’s art progra
Aug. 6, 2014
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Look, man, no hands! Learning to ride a bicycle as an adult
MINNEAPOLIS ― For many, learning how to ride a bike is a rite of passage. For others, it never happens. Now, some adults are finding out what they’ve been missing.Sheldon Mains is helping adults take care of that unfinished childhood business.In a metro area known for its thriving bike culture, Mains discovered that there’s a surprisingly large number of adults who have little or no experience on two wheels.As an avid cyclist, he’s trying to change that. Two years ago, Mains worked with a neighb
Aug. 6, 2014
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Decades of labor created grand design for house with two pianos
PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania ― When Bill Sheppard plays “Traumerei,” sweet chords fill his living room, and you understand instantly why he wanted to keep this grand piano with the golden sound.Made in 1917 by Mason & Hamlin, the mahogany instrument was a gift from Margaret Schreyer, his late, longtime music teacher and friend.“She was my son’s godmother,” said Sheppard, who already owned a 1929 piano made by the same Massachusetts company when he inherited this one, made during a golden age for pia
Aug. 6, 2014
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Forum draws 16 cultural bigwigs
The Corea Image Communication Institute will host its annual Culture Communication Forum this summer, inviting 16 cultural leaders to participate.The institute holds the forum, in its fifth edition this year, to boost the understanding and knowledge of the nation’s culture and image worldwide.The delegates, representing 15 G20 foreign countries along with the host, are from France, Russia, Canada, the U.S., Germany, Korea, Australia, the U.K., India, Indonesia, China, Italy, Turkey, Mexico, Japa
Aug. 5, 2014
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Pope’s Mass to draw 1 million
The highlight of Pope Francis’ much-anticipated visit to Korea next week is arguably the beatification Mass to be held on Aug. 16 in streets of Gwanghwamun Square. As many as 1 million people are expected to gather in the area to see the head of the Roman Catholic Church beatify 124 Korean martyrs, although the likelihood of a close encounter is very slim. Officials at the Korean Catholic Church unveiled Tuesday more details about the ceremony, while asking for understanding and cooperation of c
Aug. 5, 2014
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[Weekender] Calendar
Pop musicIncheon Pentaport Rock Festival: The annual Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival, a three-day rock music fest, is one of the nation’s most popular summer music events. This year’s edition will include performances by popular English psychedelic-rock band Kasabian, Travis, Boys Like Girls and more to be announced soon. The festival will also include performances by a wide range of local bands including Dear Cloud, PIA and Romantic Punch. In its eight-year history, Pentaport has hosted interna
Aug. 1, 2014
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U.S. ends effort to reclaim mummy mask for Egypt
ST. LOUIS (AP) ― A 3,200-year-old mummy mask at the center of a years-long custody fight will stay at the St. Louis Art Museum now that the U.S. government is giving up its fight to reclaim it for Egypt. U.S. Attorney Richard Callahan said Tuesday that the Department of Justice will take no further legal action to reclaim the funeral mask of Lady Ka-Nefer-Nefer, a noblewoman who died in B.C. 1186. The mask went missing from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo more than 40 years ago. The St. Louis Art M
July 31, 2014
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Summer music school grows with festival
PYEONGCHANG, Gangwon Province ― On a sunny Sunday afternoon, students carrying their own instruments crisscrossed through dozens of buildings at the snowless ski resort of Alpensia, rushing to lessons, master classes or makeshift practice rooms. Some of them were heading to the resort’s convention center, where renowned pianist Peter Frankl was scheduled for a master class. During the master class, which was open to the public, three students had a chance to perform in front of the maestro and
July 30, 2014
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Boutique gyms offer workout alternative
It’s a Wednesday evening at the Pop Physique studio in downtown Baltimore, and a dozen women ― most clad in leggings, T-shirts and socks ― are rotating their hips while trying to hold an exercise ball between their thighs.“Great job, guys!” says instructor Smithy Onattu, directing her students via a headset as a playlist with songs such as Lana Del Rey’s “Florida Kilos” and “Tumblr Girls” by rapper G-Eazy pumps through the art-filled space.Over the course of an hour, the group will tackle a seri
July 30, 2014
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Preserves, parks offer memorial trees, benches ― for a price
Nearly every day in the last years of his life, Casimir Paugys drove to Thatcher Woods Forest Preserve in suburban River Forest, Illinois, sat in his car, read the paper and enjoyed the placid pond and nature center there.He often remarked on his visits when talking to his daughter. He enjoyed the variety of bird species he spotted in the woods, like kingfishers and red-headed woodpeckers. One day he saw a doe nursing its fawn.So when Paugys died at age 68 last year, his three children knew wher
July 30, 2014
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Some 90 bishops to accompany pope to S. Korea
About 90 bishops from around the world will accompany Pope Francis on his visit to South Korea next month, the preparation committee for the papal visit said Monday."Some 90 bishops, including 30 in the pope's entourage and 60 from other Asian countries, will attend various events during the pope's visit to South Korea," the committee told reporters.The pope is scheduled to visit South Korea on Aug. 14-18, during which he will celebrate four Masses, including one for the beatification of 124 Kor
July 28, 2014
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Joint committee to seek UNESCO status for Buddhist mountain temples
South Korea is stepping up efforts to inscribe the nation’s traditional Buddhist mountain temples as UNESCO World Cultural Heritage sites with the founding of a new association to facilitate and oversee the inscription process until 2018.The Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism will join hands with various actors including the Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea and 12 regional organizations, to form a joint committee for the inscription project by signing a memorandum of understanding on Aug. 6
July 27, 2014
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Calendar
FestivalsThe Great Battle of Hansan Festival: The festival commemorates Korea’s historic victory in the Hansan sea battle during the Joseon period. The Joseon fleet commanded by Adm. Yi Sun-sin battled Japanese invaders in waters off Tongyeong near Hansando Island in 1592. The city of Tongyeong commemorates Yi’s victory with a parade, musicals, dances and cultural programs involving visitors. The festival will take place from Aug. 13-17 at various venues of the city, including Yi Sun-sin Park an
July 25, 2014
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'Faceless' artist from N. Korea to hold exhibition in Beijing
A North Korean defector known for his satirical paintings on North Korean society plans to hold a rare exhibition in Beijing this week, an organizer of the exhibition said Friday. The painter from North Korea, who uses the pseudonym Sun Mu, fled the North in 1998 and resettled in South Korea in 2001, has been called a "faceless" artist as he does not allow himself to be photographed out of fears that his family left behind could suffer retribution. Sun Mu, who was trained to paint propaganda pic
July 25, 2014
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Joseon royal’s endeavor for longevity
In 1879, 5-year-old crown prince Sunjong was diagnosed with smallpox, a disease that claimed many lives during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). But the prince began to show signs of improvement, and his father King Gojong hosted a party when the royal doctor confirmed his full recovery. That feast is displayed on an eight-panel folding screen at the National Palace Museum of Korea, in a special exhibition on Joseon’s royal medicine. “The Birth, Aging, Illness and Death of the Royal Family of the
July 24, 2014
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[Herald Review] ‘Dracula’: Blood, love and a red-haired Jun-su
More than two hours before showtime on Wednesday afternoon, Seoul Arts Center’s opera theater was already brimming with people ― predominantly young women. The kiosk that sells official souvenirs had a long line, although it wasn’t open yet. The manager at a lobby cafe shared how her business was booming thanks to the early birds, many of whom munched on sandwiches and muffins at her shop while waiting for the show to start. Much of the enthusiasm might be attributed to K-pop group JYJ member Ki
July 24, 2014
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It’s a Barbie world
This is the ninth in a series highlighting women and their accomplishments in the various facets of the Korean entertainment industry. ― Ed.Stacy Oh is the manager for quite possibly one of the best-known celebrities in the world: Barbie.And while most may not think of Barbie or other Mattel brands such as Monster High as celebrities, Oh says that with the way companies are incorporating entertainment content into their brands and promotions, more characters are reaching celebrity status.“People
July 24, 2014