Most Popular
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Exports to US reach all-time high, widen gap with China
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Trump rekindles criticism: US forces defending 'wealthy' S. Korea 'free of charge'
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[Music in drama] Rekindle a love that slipped through your fingers
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Opposition-led Assembly unilaterally passes bill to probe Marine's death
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S. Korea discussed possible participation in AUKUS Pillar 2 with Australia: defense minister
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Seoul Metro to seek legal action against malicious complaints
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[New faces of Assembly] Architect behind ‘audacious initiative’ believes in denuclearized North Korea
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Illit, mired in controversy, remains on Billboard charts for 5th week
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On May Day, labor unions blast Yoon's foreign nanny proposal
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Golden chance to liquidate babies’ gold rings?
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Secrets of early Shakespeare theater dug up in London
LONDON (AFP) - British archaeologists raised the curtain Thursday on a 16th century theater that staged William Shakespeare plays like “Romeo and Juliet” and where the bard himself acted in “London's first theatreland”. The Curtain Theatre put on productions between 1577 and 1625 as one of the city’s first two purpose-built theaters, but all traces of it were subsequently lost over time. Its location in Shoreditch, east London -- a vibrant party district dotted with restaurants, bars and clubs -
May 23, 2016
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Ihwa Mural Village continues its struggle with noisy tourists
On the night of April 15, a 55-year-old resident of the Ihwa Mural Village surnamed Park and two other accomplices took buckets of gray paint and painted away one of the village’s most famous, flower mosaic-tiled outdoor staircase murals. A week later on April 24, a 45-year-old resident surnamed Kwon and another person followed suit and went on to gray over another of the village’s most photographed 3-D koi fish painted staircase murals.However, this act of vandalism was not committed as a means
May 22, 2016
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Hallyu theme park to open in Goyang
A theme park based on Korean pop culture is set to open in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, in 2017. Called “K-Culture Valley” for the time being, it will be built on 326,393 square meters across the Korea International Exhibition and Convention Center in Goyang, featuring six differently themed zones that highlight Korean pop music, TV dramas, and movies as well as the country’s history and retro culture. Computer-generated image of the hallyu theme park, slated to open in 2017 in Goyang, Gyeonggi
May 20, 2016
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Gov't to break ground on 'hallyu' park
South Korea on Friday said it has started the construction of a "hallyu" park in line with its move to establish sustainable attractions to lure Asian tourists.K-Culture Valley, a cluster of various cultural facilities to be located in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, aims to promote the hallyu wave, which refers to the boom of South Korea-made entertainment goods around the globe, including pop music, movies and TV dramas. President Park Geun-hye also attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the zone
May 20, 2016
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Palestinian history museum opens without exhibits
BIRZEIT, West Bank (AP) -- The Palestinians opened a dazzling new museum Wednesday aimed at telling the tale of their history and culture, but the building is devoid of exhibits. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas inaugurated the museum, the biggest project the Palestinians have undertaken in terms of scale, space and budget. “This museum will tell the world, the whole world, that we have been here, and we are staying here, and we will stay here to establish our independent state,” Abbas said
May 19, 2016
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Yeol to hold 2016 Young Designers Market on May 28
Yeol, the Korean Heritage Preservation Society, will hold the 2016 Young Designers Market on May 28, the group announced Wednesday. Launched in 2013, the event promotes quality craftworks at reasonable prices. Young designers, craftsmen and indie brands present their unique products and interact with customers. Poster of Yeol 2016 Young Designers Market (Yeol) This year, 16 designers and brands will take part, including Soseng Industrial Corporation, Via K Studio and handcrafted interior design
May 19, 2016
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Night market at Cheonggyecheon Square
A Night Doggaebi Market celebrating the month of May will open at Cheonggyecheon Square near Seoul City Hall from Friday to Monday between 6 p.m. and 11 p.m.“Doggaebi” is a Korean word for a type of local goblin that comes out to play tricks on people at nighttime. The city government said this mythical creature suited the nature of the night market, which only comes to life in the night and disappears by morning. Visit http://love.seoul.go.kr/ for more information on cultural events in Seoul. (
May 19, 2016
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Contemporary Korean artist Kim Hyun-jung opens exhibition in Berlin
Korean artist Kim Hyun-jung opens an exhibition on Thursday in Berlin, the Korean Cultural Center in Germany said.The opening ceremony, attended by the artist herself, will take place at 6 p.m. local time in the center's gallery. One of the most promising young Korean artists, she is widely credited for pushing the boundaries of Korean art by presenting thought-provoking themes with prickly yet humorous wit and experimenting with new artistic techniques in her paintings. Last September she was t
May 19, 2016
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Kim Ki-min becomes first S. Korean ballerino to win top award
Kim Ki-min has become the first South Korean ballerino to win the world's most prestigious ballet award, organizers said Wednesday.The organizing committee of Benois de la Danse 2016 declared him the best dancer on Tuesday, local time, for his role as Solor in the Paris Opera Ballet's "La Bayadere de Rudolf Noureev" staged in late 2015.The 24-year-old is currently the principal dancer with Russia's Mariinsky Ballet.Previously, two other South Korean ballerinos -- Kim Hyun-woong and Lee Dong-hoon
May 18, 2016
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Korean novelist Han Kang wins 2016 Man Booker Int'l Prize
South Korean fiction writer Han Kang won the 2016 Man Booker International Prize for her novel "The Vegetarian," the organizer announced Tuesday. "The story of a Korean woman who awakens from uneasy dreams to find herself transformed into an enigma without a key. Evocative and suggestive, 'The Vegetarian' startles for the depth of its strangeness," the organizer said. Judging panel chairman Boyd Tonkin said: "In a style both lyrical and lacerating, it reveals the impact of this great refusal bot
May 17, 2016
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China's Cultural Revolution, now highly collectible
SHANGHAI (AFP) -- At the “East is Red” shop in Shanghai, every nook and cranny is packed with memorabilia of China’s Cultural Revolution, from small badges of Chairman Mao Zedong to gigantic posters of his iconic image. Owner Guo Bing himself is a child of the Cultural Revolution, born in 1966, the year the chaotic and violent decade was launched on May 16. His parents named him with the Chinese character for “soldier,” a common practice at the time. But now, Guo sees profits rather than Communi
May 16, 2016
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France to mark ‘K-culture Week’ in time for President Park’s visit
France will celebrate Korean culture in a special week-long event early next month to commemorate the two countries’ 130th diplomatic anniversary, the Culture Ministry here said Monday. According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, “K-culture Week” will coincide with Korean President Park Geun-hye’s state visit to the European country from June 1-4. It is part of events that the two countries have been holding to mark the anniversary of their diplomatic ties. Last week, some 30 high-
May 16, 2016
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Platform Changdong 61 looks to be Seoul’s new ‘hot spot’ cultural hub
The newly opened Platform Changdong 61 complex -- Seoul’s newest comprehensive cultural hub in Chang-dong, Dobong-gu -- is paving the way for northern Seoul to become the capital’s newest up-and-coming “it” district. Located in a revamped parking lot, Platform Changdong 61, a three-story container complex next to Changdong Station, is Seoul’s newest “container” complex, mirroring Seoul’s Common Ground container mall in Gwangjin-gu. The newly opened Platform Changdong 61 cultural arts and per
May 15, 2016
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Refugees-as-guides a hit at Berlin’s museums
BERLIN (AFP) - Mohamed Al-Subeeh was a senior restorer at Syria’s best-known mosaic museum, but as war swept deeper into his province, destroying artefacts and threatening his and his family’s lives, he was forced to flee. The 64-year-old from Idlib province never dreamt that he would ever work in a museum again, certainly not in Germany, to which he had fled in a 23-day journey that involved a rubber boat ride across the Mediterranean, endless bus and train rides and hours of trekking on foot.
May 11, 2016
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Egyptologists differ on Tut tomb ‘hidden chambers’
CAIRO (AFP) -- Egyptian Antiquities Minister Khaled al-Anani said on Sunday new technology is needed to determine whether Tutankhamun's tomb contains hidden chambers which a British archaeologist believes may hide Queen Nefertiti’s remains. Anani spoke to archaeologists and reporters at a conference in Cairo dedicated to King Tutankhamun and his world-famous golden funerary mask. The mood at Sunday’s conference was skeptical months after former minister Mamduh Damati said the secret chambers pro
May 9, 2016
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[Weekender] How to celebrate Children‘s Day with family
Children’s Day, which to some may just be a day off to catch up on sleep or binge watch their favorite TV shows, has a rich history indebted to the efforts of one man -- Pang Chong-hwan.The late children’s advocate and political activist was a pioneering figure in children rights and literature, introducing the country’s first children’s magazine in 1923. He made efforts to improve children’s welfare, especially during Japan’s colonial rule of the peninsula.However, to modern day Koreans, Pang’s
April 29, 2016
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Poets from Korea, Iran to meet in Tehran
Korean and Iranian poets will gather at an event in Iran next week to recite and discuss each other’s poetry. Three Korean poets Kim Hu-ran, Shin Dal-ja and Jang Seok-nam will be meeting with Fatemeh Rakei, one of Iran’s most influential female poets, and Mohammad Ali Bahmani, who has received both popular and critical acclaim for his works. The poets will recite each other’s works and discuss the poetry and literature of their countries. Students from the University of Tehran will recite Persia
April 28, 2016
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Indians take to Buddhist chanting to alleviate urban stress
NEW DELHI (AP) -- The bank executive, the book publisher and the social worker had one thing in common: Their hectic lives in the crowded Indian capital had become so chaotic and stressful, they’ve turned to chanting Buddhist mantras in search of calm. The practice is catching on among India’s well-off urban professionals, growing by word of mouth as a way to relieve stress. Most of those picking up the practice are Hindu, but they say they see no conflict between their religious beliefs and the
April 28, 2016
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New plainclothes morality police prompt criticism in Iran
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Tehran resident Sousan Heidari has stopped letting her headscarf slip casually down over her neck and shoulders while driving in the Iranian capital. These days, the 22-year-old with a taste for bold makeup makes sure to pull it tightly over her dark hair, fearful of running afoul of a newly established undercover division of the morality police. “Every single man or woman could be a member of the unit,” she cautioned. “I don't know. Maybe some plainclothes have already repo
April 28, 2016
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Barcelona bookstores reinvent themselves to survive
BARCELONA (AFP) -- Faced with falling sales and the rise of ebooks, bookstores in Barcelona, the Spanish-language world’s publishing capital, are remaking themselves as cultural centers that offer concerts, classes and hard to find books to draw customers. “We had to change. Either we reinvented ourselves or it was really impossible to stay open,” said Montserrat Serrano, the lively owner of the Bernat bookstore located just off the Diagonal, one of the main avenues in Spain’s second-largest cit
April 27, 2016