The Korea Herald

Home is where the art is

May 24, 2013

Murals revitalize once run-down neighborhoods, attract visitors
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May 24, 2013

Theater “A Tale of Two Cities”: “A Tale of Two Cities,” a musical based on the novel of the same title by Charles Dickens, is being restaged in Seoul after its first Seoul run last year. The piece is set against the conflicts between the rebels and aristocracy during the French revolution and its parallel world in 18th Century London. It tells the story of Sydney Carton, a shrewd young English l...
La Scala scales back on productions

May 24, 2013

MILAN (AP) ― La Scala has reduced the number of operas it will stage during the 2013-14 season due to Italy’s economic crisis, the theater’s general manager said Thursday. The program for next season announced by Stephane Lissner comprises 10 operas instead of the usual 13, and there will be just eight new productions among the 16 ballets and operas. Lissner said the choices reflect “problems d...
Istanbul-Gyeongju expo to fuel hallyu in Turkey

May 23, 2013

Cultural event seen to reinforce political, economic ties between Korea and Turkey
Multiculturalism is real: filmmaker

May 22, 2013

Korean people should not approach multiculturalism as an ideology or theoretically, but accept it naturally as society has already become multicultural, according to Yook Sang-hyo, director of the 2010 movie “Banga Banga,” which comically depicts life for foreign migrant workers and social discrimination in Korea. “We should not be distracted by some cultural and social logic of multiculturalism...
Media image of foreigners a mixed bag

May 22, 2013

As Korean society becomes culturally diversified, multiculturalism has emerged as a popular topic in the mass media. Starting with 2007’s SBS TV drama “Golden Bride,” which featured a Vietnamese woman married to a Korean man, more TV dramas, movies and entertainment shows followed featuring different facets of multiculturalism in Korea. Multiculturalism was a major theme in recent box-office hi...
Opera to bring 1,100-year-old tale to life in today’s Apgujeong

May 22, 2013

‘Tcheo Yong’ very traditional, yet very avant-garde
Villagers discover ancient ball-game statue in Mexico

May 21, 2013

MEXICO CITY (AFP) ― Villagers installing a water pipe in southwestern Mexico stumbled onto an ancient granite statue depicting a player from a pre-Hispanic ball game, the national anthropology institute said Monday. The stone had been sliced at the neck, like a decapitation, and buried in a ritual that was common at the time, the National Anthropology and History Institute said in a statement. ...
Bach to be celebrated at DITTO Festival in June

May 21, 2013

It is always good to see young artists pouring out their passion on stage. If they are extremely talented, the pleasure doubles. The fifth “DITTO Festival,” featuring young and talented musicians performing the most intimate form of classical music, chamber music, will be held June 9-30 at the Seoul Arts Center and LG Arts Center. This year, the legendary German composer J.S. Bach will be highl...
Sexual harassment scandal rocks cultural heritage school

May 20, 2013

State-run Korea National University of Cultural Heritage is embroiled in controversy over a professor who was dismissed after a series of allegations of sexual harassment were made against him. While fellow professors call the incident an “embarrassment,” a high court nullified his dismissal and the Cultural Heritage Administration fueled the dispute by appointing him to a prestigious project wi...
Hansik globalization project ‘utter failure’

May 19, 2013

The National Assembly Budget Office on Sunday admitted that the “Globalization of Hansik” program had failed and needed major revision, dealing a blow to the pet project of former first lady Kim Yoon-ok, who dreamed that “all people around the globe would enjoy Korean cuisine.” The project launched by the Lee Myung-bak administration in 2009 included a bold plan to open a top tier restaurant in ...
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May 16, 2013

Pop music “Seoul Jazz Festival 2013”: The annual Seoul Jazz Festival is a two-day concert event featuring many jazz and jazz-inspired acts from all across the world. This year’s festival will feature more than 25 local and international headliners the Ramsey Lewis Electric Band with special guest Philip Bailey, Mika, Damien Rice, Kings of Convenience, the Parov Stellar Band, the Roy Hargrove Qui...
Pouring rain, chilly critics dampen Cannes opening

May 16, 2013

"Great Gatsby" star Leonardo DiCaprio on Wednesday opened the 66th Cannes Film Festival ahead of the European premiere of Baz Luhrmann's controversial 3-D epic, kicking off the world's most prestigious film fest. Steven Spielberg, Nicole Kidman, Carey Mulligan and a troupe of 1920s "flapper" dancers were among those braving driving rain and plunging temperatures on the red carpet. Dresses billo...
Mayan pyramid razed for road fill: Belize officials

May 16, 2013

A construction company owned by a local politician demolished a 2,300-year-old Mayan temple in northern Belize to use the rubble as gravel for road repair work, authorities charged. The ancient 30-meter high pyramid, which was reduced to a small mound of debris, was part of the Noh Mul ceremonial center located 80 kilometers (50 miles) northwest of Belize City near the border with Mexico. "This...
Berlin’s Barbie Dreamhouse a pink feminist nightmare

May 15, 2013

BERLIN (AFP) ― The opening this month of the first life-sized Barbie Dreamhouse in Europe may be the fantasy of many a little girl, but Berlin feminists are mobilising against what they call a sexist icon. With her ironed-straight blond tresses, doe-like baby blue eyes, blinding smile and super-human measurements, the mistress of the giant Barbie mansion has become a lightning rod ahead of the M...