Most Popular
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Hyundai Motor eyes 80,000 jobs, W68tr investment at home by 2026
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Seoul bus drivers go on general strike, cause morning rush hour delays
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Official campaigning kicks off for April 10 elections
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Dialogue hopes fade as doctors pick hard-liner as new head
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Korea enters full election mode
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Coupang pledges W3tr to expand Rocket Delivery nationwide by 2027
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[Election Battlefield] Political novice to face off star politician in ‘swing district’
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[Kim Seong-kon] The April 2024 election will decide our future
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Seoul’s bus union prepares for strike
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[Herald Interview] Son Suk-ku chooses to be swayed by others in navigating life
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Southeast Asian regional body for intangible cultural heritage launched
JAKARTA (Yonhap News) ― A regional consultative body to safeguard intangible cultural heritage in 11 Southeast Asian countries was launched in Jakarta Monday under South Korea’s initiative.The launch took place during a sub-regional meeting of the International Information and Networking Center for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region. The Daejeon-based center, affiliated with South Korea’s Cultural Heritage Administration, was established in July 2011 as an a “category 2 cent
Sept. 10, 2012
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Walk fest, dance party at Jung-gu
The 10th Seoul International Walking Festival will take place tonight and Sunday around Seoul Plaza.The event involves four walks and is organized by the Korea Walking League. A 10 km walk under the moonlight will start at 6 p.m. on Saturday at Seoul Plaza and take walkers by Namsan Mountain North Trail, National Theater of Korea, N Seoul Tower, Namsan Public Library, Ahn Jung Geun Memorial Hall and Sungnyemun before returning to Seoul Plaza.A 25 km walk will kick off at 9 a.m. on Sunday at Seou
Sept. 7, 2012
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Something old, something new: CCF participants get a feel for Korea
From a special nighttime tour of the UNESCO World Heritage site Changdeokgung Palace to the performance of “Mr. Rabbit and the Dragon King,” a Korean pansori opera, participants at the third Culture Communication Forum were introduced to a wide range of cultural experiences.Culture Minister Choe Kwang-shik on Tuesday evening hosted a welcome dinner for the 15 guests representing 14 different countries. Despite the heavy downpour, the minister went ahead with the tour of Changdeokgung Palace, a J
Sept. 6, 2012
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Internet-driven globalization, not necessarily a cultural vanguard
Culture Communication Forum tackles issues society-at-large faces todayThe challenge of fostering culture-driven communication was the hotly discussed topic at the third Culture Communication Forum in Seoul, Thursday. Keynote speaker Dominique Wolton ― research director of the French National Centre for Scientific Research ― opened the panel by putting the spotlight on globalization. Rather than praise technological advances as a driving force in the formation of a more tightly-knit global socie
Sept. 6, 2012
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Asia’s largest contemporary art festival to open in Gwangju
The Gwangju Biennale, known as the largest contemporary art festival in Asia, will open Thursday to introduce the latest international developments in modern art to South Korea.This year’s event, the 9th, will display works by 92 artists from 40 countries at various venues across the southwestern provincial city of Gwangju, under the theme “Round Table.” The biennale runs through Nov. 11.The theme reflects the festival’s aim to serve as a platform for restoring respect for other countries and sh
Sept. 6, 2012
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Fattest dog ever? 80 kg dog struggles with everyday life
Labrador Alfie was over three times the healthy weight for Labradors and was struggling with things like walking when he was checked into RSPCA’s Leybourne Animal Center in England, according to news reports. Alfie weighed 80 kg when RSPCA, a leading U.K. animal welfare charity, took him in. Four people with slings were needed to lift the 12-year-old pup when he arrived at the animal center. He was admitted because his elderly owner kept forgetting that he had already fed his pet. Christine Dool
Sept. 5, 2012
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13,000 gallon fish tank bursts at casino
A Florida casino was forced to close two floors of gambling areas when a second-floor fish tank burst and leaked 13,000 gallons of water into the facility.Tim Ritvo, president and general manager of the Gulfstream Racing and Casino Park, said two floors of gambling facilities at the Hallandale Beach casino will be closed for at least a few days while crews work to clean up from Sunday‘s saltwater tropical fish tank spill, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported Monday.Ritvo said a hazmat team vi
Sept. 4, 2012
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English lecture series to spotlight Korean culture and tradition
The Korea Foundation is holding a series of lectures in English on Korean culture and tradition. The lecture series focuses primarily on Korea’s modern society, traditional music and food, and Seochon, a hanok-dotted neighborhood west of Gyeongbok Palace. Classes will be held Saturdays from 2-4 p.m. starting Sept. 22 on the 19th floor of Mirae Asset Center One building. Lecturers include renowned experts, including novelist Park Tae-won; Kelly S. Walsh, professor of world literature at Yonsei Un
Sept. 2, 2012
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Priest called victims seducers, apologizes
Benedict GroeschelA U.S. Catholic priest has apologized for saying victims of clergy abuse were seducers and says he did not intend to put blame on victims.The Rev. Benedict Groeschel of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, in an opinion piece in the National Catholic Register, a conservative publication, said victims of sexual abuse are looking for father figures."People have this picture in the
Sept. 2, 2012
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Tomato battle drenches Spanish town in red
BUNOL, Spain (AFP) ― Tens of thousands of revelers hurled 120 tons of squashed tomatoes at each other Wednesday, drenching the streets in red in a gigantic Spanish food fight known as the Tomatina.A sea of more than 40,000 alcohol-soaked men and women packed into the Plaza Mayor square of Bunol, eastern Spain, many with their shirts off and wearing swimming goggles to keep out the stinging juice.Spectators peered over the balconies of surrounding buildings, some also chucking tomatoes on chantin
Aug. 31, 2012
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Swedish pioneer launches networking site for top 1% users
STOCKHOLM (AFP) - Swedish social media entrepreneur Erik Wachtmeister on Monday announced the launch of a new social networking site targeting the “top one percent” of Internet users, called Best of All Worlds.The site, which helps users find events and contacts, counted 20,000 members even before its launch.Wachtmeister, 57, created one of the world‘s first social networking sites, aSmallWorld, in 2004, the same year as Facebook. He left the company in 2008.Best of All Worlds is targeting the s
Aug. 29, 2012
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Parents reject China‘s classrooms for home schooling
BEIJING (AFP) - Giving up his successful career as the head of a medical research firm to spend his days at home reading from children‘s story books was a tough choice for Chinese father Zhang Qiaofeng.But Zhang, one of a small but growing number of Chinese parents who are turning their backs on the country’s rigidly exam-oriented state-run school system, felt he had no choice.“China‘s education system has special problems,” said Zhang, a wiry-looking graduate of one of the country’s top univers
Aug. 29, 2012
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UNESCO urges Libya to stop destruction of Sufi sites
PARIS (AFP) ― U.N. cultural body UNESCO on Tuesday called on Libya to immediately cease the destruction of Sufi holy sites after Islamist hardliners wrecked shrines across the country.UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova expressed “grave concern” at the destruction of Sufi sites in Zliten, Misrata and Tripoli and urged perpetrators to “cease the destruction immediately.”“I am deeply concerned about these brutal attacks on places of cultural and religious significance. Such acts must be halted, i
Aug. 29, 2012
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Buddhist sect to suspend corrupt monks from duty
South Korea’s largest Buddhist sect has set up new rules that would suspend duty of high-ranking monks if they broke any laws, the sect said Wednesday after illegal gambling by its monks sparked a scandal in religious circles.The Jogye Order said the new rules aim to prevent illegalities by individual monks from tainting the image of the sect. The sect formerly had no rules to bar senior monks from carrying out their roles in the leadership unless they voluntarily resigned, even after they were
Aug. 29, 2012
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Notting Hill Carnival reaches bombastic climax
LONDON (AFP) ― Revellers filled the streets of west London as the Notting Hill Carnival, Europe’s biggest street festival, reached its climax on Monday with its famous Caribbean-inspired parade.A multi-ethnic throng milled between the stalls and thumping sound systems, drinking, dancing, and tasting jerk chicken as the smells of open-cooked food wafted through the air.Cloudy weather did not deter hordes of party-goers from flooding the streets to cheer on dozens of floats and flamboyantly dresse
Aug. 28, 2012
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Berlin to mark 100 years since Nefertiti find
BERLIN (AFP) - Berlin‘s Egyptian Museum said Monday it will celebrate the centenary of the discovery of the 3,400-year-old fabled bust of Egypt’s Queen Nefertiti amid an ongoing feud with Cairo over its ownership.The museum said it would open an exhibition on December 6 honouring the famous sculpture and other jewels of the Amarna period in its collection on the German capital‘s Museum Island.On the same day in 1912, the bust was unearthed by German archaeologist Ludwig Borchardt.“The exhibition
Aug. 28, 2012
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World’s oldest boat remains found in Korea
An 8,000-year-old wooden boat, believed to be the oldest of its kind ever discovered in the world, has been unearthed in Uljin, 330 kilometers southeast of Seoul, a local research institute said Monday. The remains of the fishing boat and a wooden oar, believed to be from the early Neolithic era, were unexpectedly found by researchers while they were going through an array of artifacts recovered near the area to be treated and preserved at the request of the Uljin County government, according to
Aug. 27, 2012
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K-pop fans turn to traditional Korean culture
Young French travelers learn about historic Korean culture through Templestay programThe following is the first in a 10-part series on templestays and temple food, which are 1,700-year-old cultural assets of Korea. ― Ed.GANGHWA ISLAND, Incheon ― Westerners drawn to Korea by K-pop are discovering there is more to the country. “I love BIG BANG and 2NEI. I think their music is great as well as the way they are dressed. And they are not common … their music is definitely unique from the others,” a F
Aug. 26, 2012
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Amateur botches ‘restoration’ of Christ painting
MADRID (AFP) ― An elderly woman’s catastrophic attempt to “restore” a century-old oil painting of Christ in a Spanish church has provoked popular uproar, and amusement.The well-intentioned but ham-fisted amateur artist, in her 80s, took it upon herself to fill in the patches and paint over the original work, which depicted Christ crowned with thorns, his sorrowful gaze lifted to heaven.Her work done, the “restored” figure looks somewhat like a monkey with fur surrounding a pale face and a child-
Aug. 23, 2012
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9th-century wall collapses at Rome tourist site
ROME (AP) ― Part of an early 19th-century wall near a panoramic terrace overlooking an ancient square in Rome has collapsed.No one was injured when about 9 meters of the Pincio wall fell over above Piazza del Popolo before dawn on Wednesday. Rome Mayor Gianni Alemanno inspected the damage and promised the wall would be repaired in two weeks. City culture officials blamed a winter of heavy rains and rare snowfall, followed by this summer’s hot, dry weather for causing an outer layer of brickwork
Aug. 23, 2012