Even for Dr. Moon Byung-in, one of the most respected breast cancer specialists in South Korea, talking to his patients about their condition was not easy at first. “Sometimes I wouldn’t know what to say and cry along with the patient (in my earlier years),” Moon said during an interview with The Korea Herald in his office at Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital. “Even a patient in her 70s w...

Continuing on the Shakespeare theme after the much-hailed production earlier this month of Gounod’s “Romeo et Juliette,” the Korea National Opera is presenting another Shakespeare play-turned-opera ― Giuseppe Verdi’s “Otello.” For the production, which will be staged next month at Seoul Arts Center, the state-run company has brought in British stage director Stephen Lawless, who in previous work...

After performing in Korea for the first time at the 2006 Incheon Pentaport Rock festival, American folk-pop star Jason Mraz is making his way back to Korea next month, marking the start of his seventh concert performance in the country in eight years. Mraz is slated to hold his first nationwide acoustic concert tour here, where he will be performing in Daejeon and Daegu for the first time, befor...

A leading South Korean biochemistry researcher believes graphene oxide ― oxidized sheets of carbon atoms ― will eventually play a key role in conquering hepatitis C, cancer and genetic diseases. This is mainly because graphene oxide can bind to DNA and RNA molecules and go through cell membranes― making it more convenient for medical uses. “Utilizing graphene oxide in detecting, monitoring and ...

It’s apparent that Jambinai doesn’t play music for the masses. The three-member crossover band would love to connect with a larger audience, but has no intention of heeding to the public tastes in today’s music market. Yet, it is this determination to pursue their own distinctive music that makes the obscure Korean indie group one of the hottest acts in the global music festival circuit. “We w...

Led by Grammy Award-winning musician and composer Michael League, fusion instrumental band Snarky Puppy is holding its first concert in Korea on Tuesday night at the Blue Square theater in Hannam-dong, Seoul. The large-scale band was started by League more than 10 years ago while he was attending jazz school at the University of North Texas. Gathering together nine of his pals, the band was init...

A top official of Saudi Arabia’s capital city of Riyadh said that he would like his country to adopt Korea’s smart transportation system, which was unlike anything he has seen before. “I was impressed by Seoul’s clean, efficient and safe public transportation system which also covers most parts of the city at reasonable fares,” Mohammed Bin Ali Alsheikh, Economic Studies Unit Director of Arriyad...

TriBeluga, a Chinese start-up incubation center, said it will “spare no effort” in supporting South Korean tech start-ups seeking to make inroads into China’s environment, health care and education sectors. Lili Luo, president and founder of TriBeluga, said the incubator will not only provide seed money to early-stage innovative start-ups, but also help them grow via initial public offerings or ...

LONDON ― From a Western viewpoint, Dansaekhwa paintings may seem confusing. They don’t fit into familiar key art movements in Western art history. First created in the 1960s, Dansaekhwa paintings may be in line with minimalism. But behind their simple imagery is much more complex meaning. They resulted from the suppressed freedom of expression that Korean artists experienced under authoritarian ...

Blind, an anonymous mobile message board developed by startup Team Blind, is quickly changing the way communication takes place in corporate offices. First launched in 2013 as an exclusive service for employees of Korean Internet giant Naver, Blind message boards are made upon the request of employees of the same company or of the same industry sector. Since the message board is accessible only...

Throughout his life, Cho Hi-yeon has always had a reputation as a fighter. During his college years, he was imprisoned for going against the dictatorship of former President Park Chung-hee, and he spent much of his life as a civil rights activist. Indeed, he was one of Korea’s most outspoken progressive advocates. Now, the 58-year-old Seoul education superintendent is looking to transform the ci...

China’s takeover appetite for Korean companies will continue to rise, targeting technology firms and consumer goods makers, a market researcher forecast. In the latest deal, Chinese apparel company Lancy Group acquired a 15.3 percent stake in Agabang, Korea’s oldest baby wear brand. Several Chinese companies reportedly have expressed interest in buying out Pantech, the nation’s third-largest sma...

Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara was visibly upbeat about his meet-up with President Park Geun-hye at Cheong Wa Dae on Tuesday, due to growing commercial links and badly needed South Korean investment in a slew of infrastructure projects underway in the West African nation. The former veteran IMF economist also emphasized the role South Korea could play in the fight against the spread of ...

Doota, or Doosan Tower shopping center, has been taking a different approach to globalization. Instead of designers and their designs, it has decided to export its expertise in managing shopping malls. Doota recently provided consulting to two Chinese shopping malls that are now in operation, and is in talks with others to provide similar services. “We have decided that it would be risky to tak...

South Korea’s economy will log slow yet steady growth in the coming years, largely benefiting from the rise of China, with the most significant variable in the forecast being the possibility of unification with North Korea, according to an Asia-Pacific economic expert. “Inter-Korean unification, if achieved in a peaceful and gradual manner, will provide an unparalleled momentum to the economy,” ...