The Korea Herald

[Serendipity] Music can heal. We need it more than ever

ViewpointsMay 22, 2020

Months into the COVID-19 pandemic, life seems to have settled into a humdrum rhythm. Days pass like the swing of a pendulum -- back and forth, back and forth, from home to work, work to home. Yet, s...
Believers in the power of music to heal

MusicMay 22, 2020

At Myongji Hospital, music is not just a complementary program but a proper entity in itself. “We have an independent Center of Arts and Healing, established in 2013, with 13-14 staff, offering progr...
[Serendipity] Time to think about end-of-life care

ViewpointsMay 8, 2020

Today is Parents’ Day. In any other year, the day would be celebrated with family dinners, bouquets of red carnations, presents and cash gifts. This year, however, the government is asking people to ...
[Serendipity] Fear, distrust caused by virus spell doom for all

ViewpointsApr 24, 2020

With the World Health Organization predicting that the coronavirus will not dissipate anytime soon, we are left to grapple with the stark reality of living with a highly contagious, still largely unk...
[Serendipity] Too close for comfort?

ViewpointsApr 10, 2020

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” So it feels today, the 10th day of voluntary self-isolation at home. Much to my relief, my younger child and husband returned home from the UK ...
[Serendipity] This time, get it right on sex crimes

ViewpointsMar 26, 2020

Reading the news on secret chat rooms on Telegram where videos of sexual exploitation were traded feels like wading through filth. So much so, I consciously stayed away from it as much as possible un...
[Serendipity] Love, kindness will see us through

ViewpointsMar 12, 2020

The novel coronavirus has landed at my doorsteps. Literally. Almost 60 days into the COVID-19 outbreak, my mobile phone screeched an alert with a message that two people in my neighborhood were confi...
[Serendipity] Do not let virus destroy us

ViewpointsFeb 27, 2020

The entire country, and increasingly the world, is gripped by the fear of a possible viral pandemic. In South Korea, what seemed at first controllable is now virtually out of control, with new confi...
[Serendipity] Inconvenient truths laid bare by Bong Joon-ho

ViewpointsFeb 13, 2020

Yes, I have finally found someone who understands what it is like to live with a heightened sense of smell, I thought, watching Bong Joon-ho’s “Parasite.” I felt vindicated about my irritation at be...
[Serendipity] Still perplexed after all these years

ViewpointsJan 30, 2020

In October 2005, I visited Pyongyang and Myohyangsan with a small group of South Korean travel journalists. This was the time of the Roh Moo-hyun administration when there were robust inter-Korean ex...
[Serendipity] Judge a book by its cover, you stand to lose

ViewpointsJan 10, 2020

This sounds rather silly. For a couple of years, I had seen copies of “A Gentleman in Moscow” by Amor Towles on prominent display at the Kyobo Book Center. On the cover was a black-and-white photo of...
Striving for clarity in 2020

ViewpointsDec 31, 2019

The first day of the new year is perhaps one of the most optimistic days of any year, bringing with it a host of new possibilities. “Out with the old, in with the new,” we intone. In this age of bef...
[Herald interview] Women’s colleges relevant in world where men enjoy privileges

PeopleDec 3, 2019

What is the relevance of a women’s college today? “The world is still a place where males have tremendous privileges. Smith is an intervention,” said Kathleen McCartney, president of Smith College, ...
[Anniversary Special] Historian calls for recognition of progress in Korea-Japan relations

PoliticsAug 14, 2019

The long-brewing dispute between Seoul and Tokyo over history has come to a head, spilling over into the economic realm, with Japan restricting the exports of key materials for manufacturing chips an...
‘Summer Love’: Artworks depict the lives of young artists

Arts&DesignJul 15, 2019

A desk with an old computer, a chair and a potted plant -- the room installation by Hwang Moon-jung does not require any sophisticated jargon to explain. You just need to sit and play the game instal...