Most Popular
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[Weekender] Geeks have never been so chic in Korea
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[News Focus] Mystery deepens after hundreds of cat deaths in S. Korea
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[KH Explains] Why Korea's so tough on short selling
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NewJeans members submit petitions over court injunction in Hybe-Ador conflict
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N. Korea says it test-fired tactical ballistic missile with new guidance technology
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‘Kim desperately wanted to denuclearize,’ Moon writes in memoirs
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Actors involved in past controversies return first via streaming service originals
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S. Korea's exports of instant noodles surpass $100m for 1st time in April: data
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Korea set to finalize medical school expansion plans
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US military commander in S. Korea during Gwangju uprising dies
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Obamas get into holiday spirit at benefit concert
WASHINGTON (AP) ― The Obamas celebrated the holiday season Sunday with “The Rock” and singers Rita Ora and Darius Rucker. President Barack Obama and his family attended the 33rd annual “Christmas in Washington” concert Sunday at the National Building Museum. The event is a benefit for the Children’s National Health System. Before the concert, Obama, his wife, Michelle, and daughters, Sasha and Malia, presented gifts ― including a basket of children’s books ― to former patients of the center. The
PerformanceDec. 15, 2014
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[Herald Interview] Making sense of Confucian printing woodblocks
ANDONG, North Gyeongsang Province ― Despite their historical and cultural value, Confucian printing woodblocks are barely studied. Most people don’t even know they exist. That’s why Lee Yong-doo and his researchers at the Advanced Center for Korean Studies can’t slow down after the 10-plus-year campaign to salvage the relics from the threat of theft and damage. Deciphering the wisdom of Joseon scholars carved onto the slabs and making them readily available for today’s guidance-seeking Koreans i
CultureDec. 14, 2014
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Why Confucian printing woodblocks matter
ANDONG, North Gyeongsang Province ― The legacy of Joseon, Korea’s last ruling dynasty, is alive and strong in this historic town. Billed as the heartland of Korean Confucianism, Andong boasts a number of private Confucian academies and clan villages from the 1392-1910 Joseon era, living proof that this region was home to many of the most prominent Confucian scholars of the time. What’s little known to the outside world, and even to many Koreans, is that the essence of the spiritual world of Jose
CultureDec. 14, 2014
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Chicken pox keeps Jolie from ‘Unbroken’ promotions
LOS ANGELES (AP) ― Angelina Jolie is reluctantly calling in sick for “Unbroken” promotional duty. Universal Pictures said Friday that Jolie is suffering from “a mild bout of chicken pox” that will keep her from making public appearances in the coming days to support the film, which she directed. “Unbroken,” about former Olympian Louis Zamperini, is set to premiere in Los Angeles on Monday. Universal said Jolie’s children and her husband, Brad Pitt, will represent her at the premiere. The studio
FilmDec. 14, 2014
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Germany’s most successful TV show comes to an end
BERLIN (AP) ― Germany’s most successful TV show is ending after a 33-year-run. “Wetten, dass..?” ― or “Wanna bet?” ― combined celebrity chat and everyday people performing improbable feats, from opening beer bottles with steamrollers to identifying animal dung by its smell. Seen roughly six times a year and always on a Saturday night, the show aired more than 200 times, and attracted over 20 million viewers in the 1980s. But audiences grew tired of the formula, and viewership dropped as criticis
TelevisionDec. 14, 2014
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Modern take on ‘soondae’ soup
Damso-story, a Gangnam, Seoul-based franchisor of Korean sausage “soondae” soup, offers the popular dish with a modern twist.It attempts to break the stereotype of the dish ― strong pork smell, low quality and the usual drab interior of soondae dining places. Soondae is steamed pig intestine stuffed with a mixture of sticky rice, bean sprouts, cabbage or other vegetables seasoned with garlic, ginger, sesame oil and fermented bean paste. Damso-story specializes in soondae soup. For broth, it uses
FoodDec. 14, 2014
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Warmth, comfort of handmade crafts
A hand-carved ceramic vessel, an origami-inspired molded ceramic bowl and a tree-shaped vertical wooden clothes rack. The craftwork to be showcased at the ninth edition of the Craft Trend Fair on Thursday at Coex attempts to bring elegance and warmth to functional modern lifestyles. It is the biggest showcase of craftwork in Korea, and its 2014 exhibition is dealing with a theme entitled “Temperature of Craft at 36.5 degrees Celsius” to highlight the heartwarming humanism of handmade craftwork.“
Arts & DesignDec. 14, 2014
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Smith, Swift own the night at Jingle Ball
NEW YORK (AP) ― If you wanted to make a time capsule of what happened in pop music this year, Friday night’s Jingle Ball ― the annual extravaganza held in Madison Square Garden put on by pop station Z100 ― would most likely provide the most accurate account. There was Pharrell ― with the hat ― crooning his hit “Happy”; Iggy Azalea rapping and posturing as she breezed through “Fancy”; Jessie J and Ariana Grande playfully one-upping each other in the power-vocal showcase smash “Bang Bang”; and Meg
PerformanceDec. 14, 2014
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2NE1 snags Billboard’s best K-pop album pick of 2014
As the countdown to 2015 approaches, the assessment of the year’s best songs, albums and industry newcomers is in full swing. Rounding out the year, Billboard’s top picks of the 10 best K-pop albums of 2014 land the feisty K-pop icons of 2NE1 the crown. The ladies’ second full-length album, “Crush,” was praised for cleverly exploring hybrid genres including reggae and R&B and landed them at the No. 1 spot, beating out other much awaited K-pop heavy-weight comebacks such as Seo Taiji and Rain.The
Dec. 14, 2014
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Graceland arrives in London with rocking Elvis show
LONDON (AFP) ― Iconic jumpsuits and a pink Cadillac belonging to Elvis Presley are among 300 artefacts on show at Europe’s largest ever exhibition honoring the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, which opened in London on Friday.Many of the items on show at the O2 Arena have never previously left Presley’s Graceland mansion in Memphis, Tennessee and include elaborate costumes, instruments and jewelry displayed in recreated interiors from his fabled home. Star attractions include the pink Cadillac that Elvis
PerformanceDec. 14, 2014
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[Weekender] ‘Where we live defines us’
A box-shaped apartment complex has been a dominant housing option for Koreans for decades. The government has encouraged the development of such complexes, considering them as the most efficient type of housing to accommodate a large number of people in the country given its limited land. The popularity of apartments has was the most profitable investment tool in Korea until the housing market bubble bust, hit by the global economic downturn in 2008.Against this backdrop, with the demand for a b
Arts & DesignDec. 12, 2014
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[Weekender] ‘HOUSHOW’ brings dream houses to life
The Association of Young Architects launched the HOUSHOW initiative, a dream house-building project, in 2012. For the first project, it selected six candidates among 80 applicants and then met with them in person to discuss the design of their dream house. As a gift, the project offered them a floor plan, a perspective drawing and a model so that they could build the actual house one day. Below is the brief introduction of four such houses.01. Raon HausA couple in their early 40s with two young
Arts & DesignDec. 12, 2014
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Trailblazer in globalizing Korean classics
Choi Byong-hyon, a professor of English literature at Honam University in Gwangju, is widely regarded as one of the top translators of the Korean classics, especially historically important texts that are written in hard-to-decipher Chinese characters. Choi has already published four translated books in the category. The latest one, published in June by Harvard University, is a 1,056-page tome, “The Annals of King T’aejo: Founder of Korea’s Choson Dynasty.” He completed the massive translation p
CultureDec. 12, 2014
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Calendar
Pop musicPsy Concert: “All Night Stand”: Just as he did last year, Psy will be returning to the stage for four energy-filled nights for his upcoming “All Night Stand” holiday concert series. Inarguably the world’s most famous K-pop star to date, Psy has held some form of a holiday concert annually for the past decade, with last year’s four-day event attracting 60,000 fans. The man who defined Gangnam style will host five shows from Dec. 19-24, with two separate performances on Christmas Eve. The
CultureDec. 12, 2014
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Eyelike: Lorde’s ‘Mockingjay’ soundtrack gets dark
Lorde’s ‘Mockingjay’ soundtrack gets darkVarious artists“The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1, Original Motion Picture Soundtrack”(Republic Records)It was only a matter of time before Lorde graduated from contributing a song for “Catching Fire” to taking over the soundtrack for the latest “Hunger Games” soundtrack in which the 18-year-old chanteuse curates a concoction of dark magic, enchanting tunes and revolutionary feelings. As the world of Katniss Everdeen gets darker with sacrifice, violence
PerformanceDec. 12, 2014
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Box Office: Ode to My Father, The Theory of Everything, Five Eagle Brothers
Ode to My Father (Korea)Opening Dec. 17Drama. Directed by Yoon Je-kyoon“Ode to My Father” is the story of Deok-soo (Hwang Jung-min), a man who lived through Korea’s tumultuous 1950s and 1960s. When the Korean War breaks out, Deok-soo is separated from his younger sister and his mother and becomes the breadwinner of the family. From a young age, he takes all kinds of difficult and odd jobs to provide for his mother and his other siblings. In search for opportunities, he travels the globe, working
FilmDec. 12, 2014
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‘Exodus’ plagued by casting, script issues
To what do we owe the second coming of the biblical epic? A genre that was once as moldy as stale communion wafers has been reborn this year, first with Darren Aronofsky’s “Noah” and now with Ridley Scott’s “Exodus: Gods & Kings.” The resurrection is partly to capitalize on the faith-based moviegoing audience and partly because the Bible offers stories suited to this blockbuster era, offering both spectacle and name-brand familiarity. More than 50 years after “The Ten Commandments” sandals are b
FilmDec. 12, 2014
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Oahu combines big city buzz, history, rural beauty
Although some visitors head straight for other islands when visiting Hawaii, thinking they’ve done and seen it all on Oahu, Hawaii’s most populous island is always worth another visit. Oahu has the buzz and attractions of a major city combined with solace and scenic beauty just a short drive away.Don’t get me wrong. I love the other islands, too: Lanai and its two Four Seasons resorts, where I stayed when the properties first opened under different management 20 years ago, and recently revisited
TravelDec. 12, 2014
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Hike, soak in a natural hot spring in New Mexico’s funky Jemez area
Fair warning, hikers. If a little nudity makes you squeamish, steer clear of the picturesque little hot springs scattered in the hills around the Jemez area of New Mexico.But if you’re all for taking a dip in the wilderness and don’t mind a bare bun or two, you’ve got plenty to choose from.The volcanic activity that formed the Jemez Mountains created an array of hot and cold pools, some of them within easy hiking distance, where you can soak tired legs under a canopy of pine trees. More refined
TravelDec. 12, 2014
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Japan budget carrier Skymark eyes ANA, JAL support
TOKYO (AFP) ― Struggling Japanese budget carrier Skymark Airlines said Wednesday it was considering asking for help from domestic giant All Nippon Airways, even while eyeing a tie-up with ANA’s rival Japan Airlines.“We are considering asking for assistance” from ANA, Skymark spokesman Hiroyuki Sakata said.Skymark could ask for code-sharing as the main pillar of that assistance, as would be the case if a JAL tie-up is agreed, he told AFP by telephone.Selling flights under JAL or ANA’s codes would
TravelDec. 12, 2014