Most Popular
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Tensions heighten ahead of first president-opposition chief meeting
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Seoul to provide housing subsidy to married couples with newborns
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[KH Explains] No more 'Michael' at Kakao Games
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Rapper jailed after public street fight with another rapper
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Woman gets suspended term for injuring boyfriend with knife
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Samsung chief bolsters ties with Germany’s Zeiss
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NewJeans pops out ‘Bubble Gum’ video amid troubles at agency
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Med schools expect 1,500+ new admission slots next year
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Nominee for chief of anti-corruption body pledges 'independence, effectiveness'
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[Grace Kao] Hybe vs. Ador: Inspiration, imitation and plagiarism
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Culture Ministry to host book events for global readers
Events to introduce and promote South Korean literature will be held on a global scale throughout the months of October and November, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced Tuesday. Events jointly organized by the Culture Ministry and the Publication Industry Promotion Agency of Korea are being held in 14 countries, including Britain, Japan, Spain and Belgium, with the aim of making Korean books more widely available. The Korean Cultural Center in London is holding an exhibitio
Oct. 13, 2021
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Seoul International Writers’ Festival to shed light on literature’s role in post-pandemic era
The lingering pandemic has brought about uncertainties on how to engage in dialogue with others, but communication between writers and readers will carry on at the 10th Seoul International Writers’ Festival, scheduled to be held from Oct. 8 to 24. A total of 33 writers -- including 16 national writers -- from 16 different countries will join this year’s festival to share their views on the role and duties that literature will hopefully serve in the post-pandemic era, under t
Sept. 26, 2021
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Seoul International Book Fair ends with hopes for new chapter post-pandemic
Seoul International Book Fair 2021, the oldest and largest book publishing trade festival in South Korea, successfully ended its five-day-run Sunday afternoon. Hosted by the Korean Publishers Association, the festival kicked off Sept. 5 at S Factory in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, an area filled with brunch cafes and small ateliers of independent artists that is widely known as a gathering place for people in their 20s and 30s. The fair was held online last year. This year it operated under strict pa
Sept. 12, 2021
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[Book Review] Prejudice and misinformation against gaming debunked
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Many conservative policymakers and parents in China and South Korea beg to differ: All study and no game playing makes their kids smart boys and girls. Since 2011, Korea has maintained a sort of nightly gaming curfew for youngsters under the “shutdown law.” Amid long-running disputes, the government announced last week it would abolish the regulation. China, meanwhile, stepped up its crackdown on gaming, banning children under the age of
Sept. 4, 2021
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Residents rally to save Bulgwang Bookstore
When news spread that Bulgwang Bookstore, a local bookstore located in Eunpyeong-gu, northwestern Seoul, will be closing next month due to financial struggles, local residents in the neighborhood immediately filed a petition at the local district office to seek help. Bulgwang Bookstore, a modest bookstore which opened in 1996, is only a block away from Bulgwang Station exit no. 8. At the time of its opening, libraries or bookstores did not exist around the area, which naturally turned the book
Aug. 29, 2021
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English translations of Korean poems published in US
Two books of Korean poetry have recently been published in the US, one by a veteran poet and another by an emerging young talent. The Daesan Foundation announced Monday the publication of “Monarch Butterfly,” with selected poems by poet and literary critic Choi Dong-ho, and “Catcalling,” another collection by Lee Soho, in English by Mudus Artium Press and OpenLetterBooks, respectively. “Monarch Butterfly” is a selection of 51 of Choi’s poems from his 5
Aug. 24, 2021
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[Herald Interview] ‘Arirang Peoples’ Diaspora’: Shedding light on families and friends around the world
Arirang is a Korean folk song cherished as the song of “han,” a mix of emotions similar to grief and resentment flowing through the hearts of Koreans. While Arirang is recognized today as a song that represents Korea, less is known of the Koreans who migrated overseas in modern times. “Arirang Peoples’ Diaspora” by author Hye-ok (the Korean-language edition of the book notes her name as Lee Hye-ok, following the Korean custom of women keeping their family name even
Aug. 17, 2021
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Freewheeling Seoul book club spurs global insights, stories
In 2015, two bookworms from the US working as English language instructors in Korea, opened Itaewon Book Club in Seoul, hoping it would be a space to share their thoughts on their latest reads. Six years on, the book club is still going strong, with some 1,800 people from all over the world having trickled in and out over the years. As the book club’s name says, the usual gathering spot before the pandemic had been at one of the well-known pubs in Itaewon, central Seoul. However, the str
Aug. 9, 2021
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Daesan Foundation to fund translations of 13 Korean literary works
The Daesan Foundation will spend 180 million won ($156,385) to support translations of Korean literature, the foundation announced Monday. A total of 13 literary works, 11 novels and two poems, were chosen from 72 applications for this year’s “Korean Literature Translation, Research, and Publishing Support” program. The selected works will be translated into seven different languages: English, French, Japanese, Chinese, German, Spanish and Vietnamese. Works by well-known
Aug. 3, 2021
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[Herald Interview] How Frances Cha wrote her debut novel ‘If I Had Your Face’
From plastic surgery, K-pop fandom to chaebol marriage and women at work. Frances Cha’s debut novel “If I Had Your Face” runs the gamut of hot topics in modern Korean society. The journalist-turned-novelist, who worked as travel and culture editor for CNN in Seoul, doesn’t only lightly touch on the subjects, she dives into each topic through the story of young women characters living in the same apartment in Seoul. Although Cha does not believe that doing thorough rese
Aug. 2, 2021
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The need to ‘translate’ a difficult text into a readily understandable one
“Why We Fail to Read” By Ji Bi-won (Memento) “Why We Fail to Read,” a collection of essays written by Ji Bi-won and published by Memento, starts with a simple yet thought-provoking question: Why are certain texts almost undecipherable? In this digital era, texts are overflowing from online news outlets to social media to mobile messengers. People tend to read and write more as the virtual space for writing expands at a breakneck pace. With the explosive growth of rea
July 24, 2021
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[Herald Interview] Author Yun Ko-eun sees her Dagger-winning ‘The Disaster Tourist’ as being genre fluid
Contrary to the typically mysterious, keen and dark image of crime fiction writers, not a hint of grimness could be found in the appearance of Yun Ko-eun, 42, the winner of this year’s CWA Crime Fiction in Translation Dagger, who appears bright, positive and full of energy. The CWA Daggers, established in 1955 by the Crime Writers’ Association, are presented as awards for the best in crime writing in 11 categories, including fiction and nonfiction. Yun is the first Asian to be recog
July 12, 2021
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Yun Ko-eun first Asian to win prestigious Dagger award for crime novel
Novelist Yun Ko-eun become the first Asian to win a prestigious CWA Crime Fiction in Translation Dagger on Thursday. The Dagger awards, conferred by the Crime Writers’ Association in the United Kingdom, recognize excellence in the art of crime writing. This year’s winners were announced during an online event hosted by the winners from last year. Yun was the first Asian winner since the association established a separate award in 2006 to recognize both the translator of a work an
July 2, 2021
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Pastor hopes to give courage to people going through hardship
“Grace That Cannot Be Repaid” By John Philip Song Nachimban Pastor John Philip Song has written a memoir titled “Grace That Cannot Be Repaid.” “It was the year when I turned 77. My friends all know about the hardships that I went through. Since I survived through them, they said it would be a good idea for me to write a book about it,” Song said during an interview with The Korea Herald. “They convinced me that it can give courage to people in a tou
July 1, 2021
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Labor activist-turned-poet chronicles travels in new book, exhibition
Walking along the narrow alleys of Tongeui-dong where modern and contemporary Seoul coexist in harmony, one will come upon a two-story cafe that greets visitors with colorful trees and flowers at its entrance. The first floor of Ra Cafe Gallery operates like any ordinary cafe, serving beverages and sandwiches during the day, and desserts by night. Upstairs, an unexpected trip beyond borders awaits. Ra Cafe Gallery first opened its doors in April 2012 in Buam-dong in Jongno, as part of poet Pa
June 16, 2021
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[Herald interview] ‘It’s not Koreanness that matters in our story, only Batman’
The rumors of Batman making a brief landing in Seoul, Korea, had been around for weeks, but were proven true when DC Comics officially announced “Batman: The World,” due out on Sept. 14. “Batman: The World” is an anthology comic book in which the stage is set in 14 countries, including Korea. The writers work from their respective countries, introducing local elements into the synopsis and drawings. The Korean part of the anthology is titled “Batman: Moonin,&rdquo
June 7, 2021
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National Library of Korea sends 1,000-plus books to libraries abroad
The National Library of Korea received more than 1,000 books on Tuesday and will send them to major libraries around the world through its International Materials Exchange Program. The library signed an agreement in 2016 with the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation, the publisher of the books, to carry out and expand overseas research on Korea while promoting Korean cultural assets overseas. The National Library of Korea plans to send books donated by the foundation to 35 libraries th
June 5, 2021
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Korean children’s book wins BolognaRagazzi Award
A Korean children’s book has won the prestigious BolognaRagazzi Award from the Bologna Children‘s Book Fair in Italy. The Korean Publishers Association announced Lee‘s win for comics in the early reader category on Tuesday. Two other Korean writers, Bamco and Park Hyun-min, won special mention in the nonfiction and debut work categories for “Rice Rice Rice” and “So Much Snow,” respectively. The BolognaRagazzi Award is awarded for originality, educatio
June 4, 2021
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When Batman faces gangsters in Jongno
The iconic superhero Batman will be created by a Korean writer and cartoonists, this time against the backdrop of Seoul. DC Comics is to publish a series set in 14 countries around the globe -- Korea, China, Japan, US, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Czech Republic, Russia, Poland, Turkey, Mexico, and Brazil -- working with writers from the respective countries. Spurred by the Dark Knight’s realization that his fight for justice should not be limited to Gotham city, the global collaborati
May 30, 2021
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Korean Diaspora Literature Essay Contest calls for submissions
The Literature Translation Institute of Korea (LTI Korea) is calling for submissions for this year’s Korean Diaspora Literature Essay Contest to expand the base of literary exchange through discovering and supporting writers of Korean diaspora literature. The writing contest will be based on 25 essays, novels, and poems written by people of Korean ancestry living in Central Asia, Europe, Japan, the US and North Korean defectors chosen by LTI Korea. “Diaspora literature exists than
May 29, 2021