Most Popular
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Exports to US reach all-time high, widen gap with China
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Trump rekindles criticism: US forces defending 'wealthy' S. Korea 'free of charge'
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[Music in drama] Rekindle a love that slipped through your fingers
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S. Korea discussed possible participation in AUKUS Pillar 2 with Australia: defense minister
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[New faces of Assembly] Architect behind ‘audacious initiative’ believes in denuclearized North Korea
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On May Day, labor unions blast Yoon's foreign nanny proposal
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Seoul Metro to seek legal action against malicious complaints
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Illit, mired in controversy, remains on Billboard charts for 5th week
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[KH Explains] Will alternative trading platform shake up Korean stock market?
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S. Korea lowers COVID-19 warning level, lifts last-remaining antivirus mandates
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An American family saga
The Twelve Tribes of HattieBy Ayana Mathis(Knopf)In “The Twelve Tribes of Hattie,” first-time author Ayana Mathis walks upon some of the richest thematic terrain America’s history can offer a novelist.Her protagonist, Hattie Shepherd, arrives in Philadelphia from Georgia in the mid-1920s, one of a legion of travelers in the great migration, that movement of African-Americans from the Jim Crow South to the promise and relative freedom of the North.The great migration gave us the Harlem Renaissanc
Jan. 3, 2013
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19th century Korea seen through eyes of foreign women
Among all of the U.S. Ambassadors to Korea since 1883, John M.B. Sill (1831-1901) served during one of the most turbulent periods of Korean history. During his stay in the country ― from 1894 to 1897 ― Korea went through the Sino-Japanese War, the Gabo Reform, the murder of Queen Myeongseong, and King Gojong’s refuge in the Russian legation.Written and compiled by freelance writer and history researcher Robert Neff, “Letters from Joseon” features personal letters written in Seoul by Sill’s wife
Jan. 3, 2013
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McPartland bio hits all the right notes
Shall We Play That One Together? The Life and Art of Jazz Piano Legend Marian McPartlandBy Paul de Barros(St. Martin’s Press)Paradise may be a great place to live, but the implicit lack of conflict makes it a lousy home for a dramatist. In similar fashion, it’s challenging for any biographer to take on the life of an exemplary human being and fashion a compelling story out of it.Consider the case of Marian McPartland, pianist, composer and longtime host of NPR’s peerless “Piano Jazz” series. For
Jan. 3, 2013
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After Newtown, essential reading: ‘Columbine’
When it comes to events like school shooting in Newtown, Conn., there are knowns, unknowns and, already, mis-knowns. A photograph of Ryan Lanza circulated asserting he was the shooter, when in fact it was his brother, Adam Lanza. Their mother, Nancy Lanza, whom Adam killed, was reported to have been a teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary, where the other shootings took place ― but she was not. The story of what happened Friday when 20 children and seven adults were killed has been written and rewrit
Dec. 27, 2012
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Reading books by their cover
Don’t judge a book by its cover, so goes an old saying, but looking at this book exhibition one is reminded of what Oscar Wilde once said: “It is only shallow people who do not judge by appearances; the true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible.”Kyobo Book Center’s current exhibition, “Art, Design, Culture: The History of Penguin by Design,” shows how book covers have responded to ― and influenced ― changing trends and culture in the past 77 years. The exhibition, featuring des
Dec. 27, 2012
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Book offers a bird’s view of deserts
Desert AirBy George Steinmetz(Abrams, New York)‘Tis the time of year for coffee table books and, for the adventuresome, there is nothing better than “Desert Air.”World-class photographer George Steinmetz who worked for National Geographic and GEO Magazine has published a number of his finest photographs in a book that is only just big enough to hold their subjects.He was fascinated with the hyper-arid regions ― “areas that get less than four inches of annual precipitation.” Seated in a motorized
Dec. 27, 2012
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Neurologist examines ‘Hallucinations’
HallucinationsBy Oliver Sacks(Knopf)Enter a nondescript building in the West Village, ride an old elevator a couple flights up and suddenly you’re in a world of wonder long in the making.You’ve entered the office of Dr. Oliver Sacks.The well-worn lair of the world’s most literary neurologist bespeaks a restless spirit that all but says, “Yeah, I’ve been at this awhile.” A vintage, multicolor Chart of Electromagnetic Radiation dominates one wall; it looks like something you’d find in a gargantuan
Dec. 27, 2012
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U.S. man’s Little Free Library copied worldwide
HUDSON, Wisconsin (AP) ― It started as a simple tribute to his mother, a teacher and bibliophile. Todd Bol put up a miniature version of a one-room schoolhouse on a post outside his home in this western Wisconsin city, filled it with books and invited his neighbors to borrow them.They loved it, and began dropping by so often that his lawn became a gathering spot. Then a friend in Madison put out some similar boxes and got the same reaction. More home-crafted libraries began popping up around Wis
Dec. 27, 2012
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E-book restrictions leave ‘buyers’ with few rights
There’s a crass old joke about how you can never buy beer, just rent it. Who would think that the same joke applies to book buying in the digital age?But that’s the case. Many people who were unwrapping iPads, Amazon Kindles or Barnes & Noble Nooks on Tuesday morning and loading them with bestsellers or classics won’t have any idea how limited their rights are as their books’ “owners.”In fact, they won’t be owners at all. They’ll be licensees. Unlike the owners of a physical tome, they won’t hav
Dec. 27, 2012
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Isle of Man is backdrop for ‘Safe House’
Safe HouseBy Chris Ewan(Minotaur)Most Americans probably have little idea where the Isle of Man is on the map. For the record, this self-governing British Crown Dependency is located in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland and may be best known to sports fans as the site of the annual TT (Tourist Trophy) motorbike festival, going on since 1907.The Isle of Man also makes for an intriguing backdrop for “Safe House,” Chris Ewan’s first stand-alone thriller. “Safe House” works as an emot
Dec. 20, 2012
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How natural world is comming back
Nature Wars: The Incredible Story of How Wildlife Comebacks Turned Backyards Into BattlegroundsJim Sterba(Crown)The nature-challenged reader will discover many new and startling facts in Jim Sterba’s new book. Among them all one stands out: Not only are America’s Eastern forests roaring back to life, they’ve been doing so for more than a century.Sterba, a veteran reporter for the Wall Street Journal and New York Times, literally stumbles onto this truth one day amid the majestic trees of Maine’s
Dec. 20, 2012
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Books explore world of Korean lit, hallyu
The Korea Culture and Information Service, an affiliate of the Culture Ministry, continues to publish books on Korean culture, this time about literature and the history of hallyu, the Korean wave.“K-Literature: The Writing World’s New Voice” is the latest addition to KOCIS’ English-language book series featuring Korean culture and artists.Earlier this month, the organization added two new volumes to the series, one about Korean sports and the other about fashion. The previously published books
Dec. 20, 2012
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Film’s mark on colonial Korea
While local movie buffs now enjoy IMAX theaters and movies rendered in 4-D, watching movies was a different affair about 80 years ago in Seoul. First of all, people had to endure an “almost unbearable” stench from the theater’s public bathroom, and sometimes, their fellow viewers. The stench and filthiness of the movie theaters became a public hygiene problem in the early 1930s; newspapers published articles warning people not to bring infants to the theaters, as it could seriously risk their he
Dec. 20, 2012
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New York Public Library unveils renovation plan
NEW YORK (AP) ― The New York Public Library is moving forward with a $300 million renovation of its landmark Fifth Avenue building that will more than double its public space and fireproof the majestic main reading room, the library president said Wednesday.But the plans he presented at a news conference have drawn withering criticism from some respected architecture experts, including Ada Louise Huxtable, who says the grand Beaux Art edifice is embarking on “its own destruction.’’Library Presid
Dec. 20, 2012
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History of Christmas tree tradition
Inventing the Christmas TreeBy Bernd Brunner, translated by Benjamin A. Smith(Yale University Press)If you’ve just returned from a tree lot and plan to pull out boxes of decorations this afternoon, you may find it hard to imagine that Christmas trees took well into the 19th century to be widely accepted in the United States.“In a sense,” writes scholar Bernd Brunner in his compact cultural history of the holiday icon, “the Americanization of the ‘German’ Christmas tree runs parallel to the Ameri
Dec. 13, 2012
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A man’s spiritual transformation
Cross RoadsBy Wm. Paul Young(FaithWords)Paul Young isn’t insulted at the suggestion that the lead character in “Cross Roads” has a dark soul.To the contrary, the author of “The Shack” chuckles with delight.“Thank you,” he said. “That is a compliment. ... I’m a writer that likes to explore questions, and one of my questions is: ‘How does grace or transformation get into the heart of someone who is really lost? Who’s really isolated themselves from relationships?’”Anthony Spencer’s desolation is c
Dec. 13, 2012
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Book traces odd journey of Cohen’s song
NEW YORK (AP) ― It’s hard to think of any song that has taken a stranger journey through popular culture than Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.”Recorded in 1984, it was on the only Cohen album rejected by his record company. Virtually no one noticed when the song did come out on an independent label. Since then, through dozens of cover versions, high-profile performances and appearances on TV or movie soundtracks, “Hallelujah” has become a modern standard.Author Alan Light reflected upon that while a
Dec. 13, 2012
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English books feature Korean sports, fashion
Korea’s Culture Ministry recently published two English-language books, one about Korean sports and the other about local fashion, as the newest additions to its “K-series,” a book series featuring Korean culture.“K-Fashion: Wearing a New Future” and “K-Sports: A New Breed of Rising Champions” are published by Korea Culture and Information Service, an affiliate of the Culture Ministry.Among the two, “K-Fashion” is written by Kim Hong-ki, who works as a fashion curator and a journalist. He has sp
Dec. 13, 2012
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Seong delves into theme of love
Korea’s celebrated writer Seong Seok-je recently published the first love-themed novel of his literary career.The 52-year-old has previously written on love and intimacy in his short stories, including the famous coming-of-age tale “First Love,” but this is his first full-length novel delving into the subject.Titled “One and Only,” the book tells the story of Se-gil, a young boy who falls for fellow student Min-hyeon ― whom he runs into during their entrance ceremony to elementary school. From t
Dec. 13, 2012
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Stephen King offers writing tips to students
LOWELL, Massachusetts (AP) ― Stephen King loves scaring people, but one student at University of Massachusetts Lowell tried to find out Friday what scares him. “Spiders, snakes ... my mother-in-law,’’ the writer said with a grin.The author of international bestselling books including “Carrie’’ and “The Shining’’ came to the college to talk with writing students. English Department professor Andre Dubus III, another bestselling author and an old friend of King’s, shared the stage for about an hou
Dec. 10, 2012