Former South Korean Navy special warfare officer Rhee Keun, who has reportedly been injured while leading a recent mission in Ukraine, may return home. According to a post by the International Legion of Defense of Ukraine on Thursday, Rhee, also known as Ken Rhee, was treated at a military hospital in Ukraine and will return to South Korea for rehabilitation. “He will soon resume his service an...

Choi Eung-chon, an art history professor at Dongguk University, has been appointed the new head of the Cultural Heritage Administration. Choi previously served as chair of the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation from 2019. He succeeds Kim Hyun-mo, who had served in the role since December 2020. Known as an expert in Buddhist art, Choi graduated from Dongguk University and holds a doct...

Former South Korean Navy special warfare officer Rhee Keun, who left South Korea to fight as a volunteer soldier in the war in Ukraine, said in a YouTube post that he was injured in a recent mission. According to ROKSEAL (Rhee Reun’s YouTube channel) on Sunday, Rhee, also known as Ken Rhee, was injured while leading a special reconnaissance mission. “LT Ken Rhee recently incurred injuries while...

103-year-old philosophy professor shares life stories, secrets to healthy living

Famed poet Kim Ji-ha, who died on Sunday at the age of 81, left behind a legacy of decades-long battles against the military dictatorship, followed by disputes later in life. Kim died at 4 p.m. at his home in Wonju, Gangwon Province, after suffering from an unspecified illness for the past year, the Toji Cultural Foundation said on behalf of the bereaved family. He passed away “peacefully, afte...

Renowned poet Kim Ji-ha, a dissident figure who spoke out against the military dictatorship of the 1960s and ‘70s, died Sunday at the age of 81. Kim had been suffering from an unspecified illness for the past year before he passed away at his home in Wonju, Gangwon Province, according to the Toji Cultural Foundation. The foundation, which supports Korean writers and scholars, was named after the...

Forum brings Korean business leaders, academia experts, foreign envoys together to discuss business and investment opportunities.

Bestselling author Lee Oi-soo died of COVID-19-associated pneumonia on Monday, according to his family. He was 75. Lee died at around 8 p.m. at a hospital in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, of complications from COVID-19 after he contracted the viral illness in March. He had been in poor health since a collapse from a cerebral hemorrhage in March 2020. He was treated for stomach cancer in 2014. Bo...

The 2022 Pro-am Go Competitions, co-hosted by DataStreams and The Korea Herald, were held at the Korea Baduk Association headquarters in Seoul on Friday, aiming to enhance the status and recognition of Korea’s baduk. Baduk, also called Go, is a traditional strategy board game in which players take turns putting black and white stones on the board while aiming to surround more territory than th...

Keith Motsi, the head bartender at Charles H., a speakeasy-style bar at Four Seasons Seoul, won the Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award 2022 on Tuesday. The award given to personalities who have made significant impact on Asia’s bar sector over the voting period is the only peer-judged award for Asia’s 50 Best Bars. “I am extremely honored and humbled to be recognized by my peers for whom I have ...

Buoyed by the popularity of Korean cultural products, a Korean language learning frenzy is spreading around the world. Unlike in the past, when most Korean learners studied for practical reasons like for academic research or jobs, more people now seem to do so out of interest in the country itself. As of 2020, some 1,669 elementary, junior high and high schools in 39 countries have opened and op...

Hyun became a household name with many megahit television series, including the MBC sitcom “Nonstop 4” (2004), the romance comedy “My Lovely Sam-soon” (2005) and the SBS fantasy romance “Secret Garden” (2011). Son shot to prominence with her roles in three movies -- “Lover’s Concerto” (2002), “The Classic” (2003) and “A Moment To Remember” (2004), each considered South Korean romance masterpiece...

My first memory of Youn Yuh-jung dates back to 1991 when she played the role of a talkative and fussy mother in the television series “What is Love,” which holds the record for the third-highest average viewership of any Korean television broadcast here. In the eyes of a 9-year-old child, Youn looked far from the stereotypical Korean moms that I’ve seen on TV before. It was not just because of ...

Top actors Hyun Bin, 39, and Son Ye-jin, 40, are getting married in a private wedding ceremony Thursday. Set to be held at Grand Walkerhill Seoul in Gwangjin-gu, eastern Seoul, Hyun and Son’s parents, relatives and friends will be attending the wedding starting at 4 p.m. While most details about the stars’ wedding have not been released, actor Jang Dong-gun, a long-time friend of Hyun, is repor...

“In this regard, The Korea Herald and The Peninsula would create awareness of Qatar among The Korea Herald readers and vice versa,” said Choi, who previously served two terms as mayor of Namwon, North Jeolla Province. He said that observing the Doha World Cup 2022, the two media groups are committed to creating a synergistic effect of awareness for readers. Choi applauded the success of the D...