Veteran actress Kim Young-ae dies of pancreatic cancer

Veteran actress Kim Young-ae died Sunday from pancreatic cancer, according to her agency, Starvillage Entertainment. She was 65. Kim starred in KBS2’s “The Gentlemen of Wolgyesu Tailor Shop,” which ended its 54-episode run in February. She appeared on the originally planned 50 episodes before opting out of the extra four episodes due to her failing health.Actress Kim Young-ae (Yonhap)She showed her strong will, tenacity and passion for acting by participating in filming the weekend series even a

April 9, 2017

(Video) Sewol tribute song released

A song dedicated to the victims of the 2014 Sewol ferry tragedy that left 304 dead was released Thursday.The song title roughly translates to “To Touch My Longing (for You)” -- and sings about the devastation of losing someone dear to you in a calm demeanor. On April 16, 2014, the Sewol sank off the country’s southwestern coast in one of the worst maritime disasters in Korea. Most of the victims were students from Danwon High School on their way to Jeju Island for a field trip. Songwriter and pr

April 7, 2017

‘Sewol ribbon’ cloud highlights salvage operation

Even the heavens appeared to celebrate the long-awaited resurfacing of the sunken ferry Sewol. As authorities on Wednesday kicked off the salvage operation of Sewol, the internet buzzed with a photo of a cloud seen in Wonju, Gangwon Province.The cloud seemed to take the form of the yellow ribbon used to symbolize those who lost their lives in the Sewol tragedy.“It was sent by my brother-in-law in Wonju. What does it remind you of? I wish success for the salvage operation!!” said a netizen who po

March 23, 2017

[Eye plus] Hobby collectors’ items show pieces of history

To most, yesterday’s newspapers, used stamps or emptied pay envelopes are trash. But they can become pieces of history when collected over a period time, even more so in the era of digitalization. Song Sang-cheon, Lim Il-tae and Lee Chong-chan -- three unrelated men in their 70s -- have one thing in common; they each have a hobby of collecting a certain type of item for more than 50 years. Song Sang-cheon, a newspaper and periodicals collector (Park Hyun-Koo/The Korea Herald)Song Sang-cheon has

March 10, 2017

Min Dong-seok elected head of HUFS Alumni Association

Min Dong-seok, ambassador for Africa-Middle East regional economic cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has been elected the new president of the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies Alumni Association, the school said Thursday.Min Dong-seok (HUFS)It said representatives of the association unanimously chose Min at its meeting in Lotte Hotel in downtown Seoul last month. Min entered the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in 1973, studied Russian and passed the Foreign Service Examina

March 2, 2017

Hwang In-yeong, Ryu Jung-han to tie knot

Actress Hwang In-young is set to tie the knot with musical actor Ryu Sung-han on March 13.  Hwang In-young (Star Property Investment Group)Ryu, 45, posted a letter to fans on his homepage Wednesday morning, confirming an earlier report that he was to wed his girlfriend of one year. “I’ve come to meet a person who was like a gift to a man who knew nothing outside of his acting career. I now plan to seek happiness in a family with her,” he said in the letter. Ryu and Hwang have been acquainted for

March 1, 2017

Lee Min-ho wins top award for boosting Korea’s brand

Actor Lee Min-ho was awarded the grand prize at the 2017 National Brand Awards held at the National Assembly Hall in Seoul on Wednesday.　 Actor Lee Min-ho receives the grand prize at the 2017 National Brand Awards held in Seoul on Wednesday. (Yonhap)“I traveled around the globe so many times over the past few years. I was so touched to see people (overseas) trying to write or speak Korean to me,” he said at the acceptance speech. “I will further try to contribute to Korea’s brand image.”　The Nat

Feb. 22, 2017

LTI Korea's Kim Seong-kon receives honorary doctorate from SUNY

Kim Seong-kon, president of the Literary Translation Institute of Korea, will be receiving an honorary doctorate in humane letters from the State University of New York.　The degree will be conferred in a ceremony on May 19 at the University of Buffalo.Each year, on the recommendation of campus presidents, faculties and a statewide committee on honorary degrees, SUNY confers a select number of honorary degrees upon individuals of “extraordinary merit and achievement in their fields,” according to

Feb. 15, 2017

Ban to garner PCI Award in LA

Ban Ki-moon will receive the 2017 Individual Building Bridges Award from Pacific Century Institute on Feb. 23, according to PCI News.  Ban served from 2007 to 2016 as the UN secretary-general. He was responsible for several major reforms on peacekeeping, UN employment practices and climate change. The UN faced serious challenges in promoting international gender equality, along with inadequate funding during Ban’s two terms. Under Ban’s initiative in July 2010, the UN General Assembly created UN

Feb. 12, 2017

Entertainment agency stocks plummet as China reacts to THAAD deployment

The value in stock assets held by Korea’s entertainment industry leaders has plummeted in the wake of the Chinese government’s response to the anticipated US anti-missile system deployment here.Lee Soo-man, the founder of S.M. Entertainment and its former president, saw his S.M. Entertainment stocks sitting at a total 103.77 billion won ($91.3 million) as of market closing on Friday, according to Chaebul.com. This represents a 44.3 percent drop from the 186.2 billion won he recorded a year earli

Feb. 6, 2017

Bolivia opens ‘Evo museum’ dedicated to indigenous president

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) -- School notebooks, a boy’s sandals and T-shirts given to him by famous soccer players are among the objects displayed at a $7 million museum inaugurated by Bolivian President Evo Morales.It’s in his native village of Orinoca, high in the country’s altiplano, and is called the Museum of the Democratic and Cultural Revolution. But Bolivia’s political opposition has dubbed it the “Evo Museum” and is questioning its cost and ostentatiousness standing near humble homes in a rur

Feb. 5, 2017

Lee Dong-gun splits with T-ara’s Jiyeon

Lee Dong-gun’s agency said Thursday that the actor recently ended his romantic relationship with Jiyeon of K-pop group T-ara. According to Lee’s agency FNC Entertainment, the celebrity couple broke up due to their busy schedules. The company did not say exactly when the two decided to go their separate ways. Lee Dong-gun (FNC Entertainment) Jiyeon (MBK Entertainment)They reportedly met in 2015 during the filming of “Encounter,” and the relationship was publicized after photos of them dating were

Feb. 2, 2017

Korea Times president to head foreign language newspaper group

The Foreign Language Newspapers Association of Korea on Monday named Lee Chang-sup, president-publisher of Korea Times, as its president.The nonprofit organization was launched in 2015 to promote the cooperation and development of Korea-based foreign-language newspapers. The Korea Herald, Korea Times, Korea Joongang Daily and Chinese edition of the Aju Business Daily are members of the group. Lee Chang-supIts activities include inking an agreement with the state-run Korean Culture and Informatio

Jan. 23, 2017

Repaired and ready: Venue where young Dylan played reopens

SARATOGA SPRINGS, New York (AP) -- Bob Dylan would surely still recognize the low-ceilinged room in Caffe Lena where he played a couple of gigs almost 60 years ago. But just about everything else about a venue that bills itself as the nation’s oldest continuously operating coffeehouse has undergone some major upgrades as part of a $2 million renovation project bankrolled in part by folk music performers themselves. Dylan performed twice there early in his career, when the young singer born in Mi

Jan. 16, 2017

[Eye Interview] Salvation Army volunteer recounts lifetime of service on the streets

A regular sight during the Korean holiday season: Salvation Army volunteers stand next to their signature red kettles and ring handbells to raise donations.One such volunteer, Lee Sung-deok, 83, who has taken to the streets every winter starting 1954, rang his last bell this year, retiring after decades of charity work.Over 62 years, Lee witnessed the ups and downs of Korean history in the flurry of the streets, he told The Korea Herald in an interview at the Salvation Army’s Korean headquarters

Dec. 30, 2016

Actors Gong Hyo-jin, Cho Jung-seok, Cho Jin-woong win top star award

Actors Gong Hyo-jin, Cho Jung-seok and Cho Jin-woong were crowned Korea‘s “top stars” Thursday at an award ceremony celebrating influential figures from various segments. The 2016 The Night of Stars-Korea Top Star Awards held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in central Seoul also honored film directors Na Hong-jin and Yeon Sang-ho for their hit films “The Wailing” and “Train to Busan,” respectively.Actor Cho Jung-seok attends the 2016 The Night of Stars-Korea Top Star Awards at Grand Hyatt Seoul on Thur

Dec. 30, 2016

Carrie Fisher’s books become -ellers after her death

NEW YORK (AP) -- There’s been a run on Carrie Fisher’s books since the “Star Wars” actress and humorist died Tuesday.Fisher’s book, “The Princess Diarist,” was on top of Amazon’s list of best-selling books on Wednesday, just ahead of “Zero Sugar Diet.”“Wishful Drinking” and “Postcards From the Edge” were also in Amazon’s top 10, with “Shockaholic” ranked No. 57.Five of the top 10 books on Amazon’s “Movers and Shakers” list, which measures titles that show the greatest upward movement in sales ov

Dec. 30, 2016

Statue to honor ‘Korean Schindler’

Hyun Bong-Hak, the late doctor and civic activist who saved thousands of civilians during the Korean War, was commemorated Monday with a statue in front of the Severance Building in central Seoul.Hyun has been dubbed “Korean Schindler” -- after German industrialist Oskar Schindler who saved over 1,000 Jewish lives during the Holocaust -- here for persuading US military officials during the war to evacuate some 104,000 refugees from battlefields in Heungnam, North Korea. Lee Gyeong-pil (left) and

Dec. 20, 2016

Jet-setting Hungarian actress Zsa Zsa Gabor dies at age 99

Zsa Zsa Gabor, the jet-setting Hungarian actress and socialite who helped invent a new kind of fame out of multiple marriages, conspicuous wealth and jaded wisdom about the glamorous life, died Sunday at her home, her husband said. She was 99.The middle and most famous of the sisters Gabor died of a heart attack at her Los Angeles home, Frederic von Anhalt said. Gabor had been hospitalized repeatedly since she broke her right hip in July 2010 after a fall at her home. She already had to use a wh

Dec. 19, 2016