(Photo News) Walk to donate

Participants in the third Charity Walkathon, organized by the Korean Association of Foreign Languages Academies, stroll the streets of Bukchon, a village in Seoul replete with traditional Korean houses, or hanok, Sunday. Proceeds from this year’s event, which drew over 1,000 participants, will go to a nursing college to be built in Nepal, organizers said. (Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald)

June 1, 2014

Kim named CEO of Lotte Hall

Kim Eui-joon, former chief of the Korea National Opera, took office Wednesday as CEO of Lotte Hall, a classical concert hall being built in Jamsil, Seoul, by the eponymous conglomerate. Kim, 64, filled a seat left vacated for nearly a year by the death of Kim Joo-ho last May. “On May 7, Kim officially began his term as CEO of Lotte Hall,” Lotte Group said in a statement.“Lotte Group will set up a non-profit cultural foundation which will be tasked with the hall’s management,” it said. Kim has 30

May 7, 2014

Former photo editor of Herald dies

Kim In-su, a longtime photo editor of The Korea Herald and The Herald Business, died Monday in Bangkok, Thailand. He was 58. He died of a heart attack in the Thai capital, where he was visiting family who live in the country. He had a chronic heart problem and had undergone heart surgery a few years ago. A native of Jinhae, South Gyeongsang Province, Kim joined Herald Corp., publisher of The Korea Herald and vernacular daily Herald Business, in 1989 as a photo journalist. For nearly a decade fro

May 7, 2014

Overseas cultural heritage agency gets new chief

The Cultural Heritage Administration on Thursday named O Soo-dong, former PR chief at the Korean Embassy in the United States, the new secretary-general of its affiliate body tasked with retrieving stolen national treasures from overseas. “O Soo-dong has been appointed secretary-general of the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation. His term is three years untill April 2017,” the state-run CHA said in a press release. O, 64, is a veteran cultural administrator and diplomat with more than t

May 1, 2014

Former foreign minister Hong dies at age 77

Hong Soon-young, a retired diplomat who served as South Korea's foreign minister, unification minister and ambassador to five countries, died Wednesday at age 77, officials said.Hong, who was the foreign minister from 1998-2000, was considered one of the best known diplomats in South Korea. He entered the foreign service in 1961 and served in various other posts, including ambassador to Pakistan, Malaysia, Russia, Germany and China.Hong served as unification minister from 2001-2002. (Yonhap) 

April 30, 2014

[Weekender] Taking pause from 30 years in top gear

After working nonstop for 30 years, Sohn Ji-ae, former president and CEO of Arirang TV and Radio, who left her post at the end of February after two and a half years, is relishing what she calls her “mid-life time out.” “March 1 marks my independence from institutions,” said Sohn on Wednesday in an interview with The Korea Herald.“My career has been so fast, in top gear,” she said of her whirlwind career that started at Business Korea, a monthly magazine, saw her as a correspondent for the New Y

April 25, 2014

Ewha Womans Univ. names new president

Ewha Womans University announced Thursday that Choi Kyung-hee, a professor in the department of science education, was named its new president.The university board held a meeting early in the day and confirmed the 51-year-old educator as the school’s head. She was selected out of three female candidates, all of whom are currently members of the university staff.She will begin her four-year term on Aug. 1, succeeding Kim Sun-uk.Choi received her doctoral degree in the same field in 1994, and has

April 24, 2014

Bon Jovi helps open, fund low-income housing in Philly

PHILADELPHIA (AP) ― Jon Bon Jovi’s hit tune “Who Says You Can’t Go Home?” took on new meaning Tuesday as the rock star cut the ribbon on a namesake housing development for low-income residents and the formerly homeless in Philadelphia. The 55-unit JBJ Soul Homes opened in the Francisville neighborhood after about 18 months of construction. Bon Jovi’s Soul Foundation provided the lead gift for the $16.6 million complex, which he hopes will offer tenants the support they need to get back on their

April 23, 2014

[Herald Interview] ‘Keep English learning fun for kids’

As U.S. President Barack Obama had once pointed out, South Korean’s zeal for education is second to none. But English language education author Patrick Jackson said effort alone is not enough when vying to become a polyglot. For young language learners, the key is to keep the work interesting, enjoyable and connected to the real world. “The amount of content (Korean) students go through in a year is much more than any other place I know, more than possibly anywhere in the world,” he said. “But i

April 22, 2014

Grand Hyatt Seoul names new general manager

Grand Hyatt Seoul said Monday that it had named veteran hotelier David Pacey its new general manager. The former general manager at Grand Hyatt Taipei will succeed Peter Walshaw, the longest-serving general manager of Grand Hyatt Seoul. The Australian has served as general manager of the hotel for the last 23 years. On his first assignment to Korea, Pacey served as the general manager of the Hyatt Regency Incheon from 2002 to 2007. Later, he moved on to participate in the openings of Grand Hyatt

April 7, 2014

Chris Gelken, former Korea Herald editor, dies

Chris Gelken, a former senior associate editor of The Korea Herald, died of cancer on Friday. He was 58.“Today (Friday) at 1:45 p.m. Chris Gelken quietly passed away,” read a message on his Facebook account posted from Limoges, France. “The last few months were very difficult, but he fought every step of the way.”Gelken had been battling adenocarcinoma after a stage-four diagnosis last August, according to his friends. He is survived by wife Shirley Han Ying.  A veteran journalist whose works sp

April 6, 2014

[Weekender] Green Ranger leads push for conservation

For Kim Myung-jeon, the chairman of Green Ranger, a nonprofit organization that helps young people take part in environmental campaigns, planting trees goes beyond wanting to provide people with fresher air.He considers it an educational practice that can help promote well-rounded citizens who will contribute to society in ways that truly matter.“It is ultimately the people who change the world,” Kim told The Korea Herald in an interview. “And guiding the youth so that they may grow up to become

April 4, 2014

Design professor tapped to head tourism agency

Byun Choo-suk, a design professor at Kookmin University, has been tapped as the new president of the Korea Tourism Organization, according to officials on Thursday. He will succeed German-born Lee Charm, who resigned as head of the organization amid a sex scandal in November last year. Byun is known as an advertisement and design expert. He has served as a director of LG Ad and as former dean of Kookmin University College of Design. He was a member of the presidential campaign team for Park Geun

April 3, 2014

Ritz-Carlton Seoul names new general manager

The Ritz-Carlton Seoul has appointed Romanian hotelier Radu Cernia its general manager, the hotel said on Monday. Cernia has extensive experience in the East Asian hospitality industry. He previously held managerial posts in JW Marriott Beijing and The Ritz-Carlton Beijing and took charge of food and beverages at The Ritz-Carlton Tokyo. Since he joined The Ritz-Carlton Company in 1998, he has held various positions at The Ritz-Carlton Hotels and Bulgari Hotels in Indonesia. Cernia graduated from

March 31, 2014

Imperial Palace names new chief

Imperial Palace Seoul has appointed veteran Korean hotelier Kim Jung-suk as its new general manager, the hotel said on Friday. Prior to joining the hotel, Kim held various managerial positions at The Westin Chosun in guestrooms, food and beverages, marketing and promotions. He has also served in marketing, communication and planning positions at major international companies such as Coca Cola and AIG. “We hope Kim will deliver a new energy to the Imperial Palace hotel chain, which is expanding a

March 28, 2014

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West on Vogue cover

NEW YORK (AP) ― Kanye West’s campaign to get fiancee Kim Kardashian on the cover of Vogue magazine has finally paid off. They appear in a photo by Annie Leibovitz on the April issue. The photo shows Kardashian wearing a white wedding-style dress with West’s arms around her. She posted it on her official Twitter and Instagram accounts saying: “This is such a dream come true!!!” West wrote “Thank you (at)voguemagazine” on his Twitter account.West had said he believed Kardashian is cover-worthy. In

March 23, 2014

W Seoul Walkerhill names new general manager

W Seoul Walkerhill has appointed Indian veteran hotelier Vikram Mujumdar as its new general manager, the hotel said on Monday. Prior to joining the W Hotel in Seoul, Mujumdar held managerial positions at Starwood Hotels and Resorts in Phuket and Bangkok for four years. Mujumdar has spent two decades in hotel management since starting as a front office worker. He first joined Marriott International, and then moved to Starwood Hotels and Resorts, where he was in charge of revenue management for th

March 17, 2014