Most Popular
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Marine Corps commander summoned by CIO for questioning on alleged influence-peddling case
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Debate rages over ‘overly fatty’ samgyeopsal
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[Weekender] Korean psyche untangled: Musok
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40 flights canceled on Jeju Island due to bad weather
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[Eye Interview] 'If you live to 100, you might as well be happy,' says 88-year-old bestselling essayist
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N. Korea slams US, other countries for seeking alternative to UN sanctions monitoring panel
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From fake prostitution ring to nonexistent robber, prank calls hamper police
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Missing S. Korean traveler in Paris found safe after 2 weeks
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Pandemic left Korea more depressed than before: report
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Defense chiefs of US, Australia, Japan decry NK-Russia military cooperation
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Nine-taled fox to join Avengers superheroes in U.S. comic series
A cartoon character based on the Korean myth about a nine-tailed fox will be joining Spiderman, Ironman and other superheroes in Marvel’s “Avengers” comic book series, the U.S. firm’s executive said Tuesday. The character, White Fox, is a heroin appearing in “Avengers Electric Rain,” a Web-based cartoon series published on the Korean web portal Daum. “Avengers Electric Rain” is the first localized series of the U.S. comic series Avengers and is being written and drawn by Korean cartoon artist Ko
Nov. 18, 2014
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Feline fans flock to cat cafes around world
TOKYO ― A cafe patron is trying to woo Amu ― she of the long hair and lovely green eyes ― but the beauty disdainfully turns away.And then she flicks her fluffy tail. Amu is a long-haired calico ― one of 51 felines who staff the Calico Cat Cafe, one of Japan’s numerous cat cafes ― and she has a reputation for being somewhat aloof.But most of the resident felines are curious about the cafe customers and eager to toss a few toy mice around with them. Patrons, who pay the equivalent of $9.36 for an
Nov. 16, 2014
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Mixing fun with history
Rest, childbirth and blue jeans. These are some of the themes of exhibitions held by the National Folk Museum of Korea since last year. Some of these special, but not-so-special topics raised eyebrows, but Cheon Jin-gi, the director of the state-run museum, touts that they fit perfectly with the vision he has for the museum. “Those topics cut across generations and cultural boundaries,” he explained at his office on a recent Tuesday afternoon. “They are good materials to help people understand t
Nov. 14, 2014
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Calendar
Pop music“Singing in the Smile with Michael Bolton”: American singer-songwriter Michael Bolton is gearing up for two solo concerts in Seoul. The multi-Grammy Award-winning artist is the voice behind some of the greatest American rock ballads, including “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You,” “When a Man Loves a Woman” and “Said I Loved You … But I Lied.” In Bolton’s illustrious musical career, which spans nearly four decades, he has sold more than 75 million records worldwide with more than 15
Nov. 14, 2014
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[Herald Interview] Creator touts real bond between horses and riders
Normand Latourelle, the producer and creator of “Cavalia,” describes his show as an ode to the millennia-old relationship between horses and human. “‘Cavalia’ is not a circus. It’s not a horse show. It is a show about horses and the bond between horses and human,” he said in an interview with The Korea Herald inside one of the tents that make up the White Big Top, a makeshift structure specially designed for the Canadian touring production. “The horses are not forced to do this. There is a genui
Nov. 13, 2014
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[Herald Review] ‘Cavalia’ gallops into heart of Seoul
It was just a five-minute walk from Sports Complex Station to get out of the hustle and bustle of the capital city and into the surreal world of “Cavalia.”The cast of “Cavalia” — 50 beautiful horses and their 46 two-legged friends — delivered a magical mix of equestrian arts, acrobatics, multimedia and special effects on its opening night Wednesday, taking the audience on a fantastic twohour journey.The audience, in return, gave a rapturous standing ovation. In some parts, the show was poignantl
Nov. 13, 2014
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TV chiefs to discuss future of content
As technology evolves, the way people consume content is changing dramatically. In the U.S., video-streaming service Netflix has made giant strides, prompting many to ponder the future of television. In Korea and many other places, more people are opting to visit online streaming sites to listen to music instead of downloading songs or purchasing CDs. A forum to be held in Seoul next week aims to shed light on the latest trends in the global content industry and provide a glimpse into what the f
Nov. 10, 2014
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[Herald Interview] ‘I will give my all to Africa’
With retirement weighing heavily on her mind, Kim Chung-ja, a mezzo-soprano and music professor of Korea National University of Arts, took a sabbatical from work in 2005. She spent a few months traveling Europe, then a couple of months more in the U.S., but still had no clue as to what her post-retirement life would be like, despite reaching 60. Then a short trip to Africa changed it all. “I believe it was God’s calling,” she said in an interview in Seoul last month, describing a series of event
Nov. 9, 2014
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Have you read Modiano? No, but I know a lot of other things...
PARIS (AFP) ― With the Internet taking over modern reading habits, do you still have to have read Proust, Balzac ... or Modiano to be considered cultivated in France? The answer, according to some experts, is “not necessarily.”With e-books, online blogs, Twitter and multiple other sources now available, the bedrock of the French intellectual tradition ― the literary book ― is being challenged as never before.French Culture Minister Fleur Pellerin caused consternation last month when she appeared
Nov. 9, 2014
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[Weekender] Swanky food trucks rejuvenating neighborhoods
Vibrant food trucks are popping up in neighborhoods around the globe, serving up cleverly prepared and succulent on-the-go grub. Whether it is Korean fusion kimchi tacos, finger lickin’ good barbecue or one-of-a-kind gourmet sandwiches, food trucks have been slowly taking over the streets of major cities across the U.S. and other parts of the world. Some are even calling the States ― where the evolution of food vendors seems to be the most profound ― the “food truck nation.” With a no-limits att
Nov. 7, 2014
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Life on a rollercoaster
On a late Monday afternoon, Daniel Tudor and I walk up and down the steep Gyeongnidan-gil in search of a quiet place for our interview. We met up at The Booth, a pizza and beer joint off Gyeongnidan-gil, where he is a partner, but decide to move somewhere quieter. At 4 p.m., the place was already crowded with an eclectic mix of customers ― soldiers in uniform, Korean hipsters and a few tables taken up by young foreigners.It’s been a few months since Tudor has been in the neighborhood ― things, i
Nov. 7, 2014
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Calendar
ExhibitionsLinda McCartney Retrospective: Daelim Museum in Seoul is holding a retrospective on photographer Linda McCartney until April 26, 2015. The first retrospective here of the celebrated photographer shows McCartney’s earlier works, including portraits of popular musicians such as Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix, family photos depicting her happy life with Paul McCartney and their children, and later works that capture the beauty of daily life and nature. Admission is 5,000 won for adults. T
Nov. 7, 2014
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Korea eyes World Heritage status for Seoul City Walls
South Korea will apply for World Heritage Status for an ancient defensive wall encircling its capital city in 2016, a government committee said Thursday.The Seoul City Walls, an 18.6-km-long wall surrounding Hanyang, the former capital of the Joseon era (1392-1910) and present-day central Seoul, was chosen during a meeting on Tuesday to be, along with other heritage items, on South Korea’s application for the UNESCO heritage listing for 2016, the Cultural Properties Committee said.The advisory p
Nov. 6, 2014
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S. Korea eyes World Heritage status for ancient fortress wall
South Korea will apply for an ancient defensive wall encircling its capital city to be given World Heritage Status in 2016, a government committee said Thursday. The Seoul City Wall, an 18.6-km-long wall surrounding Hanyang, the former capital of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) and present-day central Seoul, was chosen during a meeting on Tuesday to be, among all other heritage items, on South Korea's application for the UNESCO heritage listing for 2016, the Cultural Properties Committee said.
Nov. 6, 2014
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Shipwreck thought to date back to Joseon found
A shipwreck with more than 100 pieces of earthenware, presumed to date back to 18th- or 19th-century Korea, has been found in western waters in what archeologists say could be the first discovery of a Joseon-era ship. The National Research Institute of Maritime Cultural Heritage said Wednesday that its underwater research team discovered what appeared to be a vessel’s stern and some wooden beams on the seabed off Mado Island, Taean County, South Chungcheong Province.“A pilot excavation of the sh
Nov. 5, 2014
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A modern take on love story ‘Chunhyangjeon’
Romanian-born American theater director Andrei Serban has compared the famous classical Korean love story “Chunhyangjeon” to freely adapted works of Shakespeare. “Like Shakespeare’s stories, you can turn the story upside down, improvise and do the craziest experiments to recreate,” Serban said in a press conference on Wednesday about his new production “Andrei Serban’s Different Chunhyang,” which will be staged with the National Changguek Company from Nov. 20 to Dec. 6. “But at the end of the da
Nov. 5, 2014
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Grandma’s Roundtable eases life challenges for 7 lucky grandkids
MINNEAPOLIS ― She’s a therapist and career coach, cheerleader and wise woman, secret keeper and borscht pusher.Mostly, 85-year-old Gretta Freeman of Golden Valley, Minnesota, is chief executive officer of perhaps the most endearingly run support group in the Midwest, and likely beyond. Unfortunately for us, membership is closed.For 18 years, Freeman has guided her seven grandchildren, now grown, through myriad life passages and challenges. She has done this through her Grandma’s Roundtable, a pe
Nov. 5, 2014
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Call him ‘Biilzbub’: Man gets creative with bones of dead animals
PITTSBURGH ― They crawl and they feed on rotting flesh and sinew, appearing to pulsate as they strip the skull and thorax of a small rodent. The sight of them might give a chill or turn a stomach, but it is simply nature at work.The grubs of dermestid (or skin, hide or carrion) beetles are scavengers that feed on the carcasses of the deceased and are commonly found on roadkill or, more grimly, on abandoned corpses.But in a 208-liter aquarium tank on the coffee table of a Pittsburgh apartment, th
Nov. 5, 2014
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Homeless ‘urban travelers’ are vexing to tourist-dependent cities
SANTA BARBARA, California ― Joe McCabe sits on a wooden bench and calls out to two men strolling up State Street, “Have any spare change? I’m actually a traveler.”The men continue walking, and McCabe grumbles a homophobic slur that they don’t hear.McCabe gets up from the park bench and saunters down State Street in the opposite direction. At the corner, he stretches his right arm out to a woman wearing short shorts and high heels. She grimaces and looks at her friends questioningly as she maneuv
Nov. 5, 2014
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1,000-plus years of living: 10 centenarians share secrets to a long life
BALTIMORE, Maryland ― As a young girl, Downing Jett Kay danced to music played on a Victrola and watched Model T’s drive through the streets of Baltimore.She wore her hair in a flapper’s bob as a member of Forest Park High School’s Class of 1926, conducted interviews during the Depression for the Gallup Poll and listened to President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s fireside chats on the radio.Kay, who is to turn 107 next month, attributes her longevity to two factors: drinking lots of coffee and maintai
Oct. 29, 2014