Most Popular
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Korean labor force to shrink by 10 million by 2044: report
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[AtoZ Korean Mind] Does your job define who you are? Should it?
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Allegations surrounding BTS resurface, enraged fans demand apology
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Students with history of violence will be barred from becoming teachers
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Top prosecutor pledges 'speedy, strict' probe into first lady's luxury bag allegations
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Medical feud leaves hospitals in financial crisis
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'Super Rich in Korea' will leave viewers appreciating Korea more: producers
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'Queen of Tears' riding high on Netflix chart
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Samsung mocks Apple over iPhone alarm glitch
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Chip up cycle won’t stay long: SK chief
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Sumi Jo sings Bach on new album, tour
Sumi Jo, one of the most beloved classical singers in Korea, has just released a new album with Deutsche Grammophon, “Only Bach.” The Grammy-winning soprano sings cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach and nothing else on her latest album, including well-known pieces like “Jesus bleibet meine Freude (Jesus, Joy of Man’s Desiring)” and “Ave Maria.”Bach cantatas are usually sung with a small orchestra, but Jo sings accompanied by only a guitar and a violin, adding a fresh appeal to the beloved songs. I
April 15, 2014
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[Herald Interview] Putting Korean culture in global limelight
This summer, a series of Korean concerts, plays and performances will be held in London, competing for the limelight at the city’s major arts festival ― the City of London Festival. Five or six other Korean performance groups will take the much-coveted stage at the famous Edinburgh Festival next year, continuing what Angella Kwon hopes to be “the Korean culture bash” at high-profile international arts festivals. “Hallyu, or the popularity of Korean culture overseas, is still a very tiny, tiny mo
April 14, 2014
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[Weekender] Time to dance!
From ballet to b-boy, dance is seeing a resurgence in Korea. TV shows feature dancers to grab viewers’ attention, ballet companies enjoy unprecedented ticket sales and an increasing number of fitness clubs offer dance workout programs: All because more Koreans are rediscovering dance as a source of rejuvenation in today’s stressful society. “Koreans’ interest in dance was never this high before,” said Jang Seung-heon, a longtime dance producer and general director of Dancers’ Career Development
April 11, 2014
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[Weekender] Burn calories, build muscle without being stuck in the gym
Many 9-to-5ers find it impossible to regularly work out at the gym, although they do want to shed some kilos and stay in shape. They may be too exhausted from work, or may have health conditions that prevent them from doing weight lifting or sprinting. But in most cases, it is boredom that causes people to avoid regular workouts ― even celebrities such as singer Son Dam-bi and actress Ko Jun-hee publically complain that “gym workouts are ‘boring.’” The good news is that many forms of dance have
April 11, 2014
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Following the beat of his own drum
Artee Pedicab president Lee In-jae’s resume bears witness to the storied life the young man has had in his 28 years so far.A graduate of Cushing Academy in Massachusetts, Lee went on to study history at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, a private liberal arts college in the United States. After completing his freshman year, Lee, a Korean national, returned to the country to fulfill his mandatory military service.For six months in 2006, Lee did a tour of Iraq, serving in the 11th Brigade in Erb
April 11, 2014
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Theater“Ophelia”: Local musical “Ophelia,” an interpretation of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” is being staged in Seoul in May. Ophelia is a fictional character who appears in “Hamlet.” She’s a young noblewoman whose father is killed by her love interest, Hamlet, and eventually goes mad. The upcoming musical is centered around Ophelia, rather than Hamlet ― the protagonist in the original Shakespeare play. Composer Choi Woo-jeong, screenwriter and former Culture Minister Kim Myung-gon, and contemporary
April 11, 2014
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Korean-American poet receives Walt Whitman Award
NEW YORK (AP) ― A young Korean-American poet has received a $5,000 award for first-time writers that also ensures the publication and thousands of sales of her debut collection. Hannah Sanghee Park has won the Walt Whitman Award, the Academy of American Poets announced Wednesday. Her book, “The Same-Different,” will be released next year by Louisiana State University. The poetry academy will purchase thousands of copies and distribute them to its members. Pulitzer Prize winner Rae Armantrout cho
April 10, 2014
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Poet Ko Un to attend overseas literary festivals
Renowned South Korean poet Ko Un will visit London, Berlin and Chicago this year to attend various literary festivals, a local publisher said Wednesday.According to Changbi Publishers, which has printed many of Ko’s poems, he will attend a “poetry night for Ko Un’s poems” hosted by the Victoria and Albert Museum, considered to be one of the world’s greatest museums of art and design, in London on May 30. The London event will draw many influential writers working in London, Changbi said. After
April 9, 2014
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Iranians avoid bad luck with outdoor festival
TEHRAN (AP) ― Iranians flocked to parks rich with the smell of grilled kebabs on Wednesday to toss around Frisbees, bat badminton birdies and battle one another in chess and backgammon ― all to avoid being caught inside on the unlucky 13th day of the Persian New Year. The annual public picnic day, called Sizdeh Bedar, which comes from the Farsi words for “thirteen” and “day out,” is a legacy from Iran’s pre-Islamic past that hardliners in the Islamic Republic never managed to erase from calendar
April 9, 2014
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The allure of silk flowers
A small exhibition, which opened Tuesday inside Gyeongbokgung Palace, brings back to life royal Joseon era (1392-1910) silk flowers, which look as delicate as real blossoms. The “Beautiful Royal Silk Flowers” exhibition at the National Palace Museum of Korea displays works by silk flower master Hwang Su-ro and recreates two royal banquets held in 1829 to celebrate King Sunjo’s 40th birthday and the 30th anniversary of his enthronement. The banquets, like any other function at the royal palace du
April 8, 2014
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Lawmakers misspell Obama’s name
What is the name of the U.S. president? Barraco Barner, as a British beautician spelled it in her now world-famous tweet in March? Well, ask some lawmakers in Korea and you might get this: Barak Obama. Rep. An Min-suk and 39 other members of the National Assembly misspelled the U.S. president’s name in a letter they sent to him through an official channel. In the letter, dated April 4, the lawmakers asked Obama to bring a 16th-century royal seal, stolen from Korea and now in the custody of U.S.
April 7, 2014
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Soprano debuts in two Met Opera roles in 24 hours
NEW YORK (AP) ― Soprano Kristine Opolais has made Metropolitan Opera history, becoming the first singer in its 131 years to debut in two major company roles within 24 hours.The 34-year-old Latvian soprano sang Cio-Cio-San in Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly” on Friday night, went to dinner and got to bed at 5 a.m. Met General Manager Peter Gelb called 2 hours later, asking if she could replace ailing Anita Hartig as Mimi in a performance of Puccini’s “La Boheme” that was broadcast live to movie theat
April 6, 2014
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[Photo News] Design Market
April 6, 2014
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Dance“Vortex”: The National Dance Company of Korea, which has been solely focusing on Korean traditional dance, is collaborating with a foreign choreographer for the first time since its inception in 1962. Their upcoming performance, “Vortex,” is choreographed by Finnish artist Tero Saarinen. Participating dancers include Kim Mi-ae, the troupe’s principal dancer, and Park Hye-ji, an apprentice who was surprisingly selected by Saarinen to play one of the leading characters in the piece. “Vortex”
April 4, 2014
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Wild idea? Massage therapist says predators can ease PTSD
ORLANDO, Florida ― Kevin Rose doesn’t claim he can cure anyone, but he’s convinced he can teach people to manage their stress.“The animals,” he says, “are fantastic assistants for that.”Those animals include a black bear, three tigers, a cougar and two Asian black leopards. Abandoned by owners, the menagerie now lives at the CARE Foundation, a wildlife center in Apopka, Florida, that works with Rose and his fledgling business, Predatory Perceptions.Rose escorts clients through the center, stoppi
April 2, 2014
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L.A. Derby Dolls find elbow room for self-improvement
LOS ANGELES ― Some girls choose soccer or cheerleading. Ivy Wolk chose roller derby.“This is it, this is for me,” the petite, wide-eyed 9-year-old said to her mom the first time she saw the Los Angeles Derby Dolls hit the track, and one another, two years ago.Split lips, black eyes, rink rash and bruises are trophies here. “It’s not child abuse, it’s derby,” she once told her mother, who made sure she alerted her daughter’s pediatrician about the girl’s newfound love for the sport.“There have li
April 2, 2014
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Tongyeong, unlikely home to contemporary music fest
TONGYEONG, South Gyeongsang Province ― The sleepy little fishing town of Tongyeong on Korea’s southeastern coast is suddenly awakened from its winter slumber when spring brings with it cherry blossoms, tourists, and busloads of music aficionados who come for the Tongyeong International Music Festival, a festival of contemporary music.The opening of the Tongyeong Concert Hall this year marks a milestone in the growth of the festival that traces its roots to the 2000 Tongyeong Contemporary Music F
March 31, 2014
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London skeletons reveal secrets of Black Death
LONDON (AP) ― You can learn a lot from a tooth.Molars taken from skeletons unearthed by work on a new London railway line are revealing secrets of the medieval Black Death ― and of its victims. This week, Don Walker, an osteologist with the Museum of London, outlined the biography of one man whose ancient bones were found by construction workers under London’s Charterhouse Square: He was breast-fed as a baby, moved to London from another part of England, had bad tooth decay in childhood, grew up
March 30, 2014
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Classical Music“Bang on a Can All-Stars”: Renowned for its ultra-dynamic live performances and recordings of today’s most innovative music, the Bang on a Can All-Stars will hold their first performance here. Consisting of clarinet, cello, electric guitar, piano-keyboard, percussion and double bass, the New York-based ensemble will perform on March 29-30 at the Tongyeong International Music Festival in Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province, and on April 2 at LG Arts Center in Seoul. Its repertoire
March 28, 2014
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Around the Hotels
Thai cuisine at JW Marriott Hotel SeoulJW Marriott Hotel Seoul’s all-day dining restaurant The Cafe is offering authentic Thai cuisine made by guest chef Somkiat Dongprateep from JW Marriott Bangkok from March 28 to April 13. Throughout the promotion period, Chef Somkiat will present a range of popular Thai dishes including hot chili and Thai herb salad, yellow curry chicken, traditional satay kebabs, tom-yum goong and pad thai. The special dishes will be available at the restaurant’s dinner buf
March 28, 2014