Most Popular
-
1
Marine Corps commander summoned by CIO for questioning on alleged influence-peddling case
-
2
Debate rages over ‘overly fatty’ samgyeopsal
-
3
[Weekender] Korean psyche untangled: Musok
-
4
40 flights canceled on Jeju Island due to bad weather
-
5
[Eye Interview] 'If you live to 100, you might as well be happy,' says 88-year-old bestselling essayist
-
6
N. Korea slams US, other countries for seeking alternative to UN sanctions monitoring panel
-
7
Pandemic left Korea more depressed than before: report
-
8
From fake prostitution ring to nonexistent robber, prank calls hamper police
-
9
Missing S. Korean traveler in Paris found safe after 2 weeks
-
10
Defense chiefs of US, Australia, Japan decry NK-Russia military cooperation
-
Ancient Greek Olympic site threatened by crisis
NEMEA, Greece (AP) ― While world leaders and top athletes lit the Olympic flame with pageantry drawn from antiquity, another important ancient site of athletic prowess sat overlooked and endangered.Some 200 kilometers east of Ancient Olympia where the flame lighting for the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi went off without a hitch Sunday, the Nemea stadium and its humbler games are in danger of closing to the public because of crisis-hit Greece’s harsh budget cuts, according to a renowned American arc
Sept. 30, 2013
-
The other toll in Syria: cultural gems stolen or looted
NEW YORK (AFP) ― Besides killing more than 100,000 people, Syria’s civil war is exacting another irreparable toll as historic sites and artworks are looted or destroyed in the fighting.An emergency list of endangered artworks was released last week at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The initiative stems from the International Council of Museums, in collaboration with UNESCO and the U.S. State Department. “Major Syrian sites have been destroyed or damaged in two years. In Apamea, a Ro
Sept. 30, 2013
-
Korea, China and Japan vow greater cultural exchange amid souring relations
The culture ministers of Korea, China and Japan pledged to facilitate cultural exchanges as a way to improve souring relations in Northeast Asia at the fifth trilateral culture summit held in Gwangju on Saturday. In a joint statement issued after the summit, Korean Culture Minister Yoo Jin-ryong, Chinese Culture Minister Cai Wu and Japanese Culture Minister Hakubun Shimomura agreed to cooperate on protecting cultural assets, foster cultural content and promote culture exchanges. The three minist
Sept. 29, 2013
-
Presbyterian churches ban familial succession
The Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea, one of the most influential groups of Presbyterian churches in the country, on Friday passed a motion banning church leaders from passing down their position to family. After four days of marathon discussions, the motion was passed 209 to 49, banning member churches from inviting or appointing a person to an elder or pastor position should his or her blood relatives or spouse be already serving the duty at the same institution. The PCRK is the th
Sept. 29, 2013
-
Calendar
Festivals“The World Traditional Medicine Fair and Festival”: The world’s first fair dedicated to Oriental medicine will take place in Sancheong, a village on Jirisan Mountain, until Oct. 20. The festival, which celebrates the 400th anniversary of the publication of Donguibogam, the ancient Korean medical book, showcases the latest Oriental medicine trends, treatments and health information. Visitors will also get the chance to receive free consultation and treatment at the festival. The venues a
Sept. 27, 2013
-
Bridge
The most common question that bridge experts are asked is when you should draw trumps when playing a suit contract. It is quite a difficult question, but we can simplify it by pointing out that about 25-40 percent of experts will lead a trump at the first opportunity.Facing an opening lead of ♣Q, South was careful to win in the dummy. If somebody had a singleton club, it was likely to be East, and it was important not to give him the opportunity to ruff an honor.To draw even one round of trumps
Sept. 27, 2013
-
Joseon musical instruments return from U.S. after 120 years
In 1893, 10 Joseon-era musicians of Joseon (1392-1910) traveled to Chicago on a special mission. King Gojong (1863-1907), aware of the country’s declining prospects due to foreign pressures, sent a group of musicians and craftsmen to join the Chicago World’s Columbian Exposition 1893 to promote Joseon as a dignified independent country. At the global event, in which 47 countries participated, traditional housing, women’s accessories, attire and chinaware from Joseon were showcased. The musicians
Sept. 26, 2013
-
Bas relief statue of Buddha, Tripitaka Koreana blocks shown to the public
HAPCHEON, South Gyeongsang Province ― The smile of Buddha on a rock cliff in Mount Gayasan in South Gyeongsang Province opened to the public on Wednesday, the first time in 1,200 years. The “Maaebul,” a 7.5-meter-tall Buddha image carved into a large granite boulder, is situated about 2.7 kilometers from Haeinsa Temple in Hapcheon, South Gyeongsang Province, and has been used as a prayer site among monks since its creation during the Silla Kingdom (B.C. 57-A.D. 935). According to Buddhist art tr
Sept. 25, 2013
-
2013 MacArthur ‘genius grant’ winners unveiled
CHICAGO (AP) ― The old man couldn’t control his diabetes, no matter how closely he followed his doctor’s instructions. A nurse visited him to find out why the insulin wasn’t working, only to watch the nearly blind man inadvertently inject himself with a syringe filled with nothing but air.It sounds simple to track a patient outside of office visits. But the Chicago-based John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation found the idea genius.Jeffrey Brenner, a doctor and founder of the organization
Sept. 25, 2013
-
Korean mudflat-inspired garden finds permanent home in France
A garden by award-winning Korean garden designer Hwang Ji-hae is on permanent display in the French city of Lons le Saunier. The mudflat-themed 800-square-meter garden was unveiled in the French town Tuesday as the fourth Korean garden on permanent exhibit in France. Existing gardens include a Seoul garden created in 2002 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of friendship between Seoul and Paris and another garden to celebrate the 120th anniversary of diplomatic relations between South Korea and
Sept. 25, 2013
-
Buddhist chief slams order’s election system
The race for the leadership of the country’s largest Buddhist order has intensified with the incumbent chief slamming the current election system. Ven. Jaseung, the current leader of the Jogye Order, on Monday said he did not support the current election system. “I think the leaders should be recommended for the position by a unanimous recommendation,” he said as he announced his platform in Seoul. “But if that is not feasible in real life, I think we should adopt a direct election system, where
Sept. 24, 2013
-
Korean kkokdu to be exhibited across Europe
The Kokdu Museum in Seoul will be promoting Korea’s traditional wooden figurine culture overseas with a touring exhibition across Europe, the museum announced Tuesday. Collections of various kkokdu from the museum will be on display in Germany, Hungary, Belgium and France starting Thursday until April of next year. The Kokdu Museum is dedicated to the time-honored funeral rituals of kkokdu, which are small figurines carved from pine wood that were traditionally used during funeral practices duri
Sept. 24, 2013
-
Tomb found of ancient Chinese female ‘prime minister’
BEIJING (AFP) ― Archaeologists have discovered the tomb of a 7th-century female politician who was one of the most powerful women in China’s ancient history, local media said on Thursday.Shangguan Wan’er ― who lived from 664 to 710 in the Tang dynasty ― was a trusted aide to China’s first empress Wu Zetian and is sometimes described as effectively her prime minister.She married Wu’s son, while having relationships with both the ruler’s lover and her nephew.As a sequence of murders, coups and aff
Sept. 16, 2013
-
Fashion KODE 2013 to be held next month
A trade show of Korean fashion brands will be held from Oct. 17-19 at COEX in Samseong-dong, southern Seoul, the Korea Creative Contents Agency said Monday. Envisioned as Asia’s No. 1 fashion trade show, Fashion KODE 2013 will open with the “KODE Fashion Fair” where international and domestic buyers are invited to meet with the participating Korean fashion brands. The show will be opened to the general public on the third day when visitors will be able to view the latest fashion items and partic
Sept. 16, 2013
-
Open lab for content makers to launch in Daehangno
An open lab where cultural content creators can initiate, develop and execute their ideas will be set up in Daehangno in northern Seoul in May 2014, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Monday. The lab, dubbed “Contents Korea Lab,” will be located inside Hongik University Art Center in Daehangno, consisting of seminar and networking rooms, exhibition halls and studios equipped with 3-D printers, media facilities, audio equipment and others that could support budding content producers
Sept. 16, 2013
-
Rare Buddha statue to be unveiled during Tripitaka Koreana Festival
A 1,200-year-old Buddha statue will be shown to the public for the first time during this year’s global Tripitaka festival, the event’s organizer said Monday.The Haeinsa Temple will unveil “Maaebul,” a 7.5-meter high Buddha statue engraved into a rock wall at Gayasan Mountain, for the 2013 Tripitaka Koreana Festival, which kicks off on Sept. 27 for a 45-day run, the Millennial Anniversary of the Tripitaka Koreana Organizing Committee said.The Maaebul is one of the country’s most well-preserved s
Sept. 16, 2013
-
3 pre-Hispanic artifacts returned to Mexico
MEXICO CITY (AP) ― Mexicans got their first chance Friday to see three pre-Hispanic stone carvings that were returned by the Lowe Art museum in Miami after they were apparently removed illegally from Mexico.Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History says the three stone pieces depict a serpent, a water god and a priest or nobleman.While it is hard to say what culture or ruin site they came from, the institute said Friday that experts will study them to try to determine more details.
Sept. 16, 2013
-
Korea Artist Prize winner adopts nature to describe sick society
Kong Sung-hun, winner of this year’s Korea Artist Prize, said he wanted to show a slice of life through his paintings. “I want to get away from the current art trend and reveal pieces of ordinary lives, including myself living in the present,” he said. The 48-year-old fine arts professor at Sungkyunkwan University received the award from the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea on Sept. 10 for his series of paintings titled “Winter Journey.”The judge panels praised Kong for infu
Sept. 16, 2013
-
Staying in the city for big break
Chuseok surely is a huge deal in Korea, filled with family joys and the signature holiday food.Yet for Seoulites who choose not to visit their family in the countryside, or expats who don’t plan to travel, the holiday leaves them with little to do.Seoul, however, offers a number of options for those who choose to stay in the city for the holiday, from an expat-oriented film festival to English-language musicals. This year’s Chuseok break ― Wednesday to Friday ― is unusually and luckily long, as
Sept. 13, 2013
-
Calendar
Dance“SIDance”: The annual Seoul International Dance Festival (SIDance) is returning in October, featuring a total of 51 dance companies from 16 countries. The opener this year is a performance by Canadian troupe Cas Public, with its stylish variation of Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring.” Other invited troupes include France’s Cie Heddy Maalem, Finland’s Dance Theatre Auraco, and Italy’s Ambra Senatore. This year’s SIDance runs from Oct. 7 to 27 at Gangdong Arts Center, Seoul Art Center and Goyang A
Sept. 13, 2013