Most Popular
-
1
[Grace Kao] American racism against Stray Kids
-
2
Key S. Korean, USFK special operations officials to hold rare meeting amid NK threats
-
3
Controversy brews over shakeup of prosecutors amid probe of first lady
-
4
Jennie, Stray Kids's Met Gala attendance puts them on 'digital guillotine' blacklist
-
5
OpenAI gives ChatGPT new powers to see, hear
-
6
[KH Explains] Naver’s Line dilemma: Lose global footing for cash?
-
7
Another suspect behind murder of Korean tourist in Pattaya arrested in Cambodia
-
8
S. Korea to inject $70m into AI-powered public education
-
9
[Herald Interview] Carbon breakthrough in Korea: Making diamonds at atmospheric pressure
-
10
Korean industries gauge impact of Biden's steep tariffs on China
-
Germany's 'Mr. Flirt' teaches refugees how to pick up women
DORTMUND, Germany (AP) -- The subject was pickup lines, and Germany’s “Mr. Flirt” offered a few examples to his class of Syrian and Iraqi refugees. “I really love the scent of your perfume,” he suggested. “You have a beautiful voice.” He invited his students to take a stab.Essam Kadib al Ban, 20, raised his hand. “God created you only for me,” he said, then tried another, “I love you. Can I sleep over at your place?”Horst Wenzel winced, but caught himself quickly. “Don’t tell them you love them
Nov. 29, 2016
-
Korean celebrities speak out against President Park
Korean celebrities are actively joining in the protest against President Park Geun-hye, who is currently embroiled in a scandal for allegedly leaking state documents and funneling funds from businesses. Some have taken to the streets to attend mass rallies, while others are voicing their support on social media. Among these are entertainers who have long been outspoken against the conservative administration. But stars who have previously remained politically neutral -- such as actress Kim Yoo-j
Nov. 27, 2016
-
Stairs from Eiffel Tower sell for over half a million euros
PARIS (AFP) - A section of stairs from the Eiffel Tower in Paris sold for more than half a million euros, auctioneers said Wednesday -- more than 10 times the pre-sales estimate.The 14 wrought-iron steps from a winding staircase between the second and third floors of the Paris landmark went for 523,800 euros ($556,000) after furious bidding at the sale in the French capital.Auction house Artcurial said the dramatic sale Tuesday had “unleashed the passions” of several international buyers, with b
Nov. 24, 2016
-
International journalists honored with Press Freedom Awards
NEW YORK (AP) -- The Committee to Protect Journalists honored journalists from India, El Salvador, Turkey and Egypt on Tuesday with its annual International Press Freedom Awards for their commitment to a free press despite death threats, imprisonment and exile.CPJ executive director Joel Simon said threats against journalism are increasing around the world, including in the United States following the presidential election victory of Republican Donald Trump, who has branded mainstream media dish
Nov. 23, 2016
-
Holocaust jacket found at tag sale leads to a life story
NEW YORK (AP) -- The blue and gray stripes struck Jillian Eisman like a lightning bolt.She was rummaging through a packed closet during a Long Island tag sale when she immediately recognized the symbol of horror and hate: a jacket worn by a prisoner at the Nazi Dachau concentration camp during World War II.“I knew exactly what it was, even before I saw the numbers (84679 on the chest),” said Eisman, who purchased the jacket for $2 at the sale last year and donated it to the Kupferberg Holocaust
Nov. 23, 2016
-
No. of royal palace visitors to surpass 10-million mark for first time
The annual number of people visiting the country's four main royal palaces and Jongmyo Shrine is expected to surpass the 10-million mark for the first time later this week, the cultural authorities said Tuesday. The four palaces are Gyeongbok, Changdeok, Changgyeong and Deoksu. The Jongmyo Shrine is a place where the kings of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) conducted ancestral memorial ceremonies. They are all in Seoul. Hyangwonjeong pavilion in Gyeongbokgung palace. (Yonhap)"The number of visi
Nov. 22, 2016
-
Korean antigraft law impacting hotels, fine dining
Members of the 5.4 Club, a group of prominent figures aiming to promote culture in Korea, gathered to discuss the aftermath of Korea’s recently enforced antigraft law Thursday evening at the InterContinental Seoul Coex. The law is one that stipulates globally unprecedented guidelines, according to Jai Lee, senior foreign counsel at Yulchon LLP. “The whole world is paying attention,” he said. “(This law) affects more than 40,000 organizations and over 4 million people in Korea ... including profe
Nov. 18, 2016
-
[Around the Hotels] This week’s promotions and packages
Dutch Charcuterie at Grand Hyatt SeoulThe Deli at Grand Hyatt Seoul is offering handmade charcuterie by world-renowned Dutch charcutier Benito Plasschaert until Dec. 4.Plasschaert has mastered his art over the past 45 years, with new recipes using healthy ingredients. The menu includes lavender ham; Swiss meatloaf with Emmental cheese; Greek-style meatloaf with olives and feta cheese; green grape or baked apple and fruit flavored pate; foie gras terrine with truffle oil; terrine of veal marinate
Nov. 18, 2016
-
‘Choi Soon-sil is sullying tradition, shamanism’
An apparently innocent traditional item has found its way to the center of the influence-peddling scandal surrounding President Park Geun-hye and her longtime confidante Choi Soon-sil. Obangnang, a multicolored pouch that is a traditional symbol of good fortune, featured in Park’s inauguration ceremony in February 2013 -- a giant obangnang setup at Gwanghwanun Plaza opened up to reveal a tree with dozens of mini obangnang hanging from its branches.Almost four years later and the pouch has come
Nov. 17, 2016
-
Yu Dong-hun appointed new vice culture minister
Yu Dong-hun has been named as the new vice culture minister by President Park Geun-hye.Yu will replace Kim Chong, who resigned late last month amid allegations linking him to the political scandal involving Park and her confidante Choi Soon-sil. The 57-year-old is a long-time senior communications official at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and has been working as a public servant since 1987. “We believe that (Yu) is very capable of handling our pending issues such as preparations
Nov. 17, 2016
-
Oxford Dictionaries name 'post-truth' word of the year
LONDON (AFP) - The Oxford Dictionaries chose “post-truth” as their word of the year Wednesday, saying its use had spiked because of the Brexit vote in Britain and the rise of Donald Trump in the United States.“Post-truth has gone from being a peripheral term to being a mainstay in political commentary,” the Oxford Dictionaries said in a statement, noting that usage had increased by 2,000 percent since last year.The publisher defined the word as “relating or denoting circumstances in which object
Nov. 17, 2016
-
Pink diamond steals show at Geneva auction, fetches $18m
GENEVA (AP) -- A 17.07-carat pink diamond sold for a hammer price of 18.3 million Swiss francs ($18.3 million) at a Geneva jewelry auction Wednesday, cruising past both its presale estimate and the winning bid for the “Sky Blue” diamond billed as the event’s standout piece. The step-cut pink diamond, set in a ring between triangular white diamonds, had been expected to draw a maximum of 14.76 million francs. Instead, it sold at Sotheby’s for more than the 8.01-carat “Sky Blue” diamond, which car
Nov. 17, 2016
-
Mexican pyramid built like a ‘Russian nesting doll’
MEXICO CITY (AFP) - Experts have discovered a third structure within the Kukulkan pyramid in eastern Mexico, revealing that it was built like a “Russian nesting doll,” experts said Wednesday.A 10-meter tall pyramid was found within another 20-meter structure, which itself is enveloped by the 30-meter pyramid visible at the Mayan archeological complex known as Chichen Itza in Yucatan state.The smallest pyramid was built between the years 550 and 800, engineers and anthropologists said.The middle
Nov. 17, 2016
-
New show 'Circus 1903' brings back live elephants, sort of
NEW YORK (AP) -- Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus may have retired their iconic elephants but there is still a way to see the huge beasts onstage. The new touring show “Circus 1903,” which makes its American debut next year, features two life-size elephants -- one baby, one massive mamma -- created by the puppeteers and model-makers of Significant Object, who made the lifelike horse featured in the hit play “War Horse.”“These puppets feel real. They’ve been built in a way, even when the
Nov. 15, 2016
-
Nimrud, jewel of ancient Iraq
BAGHDAD (AFP) -- The Assyrian city of Nimrud, located in an area Iraqi forces said was recaptured during the operation to retake jihadist-held Mosul, is one of the region’s most important archaeological sites.Built in the 13th century BC, the city on the Tigris River about 30 kilometers southeast of Mosul once served as capital of the Assyrian empire. But in April last year, the Islamic State group released a video of its fighters destroying monuments there before planting explosives around the
Nov. 14, 2016
-
[Weekender] Traditional liquors diversify, enrich tastes in Korea
Before the colonial Japanese government imposed its liquor tax law here in 1909, the country’s alcohol scene was varied and vibrant, with local breweries concocting their own beverages.Korea’s rapid, centralized modernization in the postwar years produced a handful of drinks -- soju, beer and makgeolli in particular -- that quenched the thirst of industrialists and salarymen alike. Korea’s traditional liquors, including takju (opaque, coarsely fermented drinks), yakju (filtered rice wine), soju
Nov. 11, 2016
-
$1m in gold coins from 1715 shipwreck on the market
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- A New Orleans investment firm has begun marketing gold coins from a 300-year-old shipwreck discovered off Florida’s coast.Blanchard and Co. is one of two dealers offering the coins from an area where 11 treasure-laden ships of a Spanish fleet were smashed onto reefs by a hurricane on July 31, 1715. The other dealer is California-based Monaco Rare Coins.John Albanese, a New Jersey-based coin expert who brokered the sales, said in an interview Friday that most of the 295 coins
Nov. 8, 2016
-
[Herald Review] Lee Woo-jae mesmerizing as evil fairy godmother in ‘Sleeping Beauty’
For the first time in over a decade, the Korean National Ballet will perform Rudolf Nureyev’s “Sleeping Beauty.”The KNB first introduced Nureyev’s rendition of the classic fairy tale to local audiences in 2004.For this performance, they invited former Stuttgart Ballet prima ballerina Marcia Haydee to take charge of the choreography. The roughly three-hour-long ballet got off to a slow start during the full-concert press rehearsal at the Seoul Arts Center on Wednesday. However, that all changed t
Nov. 3, 2016
-
Florence recalls its 'Angels of the Mud' 50 years later
FLORENCE, Italy (AFP) -- Fifty years after the river Arno burst its banks with devastating consequences, Florence will this week remember the “Angels of the Mud” who came to save the Italian city's artistic treasures.The army of cultural rescue volunteers came from all over and, half a century later, the events of Nov. 4, 1966 and its aftermath still burn bright in the memory of Antonina Bargellini.“There is not one Florentine who is not moved when the subject of the disaster comes up,” recalls
Nov. 3, 2016
-
Lebanon's national museum reveals long-hidden treasures
BEIRUT (AFP) -- Beirut’s National Museum has opened its basement of ancient treasures for the first time in four decades to show the public its stunning array of funerary art, including the world’s largest collection of anthropoid sarcophagi.The new exhibition‘s 520 pieces range from the Paleolithic period to the Ottoman Empire. They include Phoenician stelae and rare medieval Christian mummies along with the anthropoid coffins, which display a human face on the sarcophagus and were long a stand
Nov. 2, 2016