The Korea Herald

Tallest ever dog revealed in new Guinness Book of Records

Sept 13, 2012

A Great Dane who towers 2.2 meters on his hind legs is named the tallest dog ever recorded in the latest Guinness Book of World Records launched on Thursday. The giant canine from Michigan in the United States eats an entire 14-kilogram bag of food every day and weighs in at 70.3 kilograms, the 57th edition of the global records book says. Measuring 1.12 meters from paw to withers -- the point ...
Sleeping beauties await prince‘s kiss in Ukraine

Sept 11, 2012

It wasn‘t exactly Prince Charming but one of Ukraine’s “Sleeping Beauties” finally got a kiss on the lips as she dozed on a dais filmed by cameras -- though unlike the fairy tale she never woke up. “I‘m not sure I would marry precisely this girl, I just was curious whether she would open her eyes,” said the young woman who dared the embrace while male visitors shied away. The venue was Ukraine’...
Southeast Asian regional body for intangible cultural heritage launched

Sept 10, 2012

JAKARTA (Yonhap News) ― A regional consultative body to safeguard intangible cultural heritage in 11 Southeast Asian countries was launched in Jakarta Monday under South Korea’s initiative. The launch took place during a sub-regional meeting of the International Information and Networking Center for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region. The Daejeon-based center, affiliated wi...
Walk fest, dance party at Jung-gu

Sept 7, 2012

The 10th Seoul International Walking Festival will take place tonight and Sunday around Seoul Plaza. The event involves four walks and is organized by the Korea Walking League. A 10 km walk under the moonlight will start at 6 p.m. on Saturday at Seoul Plaza and take walkers by Namsan Mountain North Trail, National Theater of Korea, N Seoul Tower, Namsan Public Library, Ahn Jung Geun Memorial Ha...
Something old, something new: CCF participants get a feel for Korea

Sept 6, 2012

From a special nighttime tour of the UNESCO World Heritage site Changdeokgung Palace to the performance of “Mr. Rabbit and the Dragon King,” a Korean pansori opera, participants at the third Culture Communication Forum were introduced to a wide range of cultural experiences. Culture Minister Choe Kwang-shik on Tuesday evening hosted a welcome dinner for the 15 guests representing 14 different co...
Internet-driven globalization, not necessarily a cultural vanguard

Sept 6, 2012

Culture Communication Forum tackles issues society-at-large faces today The challenge of fostering culture-driven communication was the hotly discussed topic at the third Culture Communication Forum in Seoul, Thursday. Keynote speaker Dominique Wolton ― research director of the French National Centre for Scientific Research ― opened the panel by putting the spotlight on globalization. Rather t...
Asia’s largest contemporary art festival to open in Gwangju

Sept 6, 2012

The Gwangju Biennale, known as the largest contemporary art festival in Asia, will open Thursday to introduce the latest international developments in modern art to South Korea. This year’s event, the 9th, will display works by 92 artists from 40 countries at various venues across the southwestern provincial city of Gwangju, under the theme “Round Table.” The biennale runs through Nov. 11. The ...
Fattest dog ever? 80 kg dog struggles with everyday life

Sept 5, 2012

Labrador Alfie was over three times the healthy weight for Labradors and was struggling with things like walking when he was checked into RSPCA’s Leybourne Animal Center in England, according to news reports. Alfie weighed 80 kg when RSPCA, a leading U.K. animal welfare charity, took him in. Four people with slings were needed to lift the 12-year-old pup when he arrived at the animal center. He ...
13,000 gallon fish tank bursts at casino

Sept 4, 2012

A Florida casino was forced to close two floors of gambling areas when a second-floor fish tank burst and leaked 13,000 gallons of water into the facility. Tim Ritvo, president and general manager of the Gulfstream Racing and Casino Park, said two floors of gambling facilities at the Hallandale Beach casino will be closed for at least a few days while crews work to clean up from Sunday‘s saltwat...
English lecture series to spotlight Korean culture and tradition

Sept 2, 2012

The Korea Foundation is holding a series of lectures in English on Korean culture and tradition. The lecture series focuses primarily on Korea’s modern society, traditional music and food, and Seochon, a hanok-dotted neighborhood west of Gyeongbok Palace. Classes will be held Saturdays from 2-4 p.m. starting Sept. 22 on the 19th floor of Mirae Asset Center One building. Lecturers include renown...
Priest called victims seducers, apologizes

Sept 2, 2012

A U.S. Catholic priest has apologized for saying victims of clergy abuse were seducers and says he did not intend to put blame on victims. The Rev. Benedict Groeschel of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, in an opinion piece in the National Catholic Register, a conservative publication, said victims of sexual abuse are looking for father figures. "People have this picture in their minds of a...
Tomato battle drenches Spanish town in red

Aug 31, 2012

BUNOL, Spain (AFP) ― Tens of thousands of revelers hurled 120 tons of squashed tomatoes at each other Wednesday, drenching the streets in red in a gigantic Spanish food fight known as the Tomatina. A sea of more than 40,000 alcohol-soaked men and women packed into the Plaza Mayor square of Bunol, eastern Spain, many with their shirts off and wearing swimming goggles to keep out the stinging juic...
Swedish pioneer launches networking site for top 1% users

Aug 29, 2012

STOCKHOLM (AFP) - Swedish social media entrepreneur Erik Wachtmeister on Monday announced the launch of a new social networking site targeting the “top one percent” of Internet users, called Best of All Worlds. The site, which helps users find events and contacts, counted 20,000 members even before its launch. Wachtmeister, 57, created one of the world‘s first social networking sites, aSmallWor...
Parents reject China‘s classrooms for home schooling

Aug 29, 2012

BEIJING (AFP) - Giving up his successful career as the head of a medical research firm to spend his days at home reading from children‘s story books was a tough choice for Chinese father Zhang Qiaofeng. But Zhang, one of a small but growing number of Chinese parents who are turning their backs on the country’s rigidly exam-oriented state-run school system, felt he had no choice. “China‘s educat...
UNESCO urges Libya to stop destruction of Sufi sites

Aug 29, 2012

PARIS (AFP) ― U.N. cultural body UNESCO on Tuesday called on Libya to immediately cease the destruction of Sufi holy sites after Islamist hardliners wrecked shrines across the country. UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova expressed “grave concern” at the destruction of Sufi sites in Zliten, Misrata and Tripoli and urged perpetrators to “cease the destruction immediately.” “I am deeply concerned...