Combining Korean traditional culture with contemporary culture, sports and tourism will be key to promoting the country, said Choe Kwang-shik, 58, culture, sports and tourism minister designate. “Patchworks best represent Korean culture. It shows a unified beauty by connecting different pieces. I will try to conduct a cultural administration based on such values of communication and creation,” s...

JOHANNESBURG (AFP) ― Nelson Mandela covered most of South Africa during five decades fighting apartheid and five years as president, and it sometimes seems a museum has sprouted everywhere he set foot. The 93-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner is among the world’s most famous living icons, and re-tracing his steps is one of the country’s major tourism draws. A group of schoolchildren participate...

Inconsistent projects on nation branding may hinder promotion of hallyu and other successful events The Lee Myung-bak administration has repeatedly stressed its desire to improve the Korea brand. It became the first country to establish a presidential council on the issue, to coordinate and support efforts to bolster the nation’s image. But the council admits it isn’t even aware of all nation ...

(MCT) LOS ANGELES (AP) — A porn industry group says an adult film performer has tested positive for HIV, resulting in a production moratorium in Southern California while the organization investigates to see if the virus has spread. Free Speech Coalition executive director Diane Duke told The Los Angeles Times ( http://lat.ms/mX0vin ) on Monday that her group became aware of the HIV case Satu...

STUTTGART (AFP) ― Germany is celebrating this year the birth of the automobile, with a patent applied for by Carl Benz 125 years ago for a motorized tricycle, in hopes of drawing tourists smitten by cars. The national tourism office has made the auto industry a highlight of its annual program for the first time and the southwestern region of Baden-Wuerttemburg alone has organized 200 events from...

SARASOTA, Florida (AP) ―At the height of what he calls his addiction, Ryan Van Cleave would stand in the grocery store checkout line with his milk and bread and baby food for his little girls and for a split second think he was living inside a video game. It sounds crazy, but it’s true: Something would catch his attention out of the corner of his eye ― maybe another shopper would make a sudden m...

Korean Culture and Information Service announced on Wednesday its new corporate identity that will be used in 24 Korean Cultural Centers worldwide. “Led by K-pop, the demand for Korean culture has been rising around the world. The number of Korean Cultural Centers increased from 12 to 24 last year as well. We figured now is the moment to unify the CI to enhance public awareness of the centers,“ ...

The International Policy Studies Institute published its first English-language journal, Korea Review, this month. Founded in 1994, IPSI’s activities have focused on issues related to international peace and security, the Korea-U.S. alliance, and North Korea policies. It tailored the journal to be useful to a broad range of specialists and the general public as well. Han Sung-joo, chairman of I...

UNESCO-supported event to attract practitioners from 18 countries Sept. 2-8 Chungju, a city in North Chungcheong Province, is to hold its annual martial arts event from Sept. 2-8, featuring expert practitioners from 18 countries. The Chungju World Martial Arts Festival, which is officially supported by UNESCO, started off in 1998 to harmonize the history of Korean and other martial arts. This ...

More than 6,000 gather at Good Market in Songdo on Saturday SONGDO, Incheon ― Sellers were excited and buyers were satisfied at the festive flea market on Saturday in Songdo International Business District in Incheon Free Economic Zone. Over 6,000 people gathered at the Good Market in Songdo, held at Songdo Canal Walk to enjoy shopping, a charity auction and concert. Popular booths were so pack...

TOKYO (Yonhap) -- Japanese demonstrators held a rally in downtown Tokyo to demand less broadcast time for Korean dramas and music videos by a local television station. (Yonhap News) According to Japanese Internet news outlets such as J-CAST, roughly 6,000 people gathered outside Fuji Television Network to protest what they believed was too much time allotted to “Korean Wave” content on TV. “We...

Park Young-hye, new director of the Korean cultural center in Osaka The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said it has appointed government officials Park Young-hye and Wi Myung-jae as directors of Korean cultural centers in Osaka and Kazakhstan, respectively. They become the first female officials appointed directors of Korean cultural centers overseas. Holding a master’s degree in Korea...