Most Popular
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Exports to US reach all-time high, widen gap with China
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Trump rekindles criticism: US forces defending 'wealthy' S. Korea 'free of charge'
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[Music in drama] Rekindle a love that slipped through your fingers
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Opposition-led Assembly unilaterally passes bill to probe Marine's death
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S. Korea discussed possible participation in AUKUS Pillar 2 with Australia: defense minister
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[New faces of Assembly] Architect behind ‘audacious initiative’ believes in denuclearized North Korea
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Seoul Metro to seek legal action against malicious complaints
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Illit, mired in controversy, remains on Billboard charts for 5th week
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On May Day, labor unions blast Yoon's foreign nanny proposal
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Inflation eases in April, continues bumpy ride
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Businessman behind retrieval of artifact
Shin Sung-soo, chairman of Korea Industries Co., a local manufacturer of animal feed, is the man behind the latest retrieval of a rare Goryeo lacquerware artifact to its birthplace. “I’ve seen it in photos and newspapers, but the moment I encountered it … it was just overwhelming,” the businessman and art collector said, stopping briefly to hold back tears. He was speaking at a press conference as a senior member of the Friends of National Museum of Korea on the group’s donation of the artifact
July 15, 2014
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Stories of ‘comfort women’ revived on stage
During World War II, approximately 200,000 women across Asia ― some as young as 11 years old ― were taken to frontline “comfort stations” to provide sex to the Imperial Japanese Army troops. Most came from Korea, then a Japanese colony. Seven decades later, these women, euphemistically called “comfort women,” are in their ’80s and ’90s and demanding an apology and compensation from Japan for what they had to go through. The number of surviving Korean victims is down to 54. Still, justice seems t
July 15, 2014
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[Weekender] Bookstores struggle for survival
Korea’s oldest bookstore in Seoul, Jongno Books, was a landmark in terms of numbers of customers and its symbolic significance as the trove and exchange of knowledge. The five-story bookstore was the only large bookstore in Seoul until Kyobo Book Center opened in the 1980s. It was also a popular meeting spot where people browsed books while waiting. Since the 1980s, two new large bookstores, Kyobo and Youngpoong, mounted a tough challenge to Jongno Books, taking a large chunk of its customers, a
July 11, 2014
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[Weekender] Korea in need of ‘reading movement’
After publishing over 3,000 books in the 39 years of his publishing career, Kim Eoun-ho, president of Hangilsa, one of Korea’s leading publishing houses, believes publishing a book is an act of asking how one should live. Kim attempted to answer this deep probing life question by publishing his own book, “The Forest of Books, Sound of Books.” The book is compiled from his handwritten journals from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31 in 2013, centering on his day-to-day life as a publisher, and stories about 800 d
July 11, 2014
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[Weekender] Used books defy market woes
Korea’s bookstore industry is in the doldrums, as dismal sales continue to force many sellers out of business. But at least one bookstore is expanding, defying the broader market downturn. That is Aladdin Used Books ― a used-book franchise of online seller Aladdin. The company, which runs 19 shops, has chalked up an average 30 percent annual growth in sales, said company spokesperson Jo Sun-ah. Aladdin Used Books is not the typical small, “crammed to the ceiling” kind of shop. Rather, it is the
July 11, 2014
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[Weekender] Independent bookshops cater to English readers
Whether looking for the timeless literary classics from Brontë or Fitzgerald, or prefering to check out Danielle Steel’s newest tale of high society crisis or the next mentally disturbing nightmare sequence of Stephen King, Seoul has a couple of well-established bookstores to accommodate all of your English book needs.While it may be no longer that difficult to track down physical copies of the latest English-language publications in the “Foreign Section” at any Seoul’s big chain book establishm
July 11, 2014
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[Weekender] Calendar
Pop musicg.o.d. 15th Anniversary Reunion Concert: The newly reunited ’90s K-pop idol group g.o.d. will be embarking on a nationwide concert tour starting in July. After more than 12 years apart, the five original members of g.o.d. made their highly anticipated comeback in May with their newest single “The Lone Duckling.” The K-pop veterans are slated to hold two concerts, on July 12 and 13, at the Jamsil Sport Complex’s Auxiliary Stadium in Seoul, before moving on to Gwangju, Busan, Daegu and Da
July 11, 2014
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[Weekender] Around the hotel
Summer set menu at Park Hyatt SeoulPark Hyatt Seoul’s The Lounge is presenting a summer set menu until August. The set menu includes a bowl of bingsu, (ice flakes with various toppings), two smoked martinis and a snack dish. Guests can choose from four types of bingsus: Pat Bingsu, made with red beans and rice cake; Berry Bingsu, made with fresh berries, chocolate and nuts; Honey Bee-ingsu made with honeycomb, vanilla ice cream, apple puree and pecans; or Spicy Melon Bingsu, made with cantaloupe
July 11, 2014
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Marginal Theater Festival to open
The 16th Seoul Marginal Theater Festival is set to launch from July 14-27 in various locations throughout Seoul, including Gwanghwamun and Myeong-dong.The festival, under the theme of “Theater in the Square,” focuses on telling the stories of marginalized groups within society through a showcase of experimental and alternative theater performances. The opening piece of the festival is “25th Hour ― An Outcry of my Generation,” a one-man relay rally that kicks off at noon on July 14 and continues
July 11, 2014
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Artist asks public to lie under dismembered train
LISBON (AFP) ― The Portuguese street artist Alexandre Farto doesn’t just spray-can walls, he takes chisels and jackhammers to them, gouging out work on the streets that go way beyond graffiti into monumental reliefs.But for his latest work, “Dissection,” he has outdone himself ― slicing a Lisbon metro carriage into bits and suspending the carcass of mutilated metal from the ceiling of a museum in his native Lisbon.Farto, aka Vhils, may have gone a mite mainstream by showing within the confines o
July 10, 2014
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Big companies continue to shape Korea’s image
Big companies like Samsung, LG and Hyundai continue to be the main image of Korea abroad, according to a survey released Wednesday. Asked to name the first thing that comes to mind when Korea is mentioned, 40 percent of the 280 foreign nationals who responded to the poll cited conglomerates, while 21.8 percent cited food. “A divided country” placed third at 8.9 percent. The survey, conducted annually by the privately run Corea Image Communication Institute, was administered online from June 24 t
July 9, 2014
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Tiny Pacific state town feels echoes of NFL Redskins flap
WELLPINIT, Washington ― This little town of 928 ― with its one grocery store, one gas station and one stop sign ― is far, far away from the national controversies of the day.To get here, you drive about an hour north of Spokane, past fields of barley, wheat and canola with yellow flowers, past the forests.It is home to the Spokane tribe of Indians, and for 107 years, the Wellpinit High School mascot name has been Redskins.Wellpinit doesn’t particularly want to be part of stories about its mascot
July 9, 2014
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Sacramento Zoo wants your yard waste
Sacramento homeowners struggling to stuff all their yard waste into the city’s green bins now have a new place to send it: the Sacramento Zoo.Two weeks ago, zookeepers started dropping off door hangers in nearby neighborhoods. The tags ask for donations of yard waste, and list the types of trees and shrubs that various zoo animals find tasty. Such green stuff is known in the zoo trade as “browse.”“We hope that it will take off so that donations can provide what we need instead of cutting on zoo
July 9, 2014
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For musical fans, once is not enough
Ever wondered why the hottest stars in the musical scene are all men? Or who are the people raging frantic ticket wars for some shows, often leading online reservation systems to crash immediately after sales begin? A new survey offers some clues. The poll, conducted last month by Interpark, a leading ticket reservation site for musicals, on behalf of The Herald Business, a sister paper of The Korea Herald, found that only 12.6 percent of the nearly 3,000 musical fans who responded watch a show
July 6, 2014
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[Weekender] Seoul’s eclectic, flourishing nightlife
The history of Korea’s nightlife is short. From 1945 to 1982, the authoritarian governments ordered Koreans to stay indoors between midnight and 4 a.m. Under martial law, the city lights were switched off and people were forbidden to go outdoors, except for those on official duties. Nowadays, those hours are primetime for Korean nightlife.People watch the rainbow fountain show at Banpo Bridge in Seoul. (Kim Myung-sub/The Korea Herald)The country has seen its night culture thrive since Chun Doo-h
July 4, 2014
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[Weekender] Guide to Korean nightlife
While South Korea is known for its culture of binge drinking, the country also offers a lot of ways to have fun while staying sober.When they are not hitting the pubs and karaoke bars that stay open until sunrise, some Koreans choose to watch films in 24-hour cinemas, check out evening art exhibitions or enjoy bindaetteok ― Korean mung bean pancakes ― at a night food market.Here are some of the ways to have fun in Korea at night, from movies to the dance club scene in Itaewon.Classy Who says art
July 4, 2014
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[Weekender] Distinctive culture adds color to Seoul’s nightlife
In the latest music video by K-pop sensation Psy, the rapper and his right-hand man Snoop Dogg drink round-the-clock at different venues, imitating the nightlife in South Korea. They down soju, beer and whatever comes their way.But drinking a copious amount of booze is not what all night activities are about here.From a pub equipped with a digital dating system to chimaek fiesta, new forms of night culture have become fresh recreation for Koreans and once-in-a-lifetime experiences for foreign vi
July 4, 2014
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Designer emphasizes fun as mantra in life, business
Rattling off statistics about condom usage, Park Seo-won is completely at ease ― or perhaps he is trying to put me at ease by approaching the subject of condoms matter-of-factly. “Among the OECD countries, Korea’s rate of condom usage is at the very bottom. Japan has the highest rate. There, 48 percent of condom buyers are women,” said Park in an interview with The Korea Herald on June 16.No, Park is not some salesperson from a pharmaceutical company. He is the CEO of Big Ant, who, befittingly,
July 4, 2014
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[Weekender] Calendar
Pop musicg.o.d. 15th Anniversary Reunion Concert: The newly reunited ’90s K-pop idol group g.o.d. will be embarking on a nationwide concert tour starting in July. After more than 12 years apart, the five original members of g.o.d. made a highly anticipated comeback in May with the single “The Lone Duckling.” The K-pop veterans are slated to hold two concerts, on July 12 and 13, at the Jamsil Sport Complex’s Auxiliary Stadium in Seoul, before moving on to Gwangju, Busan, Daegu and Daejeon in Augu
July 4, 2014
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Russia bans swear words in art, films
MOSCOW (AFP) ― A hugely controversial Russian law banning curse words in films, theater, the media and arts came into force on Tuesday, part of a Kremlin-backed drive to play up traditional values and root out swearing.The legislation, which was signed off by President Vladimir Putin in May, imposes hefty fines on offenders ― up to 2,500 rubles ($72) for individuals and up to 50,000 rubles for businesses. Movies featuring obscenities will not be issued a distribution license, while traders will
July 2, 2014