The Korea Herald

Dear leader and ‘worm’

PeopleMar 4, 2013

It was one of the most bizarre moments for both North Korea experts and basketball lovers: The leader of the world’s most reclusive state, Kim Jong-un, and Dennis Rodman, also known as “The Worm,” watching a game together in Pyongyang.Whether he was acting as a messenger of peace delivering Kim’s message that he wants U.S. President Barack Obama to call him, or whether the event was a stunt to revive his celebrity status, Rodman drew international attention as the first American to have ever met
Seoul Philharmonic to perform with Chinese instrument in Beijing

CultureMar 4, 2013

The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra will perform at the National Center for the Performing Arts Beijing on April 21 to mark the 20th anniversary of Seoul-Beijing ties. The orchestra, named one of the finest orchestras in Asia, will present a concert featuring traditional Chinese musical instruments as a symbol of further cooperation between the capital cities of Korea and China, the orchestra said Monday. According to the management, “u,” a concerto written by its composer-in-residence Chin Un-suk,
China enlists Jackie Chan to kick off political meeting

PeopleMar 4, 2013

BEIJING (AFP) ― Film star Jackie Chan joined other celebrities Sunday at a meeting of China’s highest-profile advisory body, a move seen by analysts as an attempt by the ruling Communist Party to cultivate “soft power.”Nobel literature prizewinner Mo Yan and basketball star Yao Ming also attended the annual meeting of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, organized by the party.The Hong Kong actor’s participation in the meeting, as one of 2,000 delegates making suggestions to C
Former Assembly Speaker Park to teach at Konkuk

PeopleMar 4, 2013

Former National Assembly Speaker Park Hee-tae will lecture at Konkuk University as a chair professor.The university said that a committee to examine chair professor candidates has picked Park to teach at its law school. He has only to complete the formality of receiving a letter of appointment from the school president. He is to start lectures beginning this spring semester. Konkuk recruits chair professors on a one-year contract, which is renewable annually for up to five years.Park worked as a
Singer Kim to perform at U.S. charity event

PeopleMar 4, 2013

Singer Kim Jang-hoon will perform at the “pink ribbon marathon party,” one of the biggest U.S. donation events, on March 23, his agency Concert World said on Monday. Kim is scheduled to stage his concert for about an hour at the party to be hosted by Susan G. Kommen for the Cure, the world’s largest breast cancer foundation, in Los Angeles, after the donation marathon. About 30,000 people pay about $40 in admission to take part in the pink ribbon marathon and walk. The party after the marathon a
Korean violinist’s stolen Stradivarius found in Bulgaria: U.K. media

CultureMar 4, 2013

A Stradivarius that was stolen from South Korean violinist Kim Min-jin may have been recovered in Bulgaria, British media reported Sunday.According to the Daily Mail, authorities in Bulgaria recovered what is believed to be the stolen violin. Roma crime boss Hristo Varbanov reportedly offered undercover detectives in Bulgaria the violin for 250,000 pounds ($375,000).British police are investigating to see if the Stradivarius is Kim’s.The rare violin -- one of around 400 in existence -- was stole
U.K.: Queen hospitalized over stomach illness

PeopleMar 4, 2013

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II was hospitalized Sunday over an apparent stomach infection that has ailed her for days, a rare instance of ill health sidelining the long-reigning monarch. Elizabeth will have to cancel a visit to Rome and other engagements as she recovers, and outside experts said she may have to be rehydrated intravenously. Buckingham Palace said the 86-year-old queen had experienced symptoms of gastroenteritis and was being examined at London's King Edward VII Hospital _ the first
Scientists say baby born with HIV apparently cured

HealthMar 4, 2013

A baby born with the virus that causes AIDS appears to have been cured, scientists announced Sunday, describing the case of a child from Mississippi who's now 2 and has been off medication for about a year with no signs of infectionThere's no guarantee the child will remain healthy, although sophisticated testing uncovered just traces of the virus' genetic material still lingering. If so, it would mark only the world's second reported cure.Specialists say Sunday's announcement, at a major AIDS m
Korea, Japan to discuss return of ancient Korean Bodhisattvas

CultureMar 3, 2013

Buddhist, civic groups oppose repatriation of Buddhist statue to Japan, claiming it had been taken away illegally
2 Everest climbs put Nepalese woman in record book

PeopleMar 3, 2013

KATMANDU, Nepal (AP) ― Nepalese mountaineer Chhurim entered the record book by scaling Mount Everest twice in the same climbing season. In fact, she did so a week apart. Guinness World Records said she is the first woman to climb the world’s highest mountain twice in the same season ― the brief window of good weather each year that allows climbers to reach the summit. Nepal’s Tourism Minister Posta Bahadur Bogati handed over the Guinness World Records certificate issued to 29-year-old Chhurim on
Seoul Foreign Correspondents’ Club elects new president

PeopleMar 3, 2013

Katsumi Sawada, the Seoul bureau chief of the Japanese newspaper Mainichi Shimbun, was elected president of the Seoul Foreign Correspondents’ Club Thursday, the club said.Sawada, 45, has been working as the newspaper’s Seoul bureau chief since 2012. He had previously served as a correspondent for the newspaper in Geneva, Switzerland, from 2005-2009.Other board members elected include First Vice President Lee Chang-ho from Thomson Reuters, Second Vice President Yan Xue of Science & Technology Dai
Ghostwriter seeks to publish Kim Jong-il ‘autobiography’

PeopleMar 3, 2013

A project to write an autobiography of the late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has appeared on Kickstarter.com, a popular U.S. website to raise funds from netizens.Michael Malice, a U.S. ghostwriter on celebrities, is looking for sponsors on Kickstarter for his project to ghostwrite the Dear Leader and publish “Kim Jong Il: The Unauthorized Autobiography.” The crowdfunding campaign for his publishing project was launched on Feb. 27, and as of 2:45 p.m. Sunday Korean time, 182 backers pledged $8
Psy lauds Hiddink on Dutch TV show

PeopleMar 3, 2013

South Korean singer Psy lauded Guus Hiddink, manager of the Korean soccer team that reached the semifinals of the 2002 World Cup, on a recent Dutch television program.The Dutch football manager appeared as a guest on “College Tour,” a talk show on Dutch public-service broadcaster NTR. It aired on Friday evening. Hiddink told the audience that his experiences both as a football manager and former player show that a sport can contribute to friendly ties among countries. K-pop sensation Psy made a
Take care over stress levels of children starting school

HealthFeb 28, 2013

The stress that children feel when beginning school can be more serious than adults may think. Many adults may think that children do not feel stressed, but their stress levels can be high.If you notice that your child is more irritable, cannot sleep well, has more dreams than before, has a smaller appetite, and fights often with siblings, these indicate that your child is under a significant amount of stress. When children are stressed, they may develop anxiety symptoms, tic disorders or refuse
Common genetic problem linked to 5 mental disorders

HealthFeb 28, 2013

PARIS (AFP) ― Five major psychiatric disorders share a common problem in several faulty genes, according to the biggest study of its kind published on Thursday.In the widest trawl yet of genetic mutations linked with mental disorders, US-led researchers looked through the DNA code of 33,332 people with autism, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder or schizophrenia.Their genomes were matched against 27,888 “controls,” or people who did not ha