Exposure to sunlight, supplements recommended for healthy levels of vitamin D

With the start of the winter season, increasing numbers of people are complaining of itchy and dry skin. The itchiness and dryness of skin in winter is associated with the cold weather. In countries such as Korea, where there are continental climates and continued dry weather, such skin conditions are quite common. It is more common in those aged 40 years and over, with the symptoms most prominent in the outer surfaces of the arms and the legs. The dry and itchy symptoms can progress to dry ecze

Inventing the Christmas TreeBy Bernd Brunner, translated by Benjamin A. Smith(Yale University Press)If you’ve just returned from a tree lot and plan to pull out boxes of decorations this afternoon, you may find it hard to imagine that Christmas trees took well into the 19th century to be widely accepted in the United States.“In a sense,” writes scholar Bernd Brunner in his compact cultural history of the holiday icon, “the Americanization of the ‘German’ Christmas tree runs parallel to the Ameri

Cross RoadsBy Wm. Paul Young(FaithWords)Paul Young isn’t insulted at the suggestion that the lead character in “Cross Roads” has a dark soul.To the contrary, the author of “The Shack” chuckles with delight.“Thank you,” he said. “That is a compliment. ... I’m a writer that likes to explore questions, and one of my questions is: ‘How does grace or transformation get into the heart of someone who is really lost? Who’s really isolated themselves from relationships?’”Anthony Spencer’s desolation is c

NEW YORK (AP) ― It’s hard to think of any song that has taken a stranger journey through popular culture than Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.”Recorded in 1984, it was on the only Cohen album rejected by his record company. Virtually no one noticed when the song did come out on an independent label. Since then, through dozens of cover versions, high-profile performances and appearances on TV or movie soundtracks, “Hallelujah” has become a modern standard.Author Alan Light reflected upon that while a

Korea’s Culture Ministry recently published two English-language books, one about Korean sports and the other about local fashion, as the newest additions to its “K-series,” a book series featuring Korean culture.“K-Fashion: Wearing a New Future” and “K-Sports: A New Breed of Rising Champions” are published by Korea Culture and Information Service, an affiliate of the Culture Ministry.Among the two, “K-Fashion” is written by Kim Hong-ki, who works as a fashion curator and a journalist. He has sp

Celebrated author writes first novel on love, interweaving contemporary Korean history

Marriage has always been an important rite of passage for mankind. In Asia, where family ties and conservative culture have been dominant forces for centuries, marriage is seen as a stepping stone to becoming an adult, and an official member of a society. The wedding ceremony was considered one of the four most important family affairs in Korea alongside building a social career, funerals, and memorial services for deceased ancestors. The National Folk Museum of Korea’s “Wedding Ritual” at the S

Sheraton Incheon Hotel received the “World’s Leading Green Hotel” award at the 2012 World Travel Awards ceremony held at the Oberoi hotel in New Delhi, India, on Wednesday. The hotel’s green policy, along with the continuous growth in business, has been recognized with numerous international awards around the world. The World Travel Awards acknowledge and celebrate commitment to excellence in the hotel industry and rewards organizations that have continued to raise the standard of their product

A tribute exhibition to the late Nam June Paik (1932-2006) will be held at the Smithsonian American Art Museum from Dec. 13 through Aug. 11, 2013, the Korea Foundation, sponsor of the event, said Wednesday. The first show since the museum acquired the Nam June Paik archive in 2009 will focus on introducing the accomplishments of the artist who is dubbed the father of video art for transforming video into an art medium through sculptures, installations, video tapes and TV projects.A total of 67 a

Professor Kim Wang-sik of Ewha Womans University Department of Social Education has been tapped to serve as the first director of the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History slated to open on Dec. 26, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Wednesday. Kim graduated from Yonsei University and earned his doctorate at the University of Missouri-Columbia. He was a board member of the Korean Association of International Studies, which researched the modern and contemporary history of

 Rapper Psy, who became an international sensation with his song “Gangnam Style,” is the recipient of an award recognizing his contribution to promoting Korea’s image.“We hold in high esteem Psy’s achievements, which includes placing on overseas music charts such as Billboard, making inroads into the foreign market, and also showing the diversity of K-pop culture,” said Choi Jung-wha, president of the Corea Image Communication Institute, in announcing the winners of its annual Korea Image Awards

Jury deliberations began Wednesday in the New York assault trial of a 265-pound fireman accused of attacking his transsexual ex-lover.The defendant Taylor Murphy, 29 and a body builder, once posed as Mr. March in a firefighter beefcake calendar, ABC News reported. He is charged with abusing Claudia Charriez, 31, an escort who was kicked off the reality show “America‘s Next Top Model” in 2006 when it was revealed she was born a man, the report said. The jurors heard sometimes salacious testimony