The Korea Herald

Monument built in U.S. to remember ‘comfort women’

PeopleDec 3, 2012

A monument that commemorates the suffering of Korean women forced by Japan into sexual slavery during World War II has been established in the U.S., officials close to the matter said Sunday.The unveiling ceremony for the monument was held on Saturday (U.S. time) in front of the AR Galleria shopping mall building located in Orange County, California, they said.The monument was built with donations made by local Korean compatriots and government support. An explanatory carving explains that many
Spain’s king discharged from hospital after hip operation

PeopleDec 3, 2012

MADRID (AP) ― King Juan Carlos has been discharged from a hospital in Madrid nine days after entering to undergo reconstructive surgery on his left hip joint. The 74-year-old Spanish monarch joked with journalists as he left a hospital Sunday in the front passenger seat of a chauffeur-driven car, promising to “take things very easy” during his recuperation. A hospital statement says the king had “very satisfactorily completed the first phase of his rehabilitation.” In April, the head of state wa
Braun wins DARI Award for making Psy global sensation

PeopleDec 3, 2012

Scooter Braun, the U.S. manager for Korean pop sensation Psy, will receive an award from the Korean government for his contribution to making Psy into a global phenomenon, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said on Monday. Braun was chosen as “Man of the Year” for the DARI Award 2012, which is given to people who have bridged the U.S. and Korea through culture by the Korean Cultural Center of Los Angeles and the Korea Culture and Content Agency. Braun is said to have confirmed his atten
Letterman, Hoffman, Zeppelin receive Kennedy Center Honors

PeopleDec 3, 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) ― David Letterman’s “stupid human tricks” and Top 10 lists vaulted into the ranks of cultural acclaim Sunday night as the late-night comedian received this year’s Kennedy Center Honors with rock band Led Zeppelin, an actor, a ballerina and a bluesman. Stars from New York, Hollywood and the music world joined President Barack Obama at the White House on Sunday night to salute the honorees, whose ranks also include actor Dustin Hoffman, Chicago bluesman Buddy Guy and ballerina Nata
Koreans' lifetime medical bill averages 100 mln won

HealthDec 3, 2012

South Koreans spend an average of 100 million won (US$92,421) in medical expenses during their lifetime, a report showed Monday, with the amount likely to rise due mainly to the nation’s fast aging population.The report by the Korea Health Industry Development Institute showed women spend an average of 114.3 million won on hospital bills during their lifetime, while the figure for men came to 95.89 million won. The report is based on a study of the medical expenses of 200,000 people in 2010.Wome
Harvard approves kinky sex club on campus

CultureDec 3, 2012

Harvard University said its recognition of a new club for students who are interested in kinky sex doesn‘t mean the Ivy League school endorses such practices.Harvard this week approved Harvard College Munch, a low-profile adults-only group that will be allowed to use university meeting rooms and post notices on campus.School spokesman Jeff Neal told CNN the club went through normal approval channels and, like any of the other approximately 400 student groups on campus, is not officially endorsed
Kim leads polls for Time’s Person of the Year; Psy 4th

PeopleDec 2, 2012

North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un continued to dominate Time’s online poll for the most influential figure in this year’s news, according to the weekly magazine’s website. Kim garnered 2,257,077 votes as of Sunday morning, dwarfing the rest of the competition. Tailing the hermit kingdom’s leader were newly appointed Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi with 362,473 votes, Pakistan’s inspirational teenage education activist Malala Yousafzai with 362,473 votes, and South Korea’s rapping phenomenon Psy,
China unearths ancient palace ruins: state media

CultureDec 2, 2012

BEIJING (AFP) ― China has unearthed the ruins of an ancient palace near the tomb of the country’s first emperor that was already famed for its terracotta soldiers, state media said on Saturday.The discovery is the latest at the mausoleum, which dates back more than two millennia and became one of the greatest modern archaeological finds after a peasant digging a well stumbled upon the life-size warriors in 1974.The palace “is the largest complex ever found at the cemetery,” the Xinhua news agenc
Sarah Chang holds Korea recital tour

CultureDec 2, 2012

For a long time, violinist Sarah Chang has been the “golden girl” to Koreans. At the tender age of 8, the Korean-American was playing with Zubin Mehta and Riccardo Muti and studying with Dorothy DeLay. It seems that Chang still has the world under her spell: She has performed with nearly all acclaimed orchestras and musicians around the world and has a 20-volume CD set honoring her 20 year-contract with EMI classics. She received the Avery Fisher Prize in 1999, was selected as one of the 20 fema
Study: Women spend more time ogling women

PeopleDec 2, 2012

British researchers say women are more likely than men to give women's bodies a visual once-over.Researchers at Bristol University came to their conclusions after asking volunteers to examine a range of different images, including pictures of couples in films, The Daily Telegraph reported Friday.They found women spent 61 percent of their time looking at the women in the pictures, and only 39 percent on the men, while men seemed to spend just over half -- 53 percent -- of their time looking at th
Switzerland best place for baby to be born

CultureDec 1, 2012

In 1988, the United States was ranked at the best place for a baby to be born, but today Switzerland is ranked No. 1 among 80 countries, researchers say. The Economist Intelligence Unit, a sister company of The Economist, used a quality-of-life index that links the results of subjective life-satisfaction surveys -- how happy people say they are -- to objective determinants of the quality of life across countries. The researchers used data from 2006, collected by the Gallup Poll, and conducted a
Party ideas for holiday season

CultureNov 30, 2012

Theme parties such as red carpet, board game and retro parties make holiday fun and memorable
Calendar

CultureNov 30, 2012

Theater“Assassins”: Film and theater actor Hwang Jeong-min (“Happiness,” “Dancing Queen”) is making his debut as a musical director this month. The show is the Korean adaptation of American musical “Assassins.” The five-time Tony Award winner features the real-life men and women who attempted to assassinate U.S. presidents. The figures include John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated Lincoln, and Sara Jane Moore, who attempted to assassinate President Ford. Hwang stars as Charles Guiteau, President J
Templestay at Geumsunsa: We all needed that

TravelNov 30, 2012

Serenity and meditation purifies the heart
Travel books as gifts: From coffee table to memoir

TravelNov 30, 2012

NEW YORK (AP) ― From memoirs and maps to beautiful hard-covers suitable for coffee-table display, here are some ideas for holiday gifts from this year’s crop of travel books and publications. (Prices shown are cover list prices.)National Geographic’s “World’s Best Travel Experiences” ($40) looks at wild places, urban spaces, man-made wonders and other extraordinary destinations, from beach paradises to religious pilgrimage sites. There’s even a list of best places for dance lessons, whether you