The Korea Herald

IKEA furniture integrated with sound systems, Internet and more

Arts&DesignApr 18, 2012

STOCKHOLM (AP) ― Already the one-stop shop for smart and compact home furnishing, IKEA is venturing into the world of technology ― with the IKEA TV.The new furniture range, named UPPLEVA, the Swedish word for experience, integrates an LED TV, a sound system with wireless bass speakers, an internet connection and CD, DVD and Blu-ray players ― all in one self-assembly piece.Although the TV and the other electronics are made by Chinese manufacturer TCL, IKEA has built everything around them, hiding
Doubts cast on food intolerance tests

Food&BeverageApr 18, 2012

Doctors say no scientific basis for most new testsCHICAGO ― According to one lab that tests for “toxic food syndrome,” eating green peppers may cause bloating or lethargy. Lemons might trigger headaches. Other common foods like corn, soy, egg whites, whey and chicken “may act like a poison in your body,” the website warns.This company and others promise to detect such hidden problems with blood tests that can range in cost from hundreds to thousands of dollars, depending on how many foods are te
SuperColorSuper may end international shows

Expat LivingApr 18, 2012

Expat indie promoter SuperColorSuper has expressed doubt about the future of its shows in Korea featuring foreign artists.SCS has brought 40 international acts to Korea, including Mogwai, Four Tet and Jeffrey Lewis, but founder Sean Maylone said in an e-mail Tuesday that funding issues meant that continuing with the project was too risky financially.“We’ve only gotten spiritual compensation out of this, we don’t make money, and extra income is committed to bringing more bands over or setting up
‘No breakup of Philippine leader, Korean girlfriend’

PeopleApr 17, 2012

A Filipino palace source said that President Benigno Aquino III and Korean TV host Grace Lee are still together, denying rumors of a break-up.Local Philippine radio correspondent Junry Hidalgo said his source confirmed that Aquino and Lee had dinner together at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel last Saturday and they seemed happy.Before their Saturday date, the source said Aquino and Lee were not able to see each other for a week because the President was busy attending to the problems of the country,
Retired professor founds art schools in Cambodia

PeopleApr 17, 2012

Two art schools will open in Cambodia this year, built by a retired Korean music professor. They will be the first-ever private schools specializing in arts in the Southeast Asian nation. Lee Chan-hae, a former professor at Yonsei University’s College of Music, is behind the establishment of Phnom Penh Institute of Art in Beong Keng Kong 1, and El Dream Arts School in Canadia, an industrial area in the country. Phnom Penh Institute of Art will be have a college, a pre-college for middle and high
British Library buys Europe’s oldest book

BooksApr 17, 2012

LONDON (AFP) ― The St. Cuthbert gospel, Europe’s oldest intact book, will remain in Britain after a record-breaking fundraising campaign by the British Library, it said Tuesday.Half of the 9 million pounds ($14.2 million) required to purchase the 7th century copy of the Gospel of St. John came from the The National Heritage Memorial Fund with charitable foundations, trusts and the public making up the rest. It is the largest ever campaign mounted by the library and ensures the manuscript, which
Huff Post has new answer to critics

CultureApr 17, 2012

NEW YORK (AP) ― The Huffington Post has its Pulitzer.David Wood’s 10-part series on the struggles of wounded American soldiers returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan, “Beyond the Battlefield,’’ won the Pulitzer Prize for national reporting on Monday. The first such award for a reporter from the Huffington Post, it’s an undeniable milestone for the popular if sometimes derided AOL-owned news site.Arianna Huffington’s self-declared “Internet newspaper’’ has badly desired journalistic credibility
Korea to turn hallyu into industry

CultureApr 17, 2012

Culture Ministry plans to create fair business environment for artists, large concert hall and support content developersThe Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on Wednesday a set of comprehensive plans for hallyu, such as building infrastructure for better content development, facilitating a support system for less popular Korean cultural genres, and promoting cultural exchanges to prevent anti-Korean sentiment.“Concerns are rising that the Korean Wave will fade away in just four
GIC offers tour to Naju, mask class

Expat LivingApr 17, 2012

Gwanju International Center’s next GIC tour will be to Naju, on April 28.The tour will visit Geumseonggwan, a Joseon Dynasty administrative building, Naju Hyanggyo, a Joseon school, and a farm that makes doenjang ― Korean fermented soy bean paste.They will also stop off at a spring where a Goryeo king met his queen and a tomb dating from before the Baekje era began in B.C. 18.Lunch on the tour will be a local specialty ― gomtang.The tour costs 25,000 won for GIC members and 35,000 won for non-me
Seoul Global Center offers onsite counseling

Expat LivingApr 17, 2012

Seoul Global Center will offer two more onsite counseling sessions for foreign residents in April.The sessions will take place on April 22 at the Catholic Youth Center in Hyehwa-dong and on April 29 at the Nambu Roads and Bridges Maintenance Office in Daerim.Sessions run from noon to 4 p.m. and offer advice on labor, marriage, employment and consumer rights, as well as other affairs. The onsite counseling sessions are held for those who are unable to go to the regular counseling that happens at
Ubuntu Fest to celebrate Africa in Seoul

Expat LivingApr 17, 2012

African dance, music and performance arts are to be celebrated in Seoul on April 28. The Ubuntu Festival has been organized by professional friends of Africa in Korea and people of African descent living here. A family-friendly performance will be held at Seoul Global Center Theater in M-Plaza near Myeong-dong Subway Station’s Exit 6. Headline performers will include Reggae fusion artist JoshRoy, traditional West African dancer Ma-Abena and Korean reggae act Windy City. Dee Jay Rico will also D
Expat homebrewers to put on Spring Beer Festival

Expat LivingApr 17, 2012

Expats are planning a Spring Beer Festival in Seoul on April 21 to get Haebangchon hopping. Taking place in bars in the area near Itaewon and also across the main road in Gyeongnidan, the Spring Beer Festival will have 13 brewers offering up their concoctions.The samples will be free, with the event aiming to spread the message that there is more to beer than the local hof.“The samples are basically North American craft beers and you don’t get many of those type of beers in Korea. What we’re try
Camarata promises dramatic Elijah performance

Expat LivingApr 17, 2012

Camarata Music Company Chorale and Orchestra will perform Mendelssohn’s “Elijah” on May 5 at Chungdong First Methodist Church They will be joined by soloists soprano Han Myung-sung, alto Allison Pozdol, tenor Ryu Seung-gak, bass Sung Seung-wook, with soprano Rachel Tibai and boy soprano Choi Jae-won.“Elijah” tells the story of the prophet from 1 Kings and 2 Kings in the Old Testament, in which God sends Elijah to turn the hearts of the people back toward Him. CMC said that the drama of the story
Composer, campaigner put hanok to song

Expat LivingApr 17, 2012

What should a hanok sound like? A high-tech interactive music piece composed for one such traditional Korean home in Seoul’s hanok district may have the answer.“NOKHA,” an anagram of “hanok,” is a 50-minute composition for flute, violin, toy piano and geomungo, a traditional Korean instrument. But this work is not bound by a fixed score. Rather, the music is shaped by the audience, whose movements are captured on camera and relayed to the performers in real-time via iPad. “The concept of the sho
Beyond drowsy, too little sleep ups diabetes risk

HealthApr 17, 2012

Increased numbers of workers pull the night shift. Teenagers text past midnight and stumble to class at dawn. Travelers pack cheaper overnight flights.Nodding off behind the wheel is not the only threat from a lack of sleep. Evidence is growing that people who regularly sleep too little and at the wrong time suffer long-lasting consequences that a nap will not cure: increased risk of diabetes, hea