“I’m going to do as I promised,” Paik Chung-kang, winner of popular survival singing competition “Star Audition” said in an interview with a local newspaper. Paik Chung-kang, 22, promised to donate half of his prize money to those in difficulties after he was selected as the final winner of the competition. After the grand final stage, Paik said “I will donate half of my prize money to the orphana

Filipino immigrant wife Kenneth Dela Cruze Sangalang speaks during an interview with The Korea Herald. (Lee Sang-sub/The Korea Herald)A decade has passed since the Korean Wave, or hallyu, hit the Asian region with the rapidly growing popularity of Korean entertainment and culture, especially in ASEAN countries.However, there has been little effort in Korea to understand ASEAN culture in return, wh

In Mugyo-dong, on one of the busiest streets in downtown Seoul, a Pakistani student in traditional costume stood on a stage with a microphone. Surrounded by a large crowd of locals, the foreign student asked the audience to repeat after him, “May-ra nam Kimchi h-eh.” He was teaching how to say what his name is in Urdu, his mother tongue ― his Korean name is Kimchi. Pakistani students in Seoul danc

Korea’s first ukulele festival is to be held a special arts village in Gyeonggi-do this Saturday. The Tra-la Ukelele Festival is to run from 1-9 p.m. in Heyri Cultural Village, Paju. The village is a designated space for writers, artists, architects, and musicians to work and live. This weekend, more than 1,000 ukulele fans are expected to arrive at the village near the DMZ for the free event arra

More than 400 revelers gathered Saturday in Cheongpyeong, Gyeonggi Province, to camp, enjoy bands and sample some Korean micro-brewed ale. After the success of a similar festival last year, KaBrew manager Park Chul invited six Korean-based bands, including Vidulgi OoyoO and the Used Cassettes to rock the Cheongpyeong Riverside Beer and Mexican Grill Festival from noon ‘till late.Seoul City Suicide

Homebrewing website creates community of expats making their own beerSomething is brewing in Korea’s expat scene.A community of foreign beer makers across the country are taking the country’s ale situation into their own hands.Fed up with lackluster beer made in Korean factories, they are making their own.“I just got tired of drinking bad beer,” says Rob Titley, founder of Homebrew Korea, a commun

3M has appointed Jung Byung-kook as president of its office in Korea, the company said in a statement Monday. Jung is the first Korean to run the Seoul office of the U.S- based producer of everything from adhesives to electronic circuits since it started business here in 1977. Jung Byung-kookJung’s becoming the head of 3M Korea is part of 3M’s core global strategy on localization of its products,

Ernestine Shepherd, 74, was recognized as the oldest female bodybuilder by the Guinness Book of World Records. (YouTube)A 74-year-old woman living in Baltimore was recognized as the oldest female bodybuilder by the Guinness Book of World Records, the Daily Mail reported Sunday. Ernestine Shepherd has “six-pack” abs which look unbelievable at her age and tries to motivate other people to lead healt

King Sejong Institute, taekwondo classes in schools and LAPD Korean culture workshops well-received in L.A.LOS ANGELES ― “Maewoyo? (Is it spicy?) Anmaewoyo! (No, it is not spicy)” chanted around 80 students in King Sejong Institute Los Angeles’ Basic A Class this month, voices loud and clear. When they got the hang of the phrases, they were assigned to do a little dialogue at a Korean restaurant w

The Andong International Mask Dance Festival, a major cultural attraction for Andong in North Gyeongsang Province, will celebrate its annual fiesta for 10 days from Sept. 30 to Oct. 9 in Mask Dance Park in Andong.The city is home to Hahoe Village, the most well-known historic clan village in Korea, and was added to the list of UNESCO’s World Heritage sites last year. A scene from the mask dance dr

Stainless steel appliances. They’re eye-pleasing, sleek and darned near a cliche these days.But that ubiquity means a lot of people are wrestling with the same problem: how to keep stainless steel clean, ward off scratches and keep a notoriously touchy surface factory-fresh.Deservedly or not, stainless steel has picked up a reputation as something of a dirt magnet.“It is a surface that requires a

HONG KONG (AFP) ― Cut-throat competition for exam success in Hong Kong’s high-pressure education system has spawned a new breed of teacher ― celebrity tutors with near cult-like status and millionaire lifestyles.With their glamorous photographs showing megawatt grins and flashy attire splashed across billboards and buses, the star teachers claim to transform failing students into A-grade pupils ―