CHEONAN, South Chungcheong Province -- When Kil Tae-san was held at the immigration detention center in Korea in 2015, his desire to realize his dream of becoming a world champion boxer was one of the things that kept him going. “Boxing has always been my passion. Ever since I started in 2003 at the age of 16, my dream was to become a world champion,” said Kil, born Jean Durandal Etobil Etobilin in Cameroon and now living in Korea as a refugee. “I thought if I get out of here, when I become free

Songdo World Culture Tourism FestivalSongdo World Culture Tourism Festival, or Songdo Beer Festival is an annual beer festival held from Aug. 24 to Sept. 1. The festival is held at the Songdo Moonlight Festival Park (Pentaport Park) in Incheon and costs 15,000 won for a day ticket. Tickets are 10,000 won in advance.Call the travel hotline at 1330 for information in Korean, English, Japanese or Chinese. Its homepage (www.songdobeer.com) is only in Korean.Rose of Sharon Festival of The Garden of M

Korean artists Moon Kyung-won and Jeon Joon-ho will hold the “News from Nowhere” exhibition at Tate Liverpool, starting Nov. 23. The winners of the Korea Artist Prize 2012, Moon and Jeon’s exhibition will be held alongside the museum’s 30th anniversary exhibition, a retrospective of Fernand Leger.  Artists Moon Kyung-won (left) and Jeon Joon-ho (right) (Gallery Hyundai)Like Leger got his teeth into reality -- than abstract art -- after returning from the First World War, Moon and Jeon also try t

Herald Design Forum 2018 will take place Sept. 14-15 under the slogan “Designing Future” at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul, seeking to understand how design facilitates innovations, backed by technological and scientific developments.The forum will invite internationally recognized designers, architects and CEOs to discuss how design can help us picture a better future. Dana Firas, princess of Jordan and president of the Petra National Trust, and Peter Red Dot founder and CEO are among forum’s

Actor Lee Dong-wook has been selected as a brand campaign model for Chanel’s makeup products, becoming the first Korean picked for the role. Lee will model for Chanel’s new makeup line for men, Boy De Chanel, said his agency King Kong Entertainment on Tuesday.  (Boy de Chanel)A released photo showed Lee giving off charisma. Chanel was reportedly drawn to Lee’s confident and masculine image, which it deemed as well-suited to the brand. (Boy De Chanel)Boy De Chanel, Chanel’s first makeup line for

As the heat wave continues across the country, here are a few traditional drinks that Koreans typically turn to in summer.Misutgaru (Park Ju-young / The Korea Herald)1. MisutgaruAt first glance, misutgaru, a Korean multigrain powder, just seems like a bland substance with a lifeless beige color. But contrary to its appearance, the mixture of roasted and ground grains is well-known for its nutritional benefits and addictive, nutty taste.Koreans often make misutgaru shakes at home by adding water

Chinese performance artist and painter Ma Liuming is holding a solo exhibition at Hakgojae Gallery in Seoul until Sept. 16.　Titled “Sediment of Performance,” Ma’s latest exhibition features paintings that recast his past avant-garde performances. Ma Liuming poses for photographs at Hakgojae Gallery in Seoul, Friday. (Hakgojae Gallery)Born in Hubei, China, in 1969, Ma is a globally recognized performance artist, particularly through the use of the artist’s performance persona “Fen-Ma Liuming.” Fe

A biannual nighttime tour of Gyeongbokgung will commence next month, with prebooking for the event starting on Thursday.According to the Cultural Heritage Administration, the Gyeongbokgung Starlight Tour for the second half of the year will be held from Sept. 2-15, and Oct. 6-20, twice a day. The first session will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., and the second from 7:40 p.m. to 9:40 p.m.This year’s Starlight Tour, which started in 2016, will be held under the theme of old folktales from th

Local colored contact lens market grows in international popularity

South Korean city of Miryang is bending over backward to become a city of yoga. The city government of Miryang said Sunday it will host a global-scale yoga therapy conference and festive yoga-related events for two days on Sept. 1 and 2. Located in South Gyeongsang province, Miryang hosted its first international yoga conference in 2017 and is following up this year with an expanded program.  Miryang hosted its first international yoga conference in 2017. (Miryang City Hall) Miryang will host an

The National Folk Museum of Korea will operate mobile museums at the 18th Asian Games Jakarta-Palembang 2018, which run from Aug. 18 through Sept. 2.Also called “Korean culture boxes,“ mobile museums contain various traditional items from Korea and are being deployed in an effort to promote the nation’s traditional folk culture. Altogether, they will display 153 items representing 88 categories. "Sarangbang" box (NFMK) "Anbang" box (NFMK) "Hanbok" box (NFMK)After the games, the mobile museums wi

Technological and scientific developments are shaping every aspect of our lives. As futurist Thomas Frey noted in gauging the impact of the changes, “This new era has already begun.” Herald Design Forum 2018 will take place Sept. 14-15 under the slogan “Designing Future” at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul, seeking to understand how design facilitates innovations, backed by technological and scientific developments.The forum will invite internationally recognized designers, architects and CEOs t

 After the Korean War ended with an armistice agreement in 1953, two Koreas declared a 4-kilometer-wide Demilitarized Zone along the demarcation line that separated them, to prevent accidental skirmishes. Since the DMZ has been off-limits for more than 60 years, the area has become home to many endangered species, including red-crowned cranes. The border town of Cheorwon in Gangwon Province opened the DMZ Peace Park, an ecotourism park in the southern part of the heavily-fortified region, in 201

New shop specializes in Italian stretch-curd cheese

More and more Koreans are participating in escape rooms, where they are given a set amount of time to solve puzzles using clues scattered around rooms in order to break out of the place. With various themes and different amounts of time, there are escape room experiences that suit a wide range of ages.Nestled in the side streets of the Apgujeong Rodeo area is Holic Room Escape, where three Korea Herald summer interns attempted the “Fall of Mankind” zombie-themed escape room. Touted as “the scari