The Korea Herald

At 96, Cuban ballet legend Alicia Alonso still dancing inside

CultureDec 27, 2016

HAVANA -- She needs help sitting down, but no sooner has she done it than Alicia Alonso is tapping her foot three times and giving orders in a good-natured but authoritative tone.At age 96, the Cuban ballerina, one of the most revered dancers of all time, is blind and frail. But she hasn‘t lost a step, or her outsize role in Cuban ballet.“Ready to start? Let’s start!” she says in a firm voice, opening a rehearsal on the second floor of the National Ballet of Cuba -- which she launched together w
Seoul’s royal palaces welcome record number of visitors

CultureDec 26, 2016

Seoul’s royal palaces enjoyed an unprecedented rise in popularity this year, the Cultural Heritage Administration said.A record number of 10.1 million visitors tread past the gates of Seoul’s four major palaces -– Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung and Deoksugung -– as of November, according to CHA, a government agency charged with preserving and promoting Korean cultural heritage. Nighttime strolls in Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung were popular, the statistics showed. A total of 532
[Photo news] Preserving Pompeii

CultureDec 25, 2016

PRESERVING ANCIENT RUINS From left, Massimo Osanna, Italian Culture Minister Dario Franceschini and Italian Premier Paolo Gentiloni visit the archeological excavations of Pompeii on occasion of the reopening of part of the House of the Vettii and the securing of the entire Regio VI area, carried out as part of the Great Pompeii Project, in Pompei, Italy, Saturday. The Great Pompeii Project funded by the European Commission is aimed at safeguarding the unique UNESCO World Heritage site. (EPA-Yonh
Michelle Obama’s fashion influence rivaled Jackie Kennedy’s

FashionDec 25, 2016

NEW YORK (AP) - The morning after Michelle Obama’s big speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2012, in which she argued passionately for a second term for her husband, designer Tracy Reese’s phone was ringing. And ringing.　 Mrs. Obama’s powerfully delivered speech had attracted much attention -- but these phone calls were about her dress. A shimmering sleeveless sheath in rose and silvery gray, it was pretty universally considered a fashion slam dunk. And customers wanted it.　 There was
World-famous diamond inspires new and bloody history

CultureDec 25, 2016

NEW DELHI (AFP) -- Many precious stones have a blood-soaked history, but a new book reveals the world‘s most famous diamond, the Koh-i-Noor, surpasses them all, with a litany of horrors that rivals “Game of Thrones.”The Koh-i-Noor (“Mountain of Light”), now part of the British Crown Jewels, has witnessed the birth and fall of empires across the Indian subcontinent, and remains the subject of a bitter ownership battle between Britain and India.“It is an unbelievably violent story. ... Almost ever
Salt, butter and more at Maillet

Food&BeverageDec 23, 2016

Husband-and-wife team craft French desserts in Seorae Village
The unlikely saviors of Libya’s Roman remains

CultureDec 22, 2016

LEPTIS MAGNA, Libye (AFP) -- Ali Hribish stands by the Arch of Septimius Severus which dominates Libya’s ancient city of Leptis Magna, brandishing letters of thanks for his efforts to protect the site. The former electricity company employee in his 50s has become the Roman city’s unlikely savior, protecting it from looting and vandalism as chaos rocks the country following the 2011 downfall of dictator Moamer Kadhafi. Despite having no background in archaeology, Hribish gathered a band of fighte
Korea’s oldest bookstore to relaunch in Seoul

BooksDec 22, 2016

Korea’s oldest bookstore will be brought back to life 14 years after its closing, local publishers said Thursday.Jongno Books, more commonly known as Jongno Seojeok, will relaunch Friday at Seoul’s Jongno intersection, according to book publishing officials. Under a different mother company and management, the new store will replace the Jongno Tower branch of bookstore chain Bandi & Lunis. A former executive of Youngpoong Bookstore, a Korean bookstore chain, will take the helm of the new store.
Books for for the bookworm in your life

BooksDec 21, 2016

I‘m ready to give the book the nine-lives prize. How many times has it been ruled obsolete? And yet, people are buying and enjoying print books more than ever.I’ve used an e-reader on occasion, but when it comes to the gift books featured below, there‘s nothing like the printed page for displaying their superior graphics, gorgeous illustrations and well-organized information. There’s something for everyone here, from the lighthearted (“The Aloha Shirt”) to the sublime (“Fireflies”). Browse this
First woman named to head Vatican Museums

PeopleDec 21, 2016

VATICAN CITY (AFP) -- Pope Francis on Tuesday named Italian Barbara Jutte as the next head of the Vatican Museums, making her the first woman to take charge of the Catholic Church‘s artistic treasures.Jutte, 54, steps up from her current role as deputy director on Jan. 1, taking over from Antonio Paolucci, 77, an art historian and former Italian culture minister.Jutte, a native of Rome, has worked at the Vatican since 1996.She will be taking over one of the world’s greatest collections of artwor
Marquette University adds to Tolkien collection

BooksDec 21, 2016

MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Marquette University is adding to its J.R.R. Tolkien Collection. The university says it has acquired a first edition, first printing of “The Hobbit.” The book is one of 1,500 such copies published in 1937. “The Hobbit” is recognized as a classic in children’s literature. The first printing sold out before the end of 1937 and includes artwork drawn by Tolkien himself. No purchase price was disclosed.Marquette’s Tolkien collection includes the original manuscripts of “The Hobbit”
Egypt receives ancient stolen limestone relief

CultureDec 21, 2016

CAIRO (AP) -- Egypt’s Embassy in London received a limestone relief that had been stolen from Queen Hatshepsut’s temple in Luxor, the Ministry of Antiquities said.Shaaban Abdel Gawad, general supervisor of the ministry’s antiquities repatriation department, in a statement said that the ministry repatriated the relief in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the British Museum after proving its possession. The recovery of the relief is “very important” especially since it will he
New subway line to feature works by 4 celebrated artists

Arts&DesignDec 21, 2016

NEW YORK (AP) -- A subway line opening in New York City next year will have walls decorated with artworks by four celebrated contemporary artists.Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo made the announcement about Manhattan’s Second Avenue subway line Monday at the Museum of Modern Art.The line opens Jan. 1 and will have four stations. Each station will display ceramic-tile or mosaic pieces by one of the four artists: Chuck Close, Sarah Sze, Jean Shin and Vik Muniz. Sze’s designs feature objects including
Statue to honor ‘Korean Schindler’

PeopleDec 20, 2016

Hyun Bong-Hak, the late doctor and civic activist who saved thousands of civilians during the Korean War, was commemorated Monday with a statue in front of the Severance Building in central Seoul.Hyun has been dubbed “Korean Schindler” -- after German industrialist Oskar Schindler who saved over 1,000 Jewish lives during the Holocaust -- here for persuading US military officials during the war to evacuate some 104,000 refugees from battlefields in Heungnam, North Korea. Lee Gyeong-pil (left) and
Korean language studies increasingly popular in India

CultureDec 19, 2016

NEW DELHI -- A growing number of people in India are studying Korean to help themselves find jobs or pursue further studies in the East Asian country, officials here said Monday.According to the Korean Cultural Center in New Delhi, an average of 203 students signed up for Korean language classes at its King Sejong Institute during every semester of this year. When the classes first opened in 2013, there were an average of 55 students per semester.The institute, a state-run organization that teac