The Korea Herald

Samsung and Mexico's Yucatan to promote tourism

TravelAug 23, 2016

Samsung Electronics Co. signed a business pact with the tourism board of Mexico's Yucatan state to implement a project that will utilize the South Korean electronics giant's virtual reality technologies to help develop the Mexican state's tourism industry, the Mexican unit of Samsung said Monday.It marks the first time for the Yucatan state government to use VR technologies to promote the tourism of the region, home to the Mayan civilization.Under the pact, Samsung plans to link the tourism proj
Korea to host int'l fest on world's oldest metal-type book

CultureAug 23, 2016

An international festival on the world's oldest extant book printed with movable metal type will kick off in Cheongju in September to shed new light on its creative value, bringing together world-renowned writers and scholars, organizers said Tuesday.The Jikji Korea Festival will open Sept. 1 in the central South Korean city, some 130 kilometers south of Seoul, for an eight-day run under the theme of "Jikji, Enlightening the World," with the main venues including the Cheongju Arts Hall and the C
French beach burkini ban sparks disdain across the sea

CultureAug 21, 2016

LONDON (AFP) - The ban on the Islamic burkini swimsuit on some French beaches has triggered disdain in English-speaking countries, where outlawing religion-oriented clothing is seen as hampering integration.Newspaper commentators have condemned the ban as an absurdity, and one questioned how a burkini could be more offensive than “middle-aged bum crack” bursting out from traditional Western beachwear.And experts said the debate raised questions about the French one-size-fits-all model of integra
[Around the hotels] Round up of hotel events and news

Food&BeverageAug 19, 2016

Mediterranean promotion at Courtyard by Marriott Seoul Pangyo 　　Courtyard by Marriott Seoul Pangyo will be presenting the Mediterranean promotion at the hotel buffet MoMo Cafe from Sept. 1-Oct. 31. 　The promotion will offer guests a wide variety of classic Mediterranean dishes, including fresh Greek salad, grilled lamb chops, chicken and lentil stew, seafood paella, and more. 　The package starts at 37,000 won for lunch, and 49,000 won for dinner on Monday and Tuesday, and 69,000 won from Wednesd
[Travel Bits] Round up of travel news from around the world

TravelAug 19, 2016

Water splash parade at Everland　 Everland is paying tribute to the days of summer this year as the amusement park and resort play host to the Summer Splash and Fantastic Summer Night festival. The festival is jam-packed with various programs like splash parades, fireworks and a 3-D mapping show held every night. 　During the day, guests can enjoy Jack’s Splash Parade, which sprays 84 tons of water from 40 water cannons and six floats, three times a day. Then later at night when the heat dies down
[The Palate] Cool and crisp lettuce wraps, ssambap

Food&BeverageAug 19, 2016

Korean cuisine’s signature wrap style of eating
A North Korean defector’s life in webtoon

CultureAug 17, 2016

Seoul (AFP) -- When North Korean defector Choi Sung-Guk decided it was time to go public with his experiences, he avoided the well-trodden “harrowing memoir” route in favor of a cartoon strip. Drawing skills and some online space provided Choi with everything he needed to reach a young Korean-speaking audience that might otherwise have little attention to spare for a 36-year-old escapee from over the border.Choi, who spent eight years making cartoons at Pyongyang’s SEK animation studio, now post
Gyeongbok Palace to offer night tours

CultureAug 17, 2016

Night tours at Gyeongbok Palace, one of the royal palaces in Seoul, will begin on the first day of September, the Cultural Heritage Administration said Thursday.Set to run from Sept. 1 to 17, the "Starlight Tour with Daejanggeum" will include a Korean traditional music performance and a 12-plate royal dinner. The visitors will be treated as if they were invited to dine with the king of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), according to the state culture agency. "Daejanggeum" is the title character of
Largest-ever incentive tour group from Japan due in S. Korea

TravelAug 17, 2016

Over 10,000 employees of a major Japanese funeral service company will visit South Korea between this fall and next spring, the state-run Korea Tourism Organization said Wednesday.The unprecedented group of Japanese visitors will arrive in Seoul and Busan in a period spanning six months starting from October, KTO said. The KTO and Busan Tourism Organization said they jointly attracted the largest number of travelers on the incentive tour program from Japan, with the first group scheduled to begi
Your life is comfy compared to the hell of the North Korean border

BooksAug 17, 2016

“How I Became a North Korean”By Krys LeeViking (244 pages, $27)Forgetting the complexities of other lives is so easy these days, immersed as we are in our daily grinds, our political battles, our iPhones and our Netflix. With her devastating yet ultimately hopeful first novel, Krys Lee provides the reminder that sometimes we need a wakeup call. “How I Became a North Korean” demands that we look outside ourselves, pay attention and bear witness to the world and how it can break so many of us.In t
Essays illuminate fears of disaster

BooksAug 17, 2016

“This Is Only a Test”By B.J. HollarsBreak Away Books (180 pages, $17)In his essay collection “This Is Only a Test,” B.J. Hollars is buffeted on one side by terrifying cataclysms and on the other by typical new-parent anxiety.These forces converge spectacularly in the opener, “Goodbye, Tuscaloosa,” where Hollars describes huddling in a bathtub with his wife and their dog as a violent EF4 tornado begins tearing apart their neighborhood. She has just learned that she is pregnant with their first ch
The pleasures and perils of an affair in ‘Blue Bath’

BooksAug 17, 2016

“The Blue Bath”By Mary Waters-SayerSt. Martin’s Press (307 pages, $25.99)At first, “The Blue Bath” seems to be just a particularly well-written take on an old story, one often encountered in more sophisticated “chick lit” -- the pleasures and perils of an extramarital affair. Kat Lind, an American married to a very busy English businessman, is conveniently left alone at their posh London home while her husband goes on a long business trip and their little boy stays with her in-laws so she can mo
Amber Tozer pens one of the funniest books on alcoholism you’ll ever read

BooksAug 17, 2016

"Sober Stick Figure: A Memoir”By Amber Tozer(Running Press, $24)Comedian Amber Tozer is 39 years old. She is funny, profane and drop-dead honest. A recovering alcoholic, Tozer walked away from drinking eight years ago, and now she has written a book about it.I picked up “Sober Stick Figure: A Memoir” (Running Press, $24) because alcoholism has run in my family, and because of recent news about the prevalence of binge drinking among young people.“Sober Stick Figure” might be the funniest book abo
Schumer keeps it real in ‘Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo’

BooksAug 17, 2016

“The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo” By Amy Schumer(Gallery Books)Amy Schumer is a powerhouse in the entertainment industry, thanks to her Emmy-winning TV series, “Inside Amy Schumer,” and feature film box-office smash “Trainwreck.” A comedian, actress, writer, producer and director, Schumer is on her way to adding “best-selling author” to her list of achievements with her new book, “The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo.”Schumer is a talented storyteller. She’s known for standing in a spotlight
Dine like a Joseon king at Gyeongbokgung

CultureAug 17, 2016

Gyeongbokgung, the Joseon era’s main royal palace, will invite visitors to dine at its royal kitchen to experience Joseon kings’ daily meal and walk around the palace at night in September. The new Starlight Tour will run twice a day at 6:30 p.m. and 7:50 p.m. from Sept. 1-17, inviting up to 60 people per tour.The tour will start at the royal kitchen of Sojubang where participants will be served a royal box meal, which is based on the Joseon kings’ typical meal with 12 dishes, but presented in a