The Korea Herald

Korea's folk paintings on exhibition in Paris next month

CultureFeb 12, 2016

An art consulting company said Friday that it will hold an exhibition in Paris next month on Korea's traditional folk paintings.HelioArt said the exhibition will show some 60 paintings of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) at Adam Mickiewicz Museum in Paris from March 14-31.The exhibition will be sponsored by the culture ministries of the two countries on the occasion of their 130th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. Abundant satire and humor are the main characteristics of th
Home Cooking: Mapo tofu

Food&BeverageFeb 12, 2016

Mapo tofu (or mapa dubu) is a popular Chinese dish in which small tofu cubes are braised in a spicy sauce. Mapo tofu recipes typically call for doubanjiang (called dubanjang in Korea) which is a spicy, salty chili with fermented bean paste and Sichuan peppercorns (aka Chinese coriander), but these ingredients are not staples in Korean kitchens. Mapo tofu (Korean Bapsang)　So, to recreate this dish at home, Koreans often use a combination of doenjang (fermented soybean paste), gochugaru (red chil
[Around the hotels] Round up of hotel events and news

TravelFeb 12, 2016

Gremillet named Grand Hyatt Incheon’s pastry chef　Grand Hyatt Incheon has appointed Julien Gremillet the hotel’s new executive pastry chef. 　Gremillet, who has more than 15 years of experience, will oversee the pastry and dessert items for all the hotel’s restaurants and events. 　Prior to joining Grand Hyatt Incheon, Gremillet was the executive pastry chef at Raffles Praslin in Seychelles.　Born in France, Gremillet began his pastry career in 1999, working at a variety of pastry shops and cateri
[Travel bits] Round up of travel news from around the world

TravelFeb 12, 2016

K-Smile Campaign to greet foreign tourists　Visit Korea Committee conducted K-Smile Campaign at Myeong-dong Theater on Feb. 12 to celebrate Korea Grand Sale held as part of 2016-2018 Visit Korea Year. The campaign aims at building a culture of kindness and raising the level of tourists’ satisfaction by improvements in the tourism sector, including accommodation, transportation, food, and shopping. Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism Kim Jong-deok, “Non-summit” members Alberto Mondi and Nikol
[Herald Interview] Um Hong-gil always has a new peak to reach

PeopleFeb 12, 2016

Mountaineer-turned-humanitarian says he refuses to give up, always thinking about his next goal
Korean speaking contest to be held in Cuba

CultureFeb 12, 2016

The South Korean Embassy in Mexico said Thursday it will hold a Korean speaking contest in Havana together with South Korea's Hanyang University and Cuba's Jose Marti Cultural Center.Twelve finalists, who have been selected from a preliminary test of 25 applicants, will vie for the grand prize in the contest on Saturday.Hanyang University will invite the top prize winner to South Korea for one month during the summer vacation and offer an opportunity to learn the Korean language and experience K
Lawyer’s memoir recounts stories of justice and redemption

BooksFeb 11, 2016

By Molly Born　Pittsburgh Post-GazetteAt first Bryan Stevenson was conflicted about whether writing a book on his life’s work was the best use of his time.Since 1989 the lawyer and activist has led the Equal Justice Initiative, the Alabama legal practice he founded, which represents death row prisoners, juvenile offenders sent to adult prisons and the wrongfully convicted.“I felt like if more people saw what I see on a regular basis, they would think differently about those issues, and that is ul
When citizenship can be bought and sold

BooksFeb 11, 2016

By Sasha Frere-Jones　Los Angeles TimesM.I.A.‘s single, “Borders,” isn’t the official theme song for journalist Atossa Araxia Abrahamian‘s nonfiction debut, “The Cosmopolites” (Columbia Global Reports), but we can pretend it is. In the first verse, M.I.A. asks, “Borders -- what’s up with that?” “The Cosmopolites” is one answer.Both the book and the song are reactions to the movement of populations, the increasingly permeable divisions among states. This condition bridges classes and countries: It
Seoul city to run four night markets this year

CultureFeb 11, 2016

The Seoul metropolitan government said Thursday it will open four night markets at different locations starting next month to attract more tourists and offer more business opportunities to small vendors.The city administration said three more night markets will be operated next year, depending on the success of the night markets this year. It also plans to expand the number of night markets to 10 in 2018.According to a city official, a night market will open at Hangang Park in Yeouido, southwest
Seoul Selection publishes visual book series on Korean heritage

CultureFeb 11, 2016

Seoul Selection said Thursday it has published an English language book on court paintings from the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) to introduce more Korean culture and tradition to foreigners.The 170-page book on court paintings, the first part of the series "Visual Korean Heritage," features the beauty of various court paintings as well as royal rituals, banquets and processions.Pictures of flowers, birds, mountains, the sea and divine animals are also introduced in the pictures with the author's c
K-Travel Bus offers special deal for February

TravelFeb 11, 2016

The Visit Korea Committee is offering a special promotion this month for foreign travelers using the K-Travel Bus.The promotion is part of the Korea Grand Sale, a month-long shopping and tourism festival taking place in Seoul and major cities around the country from Feb. 1 to Feb. 29. During the festival, tourists from overseas can take advantage of large discounts in shopping, food, entertainment, Korean cultural experiences, transportation and accommodations.Promotional image for the K-Travel
Apple co-founder is bringing us an even nerdier ‘Comic Con’

CultureFeb 11, 2016

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak had a front row seat as the personal computer began to reshape society. So it made perfect sense to him to bring a convention meshing technology with pop culture to Silicon Valley. The convergence will occur March 18-20 in San Jose, California, with the debut of Silicon Valley Comic Con. It's a new twist on an idea that has brought together fans of science fiction, fantasy and superheroes at packed shows held around the world for years. Apple
‘The Short Drop’ features strong shades of political thriller

BooksFeb 11, 2016

Unbridled power and relentless revenge converge in the exciting, tightly plotted “The Short Drop,” which launches a new series about former computer hacker Gibson Vaughn.　Matthew FitzSimmons delivers an assured, action-packed debut that features strong shades of the political thriller. Fans of Lee Child, Gregg Hurwitz and Harlan Coben will find much to like in “The Short Drop.”"The Short Drop" By Matthew FitzSimmons(Thomas & Mercer)　On the surface, Gibson appears to be the quintessential thrille
How the Vatican separates faith from fiction

BooksFeb 11, 2016

For legions of Catholics, and not a few church bureaucrats, the supernatural is as real and present as it was for their medieval forebears.　In “The Vatican Prophecies: Investigating Supernatural Signs, Apparitions and Miracles in the Modern Age,” veteran Catholic journalist John Thavis explores their world of Marian apparitions, relics, exorcisms, doomsday visions and other purported encounters with the supernatural."The Vatican Prophecies: Investigating Supernatural Signs, Apparitions and Mirac
Gnarr’s ‘The Pirate’ reminisces ‘Catcher in the Rye’

BooksFeb 11, 2016

“The Pirate,” the second installment of Jon Gnarr‘s childhood memoir trilogy, is essentially an Icelandic-punk version of “Catcher in the Rye.” Rather than Holden Caulfield wandering the streets of New York looking for someone who is not a phony, Gnarr narrates in pseudo-stream-of-consciousness style through his never-ending search for real punks in Iceland."The Pirate" By Jon Gnarr, Translated by Lytton Smith (Deep Vellum)　Gnarr was diagnosed at a young age with an intellectual disability cause