The Korea Herald

Royal Asiatic Society offers Gangwon Province excursions

Expat LivingOct 17, 2014

The Royal Asiatic Society Korea Branch is running two overnight excursions to Gangwon Province destinations in the coming weeks.A trip to Mount Seoraksan will run from Oct. 25-26. The tour will leave at 8 a.m. and begin with some afternoon hiking to Biryong ― or “Flying Dragon” ― waterfalls, the site of some of the mountain’s most quintessential fall scenery. There will be a short trip to Shinheungsa Temple, before dinner and an optional dip in the Cheoksan local hot springs. The second day will
Ex-MBC anchorwoman wins court battle with husband

PeopleOct 16, 2014

The husband of former MBC anchorwoman Kim Ju-ha was sentenced to eight months in prison with two years’ suspension, a Seoul court said Wednesday. The Seoul Western District Court found the husband, surnamed Kang, guilty of assaulting Kim four times since July 2008. The court accepted Kim’s claim that her husband slapped her in the face, causing injuries that required up to four weeks to recover. The court also ruled Kang guilty of attempting to forge his wife’s identification in order to review
Compelling study of Dylan’s later life

BooksOct 16, 2014

The second installment of Ian Bell’s two-part biography of Bob Dylan, “Time Out of Mind,” is a compelling, focused examination of the latter half of the elusive singer-songwriter’s life and career, starting off with his acclaimed “Blood on the Tracks” album in 1975 and bringing readers close to the present day. For Dylan’s many obsessive fans, who have been offered a wealth of analyses of this singular artist over the years, Bell delivers the goods. Chapters are heavy with engrossing and sometim
Chicago and ‘The Birth of the Pill’

BooksOct 16, 2014

Chicago journalist Jonathan Eig got the idea for his new book, “The Birth of the Pill,” from a sermon his rabbi gave many years ago.“He was claiming the (birth control) pill was a bigger deal than the airplane, than the A-bomb,” Eig said of Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, then of the Anshe Emet Synagogue on Chicago’s North Side. “At first, I thought he was crazy. Then I came to think maybe he was right.”Eig wondered how the history of something so important could be so quickly forgotten, especially in Ch
‘Full Measure’ is realistic on every level

BooksOct 16, 2014

Full MeasureBy T. Jefferson Parker (St. Martin’s Press)T. Jefferson Parker, known for his crime novels, delivers an emotional and gut-wrenching literary departure that’s miles away from what his fans and readers would expect in “Full Measure.” Patrick Norris returns home after a military tour in Afghanistan. He has been forever changed by the horrors he faced, the people he was forced to kill and the friends he watched die. Patrick is happy to see his family and start a small sport fishing busin
Couple finds lost spark in ‘Brightwell’

BooksOct 16, 2014

Murder at the BrightwellBy Ashley Weaver (Minotaur)At the heart of this light, energetic tale of a group of wealthy eccentrics on holiday at a seaside resort in England emerges a story of a marriage. Yes, there’s a juicy scandal, snobbish comments and petty disagreements among people of a certain class feeling carefree and insular in 1932 Kent. It’s all very Downton Abbey. But “Murder at the Brightwell” by Ashley Weaver also proves to be an insightful look at a marriage that started with a stron
‘Truth Be Told’ has romance, humor

BooksOct 16, 2014

Truth Be ToldBy Hank Phillippi Ryan (Forge)Hank Phillippi Ryan’s latest entry to feature investigative reporter Jane Ryland showcases the author’s ability to balance humor, gripping drama, romance and contemporary issues. In “Truth Be Told,” Ryland is investigating families who have lost their homes due to foreclosure. While onsite at a house that a bank is taking away from a family, Ryland sees police and then the medical examiner arrive. When Detective Jake Brogan arrives on the scene, Ryland
New history of ‘Star Wars’

BooksOct 16, 2014

How Star Wars Conquered the UniverseBy Chris Taylor (Basic Books)“How Star Wars Conquered The Universe” by Chris Taylor is an immensely readable look at the worldwide impact of the “Star Wars” saga over the decades. He calls it “a biography of ‘Star Wars.’”The book covers more than the six movies, cartoons and authorized adaptations. The history includes the fans and their vast creativity and explores the franchise that has become a cultural touchstone with worldwide reach.“I was really very con
Australia’s Flanagan wins Booker fiction prize

BooksOct 15, 2014

LONDON (AP) ― Australian writer Richard Flanagan won the Booker Prize on Tuesday with a visceral book about wartime brutality and its aftermath ― a novel the head of the judging team said was as powerful as a kick in the stomach. Flanagan drew on his father’s experiences as a World War II prisoner of the Japanese for “The Narrow Road to the Deep North,” which centers on the Burma Death Railway, built with forced labor at the cost of tens of thousands of lives. Named after a classic work of Japan
Choi In-ho’s novel published in English

BooksOct 15, 2014

The late beloved Korean novelist Choi In-ho (1945-2013)’s novel “Another Man’s City” was published in English in the United States this week. “Another Man’s City” is the author’s last full-length novel written in 2011 before he died in September 2013 at age 68 after a long battle with cancer. The novel centers on protagonist K, who experiences gradual and increasing shifts and changes in everything he believed to be true. Choi In-ho’s “Another Man’s City.” (Dalkey Archive Press)The scenario of t
Finding home in words: Book club serves homeless

BooksOct 15, 2014

MADISON, Wisconsin ― Sipping coffee and nibbling slices of cake, book club members paged through tattered copies of Alice Walker’s novel “Meridian” and discussed the death imagery throughout the first few chapters of the Pulitzer Prize-winning author’s work.They took turns reading out loud, helping those who had difficulty deciphering some words.All of the paperbacks had been donated. These book club members can’t afford to buy books. And none has bookshelves at home.They don’t have homes.The ho
From Jimmy Buffet to Genesis ace, guitarists flock to fix-it factory

PeopleOct 15, 2014

ORLANDO, Florida ― It’s called a factory, but there’s no assembly line, no automated production.Instead the sawdust-caked Orlando shop known as the Guitar Factory has built a decades-long reputation among local and national musicians as a go-to place for stringed-instrument repairs, as well as custom-built guitars, basses and ukuleles.It’s also a haven for workbench wisdom, where discussions range from politics to parenting to the particulars of replacing a pick guard on an old Martin acoustic.I
Church officials struggle to assist mental patients

CultureOct 15, 2014

David Mandani heard voices telling him to kill himself. He was paranoid. He saw things others didn’t.He was spiraling out of control.Mandani was hospitalized but ran away. Family members found him in a park and asked police for help. He was put in an ambulance, tied down and taken to a psychiatric lockdown facility where he spent several weeks strapped to his bed. His condition was diagnosed as schizophrenia.Medication and counseling helped clear up the voices and irrational beliefs. Still, he r
Gwangju to celebrate multicultural community with GIC Day

Expat LivingOct 14, 2014

The Gwangju International Center will celebrate its 20th annual Gwangju International Community Day in front of the Asian Culture Complex in the city’s downtown area Sunday.The annual day run by the Center will start at 11 a.m. and finish at 5 p.m. It will be centered on a main stage with a talent show and other performances, surrounded by booths introducing groups run by or in support of expatriates here, and cultural showcases.The GIC Day was originally planned for Sept. 29, but the date and v
Saemaul training offered to foreign students

Expat LivingOct 14, 2014

A Korean NGO is inviting students from developing countries to attend a free training session to study Korea’s economic development.Saemaul Undong Central Training Institute, run as a member NGO of the United Nations Development Program to spread information about the development strategy used by Korea in the 1970s, will offer the course in Korean or English from Nov. 6-8.Lectures, a panel discussion session, group discussion sessions, video presentations and a tour of the Saemaul Museum will be