The Korea Herald

Malcolm Gladwell battles giants in ‘David and Goliath’

BooksOct 24, 2013

David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling GiantsBy Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown and Co.)The dose makes the poison, as Paracelsus, the father of toxicology, is supposed to have said. A glass of water is good for you; an ocean’s worth can be fatal.That’s the underlying message of Malcolm Gladwell’s new exercise in raconteurship, “David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants.” The book is ostensibly about how underdogs can win, but for great stretche
YFU Korea builds a bridge between Korea and Japan

PeopleOct 24, 2013

The Youth for Understanding in Korea, a nonprofit student-exchange organization, is on a mission to build a bridge between Korea and Japan, according to its president.Shin Chung-ha, 73, the president of YFU International Korea, has been leading the organization since its foundation in 1989.He said YFU Korea’s program first started between Korea and Japan with the goal of “raising youth awareness and decreasing historical hostility between the two nations.”In the past 24 years, more than 500 stu
UNESCO most likely to list kimchi as cultural heritage

CultureOct 23, 2013

(Yonhap) -- Kimchi, a spicy fermented cabbage side dish iconic of Korean food, is most likely to make it to UNESCO's list of cultural heritage, the government said Wednesday. The body that deliberates on new additions has categorized South Korea's "Kimjang; Making and Sharing Kimchi" as recommended for inscription, according to the Cultural Heritage Administration.The final decision is due in December when UNESCO's intergovernmental committee meets in Azerbaijan. The subsidiary body that
China’s travel law seen having temporary impact on tourism

TravelOct 23, 2013

The new Chinese travel law that prevents forced shopping trips and extra tour fees for overseas tour groups is having an immediate impact on the Korean tourism market, which has seen the number of Chinese tour groups take a tumble since the law came into effect on Oct. 1. According to Lotte Tour, a travel agency that handles Chinese tour groups, it has seen a large drop in the number of Chinese tour groups this month. “It went down drastically by around one-third or one-quarter of the usual,” sa
Joseon art to be displayed in San Francisco

CultureOct 23, 2013

A total of 71 artifacts reflecting the prosperity and cultural diversity of the Joseon period (1392-1910) will be displayed at the San Francisco Asian Art Museum from Friday. “In Grand Style ― Celebrations in Korean Art During The Joseon Dynasty” will be the first major U.S. exhibition to examine the legacy of the Yi dynasty ― among the world’s longest running ― that continues to resonate in Korean culture today, the organizers said. The exhibition is to feature four themes: what it meant to be
Americans warm to online dating: survey

CultureOct 23, 2013

WASHINGTON (AFP) ― Americans are growing more comfortable with online dating, and many are finding a spouse or partner in cyberspace, a survey showed Monday.The Pew Research Center found 11 percent of Internet users ― or some nine percent of all American adults ― said they have personally used an online dating site. That is a sharp increase from 2008, when just three percent of American adults had used online dating sites, Pew said.The survey found 66 percent of those who use online sites or app
New layering ideas for spring looks

FashionOct 23, 2013

Seoul fashion designers present multi-layered looks for spring/summer 2014
Champagne’s Bouzy little secret

Food&BeverageOct 23, 2013

BOUZY, France (AFP) ― If ever there was a place destined to produce a cheeky tipple, it has to be the village of Bouzy in the champagne country of northern France.Yes, it really is pronounced “boozy” and that is not the only thing that stands out about this charming little corner of the wine world.All around stretch vineyards that produce the grapes to make the world’s most prestigious sparkling wine. For as far as the eye can see, bubbles are the business, and a lucrative one at that.Bouzy howe
Suu Kyi finally gets EU Sakharov rights prize

PeopleOct 23, 2013

STRASBOURG (AFP) ― Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Tuesday finally received the EU’s Sakharov rights prize she won in 1990 at the height of a brutal military crackdown, but said her work was not yet done.Members of the European Parliament gave Nobel peace laureate Suu Kyi a standing ovation as she accepted the award from the parliament’s president Martin Schulz.“You demonstrate that people who fight for democracy will triumph in the end,” Schulz said. “I congratulate you. ... You a
First Korean astronaut addresses controversy over MBA study in U.S.

PeopleOct 23, 2013

Korea's first astronaut Yi So-yeon refuted Wednesday a lawmaker's claims that taxpayers' money spent on her has been a waste since she is pursuing a seemingly unrelated degree in business, saying that still her ultimate goal is to help advance Korean space technology."It was a decision I made after realizing that I can't live the rest of my life talking about what I did in space for 11 days. I chose to pursue an MBA because I want to be someone who connects science with investors," Yi told Yonha
Seoul Players shadow Rocky Horror for Halloween

Expat LivingOct 22, 2013

Seoul Players will be holding their annual “shadow-cast” performance of the “Rocky Horror Picture Show” on Friday and Saturday.The event involves a screening of the film with a shadow cast of live actors in front, who will act out and dance the comedy-horror musical onstage at the same time.The show has become a Halloween tradition for the troupe, and audience participation and costumes are strongly encouraged.The show runs at Bull & Barrel in Itaewon, and starts 11 p.m. on Friday and 10 p.m. on
Gangnam center to run communication workshop

Expat LivingOct 22, 2013

Gangnam Global Business Center will host a free workshop on workplace communication in Korea.The workshop will be hosted by Chung Ha-jin, a communication specialist and chief researcher at the Culture Art Education Institute and the Korea Green Industry Development Institute Center. It will look at ways in which foreign businesspeople and workers can better communicate with their Korean employees, colleagues and supervisors. The workshop will take place on Oct. 31 at Coex in Samseong-dong from 7
GIC opens applications for fall language classes

Expat LivingOct 22, 2013

Gwangju International Center is running its next term of language classes from Nov. 5-Dec. 21.Classes are available in beginner and intermediate levels of Korean on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, Wednesday and Friday mornings, and Saturdays, depending on level.There are also specialist courses with a focus on either Korean speaking, pronunciation or entertainment on Saturday afternoons. TOPIK classes at all levels are offered on Saturdays and Tuesday and Thursday mornings.The center also runs Ja
Kids’ soccer showdown to hit Yongin

Expat LivingOct 22, 2013

Hundreds of kids will be convening on Yongin Soccer Center in Gyeonggi Province this weekend for the Asia Soccer Shootout Tournament.It is the first run for the tournament, organized by International Football Education and SporTour Agency, with 64 teams expected from across the country and overseas. IFE is a soccer school in Seoul run by expats. Its director of football Phil Neiland said that they decided to set up the tournament after seeing the effect the center had on the kids there, from sim
Seoul walking tour turns to the ‘Dark Side’

Expat LivingOct 22, 2013

It is a Saturday evening on a street corner in Seoul’s Ahyeon-dong, and a foreign man is handing out baggies of powder to a group of women.This is the Dark Side of Seoul Tour, Seoul’s only ghost walk in English, and host Joe McPherson is concerned about the safety of the women on the tour, after rumors in the area from colonial times.“There were tales of women being harassed by Japanese ghosts, so they used to carry a little bit of chili powder in their purses to throw at Japanese ghosts, becaus