The Korea Herald

Archaeologists race to save Gaza’s ancient ruins

CultureAug 21, 2013

ST. HILARION, Gaza Strip (AP) ― The ruins of this ancient complex sit on dunes by the sea, a world away from Gaza City’s noise and bustle. Up in the sky, birds compete for space with children’s kites flying from a nearby farm.St. Hilarion’s monastery, a reminder of the time in late antiquity when Christianity was the dominant faith in what is now the Gaza Strip, is one of many archaeological treasures scattered across this coastal territory.But Gaza is one of the most crowded places on earth, an
Turkish fans of Korean cinema get festival treatment

CultureAug 21, 2013

Korean directors, actors head to Istanbul for first Korea-Turkey joint film fest
Korea’s longest walking trail reveals beauty of east coast

TravelAug 21, 2013

Haeparang Road offers 50 courses and 770 km of adventurous trekking
Author Elmore Leonard dies

PeopleAug 21, 2013

DETROIT (AP) ― Elmore Leonard, a former adman who later became one of America’s foremost crime writers, died Tuesday. He was 87. His researcher, Gregg Sutter, said Leonard died from complications from a stroke he suffered a few weeks ago. Leonard won an honorary National Book Award in 2012. His more than 40 novels were populated by pathetic schemers, clever con men and casual killers. Many of the novels ― notably “Out of Sight,” “Get Shorty” and “Be Cool” ― were made into films. Critics adored h
Richest U.S. Congressman worth at least $355 million

PeopleAug 21, 2013

WASHINGTON (AFP) ― Republican Darrell Issa of California was 2012’s richest member of Congress, worth at least $355 million, according to a ranking published Tuesday.The congressman, who made his fortune in car security systems, topped the annual list of the 50 wealthiest lawmakers published by The Hill newspaper, a trade publication about Washington politics.A large portion of Issa’s assets come from investment funds and properties valued in the millions. The rankings were based on financial di
Tongmyong Univ. to confer doctorate to Indian envoy

PeopleAug 21, 2013

Indian Ambassador to South Korea Vishnu Prakash will receive an honorary Ph.D. in business administration from Tongmyong University on Thursday, the school in Busan said.It is uncommon for a foreign ambassador in Korea to get an honorary doctorate from a local university. Prakash is the first foreign envoy to receive such an honorary degree from Tongmyong.Prakash organized an Indian film festival in cooperation with the university and Busan City from April 26-28 as an event to commemorate the 40
U.N. chief’s childhood house in Chungju restored

PeopleAug 21, 2013

The old house where U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon lived in Chungju, North Chungcheong Province, has been restored. Born on June 13, 1944, he lived in the house for 20 years from 1950 to 1970. The municipal government of Chungju said Wednesday that it had completed the restoration work, which began in 2011 and cost 330 million won ($295,000). The owner of the house is said to have handed over the ownership readily to city authorities for its project to turn it into a memorable place. Ban att
Samsung chairman Lee hospitalized

PeopleAug 21, 2013

Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Kun-hee has been hospitalized for pneumonia, a group official said Wednesday. Lee, 71, was admitted to the Samsung Medical Center in Seoul a week ago, and is expected to be released from the hospital this weekend, the official said. The tycoon has a history of lung cancer, for which he underwent surgery in the United States about a decade ago.There have been rumors that Lee's health has been declining, although the business group has strongly denied the claim.Lee
Free pension service seminar in Itaewon on Aug. 31

Expat LivingAug 20, 2013

Itaewon Global Village Center is running a free seminar on the National Pension Service and its benefits and legal requirements.The session runs Aug. 30 from 10:30 a.m. and explains about how the pension system works, the types of benefits offered and how they are calculated, and how those eligible can get a refund when they leave Korea. The orientation is free to attend and booking is not essential, but the center asks those attending to notify in advance via itaewon@sba.seoul.kr or (02) 2199-8
Spanish cooking class in Gangnam on Aug. 28

Expat LivingAug 20, 2013

Yeoksam Global Village Center in Seoul is running a Spanish cooking class on Aug. 28 at 1 p.m. The class will show participants how to cook a wide variety of Iberian party food in less than an hour, with tapas including black olive sauce, apple bacon onion, pepper jack cheese, smoked ham and spicy shrimp.Other refreshments prepared will include sangria, rose and lavender drinks, gazpacho Andaluz, devilled eggs, pesto with greens, fruit yogurt dessert, and shortbread cookies.The cost is 10,000 wo
Spoken word showcased at Busan open mic

Expat LivingAug 20, 2013

Spoken word open mic night Wordz Only will run this Saturday at Cafe Radio in Busan.Wordz Only is a monthly event with performers of all types of spoken word welcome, from slam poetry to prose. It runs from 8:30-11:30 p.m. and beginners are welcome.To share your work, arrive by 8:30 p.m. and enter your name. The first performer is drawn at random and the performers will then draw the next artist until the end of the night. Performers are asked to keep their reading time to seven to 10 minutes. C
Gaelic football set for Saturday finale

Expat LivingAug 20, 2013

The Korean Gaelic League will hold its final round on what promises to be a baking hot Saturday in Ansan.The league has five teams playing in both men’s and women’s competitions ― two each from Seoul Gaels and Laochra Busan and one from Daegu na Fianna, with all teams playing each other once in each round and the overall winner chosen in a conventional league format.Seoul Gaels A leads the men’s competition, while Laochra Busan A leads the women’s league. Gaelic football has been in Korea for mo
Seoul Ex-Patriots first all-foreign team in Woosu League baseball

Expat LivingAug 20, 2013

A team of expat baseball players has made it into the highest tier of one of Korea’s top amateur leagues, becoming the league’s first all-foreign team in the process. The Seoul Ex-Patriots are mostly players chosen from the Seoul Baseball League. The team started when one of its players, Dennis Jung, who played in both leagues, proposed the inclusion of an SBL team in the Woosu League.“The Woosu League liked the idea of an all-foreigner baseball team. It’s never been done before. They’ve always
Diversity of crafts laid bare in Cheongju

Arts&DesignAug 20, 2013

The 8th Cheongju International Craft Biennale brings together contemporary craftworks from around the world
Artifacts become casualties of Egypt unrest

CultureAug 20, 2013

CAIRO (AP) ― As violent clashes roiled Egypt, looters made away with a prized 3,500-year-old limestone statue, ancient beaded jewelry and more than 1,000 other artifacts in the biggest theft to hit an Egyptian museum in living memory.The scale of the looting of the Malawi Museum in the southern Nile River city of Minya laid bare the security vacuum that has taken hold in cities outside Cairo, where police have all but disappeared from the streets. It also exposed how bruised and battered the vio