A Cuban girl of Korean ancestry was surprised to spot familiar faces in the Museum of Korean Immigration History in Incheon on Tuesday.“I was taken aback to see a photo of my maternal great-great-grandparents. I saw their photo at home,” Mei-Lai Contreras Fong, a 17-year-old from Cuba, told local news media. “The photo struck me that Korea has not forgotten us.”Her maternal grandfather’s grandfather was one of almost 300 Koreans who went halfway across the world by ship to Mexico in 1905 before

  Korea’s first president, Syngman Rhee, makes an address to the U.S. Congress in 1954.The April 19 Revolution in 1960President Park Chung-hee meets U.S. President John F. Kennedy in 1961.Kim Jae-kyu, chief of the intelligence agency, stands trial for assassinating President Park Chung-hee in 1979.Soldiers clamp down on the Gwangju Democratization Movement in 1980Hyundai Motors rolls out the 200,000th Pony in 1980. The company began manufacturing the nation’s first mass-produced car in 1975.Pres

Six decades following Korean War saw rise of internationally recognized figures who were both products of their times as well as pioneers of culture

Whether they are reporting in Spanish, French or English, most foreign correspondents working in South Korea rely on domestic English-language media outlets to stay informed on what is happening here.The reason is obvious. It is simply too difficult to learn Korean, at least well enough to read Korean language papers. Many foreign correspondents rely on The Korea Herald and media outlets like it, such as the English language wire service that Yonhap News provides for Korean news and information.

More than 1,300 people applied in April to serve as telephone translators for BBB Korea, an institution specializing in free 24-hour Korean-English telephone translation services. Of the 431 applicants offering their time to serve, was Choi Soo-hyun, the governor of the Financial Supervisory Service.Becoming a volunteer translator may not be the most eventful occurence in the FSS head’s life, but his candidacy for such a position reckons an explanation. A recipient of a bachelor’s degree from Se

Unless a foreign envoy here has local staff dedicated to translating news articles into his or her native language, the South Korea-based English-language media is indispensable for diplomats. Even for foreign missions with a sizable local staff, foreign ambassadors turn to the English language press as a source of knowledge on Korean culture, politics and economy.This the case for Australian Ambassador to South Korea William Paterson. “As an English speaker, The Korea Herald provides me with ke

The 16-year-old middle-school student flipped through the English dictionary, slowly pushing aside the wrinkled sheets of paper. He squinted his eyes as he stared intensely at the book, while ignoring his mother’s calls to come and eat dinner.“Mr. Kim Hong-yup, I will not repeat myself. Get over here and eat your dinner,” snapped his mother from the kitchen.Hong-yup barely mumbled a reply. “I’m busy, mom.”The freckled teenager was a bookworm, but he was taking on a new challenge in the realm of

The Daegu Theatre Troupe, a theatrical group of English-speaking expats, is soon to stage William Goldman’s “The Princess Bride.”“The Princess Bride” is a satirical, fantasy love story centering around two adolescents, Buttercup and Westley. Throughout the play, they face a multitude of obstacles that keep them apart.Jarod Clegg, the director of the Daegu Theatre Troupe production, also wrote the script for their adaptation. He describes their version as a “fun, good natured play” in which they

Korea Foundation show highlights key trends in design, architecture from global design leaders