The War Memorial of Korea in Yongsan, Seoul, reopened the newly furnished U.N. hall on Wednesday. The exhibition room on the third floor has been renovated to mark 60 years since the signing of the Korean War armistice. South and North Korea fought each other from 1950-1953 and are still technically at war.Its space has been expanded from 990 square meters to 1,647 square meters after four months of remodeling.The number of items on display also has increased from about 400 to some 1,000. The ne

KATHMANDU (AFP) ― Down a narrow, stone-paved alley a few minutes’ walk from Kathmandu’s bustling tourist hub of Durbar Square, Uttam Manandhar prepares a tapas-style array of buffalo brain, spine and testicles. It might not look appetising to Westerners but dozens of indigenous Newars gather daily in his “bhatti” as part of a centuries-old social scene largely missed by the thousands of tourists who come to Nepal in search of culture.Hidden in the capital’s myriad labyrinthine alleyways are hund

Conscripted K-pop star Rain was discharged from military service on Wednesday, receiving a warm welcome from his fans. The 31-year-old singer, whose real name is Jung Ji-hoon, served for 21 months as an "entertainment soldier" for an Army unit that provides TV and radio programming that promotes the military. All able-bodied men should serve roughly two years in the South Korean military, which is still technically at war with North Korea. Over 100 people, mostly from Japan, and reporters flocke

The Camarata Music Company is looking for members to join the Camarata Chorale, for their Autumn “pops” concert on Sept. 7.The performance, described by Camarata as “a fun, laid-back concert,” will include songs from musicals and movies, popular music and world music. Rehearsals will begin on July 28 and generally run from 4-7 p.m. at the Camarata Music Company Studio in Haebangchon, near Noksapyeong Station. There will be some additional rehearsals from 3 p.m., and new members will be asked to

Expats are invited to enter a cooking contest as part of a “slow food” event in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, on Oct. 3.The International Residents Cooking Contest is run in partnership with WWOOF Korea, the local branch of an international group that arranges for public volunteers to help on organic farms, and Asio Gusto, a slow-food festival for the Asia-Pacific region. Slow food is a movement encouraging the use of local and regional foods and sustainable farming methods.Kota Fukuyama, who he

As Ramadan begins Wednesday, the Korea Muslim Federation has uploaded a timetable of sunsets, sunrises and other times.The timetable is available at koreaislam.net and includes a list of places of worship.The fast-breaking meal of iftar will be provided at the Seoul Central Masjid every day after magrib prayers. Taraweeh prayers will be held throughout Ramadan at the masjid.(paulkerry@heraldcorp.com)

The Irish expat community is petitioning the Irish government to reform the existing pension agreement between Ireland and South Korea. The petition has close to 500 signatories and was created by Kenneth Quillinan, a professor at Kyungpook National University. “I strongly believe that it is only a matter of time that this outdated agreement is altered,” Quillinan said.In a growing Irish community living and working in South Korea, many are frustrated at not having access to a substantial amount

LONDON (AFP) ― Queen Elizabeth II’s eldest granddaughter, eventing champion Zara Tindall, and her rugby player husband Mike Tindall are expecting their first child at the beginning of next year, Buckingham Palace announced on Monday.The couple married in July 2011, three months after Tindall’s cousin Prince William and Catherine, and announced their pregnancy just days before the second-in-line to the throne is expecting his first child.“Mr. and Mrs. Mike Tindall are very pleased to announce tha

Seoul National University said Tuesday it would rename a library room after United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in appreciation of his donation to the university. Ban recently contributed an undisclosed amount of money to SNU to help pay for a new library building, according to the school.In recognition of his donation, SNU will name one of 50 study rooms at the new library after the U.N. chief, it said. SNU earlier launched a campaign to raise funds for the new library project with the