The Korea Herald

Tongyeong festival retains independent streak

CultureMar 24, 2013

Coastal city kicks off contemporary classical music festival Friday
Vivienne Westwood outshines Handel at ‘Semele Walk’

CultureMar 24, 2013

Semele Walk, the opening piece for the Tongyeong International Music Festival featured on Friday evening in its Asian premiere, was as strong as it could get from the beginning. Musicians loosely holding their instruments in rainbow-colored hair and dark eyeliner with funky garments appeared on the catwalk and seated at the front row. As soon as the orchestra started playing the quintessential Baroque tunes of the great George Friedrich Handel, flocks of models sashayed the catwalk, flaunting th
‘Father of African literature,’ Chinua Achebe, dies at 82

CultureMar 24, 2013

NEW YORK (AP) ― Chinua Achebe, the internationally celebrated Nigerian author, statesman and dissident who gave literary birth to modern Africa with “Things Fall Apart’’ and continued for decades to rewrite and reclaim the history of his native country, has died. He was 82.Achebe died following a brief illness, said his agent, Andrew Wylie. His death in Boston was confirmed by Brown University, where he taught.His eminence worldwide was rivaled only by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Toni Morrison and a
‘Book of Mormon’ already breaks record in London

CultureMar 24, 2013

NEW YORK (AP) ― The seemingly unstoppable hit “The Book of Mormon’’ has broken another record ― this time on the oter side of the Atlantic. The quirky, profane musical opened Thursday night to some critical bashing, but the next day earned the highest one-day gross in London theater history. Between 10 a.m. and midnight Friday, 2.1 million pounds ($3.2 million) worth of tickets were sold at the box office, according to final figures. By comparison, the Broadway version only earned $1.5 million t
N. Korean movie to be shown at Hawaii, Wisconsin film festivals

PeopleMar 24, 2013

A North Korean movie that has made its debut in the United States last month will be shown at two more film festivals in the United States, a media report said Saturday.The romantic comedy made jointly by North Korean, British and Belgian film producers has been invited to the Hawaii and Wisconsin film events slated for April, Radio Free Asia said. The movie is set and filmed in Pyongyang, and portrays the life of Kim Yong-mi, a 28-year-old coal miner, who overcomes hardships to fulfill her drea
Bahk to head fund to write off long overdue debt

PeopleMar 24, 2013

Bahk Byong-won, chairman of the Korea Federation of Banks, was tapped to concurrently head a fund for helping restore the credit of long-term delinquents, industry sources said. The “National Happiness Fund,” scheduled to be formally launched this week, will select the 61-year-old as chairman at a shareholders’ meeting. The board will consist of Bahk and other members, who are chairmen of the General Insurance Association of Korea, the Korea Life Insurance Association, the Korea Financial Inves
Nobel laureate lectures on universe at Songdo Global University

PeopleMar 24, 2013

George F. Smoot, a Nobel laureate and Big Bang theorist, gave a public lecture at Songdo Global University in Incheon on Saturday, the Incheon Center for International Cooperation & Exchange (ICICE) said. The astrophysicist explained interesting cosmic phenomena, including the history of the universe, to the audience of hundreds of teenage students, their parents and Incheon citizens. He also called on the youth to continue to study in various fields without letting up in order to catch up with
Researchers looking to create human heart

HealthMar 24, 2013

Medical researchers in Spain say they are close to being able to grow human hearts for transplants outside the body.Doctors have already grown and transplanted a number of human organs, including windpipes, ears, tear ducts and an artery, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.Now, they want to recreate a heart. Researchers in Spain say although the country has the highest number of organ donors in the world, only about 10 percent of patients in need of a new heart get one.Dr. Francisco Fernand
The modern library revolution

CultureMar 22, 2013

In today’s increasingly digital world, collecting and enjoying books may seem outdated. Nonetheless, many still remain attached to paper books as they allow for a “comprehensive” experience. “I love the feeling of turning the pages, which is a special experience. Paper books will always be closer to my heart,” said Chung Hye-sun, a 34-year-old office worker. In order to survive in the digital era, many libraries are specializing, devoting their shelves to a specific category or language, for exa
Wisdom of the pages

CultureMar 22, 2013

Nation’s oldest library showcases knowledge of nation’s forefathers
Kim Woo-choong returns home

PeopleMar 22, 2013

Kim Woo-choong, former chairman of Daewoo Group, has returned home to attend the 46th anniversary of the founding of the chaebol.An official of Daewoosky Institute, founded by former Daewoo executives and employees, said Friday that Kim came back to Korea from Vietnam on Wednesday afternoon. The 46th anniversary celebration was hosted by the institute at AW Convention Center in Seoul on Friday. Last year, he also returned to Seoul from abroad to attend the 45th anniversary. It was the first time
Calendar

CultureMar 22, 2013

Theater“Red Poetry”: Local theater troupe Theater Company Gorae is presenting “Red Poetry,” a play that deftly links the controversial suicide of actress Jang Ja-yeon in 2009 to the stories of elderly women who were forced to be sex slaves for the Japanese military during World War II. The play is being told from the perspective of fictional character Dong-ju (played by Kim Dong-wan), a reporter who is deeply disturbed by the sudden death of a popular actress, a stand-in for the late Jang. The s
Korean tourists to Japan jump 40 percent in Jan.

TravelMar 22, 2013

Korean tourists to Japan surged in January, up 41.2 percent from last year. The total number of Korean tourists increased from 1,658,073 in 2011, when the number hit its lowest following the devastating earthquake and tsunami, to 2,044,263 in 2012. The Japanese tourism board attributed the increase to the fall in the value of the yen and the diminishing fear of radiation. According to local travel agency Mode Tour, 14,200 Koreans booked Japanese travel packages in January and 14,700 in February,
Second Italian food festival in Korea

TravelMar 22, 2013

The second Italian food festival will be held in Korea to present locals with the “real” taste of Italy. The Italian Chamber of Commerce in Korea and five Italian restaurants in Seoul, who are members of the chamber and its food and beverage committee, will be participating in the festival, scheduled for March 30-April 30. The participating restaurants are Buon Posto and Italian Gril Spasso in Cheongdam-dong, CasAntonio in Itaewon, Elea in Gocheok-dong and Trattoria da Franco in Bongcheon-dong.
KORAIL mountain train on trial run

TravelMar 22, 2013

KORAIL this week conducted a trial run of sightseeing and mountain trains launching later this month. The “O-train” that loops around attractions in Taebaek, Jaecheon and Yeongju offers passengers the opportunity to watch their train moving via sightseeing monitors installed inside. The shuttle train is decorated with four seasonal motifs of the Korean mountains and features an observation platform, rooms with different-sized beds, a children’s playground and coffee shops. The other mountain tra