Seoul is a vibrant megalopolis with modern high rises crowding the city’s major arteries. Nestled among the gleaming buildings are maze-like alleys that appear to have escaped the passage of time. The Korea Herald explores the many nooks and crannies of Seoul, proclaimed the capital of Joseon in 1392, that reveal a multifaceted city. -- Ed. Walking out of the Jongno 3-ga Station in central Seoul, you will find vibrant streets of jewelry shops, tourists, couples on dates, street vendors and movie

Kim Whan-ki’s “Dawn #3,” museum’s most expensive purchase, showcased at new acquisitions show

Being a minimalist is confined not only to reducing the possessions of material things but giving up on unnecessary and superficial social relationships in life, according to an author who wrote a book in Korean about how to live a minimalist life and take care of domestic work.“Having deep relations with two people is more comfortable and (psychologically) healthier than having superficial relations with 10 people. Because you don’t say much and say only necessary things to a person you deeply

The political scandal of former President Park Geun-hye, rooted in her decades-long relationship with her confidante Choi Soon-sil, is one of the biggest, if not strangest, in modern Korean history. It's also too good a topic for TV networks to just pass up.But it's one thing for network executives to order new shows that deal with the latest politics. It's another for showrunners to take the inside minutia of politics and actually make it interesting and engaging, not just for political junkies

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Thursday vowed to push for legislation that would protect artists from discrimination, including political oppression, as part of its follow-up measure aimed at preventing the government from drawing up a blacklist of cultural figures.Investigation of the corruption and influence-peddling scandal involving President Park Geun-hye and her confidante Choi Soon-sil has revealed that the ministry kept a list of artists who were to be excluded from recei

LVMH will tap architect Frank Gehry once again to create a center for applied arts beside his Louis Vuitton Foundation, the luxury group and the City of Paris announced Wednesday.The celebrated Canadian-American architect, 88, will be tasked with renovating and transforming a disused museum located a stone’s throw from the futuristic Foundation he built on the western edge of Paris in the Bois de Boulogne.“The new center will be dedicated to artists, live performances and to the applied arts and

Following the joint Korea-US decision to deploy the THAAD battery in Korea last July, a de facto Hallyu ban has been in place in China. Following is the second article in a three-part series that examines the impact of the unofficial Hallyu ban on the Korean entertainment and tourism industries. --Ed.With China clamping down on Korea-bound tourism -- widely suspected as retaliation for the upcoming Seoul-Washington deployment of the US missile defense system here -- the tourism industry is searc

Seoul is a vibrant megalopolis with modern high rises crowding the city’s major arteries. Nestled among the gleaming buildings are maze-like alleys that appear to have escaped the passage of time. The Korea Herald explores the many nooks and crannies of Seoul, proclaimed the capital of Joseon in 1392, that reveal a multifaceted city. -- Ed. Navigating through the Haebangchon neighborhood of Yongsan can be a challenge. Houses are perched on steep hills. Cars squeeze past labyrinthine roads while

Ivo van Hove’s “The Fountain” will be performed in Seoul from March 31 to April 2, marking the second time that the theater director will visit Korea to stage his production. The Fountainhead, a stage adaptation of a 1943 novel by Ayn Rand of the same name, was first unveiled in 2014 and has received mostly positive reviews. The four-hour show’s protagonist is a young architect Howard Roark who refuses to compromise his artistic and personal vision for worldly success. The character’s interactio

During winter, the Park Geun-hye scandal dumbfounded many citizens, with the irregular situation in administrative affairs still ongoing.Political ups and downs can be likened to the stock market. Stocks that have nosedived to rock bottom often recover at a rapid pace. Life is the same. Put the anger aside for a moment and observe spring knocking on our windows. It has come to soothe the people. Beautiful flowers are poised to placate those who have grown sick and tired of the political fiasco.C

Two amateur treasure hunters have uncovered a bracelet decorated with some of the earliest Celtic art ever found in Britain in a trove of gold jewelry revealed Tuesday. A handout image made available by Staffordshire County Council on Tuesday shows a collection of Iron Age gold jewelry that were discovered in a field in Staffordshire, central England in December 2016. (AFP-Yonhap)Metal detectorists Mark Hambleton and Joe Kania made the discovery of the three torques and a bracelet, which may hav

“Moonlight” won the best picture trophy at the Academy Awards in a historic Oscar upset that followed Warren Beatty at first reading the wrong winner. Shock and chaos spread through the Dolby Theatre when producers of “La La Land” were stopped in the middle of their acceptance speeches to be informed that Beatty had incorrectly read “La La Land” as the winner. “I wasn't trying to be funny,” Beatty explained, saying he had seen the name Emma Stone from “La La Land” when he opened his envelope.Hos

Thousands of film fans gathered in London’s Trafalgar Square Sunday for a screening of “The Salesman” by Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, who is boycotting the Oscars over US President Donald Trump’s policies.　Just hours before the Oscars ceremony in Los Angeles, where the film is vying for the Best Foreign Language Film award, the London landmark was transformed into a giant open-air cinema. 　”Despite our different religions, nationalities and cultures, we are all citizens of the world. I’m ver