The Korea Herald

Hidden angel mosaic at Bethlehem shrine sees the light

Jul 13, 2016

It was hidden for decades at the church on the site where Jesus Christ is believed to have been born until conservationists uncovered it -- an ancient mosaic of an angel.Since 2013, Italian restorationists have been working with the Palestinian government in a mammoth effort to restore the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank -- hailed by Christians as built on the site where Jesus was born.The roof and windows have been restored and mosaics that had become barely visibl
Muslim Girls Making Change spread messages through poetry

Jul 12, 2016

SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vermont (AP) - Four girls from Vermont are using their voices and powerful performance poetry to get their message out about being Muslim in America, stereotypes, and other issues near to them. Five months after forming their slam poetry group, Muslim Girls Making Change is competing this week in the Brave New Voices international youth poetry slam competition in Washington, DC. "We write poems about things that we can't keep inside of us anymore, so things that we care so much
Ancient ship graveyard found off Greek island

Jul 12, 2016

ATHENS (AFP) -- Forty-five shipwrecks, many dating back to ancient times, have been discovered off a Greek archipelago that is one of the Mediterranean’s richest underwater archaeological sites, authorities said Monday. In addition to the wrecks found off the Fourni islands in the Aegean Sea over the last two years, researchers also spotted anchors and hundreds of ceramic objects, Greece’s Ministry of Culture said in a statement.Some 23 sunken vessels were found in 2016, with another 22 uncovere
Autry Museum acquires works of Henry Fonseca

Jul 12, 2016

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Los Angeles’ Autry Museum of the American West has acquired the estate of renowned Native American artist Henry Fonseca, increasing its collection by several hundred pieces, including many never seen before. Museum officials said Monday the acquisition includes 19 large-scale murals, 69 sketchbooks, a selection of prints, posters, collages and other works, and all of Fonseca’s journals. Fonseca’s works have been exhibited in museums around the country, including the Smithsoni
King Sejong Institute hosts 8th World Korean Educators Conference

Jul 12, 2016

The King Sejong Institute, Korea’s state-supported Korean language training organization, hosted the eighth World Korean Educators Conference on Tuesday to further promote overseas understanding of the Northeast Asian country. A total of 300 attendees are in Seoul to attend the four-day conference that runs till Friday and is designed to educate Korean teachers and improve global cooperation in Korean education, said the institute and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. In the opening c
Beer festival in Sinchon to invite Song Joong-ki

Jul 11, 2016

The second Sinchon Beer Festival will take place on Thursday and Friday in Sinchon’s main street, which stretches from Sinchon Station exits three and four to the front gate of Yonsei University.Hallyu star Song Joong-ki of the hit drama “Descendants of the Sun” will make an appearance at the festival opening as a face for distiller Hite-Jinro, which is sponsoring the festival. (KBS)The company had said on Facebook two weeks ago that it would set up an artificial beach at the festival and invi
UNESCO meets on heritage under shadow of extremism

Jul 11, 2016

ISTANBUL (AFP) - The U.N.’s cultural agency met Sunday in Istanbul to consider adding over two dozen new sites to its prestigious global heritage list, and called for a strong global response to the threats posed by extremism.The meeting of the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO comes less than two weeks after the main airport in Istanbul was hit by a triple suicide attack that left 47 people dead.The strike was blamed on Islamic State group jihadists who have already destroyed irreplaceable her
Israel find may help solve mystery of biblical Philistines

Jul 11, 2016

ASHKELON, Israel (AP) -- An archaeological discovery announced Sunday in Israel may help solve an enduring biblical mystery: Where did the ancient Philistines come from? The Philistines left behind plenty of pottery. But part of the mystery surrounding the ancient people was that very little biological trace of them had been found until 2013.That is when archaeologists excavating the site of the biblical city of Ashkelon found what they say is the first Philistine cemetery ever discovered. They
Dobong-gu to run outdoor swimming pool

Jul 11, 2016

Changdong Sports Culture Complex in Dobong-gu, northeastern Seoul, will open an outdoor swimming pool for a week beginning from Saturday. The opening hours of the pool will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dobong-gu outdoor swimming poolThe entrance fee is 3,000 won ($2.60). Those under the age of 3 can enter for free if proof of medical insurance or a copy of their resident registration is shown. The pool will have various facilities for children including a 40-meter water slide, sand playground and
Half of single women say marriage not necessary

Jul 10, 2016

More than half of single South Korean women see marriage as an option, rather than a necessity, a poll showed Sunday.According to the poll on 1,287 single women and 1,096 single men aged between 20 and 44 conducted by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, 52.4 percent of the female respondents said marriage is not a necessity and they are fine with not being married.It compares to 60.9 percent of their male counterparts who say they would walk down the aisle one day and 18.1 percent
Creatives fear Brexit’s impact on U.K. arts

Jul 10, 2016

LONDON (AFP) – Britain’s thriving arts sector is in despair about the vote to leave the European Union, fearing that funding cuts and freedom of movement restrictions will have serious consequences.In the aftermath of last month’s referendum result, performers and fans at the Glastonbury festival formed a heart in a pro-EU flash mob while musicians gave a spontaneous performance of Beethoven's “Ode To Joy” -- Europe’s anthem -- in central London.“I had a horrible dream in which I found out on a
New Bolshoi ballet chief aims to focus on dance not drama

Jul 10, 2016

MOSCOW (AFP) -- After years of off-stage drama and scandal that has cast a shadow over Russia’s famed Bolshoi ballet troupe, new dance chief Makhar Vaziev is looking to get back to its roots. “The Bolshoi ballet is classical dance before all else,” Vaziev told journalists recently at his first press conference. Vaziev, 54, is currently gearing up for his first season in charge of the scandal-hit company after leaving his post as ballet chief at Milan’s La Scala last year to return to his homelan
Avignon festival dramas warn of Europe‘s far-right lurch

Jul 10, 2016

AVIGNON, France (AFP) -- On paper it was already theatrical TNT. One of the hottest directors in the world and some of France’s greatest stage actors in a play warning about the slide into dangerous political populism.And “The Damned” has not disappointed.Ivo van Hove’s powerful adaptation of Luchino Visconti’s 1969 film about the insidious rise of fascism opened the Avignon festival in France last week to rave reviews, with critics from the right and left rising to hail it as “sublime, unforget
UNESCO set to expand World Heritage list at Istanbul meeting

Jul 7, 2016

PARIS (AFP) -- U.N. cultural agency UNESCO will gather in Istanbul on Sunday to review candidates to join its prestigious World Heritage List, ranging from 350-million-year old fossils to works by Franco-Swiss architect Le Corbusier.After the June 28 attack on Istanbul’s airport that claimed 45 lives, security has been stepped up for the 11-day World Heritage Committee meeting -- the panel’s 40th.Though no one claimed responsibility for the attack, Ankara has pointed the finger of blame at the I
Google to create virtual tours of Loire Valley chateaux

Jul 7, 2016

PARIS (AFP) - Google has signed up with 18 Loire Valley chateaux to create virtual tours of the former royal dwellings, the Internet giant’s Cultural Institute said Tuesday.“Not everyone is fortunate enough to be able to travel to the Loire Valley to see these wonders with their own eyes,” the Paris-based institute said in a statement.Thanks to Street View image capture technology, people can take virtual tours of Chenonceau, Chambord, Azay-le-Rideau and 15 other of the national treasures strung