The Korea Herald

Popularity of hallyu drama spurs rush to become special forces NCO

May 29, 2016

The runaway popularity of the "Descendants of the Sun" TV series has spurred a spike in the number of young men wanting to join South Korean special forces units, a military source said Sunday. The series that ended in mid-April has been a phenomenal success in both South Korea and in places such as China. The TV show highlighted the exploits of South Korean special forces conducting humanitarian operations in a fictitious country and the romance that develops between the male and female chara
Hwajeong Museum, treasure trove of Asian art

May 29, 2016

The museum showcases highlights of its collection to mark the 10th anniversary of the reopening
Japan’s master of realism gets first overseas exhibition

May 29, 2016

ROME (AFP) - The works of Ken Domon, an acclaimed photographer whose images of the aftermath of the Hiroshima bomb shocked 1950s Japan, took center stage in Rome on Friday with the opening of the first exhibition of his pictures outside his home country.Domon, who died in 1990, is venerated in Japan as one of the country’s greatest photographers and a pioneer of realism, but relatively unknown internationally.Organizers of the collection on display at the Italian capital’s Ara Pacis museum hope
Native groups protest planned French auction of artifacts

May 25, 2016

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Native American leaders are protesting the latest plan by a Paris auction house to sell off part of their tribal history, and their demand for the return of their ceremonial objects is getting bipartisan support. 　Hundreds of religious items and art pieces from the Americas, Africa and Asia are scheduled to go up for bidding Monday at Paris’ EVE auction house, including a Plains war shirt made with hair from human scalps and sacred Hopi objects that resemble masks and are cons
Friends, Romans: Help restore Rome's ruins, monuments

May 25, 2016

ROME (AP) -- Friends, Romans, countrymen! Oh yes, and countrywomen. And people in far-flung nations. Everyone, basically. Rome is seeking all the sponsors it can find to fund the monumental job of restoring and maintaining its hundreds of fountains, statues, archaeological sites and historic palazzos.　Perennially short of funds to properly care for the sprawling, two-millennia legacy of art and history, city officials on Tuesday offered their thanks to corporate sponsors of ambitious restoration
Annual Arab film fest to open in Seoul, Busan

May 25, 2016

An annual Arab film festival will be held simultaneously in Seoul and Busan later this week, providing a rare chance for a South Korean audience to better understand the Arab world, a co-organizer said Wednesday. The 5th Arab Film Festival will feature 15 films from 10 Arab nations, including the United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Iraq, Egypt and Palestine, the Busan Cinema Center here said. The event, which runs from May 26-June 1 at Arthouse MOMO in Seoul and the BCC in Busan, consists of three s
Ancient Chinese pottery reveals 5,000-year-old beer brew

May 24, 2016

MIAMI (AFP) - Residue on pottery from an archeological site has revealed the earliest evidence of beer brewing in China left from a 5,000-year-old recipe, researchers said Monday.　The artifacts show that people of the era had already mastered an “advanced beer brewing technique” that contained elements from the East and West, according to a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a peer-reviewed U.S. journal.　Yellowish residue gleaned from pottery funnels and wide-mouthed p
Vin Diesel, Chanel spark cultural backlash in Cuba

May 23, 2016

HAVANA (AP) -- “Fast and Furious.” U.S. cruise ships. A star-studded private celebration of Chanel. 　The triple tsunami of global capitalism that pounded socialist Cuba this month has spawned a fierce debate about the downside of detente with the United States.Artists, writers and intellectuals who believe deeply in Cuba’s opening to the world are questioning their government’s management of an onslaught of big-money pop culture. 　On an island that prides itself on egalitarianism, sovereignty a
Secrets of early Shakespeare theater dug up in London

May 23, 2016

LONDON (AFP) - British archaeologists raised the curtain Thursday on a 16th century theater that staged William Shakespeare plays like “Romeo and Juliet” and where the bard himself acted in “London's first theatreland”.　The Curtain Theatre put on productions between 1577 and 1625 as one of the city’s first two purpose-built theaters, but all traces of it were subsequently lost over time.　Its location in Shoreditch, east London -- a vibrant party district dotted with restaurants, bars and clubs -
Ihwa Mural Village continues its struggle with noisy tourists

May 22, 2016

On the night of April 15, a 55-year-old resident of the Ihwa Mural Village surnamed Park and two other accomplices took buckets of gray paint and painted away one of the village’s most famous, flower mosaic-tiled outdoor staircase murals. A week later on April 24, a 45-year-old resident surnamed Kwon and another person followed suit and went on to gray over another of the village’s most photographed 3-D koi fish painted staircase murals.However, this act of vandalism was not committed as a means
Hallyu theme park to open in Goyang

May 20, 2016

A theme park based on Korean pop culture is set to open in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, in 2017. 　Called “K-Culture Valley” for the time being, it will be built on 326,393 square meters across the Korea International Exhibition and Convention Center in Goyang, featuring six differently themed zones that highlight Korean pop music, TV dramas, and movies as well as the country’s history and retro culture. Computer-generated image of the hallyu theme park, slated to open in 2017 in Goyang, Gyeonggi
Gov't to break ground on 'hallyu' park

May 20, 2016

South Korea on Friday said it has started the construction of a "hallyu" park in line with its move to establish sustainable attractions to lure Asian tourists.K-Culture Valley, a cluster of various cultural facilities to be located in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, aims to promote the hallyu wave, which refers to the boom of South Korea-made entertainment goods around the globe, including pop music, movies and TV dramas. President Park Geun-hye also attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the zone
Palestinian history museum opens without exhibits

May 19, 2016

BIRZEIT, West Bank (AP) -- The Palestinians opened a dazzling new museum Wednesday aimed at telling the tale of their history and culture, but the building is devoid of exhibits. 　Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas inaugurated the museum, the biggest project the Palestinians have undertaken in terms of scale, space and budget. 　“This museum will tell the world, the whole world, that we have been here, and we are staying here, and we will stay here to establish our independent state,” Abbas said
Yeol to hold 2016 Young Designers Market on May 28

May 19, 2016

Yeol, the Korean Heritage Preservation Society, will hold the 2016 Young Designers Market on May 28, the group announced Wednesday.　Launched in 2013, the event promotes quality craftworks at reasonable prices. Young designers, craftsmen and indie brands present their unique products and interact with customers. Poster of Yeol 2016 Young Designers Market (Yeol)　This year, 16 designers and brands will take part, including Soseng Industrial Corporation, Via K Studio and handcrafted interior design
Night market at Cheonggyecheon Square

May 19, 2016

A Night Doggaebi Market celebrating the month of May will open at Cheonggyecheon Square near Seoul City Hall from Friday to Monday between 6 p.m. and 11 p.m.“Doggaebi” is a Korean word for a type of local goblin that comes out to play tricks on people at nighttime. The city government said this mythical creature suited the nature of the night market, which only comes to life in the night and disappears by morning. Visit http://love.seoul.go.kr/ for more information on cultural events in Seoul. (