The Korea Herald

Seoul city to run four night markets this year

Feb 11, 2016

The Seoul metropolitan government said Thursday it will open four night markets at different locations starting next month to attract more tourists and offer more business opportunities to small vendors.The city administration said three more night markets will be operated next year, depending on the success of the night markets this year. It also plans to expand the number of night markets to 10 in 2018.According to a city official, a night market will open at Hangang Park in Yeouido, southwest
Seoul Selection publishes visual book series on Korean heritage

Feb 11, 2016

Seoul Selection said Thursday it has published an English language book on court paintings from the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) to introduce more Korean culture and tradition to foreigners.The 170-page book on court paintings, the first part of the series "Visual Korean Heritage," features the beauty of various court paintings as well as royal rituals, banquets and processions.Pictures of flowers, birds, mountains, the sea and divine animals are also introduced in the pictures with the author's c
Apple co-founder is bringing us an even nerdier ‘Comic Con’

Feb 11, 2016

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak had a front row seat as the personal computer began to reshape society. So it made perfect sense to him to bring a convention meshing technology with pop culture to Silicon Valley. The convergence will occur March 18-20 in San Jose, California, with the debut of Silicon Valley Comic Con. It's a new twist on an idea that has brought together fans of science fiction, fantasy and superheroes at packed shows held around the world for years. Apple
Henry VIII chapel hosts first Catholic service in 450 years

Feb 10, 2016

LONDON (AFP) - The sounds of Latin song echoed through the halls of Hampton Court Palace in London on Tuesday for the first Catholic service in more than 450 years to be held in anti-Vatican king Henry VIII‘s residence.　Cardinal Vincent Nichols, head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, celebrated the Vespers prayer together with Anglican Bishop of London Richard Chartres in a symbolic gesture of reconciliation.　“I think it’s a very remarkable moment,” Nichols told AFP ahead of the servi
Celebrate Lunar New Year with tradition

Feb 5, 2016

The Lunar New Year holiday is a chance for Koreans, expats and tourists to enjoy a variety of traditional Korean activities. The five-day holiday will be full of cultural programs and hands-on experiences, offered at public museums and royal palaces. Here is a guide to various holiday programs in major cities. Palaces and folk games Visitors participate in the kite-making session at the National Folk Museum of Korea in Seoul. (The National Folk Museum of Korea)Major royal palaces in Seoul, incl
Changing face of Lunar New Year holiday in Korea

Feb 5, 2016

A mass migration is underway this weekend as tens of thousands of Koreans travel home for the Lunar New Year, Seollal. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport estimates that a total of 36 million will be on the move, about 70 percent of the total population. Early in the morning on Monday, Lunar New Year’s Day, families will dress in traditional hanbok for the ancestral rite, charye, during which they will pay respect to their late ancestors. Dozens of dishes will be laid out on the c
Spend time away at hotels during Lunar New Year

Feb 5, 2016

Grand Hyatt Incheon’s package offers eco-friendly playground, Nintendo games
Government to help create content industry ‘success stories’

Feb 3, 2016

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said that it will aim to create a series of “success stories” from the Creative Economic Leader Venture Center this year by funding start-ups.　In a luncheon meeting with local reporters on Wednesday, Culture Ministry officials said that the ministry plans to spend 10 billion won to support start-ups for the production of content and 3 billion won for research and development. 　The ministry’s goal is to develop some 25 killer contents this year.　“This i
New webtoon center opens on Seoul’s Cartoon Street

Feb 1, 2016

People can now create character figurines via 3-D printing at a new Webtoon Workshop Center on Cartoon Street, or Jaemiro, in Myeong-dong. The center, which aims to promote the webtoon culture, was opened by the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Monday. It also showcases character figurines and posters from Korean webtoon as well as DC Comics and Marvel, such as Batman and Iron Man. Webtoon Workshop Center on Cartoon Street in Myeong-dong opened to the public on Monday. (Yonhap)　The center will
Korea seeks UNESCO listing of Seoul City Wall, seowon

Jan 26, 2016

The government is seeking to add the historic Seoul City Wall and Confucian academies of Korea to the UNESCO cultural heritage list this year. In addition, it also hopes to include haenyeo, female divers on the resort island of Jejudo, and Korean traditional wrestling to the intangible heritage list. The state-run Cultural Heritage Administration outlined its plan to submit the applications for inclusion on the UNESCO lists this year at a press conference Tuesday to introduce its plans for the y
[Foreigners Who Loved Korea] Stanley H. Martin, benefactor of the independence movement

Jan 25, 2016

Stanley H. Martin, benefactor of the independence movement
Richard III gets suit of French porcelain

Jan 25, 2016

LIMOGES, France (AFP) -- Costume designers never stint when it comes to Shakespeare. Whether it be silk doublets and padded hose, or robes woven with gold thread, elaborate costumes are a must for any director hoping to do justice to the Bard‘s work.　So when actor and director Jean Lambert-Wild decided to stage a production of Richard III, he didn’t hesitate to choose a rather unusual material for his lead character’s suit of armor -- porcelain.　As director of the National Drama Centre in Limoge
Egypt museum staff to face disciplinary hearing over Tut mask

Jan 25, 2016

CAIRO (AFP) - Eight employees of Cairo‘s Egyptian Museum will face a disciplinary hearing over a botched repair of the golden mask of King Tutankhamun, officials said Sunday.　The 3,300-year-old funerary mask of the boy pharaoh was damaged when its beard was knocked off in August 2014 as museum staff removed it from its display case to repair the lighting. The gold mask of King Tutankhamun is seen in a glass case during a press tour, in the Egyptian Museum near Tahrir Square, Cairo. (AP-Yonhap)　I
European culture capital San Sebastien kicks off peace-themed festivities

Jan 24, 2016

SAN SEBASTIAN, Spain (AFP) -- San Sebastian kicked off its year as the European Capital of Culture Saturday with a concert on the beach as the northern Spanish city pushes a banner of peace years after being hit by waves of violence.　The traditional “tamborrada,” a drum festival originating in the early 19th century that is held in the city every January, took place on San Sebastien‘s beach as thousands of men, women and children watched, while an outdoor show created by Cirque du Soleil choreog
[Weekender] The art of traditional Korean liquor

Jan 22, 2016

Savoring traditional Korean soju requires five steps, similar to wine tasting. You have to look at the color, smell the aroma, sip and hold it in the mouth for several seconds before letting it slide down the throat and enjoying the slowly spreading scent inside the nose and throat. “A good soju is soft and makes you smile,” said artisan Kim Taek-sang at his brewing studio at Samcheong-ro in Jongno, central Seoul. Kim, who was named Seoul Intangible Cultural Asset No. 8 in 1990, has carried on t