The Korea Herald

UNESCO most likely to list 'nongak' as intangible cultural heritage

Oct 29, 2014

Nongak, traditional Korean music performed by farmers, and North Korean versions of the traditional Korean folk song "Arirang" are most likely to be added to UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage list, the government said Wednesday. The body that deliberates on new additions has categorized South Korea's "Nongak, community band music, dance and rituals" and six North Korean variations of "Arirang" as recommended for inscription, according to the Cultural Heritage Administration. The final d
‘War Horse’ to hit local cinemas

Oct 28, 2014

The National Theater in London’s international smash-hit production “War Horse” will be screened at local cinemas next month. A rebroadcast in cinemas of the West End production will open on Nov. 8 at select Megabox cinemas, mostly in Seoul, the local cinema chain said Tuesday. Featuring a life-sized puppet horse, the production was an instant sensation when it was first performed in 2007. The original production never came to Korea. Indicative of the high level of interest among theatergoers he
Polish, Israeli presidents to open Jewish museum

Oct 28, 2014

WARSAW (AFP) ― Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski and Israeli counterpart Reuven Rivlin will on Tuesday inaugurate a Warsaw museum chronicling the vibrant 1,000-year history of Poland’s Jewish community, all but wiped out during the Holocaust.Built on the site of the former Warsaw ghetto, the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews will be “a game changer” for Polish-Jewish relations, the country’s chief rabbi Michael Schudrich told AFP.“That does not mean the relations were bad, but it me
Korean folktale webtoon launched for foreigners

Oct 27, 2014

The King Sejong Institute Foundation, a government entity promoting Korean language and culture overseas, has produced a webtoon series to help foreigners better understand Korean traditional culture, in five languages. Twenty-four folktales, including “Kyunwoo and Jiknyo” and “The Sun and the Moon,” will be published as a weekly webtoon series ― digital cartoons regularly released through portal sites ― on the foundation’s website in Korean, English, Chinese, Japanese and Spanish. The King Sej
Forum urges preservation and diversity of scripts

Oct 27, 2014

Participants at the World Script Symposia 2014, a festival of arts and scripts, adopted a declaration to promote the diversity and preservation of different writing systems on Oct. 26. “Scripts constitute a key part of the endeavor to protect and restore cultural diversity worldwide,” says the “World Script Seoul Declaration.” “All scripts have their own unique value, there can be no superior or inferior script. Therefore, preserving diversity is an important symbol demonstrating that human righ
J.K. Rowling announces new ‘Harry Potter’ backstory tale

Oct 26, 2014

It’s no Halloween trick: There’s more witchcraft and wizardry in store for “Harry Potter” fans, who can expect a new tale from author J.K. Rowling on Oct. 31. In an announcement posted to Pottermore.com, Rowling reveals that she has penned a new 1,700-word story that will offer “revealing first-person” thoughts about former Hogwarts professor Dolores Umbridge. Imelda Staunton (right) played Dolores Umbridge in the “Harry Potter” movies. (Warner Bros.)Umbridge is a fitting character for a Hallow
Calendar

Oct 24, 2014

Classical musicThe Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra: Maestro Mariss Jansons will conduct his Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in two concerts at Seoul Arts Center. On Nov. 18, the world-renowned orchestra will perform Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9 “From the New World” and Mussorgsky’s “Pictures At An Exhibition” (arr. Ravel). The program for the next day consists of Strauss’ “Don Juan” and “Der Rosenkavalier Suite (The Knight of the Rose)” and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5. Tickets run from 60,000 w
[Herald Interview] Deriving 21st-century questions from classic masterpiece

Oct 23, 2014

British director Lawless to put on ‘Otello,’ Verdi’s operatic adaptation of Shakespeare play
Poet Ko Un wins Italy’s NordSud award

Oct 22, 2014

Renowned South Korean poet Ko Un has been chosen to receive an Italian award for literature, a local publisher affiliated with the poet said Wednesday.Ko will receive the literature award from the 2014 NordSud International Prize for Literature and Science at an Italian university Friday, according to Changbi Publishers that printed many of his poems.“The decision was made with unilateral consent from all jury members,” a Changbi official said. “We heard renowned Italian poet Elio Pecora emphasi
Homeless kids take snapshots of lives, dreams

Oct 22, 2014

PHILADELOPHIA ― The photograph that 6-year-old Logan Reed snapped near the place he once lived as a homeless child conveys not a thousand words, as the saying goes, but one plain desire.“My hope is to have friends,” says a quote printed beneath his photo, on a greeting card bearing an image of two young girls holding hands at a playground. His words convey a bittersweet longing against a sanguine snapshot taken by a boy with a fetching, toothless smile.“Maybe because we moved around so much,” sa
Grandparents raising grandkids describe joy

Oct 22, 2014

ORLANDO, Florida ― Teresa Apgar once envisioned her senior years as a time of globe-trotting travel and a busy social life. Instead, she’s chauffeuring an 8-year-old to taekwondo, learning about attention-deficit disorder and supervising math homework.“Look, I’m 58. My husband is 67. This is not where we’d planned on being at this stage in life,” the DeLand, Florida, resident said. “Everything in our lives revolves around the school schedule. It’s not like you can just dash off to Vegas.”Like 2.
Activist dives in dumpsters across U.S. to raise awareness of food waste

Oct 22, 2014

CLEVELAND ― Rob Greenfield is standing barefoot and shirtless in a dumpster when he finds the strawberries.He’s ravenous after bicycling more than 60 miles, so he stops rummaging through bags and boxes to open the container of strawberries and pop one into his mouth. He seems not to notice the stench of rotten food wafting up into the Ohio night, or the grime lining the rim of the dumpster. But then again, it’s nighttime and he’s hungry.“Oh, gosh, there’s not even a moldy one in this box,” he sa
What do jeans mean to you?

Oct 20, 2014

Exhibition dedicated to denim opens at National Folk Museum
[Weekender] Orchestras for all

Oct 17, 2014

Korean ensembles strive for unity in diversity
Calendar

Oct 17, 2014

FestivalTen Million Chrysanthemum Festival: Iksan, North Jeolla Province, invites visitors to one of the biggest chrysanthemum festivals in Korea. At the festival, arrangements of more than 120,000 flowers will be exhibited in a 35,000-square-meter garden in Iksan Central Park and Iksan Jewelry Museum from Oct. 24 to Nov. 2. Crafts and culinary programs will offer a chance to make bracelets and paper crafts and to cook pancakes and cookies using chrysanthemums. For more information, call (063) 8