Open discussion and panel key to contemporary history museum’s independence, says museum council head

Some predict smartphones, computers and video games may replace TV, but Canadian researchers say families watching television together is a unifying force. “Young Canadians today live in a different world than that experienced by previous generations. In this context, many well-placed observers have predicted the impending death of television,” Dr. Andre H. Caron of the Universite de Montreal and director of the Center for Youth and Media Studies, said in a statement. “We wanted to test the vera

Many students will be pulling all-nighters to prepare for final exams, but U.S. researchers say a good night‘s sleep may be a better idea. Dr. Philip Alapat, medical director of the Harris Health Sleep Disorders Center and assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine, recommends students study throughout the semester, set up study sessions in the evening because it is the optimal time of alertness and concentration and get at least 8 hours of sleep the night before exams.“Memory recall and

With smartphones, tablet PCs people regularly read cartoons online

Struggling illustrators look beyond Korea’s free portal sites to earn a crust

Concert ticket prices soar, but cheaper, good quality options abound

Gil Hwan-young was inaugurated as the 20th president of state-run terrestrial broadcasting network KBS on Friday. Gil, who succeeded Kim In-kyu, stressed that he would seek to raise TV license fees in order to stabilize the firm’s fiscal status. “The fee raise will be used to invest in digitalizing all programs,” Gil said in his speech at the inauguration ceremony. The ceremony was held three earlier than announced. Gil’s term expires on Nov. 23, 2015.By Bae Ji-sook (baejisook@heraldcorp.com)

The Korea Tourism Organization filed a defamation lawsuit Thursday against the CEO of Incheon International Airport Corporation for damaging its name by making false remarks about the management of its airport duty free shops. “The Incheon Airport CEO Lee Chae-wook dishonored the KTO by calling us a ‘company suffering deep losses from the duty free shop business and an organization that does nothing but waste taxpayers’ money,’” said KTO CEO Lee Charm at a press conference on Thursday morning. 

For lovers of traditional Korean art, an exhibition that opened last week at a gallery in Seoul’s Insadong street may give as much joy as a gift set of carefully selected traditional Korean craft items.Titled “An Old is A New,” the exhibition at the ARA Art Center has an extensive range of craftworks, from small metalwork pieces to furniture and roof tiles.It features some 500 works by 180 traditional artisans, including those designated as among the country’s “important intangible cultural heri

Controversies are mounting over the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History, whose opening, which had been scheduled for Thursday, has been postponed indefinitely. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Wednesday said that the opening of the museum highlighting the past, present and future of the Republic of Korea has been officially postponed till “all things are rendered.” “There have been minor glitches ― the height of the exhibition desks was too high, the air conditioning was

French pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard, widely hailed as the guardian of modern piano compositions, will be performing for the first time in Korea at LG Arts Center in southern Seoul at 5 p.m. on Sunday.A master of Gyrgy Ligeti, a well-known composer who was Aimard’s teacher, he is expected to woo his Korean audience into the world of modern music with his transparent and honest approach. His program is filled with contemporary classical music: It includes Heinz Holliger’s “Elis: 3 Nocturnes for P

Round-the-clock cable network MBN enjoyed the highest viewer ratings among the four general-programming channels that have been in operation since Dec. 1 last year.According to the AGB Nielsen Media Research’s study on paid-television subscribers from Dec. 1 last year to Nov. 18, MBN marked an average viewer rating of 0.643 percent, followed by jTBC’s 0.565 percent and Channel A’s 0.552 percent. TV Chosun marked the lowest with 0.432 percent. MBN, formerly a 24-hour business news channel run by

The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra opens a new season of ticket sales on Wednesday without a president ― the top management seat has remained empty since the retirement of Kim Ju-ho, whose term expired at the end of February. The SPO and the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the main sponsor of the orchestra, have been searching for a CEO to lead one of the most noted orchestras in the country but have not managed to secure one. “The CEO of SPO is a very unique position. The person must understand bo

The Museum of Korean Embroidery showcases much neglected craft, promoting Korean beauty abroad

Charlie Chaplin‘s iconic bowler hat and cane were auctioned off for $62,500 this weekend, as part of an auction which also includes a John Lennon nude drawing of himself and Yoko Ono.The hat and cane, trademark of Chaplin’s Little Tramp character, were in “remarkable condition” and had been estimated to go for between $40,000 and $60,000 at the sale by auction house Bonhams on Sunday. But when it went under the hammer, the sale price hit $62,500 the auctioneers said.Legend has it that Chaplin ca