The Korea Herald

Czech Info Center to bring modern arts, literary works

Mar 11, 2012

This is the sixth of the series introducing cultural centers of different countries in Seoul. ― Ed. Czech culture is quite well known in Korea, at least more than one might think. From classical music to a number of Korean musical productions with music composed by Czech musicians, the presence of Czech culture has been quite strong for years.“Music is fairly well known here. Dvorjak, Smetana … classical music has very good positioning in Korea. But with (other type of) Czech arts, it is a bit
Stone cold curling

Mar 9, 2012

Slowly spreading in Korea, curling is a sport for allOn a Sunday afternoon inside the Taeneung ice rink in Seoul, a group of boys stands in line on the ice wearing rubber-soled shoes.Nine-year-old Yang Ji-min squats with one hand on the ice and the other clutching a broom and inches forward, sliding on his left foot with the other leg stretched out behind. He is practicing the basic skills of curling, a Winter Olympic event still quite new to Korea.One by one, the other students follow suit. Som
Korean traditional culture to highlight Seoul summit

Mar 8, 2012

Hallyu stars join PR campaigns, cultural eventsKorean traditional arts are the highlight of cultural events planned for the 2012 Seoul Nuclear Summit slated for March 26-27.“Foreigners still don’t really know the difference among cultures of China, Japan and Korea. I hope this upcoming event will help them to understand the uniqueness of Korean traditional culture,” Sohn Jin-chaek, general director at the National Theater Company of Korea, told The Korea Herald on Thursday.Sohn is in charge of c
Latest malady of the tech-obsessed: "no-mobile-phobia"

Mar 8, 2012

Do you panic if you're caught without your mobile phone? In a British survey released last week by mobile phone tech company SecureEnvoy, two thirds of 1,000 people polled said they feared being phoneless, up from 53 percent four years ago.Those aged 18-24 suffered the most (77 percent) followed by
2013 Nordic festival in U.S. capital

Mar 7, 2012

WASHINGTON (AFP) ― The renowned Kennedy Center venue in the U.S. capital will next year host dozens of artists and performing companies from Nordic countries to celebrate the region’s theater, dance, music, and food.The “Nordic Cool 2013” festival in February and March next year will feature visiting artists from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Greenland, Faroe Islands, the center announced Tuesday.Among the highlights will be classical music shows, ballet performances, contemporary d
Quake researchers warn of Tokyo's 'Big One'

Mar 5, 2012

A year on from one of the biggest earthquakes in recorded history, Japanese scientists are warning anew that Tokyo could soon be hit by a quake that will kill thousands and cause untold damage.Greater Tokyo, home to 35 million tightly packed people, has seen a three-fold increase in tectonic activit
Joseon royal wedding reenacted

Mar 5, 2012

The Presidential Council on National Branding on Monday reenacted a royal wedding of Joseon based on the royal books retrieved from France last year. Titled “Joseon Reawakens,” the event presented royal court costumes, traditional dance performance, music and food at National Museum of Korea in central Seoul. More than 200 guests including Choe Kwang-shik, minister of culture, sports and tourism, and Kim Young-na, director of National Museum of Korea attended the event, officials said.“In honor
44 arrested in Greece for antiquities trafficking

Mar 5, 2012

Ancient artifacts sit arranged for photographs at Polygyros police station some 80 km north-east of Thessaloniki on Sunday, March 4, 2012. (AP)Greek police arrested a total of 44 people for illegal antiquities trafficking after they investigated the group's moves for months, officials said Sun
Greek antiquities reburied for lack of funds: report

Mar 4, 2012

ATHENS (AFP) ― Lack of funding in crisis-hit Greece has stymied archaeological research and leads experts to rebury valuable discoveries to better protect them, a Greek daily reported on Friday.“Mother Earth is the best protector of our antiquities,” Michalis Tiverios, a professor of archaeology at Thessaloniki’s Aristotelio University, told Ta Nea daily on the sidelines of an annual archaeological congress in the city.Tiverios recently persuaded the culture ministry to rebury a previously-unkno
Blast from the past

Mar 2, 2012

Music bars take older crowd down memory roadThe familiar tune of Turbo’s 1999 hit “White Love” boomed out the doors of K-pop Music Club in Seocho-dong, southern Seoul. The song that should have seemed outdated for the streets of Gangnam in 2012 was fresh for being so unexpected.The music seemed to attract every passerby who had spent part of their teens in the 1990s. A group of women in their late 20s walking by squealed with joy and yelled “Turbo!” as they came close enough to hear the song.Th
Blast from the past

Mar 2, 2012

Music bars take older crowd down memory roadThe familiar tune of Turbo’s 1999 hit “White Love” boomed out the doors of K-pop Music Club in Seocho-dong, southern Seoul. The song that should have seemed outdated for the streets of Gangnam in 2012 was fresh for being so unexpected.The music seemed to attract every passerby who had spent part of their teens in the 1990s. A group of women in their late 20s walking by squealed with joy and yelled “Turbo!” as they came close enough to hear the song.The
Government to open K-arts, ballet and musical academies

Feb 28, 2012

Culture Ministry to spend 54.4 billion won this year to further expand hallyuThe Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will form a 12 billion-won ($10.7 million) fund to support original South Korean musicals and establish a K-Arts Academy to help create new sources of cultural products. The Culture Ministry announced plans on Tuesday at Culture Station Seoul 284 to further expand hallyu, the Korean Wave, through Korean arts. It will spend 54.4 billion won this year toward the project and inc
Wealthy more likely to lie or cheat: researchers

Feb 28, 2012

Maybe, as the novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald suggested, the rich really are different. They're more likely to behave badly, according to seven experiments that weighed the ethics of hundreds of people. The "upper class," as defined by the study, were more likely to break the law while driving, take ca
Government vows to treat foreign tourists right

Feb 27, 2012

Culture Ministry announces plans to eradicate tourist rip-offs, increase number of licensed tour guidesA Japanese tourist who took a call van from Dongdaemun to Chungmuro, both in central Seoul, was taken aback when the driver demanded 330,000 won for the 2 km ride. The driver even locked up the protesting tourist in the car for five minutes. Another group of Japanese tourists was told to pay 50,000 won for one kimchijeon (a Korean-style pancake made with kimchi) and two bottles of beer at a cov
Culture Ministry awards centers in U.K., Kazakhstan

Feb 27, 2012

Culture Minister Choe Kwang-shik on Monday awarded Korean Cultural Centers in the United Kingdom and Kazakhstan the top prize for their contributions to promoting Korean culture. Han Jae-hyek, a counselor at Korean Cultural Center in Hong Kong also received a prize for his efforts in organizing “Korean Festive,” a large-scale event aimed at promoting Korean food, arts and culture. “KCC in London received the prize in recognition of its role in supporting war veterans who participated in the 1951