The Korea Herald

Billiard halls on rise again in Seoul

Jun 13, 2011

SEOUL, June 13 (Yonhap) -- The number of billiard halls in the nation's capital is on the rise again, after the game spent years on the back burner amid the popularity of other forms of entertainment, the city government said Monday.According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the number of pool halls in the city rose from 4,225 to 5,155 in 2009, the most recent year for which figures are avail
Is Internet sex cheating? Many say yes

Jun 8, 2011

Jon Austin’s wife, Amy, had a blunt assessment for her husband as the Minneapolis couple watched Rep. Anthony Weiner’s stunning confessions on television this week.“You’d be dead,” she told him.Regardless of his professional future, it’s Weiner’s predicament at home that seems to be launching countless discussions among couples like the Austins. And this time, it’s not a question of actual physica
Blockbusters rule E3 videogame kingdom

Jun 6, 2011

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Blockbuster titles and powerhouse consoles will rule as videogame makers from around the world meet in Los Angeles next week for the premier Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). Hotly anticipated games will build on established franchises with slick play mechanics, film-like graphics and increasing sensitivity to how much people love playing online with friends or on-the
Acrobat, mom reenact fatal Puerto Rico wire walk

Jun 5, 2011

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) --Two members of a famed acrobatic family commemorated patriarch Karl Wallenda on Saturday by completing the stunt that killed him, walking between two towers of a seaside hotel on a wire 100 feet (31 meters) above the ground, without a net.Nik Wallenda said he had planned to walk by himself across a 300-foot-long (91-meter-long) wire, but his mother convinced him to le
Isolation won’t solve problem of North Korea

Jun 2, 2011

USC professor shares views on the United States’ N.K. policies and Korean StudiesLOS ANGELES ― David Kang, head of the Korean Studies Institute at the University of Southern California, opened his laptop and showed several photos of North ― couples on bicycles, children waving at cameras and soldiers smiling. They are material for one of the talks he gives, entitled “They think they’re normal.” “I
‘Korea shows how to keep identity in global age’

Jun 2, 2011

UCLA prof. John Duncan says globalizing Korean Studies is key task for scholars outside peninsulaLOS ANGELES ― What is the point of telling John Smith in small town America that Korea is the fount of Japanese civilization? This was the question posed by John Duncan, director of the UCLA Center for Korean Studies. “I think it is really important to let the world know the strengths of your culture.
Taste of ‘Dano’ at start of summer

Jun 2, 2011

Events and rituals celebrate one of the biggest traditional festive daysSummer is kicking in, and the day of the nation’s biggest sun festival is soon approaching.Dano, one of South Korea’s most important festive days along with Seollal, or Lunar New Year, and Chuseok, or Thanksgiving day, will fall Monday. It comes every fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar, the day of the year on w
Immigrant wife says Koreans are hooked on Southeast Asian culture

May 31, 2011

Filipino immigrant wife Kenneth Dela Cruze Sangalang speaks during an interview with The Korea Herald. (Lee Sang-sub/The Korea Herald)A decade has passed since the Korean Wave, or hallyu, hit the Asian region with the rapidly growing popularity of Korean entertainment and culture, especially in ASEAN countries.However, there has been little effort in Korea to understand ASEAN culture in return, wh
LDS church opens single-only chapel to persuade marriage

May 31, 2011

LDS church opens singles-only chapel to promote marriageThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, widely known as “Mormons,” has opened a new chapel exclusively for young single members in Crystal City, Virginia, There are now about 800 members worshiping, attending bible studies, and other activities including pizza parties. This unique chapel for singles in their 20s to 40s aims to persua
Education key to familiarizing U.S. with Korea

May 30, 2011

King Sejong Institute, taekwondo classes in schools and LAPD Korean culture workshops well-received in L.A.LOS ANGELES ― “Maewoyo? (Is it spicy?) Anmaewoyo! (No, it is not spicy)” chanted around 80 students in King Sejong Institute Los Angeles’ Basic A Class this month, voices loud and clear. When they got the hang of the phrases, they were assigned to do a little dialogue at a Korean restaurant w
2011 Andong Mask Dance Festival to draw 15 countries

May 30, 2011

The Andong International Mask Dance Festival, a major cultural attraction for Andong in North Gyeongsang Province, will celebrate its annual fiesta for 10 days from Sept. 30 to Oct. 9 in Mask Dance Park in Andong.The city is home to Hahoe Village, the most well-known historic clan village in Korea, and was added to the list of UNESCO’s World Heritage sites last year. A scene from the mask dance dr
Korea, Japan, China to develop tour routes

May 29, 2011

Top tourism policymakers of Korea, Japan and China have announced on Sunday that they will jointly develop the 10 best tourism routes by linking travel packages in the region.The plan is part of their long-term strategy called “Tourism Vision 2020” to boost regional tourism and establish a risk management system, especially since natural disasters such as the March earthquake and tsunami in Japan
Married couples in less than half of US households

May 29, 2011

(MCT)PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Three mornings a week, when Becky Leung gets ready for work, her boyfriend is just getting home from his overnight job. When her mother drops hints about her twin sister's marriage, she laughs it off. And when she thinks about getting married herself, she worries first about her career.Leung, 27, cohabits in a Portland, Ore., townhome with her boyfriend but has no plans
US school districts weigh lightening homework loads

May 29, 2011

(MCT)MONTCLAIR, N.J. - School districts across the United States are weighing the elimination of homework on weekends and holidays, part of a move by educators to rein in student workloads.Officials at public schools in Galloway Township, New Jersey, this week proposed no more homework on weekends and holidays for their 3,500 students.The Pleasanton Unified School District in northern California
What makes Seoul so cool?

May 29, 2011

The Han river Floating Island (Yonhap News)An online portal operated by CNN recently introduced 50 reasons why Seoul is the world’s greatest city. Written from the perspective of a non-Korean, the list is beginning to grab international attention.Concerning the fact that Asian tourists have designated Seoul the first city to visit, CNNGo selected several reasons why. At the very top of the list wa