Most Popular
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Korea enters full election mode
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Seoul bus drivers go on general strike, cause morning rush hour delays
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Immigrant woman stabbed to death by Korean husband
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Official campaigning kicks off for April 10 elections
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Lee Jong-sup resigns as envoy to Australia
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Yellow dust engulfs S. Korea, advisory alert issued
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S. Korea to boost support for single-parent families
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Court upholds jail term for man who attempted to murder ex-girlfriend
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Kia EV9 wins world car of year
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Korea misses out on global bond index boost
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Embracing Korean diaspora through literature
Farming the icy land of Siberia with bare hands, running away from the enemy on the windy plain of Manchuria, working at a sugar cane farm under the burning sun in California: though the phrases may sound foreign, they are Korean, by means of the writers’ ethnicity. While Korea has been working on promoting its literature to the rest of the world, the definition of Korean literature remains unclear. Typically, works created by Korean writers in the Korean language are considered Korean literatur
Sept. 27, 2018
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Film adaptation boosts sales for feminist novel
With the novel “Kim Ji-young, Born in 1982” set to be adapted for the big screen, the book’s sales have seen a significant bump in sales. According to Kyobo Bookstore, the novel took the No. 10 spot on its best-seller list for the third week of September, jumping 22 spots. (Mineumsa)The bookstore said sales volume increased by almost three times. Women in their 20s and 30s accounted for 60.9 percent of purchasers. The novel, written by Cho Nam-ju, depicts the life of an ordinary woman named Kim
Sept. 21, 2018
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[Herald interview] Like BTS, can Korean literature be globally embraced?
Korean literature can appeal to a broad audience overseas with the proper investment and support, according to Kim Sa-in, president of the Literature Translation Institute of Korea. The state-funded institute’s mission is to globalize Korean literature through systematized translation and networking. In other words, it strives to link Korean literature to foreign readership. Kim, who took up the post in March, met The Korea Herald on Tuesday at the institute’s office in southern Seoul. Kim Sa-i
Sept. 6, 2018
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'Panmunjom and DMZ’ highlights history of divided peninsula
‘Scenes of National Division: Panmunjom and DMZ’By Kim Nyung-man Yoonjin (288 pages, 45,000 won) Friday marks the 65th year since the two Koreas signed the armistice that brought the 1950-1953 Korean War to a halt. Photographer Kim Nyung-man’s “Scenes of National Division: Panmunjom and DMZ” is a 288-page book that was released on July 15 amid hope that the current warming of relations between South and North Korea would lead to lasting peace. Documentary photographer Kim Nyung-man‘s 2017 photo
July 26, 2018
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Christian couple’s yearlong honeymoon is investment for future
“About Marriage: the 357-day honeymoon” is a collection of writings by a Christian couple who went on a 357-day-long honeymoon to places like Yanbian, Cambodia and India. Like Japanese female writer Kaori Ekuni’s famous novel “Between Calm and Passion-Rosso,” “About Marriage” comes in two separate books, one written by the wife, Lee Sa-rang, and the other by the husband, Chung Chae-hun. Very different from Ekuni’s novel is that “About Marriage” is not romance fiction. "About Marriage" by Lee Sa-
July 24, 2018
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‘In Praise of Death’ won’t come to life for modern readers
Han So-jin’s “In Praise of Death” seems equipped with the enticing elements of a best-seller: a femme-fatale artist misunderstood by her generation and a tragic affair with a married man. Unfortunately, whether the novel lives up to its potential is as elusive as the unfulfilled love story. “In Praise of Death” by Han So-jin (Hainiam)Yun Sim-deok (1897-1926) was Korea’s first soprano and an early Korean pop figure. Her biography is often scandalized by her relationship with playwright Kim Woo-ji
July 19, 2018
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In Sweden, compassion still trumps bigotry
When Sweden opened its doors to more than 165,000 asylum seekers in 2015, half of them children and mostly coming from war-torn Syria, the Swedish government overhauled its education system to accommodate the shortage of 8,000 teachers. The government put in place fast-track training programs for migrant teachers, and facilitated their immigration. It provided daily Swedish language lessons to the new arrivals and gave them vocational training at universities. Municipalities offered housing, hea
July 4, 2018
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[Herald Interview] Now is time to talk about Korean literature
Publishers choose the books to put out on bookstore shelves, hoping that some will buy and perhaps read them. Yet, many of them go unnoticed among the countless books that are released every day.This is much more the case with translated materials. The odds are very low that an American would read Korean literature. Ira Silverberg looks for information in a book during an interview with The Korea Herald on Wednesday at Coex in Seoul. (Shim Woo-hyun/The Korea Herald)”It‘s hard for American writer
June 21, 2018
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Poetry of Kim Jong-gil’s Life, ‘A Black Kite’
Kim Jong-gil passed away in 2017 at the age of 92. He was professor emeritus at the Korea University English literature department, and in the 1990s we met and discussed translation of poetry from Korean into English.He encouraged me to translate not only the message, but also rhythm. It was not an easy task. “A Black Kite” (LTI Korea Library)He gently persuaded me to try harder. He was my senior. I still remember all his words vividly. He translated the traditional Korean sijo poems into Engli
June 21, 2018
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Forgetting is bliss, but not always
”White Chrysanthemum“By Mary Lynn BrachtChatto & Windus Books (320 pages, $18.11)One of the victims of Japan’s wartime sexual slavery passed away Monday at 97. Choi Duk-nye‘s death brings the number of known surviving victims to 28. So far this year, four victims of Japan‘s wartime sexual slavery, including Choi, have passed away. The generation of wartime victims will soon all be gone, as will the people who carry the memories of suffering under Japanese occupation. After one generation and ano
April 25, 2018
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Han Kang's novel shortlisted for Man Booker Int'l Prize
South Korean novelist Han Kang, the 2016 winner of the Man Booker International Prize, has been shortlisted for the British literary award of world authority, the organizer said Thursday (British local time).Han's "The White Book" is among the six finalists for the 2018 Man Booker prize. The 2015 winner, Laszlo Krasznahorkai from Hungary, also made the list."The White Book" was translated by Deborah Smith, who was a joint recipient, along with Han, of the Man Booker award two years ago for her t
April 13, 2018
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A case against ‘creative’ translation of ‘The Vegetarian’
Literary translator and professor Kim Wook-dong asserted in his recently published article that the English version of the novel “The Vegetarian” has a significant number of mistranslations.In his article published online on March 30, Kim wrote that “The Vegetarian,” a winning novel of the 2016 Man Booker International Prize, contains many more mistranslations than what “one would expect from a professional translator.”Professor Kim Wook-dong (Photo courtesy of Kim Wook-dong-Yonhap)Kim is a prof
April 2, 2018
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Book details Joseon’s ‘warts and all’ approach to portraits
Lee Sung-nack, a board member at the Kansong Art and Culture Foundation, has released a new book that attempts to explain how portraits created in the Joseon era depicted their models in a realistic way. Lee, 80, worked as a dermatologist and professor before he got a Ph.D. in art history at Myongji University in 2014. Cover of "Joseon Dynasty Portraits: Expression of Scholar Spirits" (Yonhap)In his book “Joseon Dynasty Portraits: Expression of Scholar Spirits,” published on March 16 by Nulwa, L
March 20, 2018
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Professor BG Muhn’s publication sheds lights on North Korean art
‘When people ask whether I am liberal or conservative, I tell them that I am an artist,’ said Muhn Baum-gong, also known as BG Muhn, an artist and professor at Georgetown University, during a press conference in Seoul on Wednesday to promote his latest publication “Pyongyang Art: The Uncovering the Complex Layers of Chosonhwa.” Dispelling any possible suspicions concerning his ideological orientation and possible ties to North Korea, Muhn emphasized that North Korean art deserves due attention f
March 14, 2018
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Han Kang's latest novel nominated for Man Booker Int'l Prize
South Korean novelist Han Kang, who won the Man Booker International Prize in 2016, has again been longlisted for the British literary award of world authority.Han's "The White Book" was among the 13 contenders picked from 108 entries for the 2018 prize, according to the announcement on the organizer's website Monday (British local time).It was translated by Deborah Smith, who was a joint recipient, along with Han, of the Man Booker award two years ago for her translation of "The Vegetarian."Fir
March 13, 2018
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[Newsmaker] Poet Choi Young-mi reaffirms sexual harassment allegations denied by Ko Un
Poet Choi Young-mi, who revealed her experience of being groped by an unnamed senior poet through her poem, on Monday reaffirmed sexual harassment allegations made against renowned poet Ko Un, who recently denied the allegations.In a statement uploaded on Facebook on Sunday, Choi said, “The statements related to the poem ‘Monster’ are facts. I will reveal the details further, when there is an official body dedicated to investigating claims of sexual wrongdoings in the arts circle here.” Poet Ko
March 5, 2018
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Professor advises on ways to become global-minded citizens
Choi Jung-wha, a professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, has released “Global Etiquette,” a book that offers suggestions on etiquette to observe in various circumstances. Through the book, Choi, the founder and president of the Corea Image Communications Institute, provides basic guidelines of proper etiquette while also offering English language expressions that readers can easily use outside of the country. (Yes24)People in Korea appear to have a different concept of ”the other,“ Ch
Feb. 1, 2018
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Borrowing Weberian perspective to dissect North Korea, knotty world
Max Weber (1864-1920), a German scholar who founded sociology, wrote of his contemporary leader Otto von Bismarck: “He consumed a nation without political education. The German people, deprived of will to politics, have become prone to thinking they should merely abet politics of their ‘great leader.’ They are meek lackeys of a government machinated by him, regardless of the deeds it carries out.”Such a statement by the mastermind of modern social science struck a chord for Yang Sung-chul, a Sou
Jan. 11, 2018
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[Photo News] Poet Ko Un’s library reproduced, revealed to public
Korean poet Ko Un was contemplative at the launching ceremony of the Maninbo Library, Tuesday, where his old study was recreated and officially opened to the public. The Maninbo Library is situated at Seoul Archival Services, on the third floor of the Seoul Metropolitan Library. Ko Un (Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald) Ko Un at the Maninbo Library (Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald) The Maninbo Library (Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald) Inside the Maninbo Library (Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald) The Ma
Nov. 21, 2017
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[Herald Interview] Peering into Korean society with sociological imagination
“Korean Society: An Introduction” by Andrew Eun-gi Kim; Korea University Press (732 pages, $30) For observers of Korean society, including all its idiosyncrasies and mystique, a new book attempts to help interpret the country by offering a sweeping elucidation on crosscutting issues.“Korean Society: An Introduction” is an academic compilation scrutinizing wide-ranging topics, covering ethnological culture, gender politics, family patterns, educational fever, nationalist religion, ageing society,
Oct. 26, 2017