Most Popular
-
1
40 flights canceled on Jeju Island due to bad weather
-
2
Pandemic left Korea more depressed than before: report
-
3
Korean labor force to shrink by 10 million by 2044: report
-
4
N. Korea slams US, other countries for seeking alternative to UN sanctions monitoring panel
-
5
[AtoZ Korean Mind] Does your job define who you are? Should it?
-
6
Gov't appears to shelve punitive measures against mass walkout by doctors
-
7
Govt. asks hospitals to mitigate impact of medical professors' absence
-
8
Allegations surrounding BTS resurface, enraged fans demand apology
-
9
Students with history of violence will be barred from becoming teachers
-
10
Samsung mocks Apple over iPhone alarm glitch
-
Actor Namgung Won: A living witness of Korean film industry
Veteran actor Namgung Won joined a highly select group of acclaimed figures in the Korean film industry last week as he became a member of the National Academy of Arts, a state-run organization of Korean artists dedicated to promoting the development of arts in Korea. Namgung is only the second actor to become a member of the organization, after veteran actress Hwang Jeong-soon in 2006. The prestigious group of prominent cultural figures in Korea includes directors Kim Ki-duk, Im Kwon-taek and B
July 7, 2013
-
Urban camping for the metropolitans at heart
One doesn’t have to be an adventurous wilderness savant to enjoy the splendors of camping in the woods. In fact, one doesn’t even have to leave the city. The original purpose of leisure camping was for people to leave the urban sprawls and retreat to the outdoors, away from the spoils of modern technology and into an environment of simplicity and tranquility. However, for those who are not quite up to the task of roughing it out in the boonies with nothing but a tent and some s’mores, there are
July 5, 2013
-
At the old ball game
On June 21, Friday afternoon, the roads near Jamsil baseball stadium in southern Seoul were packed. Men and women sporting replica uniforms of their favorite players stood in line to get in. It was the day when Seoul-based Doosan Bears took on the Daejeon-based Hanwha Eagles. The game started right on time at 6:30 p.m. While players on the mound fought their hearts out for another win, die-hard fans screamed out the names of the players, made waves with their hands and sang cheering songs, mostl
July 5, 2013
-
Calendar
Pop music“2013 Ansan Valley Rock Festival”: As Korea’s biggest rock festival, the Valley Rock Festival presents one of the best line-ups of big musicians from Korea and abroad such as this year’s headliners The Cure, NiN, Skrillex, the Foals, the XX, My Bloody Valentine, Idiotape, Peppertones and many others. This year’s festival has moved from Jisan Resort to the Daebu Sea Breeze Theme Park. The three-day festival will be held July 26-28. Ticket prices are 120,000 won for a one-day pass, 230,0
July 5, 2013
-
[Photo News] Do the twist
July 5, 2013
-
Rare Chinese stamp sells for $890,000
HONG KONG (AFP) ― One of China’s rarest stamps sold for HK$6.9 million ($890,000) at auction in Hong Kong, the auctioneers said Wednesday.With just 32 recorded copies, the Qing Dynasty “1897 Red Revenue Small One Dollar” stamp is “China’s rarest regularly-issued stamp,” Interasia Auctions said in a press release.The bright red stamp, symbolising luck and good fortune in Chinese culture, is rare because the characters “Qing Dynasty postal service, one dollar” were considered too small, prompting
July 4, 2013
-
Overseas Sejong institutes to top 100 this year
The number of Korea’s government-funded overseas institutes that offer Korean language courses is expected to exceed 100 this year amid the global boom of Korean pop culture, officials said Thursday.The government will open 27 more King Sejong Institutes in 20 countries across the world, increasing the number of the institutes to 117, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said.Named after the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) king who invented the Korean alphabet Hangeul, the institutes offer lan
July 4, 2013
-
Paintings by 3-year-old British girl with autism stun the world
Iris Grace Halmshaw, an autistic 3-year-old girl living in Britain, has attracted keen public attention with her fascinating paintings. Iris, diagnosed with autism in 2011, cannot talk; she even gets distressed when her friends get close to her. She started painting as a part of therapy. In the process, her parents noticed she is a talented painter. Since then, her paintings have been on display on Facebook and two pieces were sold for up to 1,500 pounds ($2,200) each. Her parents are now plann
July 4, 2013
-
Recent discovery on Silla tomb relic may overturn existing theories
The National Museum on Wednesday unveiled the discovery of a king’s name inscribed on the sheath of a large sword found at the ancient Geumgwan (Golden Crown) tomb in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province. The inscription, “Yisajiwang” or King Yisaji, is the oldest name of a king found at a Silla (B.C. 57-A.D. 935) tomb and makes Geumgwan the only sepulcher with an identified owner, researchers at the museum said. The Geumgwan tomb, believed to have been built in the sixth century, has been thorou
July 3, 2013
-
Government to change casino authorization process
Culture Minister Yoo Jin-ryong on Wednesday said that the government will change the current casino authorization process in order to sort out unfeasible and unhealthy casino plans from the initial stage.Yoon said that the authorities will design the casino establishment first and seek the appropriate candidates rather than authorizing projects as they come. Currently, one only needs to present a plan ― without making any actual investment ― for investing more than $300 million in hotel and othe
July 3, 2013
-
Veteran curator of Russia’s Pushkin Museum quits at 91
MOSCOW (AFP) ― The tireless 91-year-old matriarch of the renowned Pushkin Art Museum in Moscow is leaving her post after steering the institution for 52 years, Russia’s cultural minister said Monday.The announcement came as a surprise but follows a protracted battle Pushkin director Irina Antonova has waged to return to Moscow a collection of Impressionist art from Saint Petersburg, where it was sent on orders of Joseph Stalin in the 1940s.“Irina Alexandrovna is a living legend, and she is a per
July 2, 2013
-
Restoring the glory of long-abused ancient Babylon
BABYLON, Iraq (AFP) ― At ancient Babylon’s Ishtar Gate, Iraqi workers labor with a heavy saw, hammers, a chisel and crowbar to break up and remove a concrete slab that is hastening the structure’s decay.The concrete lies between the two long, towering walls of tan bricks decorated with processions of bulls and dragons that make up the more than 2,500-year-old Ishtar Gate, in what is now Iraq’s Babil province.The masonry slab was laid during the late dictator Saddam Hussein’s rule.Removing the co
July 2, 2013
-
Italy promises UNESCO it will not abandon Pompeii
ROME (AFP) ― Italy’s culture minister assured UNESCO on Sunday that efforts were being made to restore the long-neglected Roman city of Pompeii, after the United Nations organization urged the country to speed up repairs.“Pompeii is a symbol for our country. UNESCO’s reprimand is an alarm which I take very seriously and we are already working to overcome the site’s urgent problems,” Culture Minister Massimo Bray said in a note.Giovanni Puglisi, head of the UNESCO National Commission in Italy, on
July 1, 2013
-
Kang Se-hwang: A Renaissance man
The 18th century was a crucial moment for the people of the Joseon era (1392-1910). Cities started to form, trade was active and Western knowledge was introduced to the country by those who traveled to China, opening the eyes of the intellectuals who believed the traditional Confucianist way of life was the only one of merit. Kang Se-hwang (1713-1791) was a painter, calligrapher, poet and critic who captured the dynamic sceneries of the time. Drawing since the age of 10 and painting until his de
July 1, 2013
-
Beneath NYC’s ground zero, a museum takes shape
NEW YORK (AP) ― Gray dust blankets everything in the subterranean halls of the unfinished National September 11 Memorial & Museum. But while the powder may look ominously like the ash that covered lower Manhattan after the terrorist attacks, this time it is a product of rebirth, not destruction.After a yearlong construction shutdown because of a funding dispute, and additional months of cleanup following a shocking flood caused by Superstorm Sandy, work has been racing ahead again at the museum,
June 30, 2013
-
Calendar
Pop music“2013 Ansan Valley Rock Festival”: As Korea’s biggest rock festival, the Valley Rock Festival presents one of the best line-ups of big musicians from Korea and abroad such as this year’s headliners The Cure, NiN, Skrillex, the Foals, the XX, My Bloody Valentine, Idiotape, Peppertones and many others. This year’s festival has moved from Jisan Resort to the Daebu Sea Breeze Theme Park. The three-day festival will be held July 26-28. Ticket prices are 120,000 won for a one-day pass, 230,00
June 28, 2013
-
Gugak musical ‘Arirang’ sings of Korea’s bright future
The Korean traditional folk song “Arirang” reflects Koreans’ unique sentiment of “han,” representing the suppressed yet hopeful desire for justice. The UNESCO Cultural Heritage piece is also believed to have played a key role in creating solidarity among Korean people throughout historical hardships and in shaping the Korean identity. In commemoration of gugak, or Korean traditional music, song’s listing as a UNESCO Cultural Heritage item last December, the National Gugak Center is staging the o
June 26, 2013
-
Korean War sites considered for national cultural heritage status
The Cultural Heritage Administration on Monday said it would push to register five historical sites of the Korean War (1950-1953) as cultural heritage subject to state management. Those being considered are the Resistance Shrine at Mount Gamaksan in Paju; the Norwegian field hospital in Dongducheon; a military bunker in Pocheon; the joint cemetery of the Taegeukdan resistance in Goyang, all in Gyeonggi Province; and the joint cemetery of policemen who died during battle against North Korean mili
June 24, 2013
-
Ministry seeks to revive Joseon portraiture
Portraits in Korea are much more than simple artworks. Rather, they are signs of respect for ancestors that have been passed down through generations. Portraits of the Joseon era (1392-1910) are known for their realistic description and details. They are also called jeonsinhwa, a painting that passes down the spirits of ancestors. Unlike in neighboring countries, painters were devoted to portraying subjects as realistically as possible based on the belief that “if things as small as a strand of
June 24, 2013
-
Reality TV hypes plastic surgery craze
An overweight 20-year-old man with breasts and “unattractive facial features,” as well as a 30-year-old woman suffering from excessive hair growth due to a hormonal malfunction boasted that they have found a second life. They each went under the knife and were strongly driven to shed the weight. And when they walked out into the “world” with vulnerable hearts, hundreds of thousands of people gave them the “victory” sign and applauded them for looking “unbelievably great.” These were the lucky tw
June 23, 2013