English translations of Korean literature published in the U.S.

The first 10 volumes of Dalkey Archive Press and the Literature Translation Institute of Korea’s Korean literature series will be hitting U.S. bookstores on Nov. 16, the Korea-based translation institute announced Tuesday.  The series, titled “Library of Korean Literature,” consists of 25 works by Korea’s contemporary authors and those who lived through Korea’s colonial and postcolonial periods. The remaining 15 volumes in the series will be released next year.The 10 volumes to be published next

BooksOct. 17, 2013

Remembering Marie Colvin’s bravery, journalism

Why was Marie Colvin, who became one of Britain’s most celebrated war correspondents, in Homs, Syria, in February 2012? One thing’s for sure: She had not been invited. After the Syrian government closed its borders to journalists, intrepid reporters like Colvin and her colleague from Britain’s Sunday Times, photographer Paul Conroy, were forced to take extreme measures to cover the nation’s civil war.Colvin and Conroy’s epic journey from Beirut, involved minivans, pickup trucks, motorbikes, hear

BooksOct. 17, 2013

A survivor who refuses to stay a victim

The Edge of NormalBy Carla Norton(Minotaur)Carla Norton’s enthralling “The Edge of Normal,” about a young woman rebuilding her life after being held by a kidnapper for years, offers more than a ripped-from-the- headlines pastiche.This fiction debut delivers an emotional story of a woman fighting to regain her sense of self, to reach, at least, an edge of normal without falling. Reeve LeClaire, who was kidnaped when she was 12 and held for four years, doesn‘t want people to see her only as a vict

BooksOct. 17, 2013

Jayne Anne Phillips revisits a murder in ‘Quiet Dell’

Quiet DellBy Jayne Anne Phillips (Scribner)Jayne Anne Phillips grew up in West Virginia hearing about the infamous Quiet Dell murders of 1931, real-life killings of a widow and her three children at the hands of a con man she met through a lonely hearts club.Phillips learned about the grisly case from an unlikely source: her mother, who remembered as a child walking past the “murder garage” where Asta Eicher and her children ― 14, 12 and 9 ― died, the road nearby lined with cars of souvenir-seek

BooksOct. 17, 2013

InterContinental Seoul COEX names its first female general manager

InterContinental Seoul COEX appointed longtime hotelier Kim Yeon-sun as its first female general manager. The 52-year-old Kim also became the first female board member of Parnas Corp., which operates Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas and InterContinental Seoul COEX and Nine Tree Hotel Myeong-dong, the hotel said Wednesday. The veteran hotelier started her career at the front desk of Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas in 1988 and worked her way up to guest relations manager in 1994, first fema

PeopleOct. 16, 2013

Seoul deploys tourist police

A special police unit will patrol tourist hotspots in Seoul to take care of petty crimes targeting foreign tourists in one of the rising tourist destinations in Asia. The tourism police, launched Wednesday, will be in charge of handling fraud targeting foreign tourists such as pickpockets, overcharging by taxi drivers and shopkeepers, and many other complaints reported by tourists in the streets of Myeong-dong, Insa-dong, Itaewon, Dongdaemun and Hongdae, according to the Ministry of Culture, Spo

PeopleOct. 16, 2013

Van Gogh’s artistic ‘repetitions’ featured in D.C. show

WASHINGTON (AP) ― Vincent van Gogh’s various versions of some of his well-known paintings are featured in the first major exhibit of his artwork in Washington in 15 years at The Phillips Collection.“Van Gogh Repetitions” opens Saturday to examine some of the artist’s familiar paintings, looking at how he repeated certain compositions during his 10-year career. It was organized with the Cleveland Museum of Art, which will host the exhibit in March.The new exhibit is a bright spot for museum visit

PerformanceOct. 16, 2013

Fashion Kode to give Korean fashion a trade platform

While Korean fashion has been on the international radar for quite some time, the lack of a proper fashion trade show has hindered overseas buyers from meeting local brands.Fashion Kode, envisioned as Asia’s fashion business hub, will be held Thursday through Saturday at Coex in Samseong-dong, southern Seoul, gathering some 150 local fashion brands and designers and 20 foreign companies and buyers. The event will kick off with seminars and a market where designers and sellers can pitch their ite

Arts & DesignOct. 16, 2013

Designing with the stars: SBS to launch celebrity fashion reality program

For the first time on Korean TV, SBS is taking a new take on reality TV by combining some of the nation’s top designers with a celebrity counterpart to create the latest in fashion design in a battle-to-the-top survival competition. The soon-to-be-aired new reality TV show titled “Fashion King Korea,” includes a team of eight celebrities, each paired with an acclaimed fashion designer. The all-star cast of celebrities competing against one another are: Girls Generation’s Tiffany, Sistar’s Bora,

TelevisionOct. 16, 2013

Movies with a 270-degree view to hit Korean cinemas

BUSAN (AFP) ― A new format that gives moviegoers a panoramic 270 degree view will be rolled out by Korea’s biggest cinema chain this month, using the walls of theaters as additional screens. Screen X, developed by cinema chain CJ CGV, was on show at the Busan International Film Festival last week in the premiere of a 30-minute spy thriller “The X,” directed by Kim Jee-woon, a film commissioned to showcase the expanded three-screen format. Kim, who directed this year’s Arnold Schwarzenegger actio

FilmOct. 16, 2013

Through salt and mud, Cittaslow Jeungdo boasts beauty

This is the 10th installment in an 11-part series that introduces some of the best walking trails in Korea. Based on each trail’s popularity and the recommendations of travel experts and the Culture Ministry, The Korea Herald selected the 10 best places for walking and hiking. The series received funding from the Korea Press Foundation. ― Ed.JEUNGDO, South Jeolla Province ― The first city in Asia to ever receive the “Slow City” title as part of the Cittaslow movement, the small island of Jeungdo

TravelOct. 16, 2013

Online mag to help expat photogs learn from each other

Photography has long been a popular pursuit among expats here, but a new online magazine hopes to get them learning from each other, as well as showing off their work.Photographers in Korea runs across three platforms: an online magazine, a Facebook page and a website. The Facebook page, according to magazine founder Joe Wabe, is for sharing and showcasing photography, while the website will be more about articles and tips. The online magazine will combine these two into a finished format.Wabe r

Expat LivingOct. 15, 2013