LOS ANGELES (AFP) ― Two-time Academy Award winner Tom Hanks has stunned fans by revealing on a U.S. late-night talk show that he’s living with Type 2 diabetes.Hanks, 57, was promoting his new movie “Captain Phillips” ― about the capture of a U.S. cargo ship by Somali pirates ― when he made the surprise disclosure on CBS television’s “Late Night with David Letterman” on Monday.“I went to the doctor and he said, ‘You know those high blood sugar numbers you’ve been dealing with since you were 36? W

PeopleOct. 9, 2013

Johan Hoffmann, a 38-year-old Berliner, didn’t really know about Korea until he came across Korean films in 1998. The dark but artistic world of directors such as Park Chan-wook and Kim Ki-duk cast a spell on him and Hoffmann, who had studied Japanese, chose to learn Korean. Hoffmann said learning to read and write Hangeul came easy and that influenced his decision. “You only need a couple of days to know how to read and write Korean with Hangeul though you may not know what it means,” Hoffman t

CultureOct. 8, 2013

STOCKHOLM (AFP) ― In a year with no clear favourites, Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami appears to be the front-runner to win the Nobel Prize for Literature this week.Murakami, known across the globe for works such as “Norwegian Wood” and “1Q84,” heads the list at bookmaker Ladbrokes with 5/2 odds.Also near the top of the Ladbrokes list is Canadian Alice Munro with odds of 4/1, and American Joyce Carol Oates with 8/1 odds.Murakami has impressed the critics and won a mass readership with his intr

BooksOct. 8, 2013

Prominent designers and innovators in design shared their design philosophy and visions with Korean audience at the Herald Design Forum on Tuesday, a main lecture event held during the Herald Design Week 2013. The forum opened with the renowned Japanese architect Toyo Ito, the winner of the Pritzker Prize 2013, who introduced some of his major architectural works that demonstrate some of his key values in architecture - social responsibility. In a comprehensive, detailed lecture, Ito revealed ke

Arts & DesignOct. 8, 2013

The Herald Design Market showcases design products of young up-and-coming Korean designers. (Kim Myung-sub/The Korea Herald)The biggest merit of living in the age of design, perhaps, is the accessibility and affordability of goods for everyone. About 80 talented young designers set up tables under their own brand names at the Herald Design Market, showcasing everyday items with sophisticated designs. The products were displayed in a colorful, three-storied container building, an open patio of th

Arts & DesignOct. 8, 2013

Participants wait in line for tickets at Herald Design Forum. (Kim Myung-sub/The Korea Herald)The Herald Design Forum posed questions and highlighted the importance of design in modern society, forum attendants said Tuesday. 　However, the emotions and thoughts they took away from the event appeared to be as diverse as the fields influenced by design. The forum, part of the Herald Design Week that kicked off on Monday with The Korea Herald’s 60th anniversary celebration, was held for the third ti

Arts & DesignOct. 8, 2013

Architecture should be in harmony with nature and people and reflect people’s needs rather than focus on boasting exterior beauty, said Toyo Ito, renowned Japanese architect and the winner of the Pritzker Prize 2013 at the first lecture of the Herald Design Forum 2013 on Tuesday in Seoul. “Architecture for the 21st Century should enable people to have a comfortable living in harmony with nature,” Ito said during the 80-minute lecture titled “Be Better by Design: Our Responsibility as Designers.”

Arts & DesignOct. 8, 2013

Understanding the needs of the customers as well as the power of the soft industry are key factors to developing Korea into a design powerhouse, according to two leading Korean designers. Don Tae Lee, co-president of London-based strategic design consultancy tangerine direction & design, and Joon Oh!, the creative director of Amorepacific, a leading Korean chemical and cosmetics company, gave a duo-lecture, sharing their past and current innovative projects. Lee is known for redesigning British

PerformanceOct. 8, 2013

To create innovative design in the fast-changing world, designers must understand fundamental characteristics of products or the nature of patterns in human lives that instantly capture the eyes and the minds of customers, designers said at the Herald Design Forum on Tuesday.“We have to include in our job many, different parts of the society. The job is very complex. You have to include different philosophy, marketing and technology,” said Italian industrial designer Stefano Giovannoni.“Innovati

Arts & DesignOct. 8, 2013

Interacting with talented individuals through accidental encounters and being constantly curious are crucial for creativity, veteran fashion designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, said at the Herald Design Forum.“Always, my life, I’ve done by encounters. Different encounters with very talented artists. Because I think it’s a way of learning about the talents of those people, about their creativity, and about the new times,” he said. “Hijacking” was also key to creativity, the designer said during

Arts & DesignOct. 8, 2013

Two British designers talked about their common guiding principle of “space” in a lecture titled “Defining Space Through Design” at Herald Design Forum on Tuesday. “Having clarity is the most important when I create design. You need to clarify how the space will be used,” said Gavin Hughes, an interior designer and graphic designer with Strategy Plus at AECOM. “Understand your clients and find out their needs with your every intuition and analysis. If you know it, it does not necessarily cost mu

Arts & DesignOct. 8, 2013

How does one succeed in today’s complex and volatile world? IDEO’s CEO Tim Brown’s advice is: be Darwin rather than Newton.“What Newton’s laws of motion do is that they predict the future based on the understanding of the present,” Brown said during his lecture.“But the problem is it only works if the present is very, very simple. We can only use Newton’s laws to effectively predict the future of something if we are talking about two components, one thing hitting another thing. As soon as we hav

PerformanceOct. 8, 2013

The Kumaran brothers, the world’s youngest CEOs of a mobile application company, surprised Korean audiences with their innovative vision for the software industry.The brothers from Chennai, in southern India, said they were planning big things for the future such as developing more innovative tools to make people’s lives more convenient and healthy. A crowd-based application that shows the pollution or traffic levels of cities around the world is one such invention. The brothers hope to take 50

Arts & DesignOct. 8, 2013

“Boys Over Flowers” star Lee Min-ho looks poised to reprise his golden days with SBS’ “The Heirs.” “I hope this drama reels in viewer ratings past the 40 percent mark,” said Lee, 26, at the drama’s press conference in Seoul on Monday. “I really want those top ratings.” Lee has yet to surpass the overwhelming success of his breakout role in the hit KBS rom-com four years ago.Both his last TV series, “The Great Doctor,” and 2010’s “Personal Taste” brought in lukewarm viewer shares, and while “City

TelevisionOct. 8, 2013

BUSAN (AFP) ― Korean director Bong Joon-ho on Monday played down controversy over the international release of his English-language debut “Snowpiercer,” saying he would accept any final cuts Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein made to the film.“For me, the important thing is that it reaches an audience,” said Bong, a king of the box office in Korea, where his sci-fi thriller has been a hit with takings so far of more than $61 million.Weinstein has picked up the rights to the apocalyptic cliff-hange

FilmOct. 8, 2013

The Camarata Music Company will host their annual networking fund-raiser Friday. The “Fall Into Music” event will include performances by the Camarata Chamber Singers, light jazz music and a standing buffet.CMC provides opportunities for expat and Korean musicians to perform together, and has members from 47 countries.“This (event) is your chance to ensure music and direct participation in music culture remain an accessible part of the community for everyone in Korea,” said CMC director Ryan Goe

Expat LivingOct. 8, 2013