U.S. to return Mayan artifacts to Guatemala

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Seven priceless Mayan artifacts looted decades ago from Guatemala are returning to the land of their creation after a representative for an antiquities collector grew suspicious of their origin and contacted the FBI. Experts called in by the agency quickly determined the limestone pieces, all more than a thousand years old, were removed illegally from two specific regions of Guatemala and sold to a California collector in the 1970s. “Four larger limestone pieces date to 400 t

CultureJuly 24, 2016

[Travel Bits] Round up of travel news from around the world

K-Travel Bus summer promotion　Visit Korea Committee is conducting a summer promotion event for the K-Travel Bus service from July 18 to Aug. 31, offering travelers discounted rates.　Participants who reserve a trip with the K-Travel bus during that timeframe via its homepage will receive a discount coupon worth $30, as well as an additional $10 discount for international students who present a university/college or language school ID card. 　A drawing will also be held for those who post reviews o

TravelJuly 22, 2016

[The Palate] Raw seafood soup, mulhoe

In Korea the winter months are known to be the best time to enjoy seafood from the surrounding cold waters. However, it is in the summer when the bounty of the sea and fish “hoe” are the most desired. Fresh catches from the ocean served chilled take on many forms in Korean cuisine and become the perfect match to the warm summer season. Cool on the palate and easy on the appetite, local seafood glorifies summer eating as it should be enjoyed, and one dish that is best in-season is the raw seafood

FoodJuly 22, 2016

[Weekender] Healthy, tasty local dishes that nourish during summer

During summer, some Koreans may think of the phrase “iyeolchiyeol” when deciding what to eat. 　Similar to the popular English idiom “fight fire with fire,” Koreans are known to tackle the scorching weather head on by “adding” even more heat. This might take the form of visiting saunas or having a bowl of piping hot soup.   　“Boyangsik,” which translates to “food that strengthens the body,” is a common go-to food during summer because it is believed that such food is made with ingredients that ca

FoodJuly 22, 2016

[Weekender] Eat to beat the heat

On a scorching hot summer day, you start to feel sluggish and dizzy while perspiring heavily. Feeling dehydrated and low on energy, you instinctively grab a glass of cold water, gulp it down and look for an air-conditioned place to rest. 　There is one more place Koreans think of stopping by on such days -- a samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup) eatery. On lunar days that mark the beginning, middle and end of summer, samgyetang restaurants are crowded with customers yearning for the taste of tender

FoodJuly 22, 2016

[Weekender] Keeping cool with food over the centuries

An exhibition on how Korea’s forefathers refreshed themselves during long, sweltering summer days is on at the National Folk Museum in Seoul, offering modern-day tips on how to keep cool. 　 “The exhibition highlights how the summer activities of our ancestors have been passed down through generations and adapted to modern times,” said Choi Jeung-cheol, the president of KCDF, at a press conference at the museum on Tuesday. 　“Eumsik dimibang” from the late Joseon period (Korea Craft and Design Fou

FoodJuly 22, 2016

Red Hot Chili Peppers return as ‘roaring beasts’

Nothing short of impressionable, Red Hot Chili Peppers’ first gig in Korea in 2002 still has some people talking.　Back again after 14 years, the American rock band is headlining one of the most-anticipated music events of the year, the 2016 Jisan Valley Rock Music & Arts Festival.　“Each country we go to, we try to get our own perspective of the place we’re in,” said the group’s bassist Michael Balzary -- who goes by the stage name Flea -- at a press conference at the Grand InterContinental Seoul

PerformanceJuly 22, 2016

Halfway through, 'Flower of Prison' leaves much to be expected

Even for a veteran TV producer like Lee Byung-hoon, the period drama "Flower of Prison" has proven to be a difficult series to please viewers with.Speaking in a press conference Thursday, the 71-year-old producer, who is best known for his other epic dramas like "Dae Janggeum" and "Huh Joon," lamented that he still doesn't know what viewers want with the series nearly halfway through. (Yonhap)"I said I would appeal to them with something completely new, but now I think I may not have appealed to

TelevisionJuly 21, 2016

[Herald Review] Complexities of war lost in ‘Operation Chromite’

The upcoming Korean War film “Operation Chromite” takes on the loaded subject matter with a studded cast of Korean A-listers and Hollywood actor Liam Neeson, best known to Korean audiences for his 2008 thriller “Taken.” It clearly aims to be a commercial blockbuster, armed with glitzy visuals, loud battle scenes, budding wartime romance and easily imaginable characters. It is, however, all style and very little substance. And like most recent Korean films that draw on conflict with the North --

FilmJuly 21, 2016

[Herald Review] ‘Bare the Musical’: a must-tell high school love story

A star athlete, valedictorian and the most popular guy in school, Jason is the envy of every boy in school and the target of school girls’ affection. However, despite all the girls thrusting themselves at him, every time Jason walks down the hallway, he only has eyes for one -- Peter. The critically acclaimed Off Broadway production “Bare the Musical” has once again returned to the Seoul stage to tell the tale of two Catholic boarding school students Jason (played by Seong Du-seop) and Peter (pl

PerformanceJuly 21, 2016

Actor-turned-director Jang Keun-suk to unveil short film

Often called the “Prince of Asia,” actor Jang Keun-suk will stand before audience at the 20th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival as a director instead. Scheduled to be screened on July 22 and 26, the nine-minute short film “The Great Legacy” was made with the help of students at Hanyang University, where Jang is currently a lecturer.  “It is a great pleasure for him to unveil this collaborative production and he is looking forward to engaging in conversations with viewers regarding th

FilmJuly 21, 2016

F(x) releases new single, music video

K-pop quartet f(x) is back with a new song. The single “All Mine” is part of S.M. Entertainment’s digital music project, and it was set to be unveiled on S.M. Station and other local music platforms at midnight on July 21. Produced by British songwriter duo LDN Noise, “All Mine” is an upbeat, electronic dance music track.  A documentary-style music video for the song was also set to be released at the same time on YouTube and Naver TV Cast. Directed by the K-pop group’s member Amber, the video s

PerformanceJuly 21, 2016

VVertigo atop the Conrad Seoul

What was originally the Conrad Seoul Hotel’s outdoor garden terrace is now the city’s latest rooftop bar. The beautiful open garden space has been revamped into the VVertigo rooftop bar, a dining experience where visitors can enjoy stunning views with a great atmosphere, coupled with an equally excellent menu. The space was redesigned in May to create a rooftop bar hidden amid the forest of high-rise buildings in Yeouido. It was inspired by the sophisticated rooftop bars of Bangkok and New York.

CultureJuly 21, 2016

Dark secrets of the man who opened architecture to the light

PARIS (AFP) -- Love him or loathe him, few people have changed the world we live in more than Le Corbusier, one of the fathers of modern architecture, whose works were placed Sunday on UNESCO's prestigious World Heritage List.His ideas about utilitarian concrete buildings have altered the face of cities across the planet and have had an equally profound influence on urban planning.From his modernist master planning of Chandigarh in northern India to Paris, which he dreamed of levelling to make w

Arts & DesignJuly 21, 2016

In world of life coaching, Jen Sincero is the royal badass

NEW YORK (AP) – We’ve got a world of life coaches out there offering a world of inspirational and instructional ways to make our many and varied “journeys” meaningful through self-help.And then there’s Jen Sincero, the sassiest of them all.She curses, she quotes Kirk Cobain and her friend Cynthia (“I'm okay, I’m not okay”) along with lofty authors and philosophers, and she titles chapters of her hilarious, best-selling book “You are a Badass” with things like, “Self-Perception is a Zoo.”With a f

PeopleJuly 21, 2016

Children’s theater festival celebrates ties with France

France is the focus of this year’s Korea International Summer Festival from July 20-31 and, as its organizer, the International Association of Theatre for Children and Young People (ASSITEJ), is marking the 130th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. “France played a leading role in founding the ASSITEJ world headquarters and takes initiatives in developing performing arts for children and young people,” said spokeswoman Lim Ju-hee.The festival caters to children and you

CultureJuly 21, 2016

How millennial nostalgia fueled the success of ‘Pokemon Go’

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) -- The children who once dreamed of capturing real-life Pokemon starting in the 1990s are now the nostalgic millennials helping fuel the worldwide success of “Pokemon Go.”Take Bailey Richardson. Now 26, her grandest dream was once to set out in the world and capture and train the big-eyed, shrieking creatures known as Pokemon, originally numbering 151 in all.On a recent night, she was outside playing “Pokemon Go” when someone shouted that they had found Aerodactyl, a rare, p

CultureJuly 21, 2016