The Korea Herald

Gwangju center to run tour to Gokseong

Gwangju International Center will run a tour to Gokseong, South Jeolla Province, which recently rose to prominence as the location of the horror film, “The Wailing.” The area is home to temples, shrines and monuments, with the first destination on the stop being Dorisma Temple, which was established by a famous Buddhist monk named Wonhyo Daesa. The name Dorimsa, meaning “Temple of the Forest of Ascetics,” was chosen because the temple was crowded with spiritual people, including Doseongguksa, Sa

Expat LivingJuly 12, 2016

Plastic Art Seoul to highlight Korean sculptures and installations

The Plastic Art Seoul 2016, Korea‘s first art fair devoted to sculptures and installations, will open next week in Seoul.The art fair will bring together more than 4,000 pieces of plastic art by some 150 artists represented by major galleries in Korea. Plastic art refers to 3-D visual artworks using materials, stones, wood, metals and mixed media. “The fair offers a chance for visitors to view a variety of sculptures and installations in one spot,” said Shin Jun-won, head of the Plastic Art Seou

PerformanceJuly 12, 2016

Plastic Art Seoul to highlight Korean sculptures and installations

Eric Nam to release new single on Friday

Korean-American singer-songwriter Eric Nam will release a new single this week, announced his management agency CJ E&M. The summer track “Can’t Help Myself” will be available on local music sites from midnight on July 15, and Nam will be holding a special performance of the single on Mnet’s “M Countdown” a day ahead of the official release.Epik High’s Tablo wrote the song’s lyrics upon personal request from Nam, according to Nam’s agency. “The two have a very close, sibling-like relationship,” s

PerformanceJuly 12, 2016

Eric Nam to release new single on Friday

Muslim Girls Making Change spread messages through poetry

SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vermont (AP) - Four girls from Vermont are using their voices and powerful performance poetry to get their message out about being Muslim in America, stereotypes, and other issues near to them. Five months after forming their slam poetry group, Muslim Girls Making Change is competing this week in the Brave New Voices international youth poetry slam competition in Washington, DC. "We write poems about things that we can't keep inside of us anymore, so things that we care so much

CultureJuly 12, 2016

Ancient ship graveyard found off Greek island

ATHENS (AFP) -- Forty-five shipwrecks, many dating back to ancient times, have been discovered off a Greek archipelago that is one of the Mediterranean’s richest underwater archaeological sites, authorities said Monday. In addition to the wrecks found off the Fourni islands in the Aegean Sea over the last two years, researchers also spotted anchors and hundreds of ceramic objects, Greece’s Ministry of Culture said in a statement.Some 23 sunken vessels were found in 2016, with another 22 uncovere

CultureJuly 12, 2016

Autry Museum acquires works of Henry Fonseca

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Los Angeles’ Autry Museum of the American West has acquired the estate of renowned Native American artist Henry Fonseca, increasing its collection by several hundred pieces, including many never seen before. Museum officials said Monday the acquisition includes 19 large-scale murals, 69 sketchbooks, a selection of prints, posters, collages and other works, and all of Fonseca’s journals. Fonseca’s works have been exhibited in museums around the country, including the Smithsoni

CultureJuly 12, 2016

King Sejong Institute hosts 8th World Korean Educators Conference

The King Sejong Institute, Korea’s state-supported Korean language training organization, hosted the eighth World Korean Educators Conference on Tuesday to further promote overseas understanding of the Northeast Asian country. A total of 300 attendees are in Seoul to attend the four-day conference that runs till Friday and is designed to educate Korean teachers and improve global cooperation in Korean education, said the institute and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. In the opening c

CultureJuly 12, 2016

Shake Shack burger to open this month in Gangnam

Shake Shack, a popular burger chain from New York City, will open its first store in Gangnam on July 22, Korean food and confectionary company SPC Group said Tuesday. (Shake Shack)The store will be near Sinnonhyeon Station, Subway Line No. 9, which is on the same main street in Gangnam as Gangnam Station, Subway Line No. 2. SPC, the operator of bakery chain Paris Baguette, will be operating the burger store under an exclusive contract with Shake Shack. Shake Shack started out in 2001 as a hotdo

FoodJuly 12, 2016

Shake Shack burger to open this month in Gangnam

Jeju Island most popular destination for Korean travelers

Jeju Island was the most traveled to destination for Koreans in the first half of the year, according to a report by the online travel agency Expedia Korea on Monday. Jeju Island (Instagram user @sosohan_rin)Listing the most in-demand cities by the volume of hotel reservations, Jeju Island, the resort island off the southern coast of Korea, jumped 75 percent compared to the same period last year, pushing it from third to first place. 　Osaka took the No. 2 spot followed by Seoul, Okinawa and Tok

TravelJuly 11, 2016

Jeju Island most popular destination for Korean travelers

Beer festival in Sinchon to invite Song Joong-ki

The second Sinchon Beer Festival will take place on Thursday and Friday in Sinchon’s main street, which stretches from Sinchon Station exits three and four to the front gate of Yonsei University.Hallyu star Song Joong-ki of the hit drama “Descendants of the Sun” will make an appearance at the festival opening as a face for distiller Hite-Jinro, which is sponsoring the festival. (KBS)The company had said on Facebook two weeks ago that it would set up an artificial beach at the festival and invi

CultureJuly 11, 2016

Beer festival in Sinchon to invite Song Joong-ki

Exhibitions offer glimpse of two very different lives of Joseon

Two exhibitions in Seoul are offering a rare glimpse into the lives of different social classes in the Joseon era.Seoul Arts Center’s Calligraphy Museum has brought together a rare collection of still life paintings from the Joseon era, depicting stacks of books with decorative luxury items, which were popular among royals and aristocrats. In contrast, the exhibition also features paintings of Chinese characters that wealthy commoners hung in their homes to emulate the upper class’ cultural tast

PerformanceJuly 11, 2016

Exhibitions offer glimpse of two very different lives of Joseon

Korea’s longest DJ festival comes to Seorak Beach

Korea’s longest DJ festival, 2016 Summer DJ Festival, is coming to Seorak Beach in Gangwon Province, from July 21 to Aug. 15. The 26-day festival will bring together 20 of the most prominent and up-and-coming DJs and musicians in the country, including DJ Chunja, Super Junior’s Kim Ki-bum, DJ Peachade, Davii and DJ Pascal Dior. In addition to showcasing some of the season’s hottest electronic dance music, the festival will include dance performances and other exciting attractions. Big Bang memb

PerformanceJuly 11, 2016

Korea’s longest DJ festival comes to Seorak Beach

Taeyeon carries solo show with strong vocals

Fans came from all over Asia. According to S.M. Entertainment, some 6,000 fans flocked to Seoul’s Olympic Park on Sunday for Girls’ Generation member Taeyeon’s first solo concert.On Sunday, the concert’s second and last day, occasional bursts of cheers in Chinese, Japanese and even Spanish could be heard throughout the packed stadium in between songs. The show was also live-streamed at some 44 theaters in Japan, according to the singer. The 27-year-old singer performed 22 songs, including those

PerformanceJuly 11, 2016

Taeyeon carries solo show with strong vocals

Maestro Chung to be grilled over defamation charge this week

Maestro Chung Myung-whun will be questioned later this week on defamation accusations by the former head of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, the Seoul Central Prosecutors’ Office in charge of the case said Monday.“Maestro Chung will be summoned for questioning as the accused at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday,” a prosecutor said. The accusations against Chung and his wife, surnamed Koo, were made in March by former SPO CEO Park Hyun-jung, who quit as SPO chief over alleged sexual and verbal harassment o

PerformanceJuly 11, 2016

UNESCO meets on heritage under shadow of extremism

ISTANBUL (AFP) - The U.N.’s cultural agency met Sunday in Istanbul to consider adding over two dozen new sites to its prestigious global heritage list, and called for a strong global response to the threats posed by extremism.The meeting of the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO comes less than two weeks after the main airport in Istanbul was hit by a triple suicide attack that left 47 people dead.The strike was blamed on Islamic State group jihadists who have already destroyed irreplaceable her

CultureJuly 11, 2016

Israel find may help solve mystery of biblical Philistines

ASHKELON, Israel (AP) -- An archaeological discovery announced Sunday in Israel may help solve an enduring biblical mystery: Where did the ancient Philistines come from? The Philistines left behind plenty of pottery. But part of the mystery surrounding the ancient people was that very little biological trace of them had been found until 2013.That is when archaeologists excavating the site of the biblical city of Ashkelon found what they say is the first Philistine cemetery ever discovered. They

CultureJuly 11, 2016

Israel find may help solve mystery of biblical Philistines

F.T. Island releases teaser poster

Gearing up for its return to the spotlight, five-member Korean rock band F.T. Island unveiled a teaser poster for the lead track “Take Me Now” from its sixth full studio album “Where is the Truth?” on Monday. Composed by the band’s member Lee Hong-gi, “Take Me Now” is a hard rock tune that embodies the band’s explosive energy, said the group’s management agency FNC Entertainment in a press release. Since the group’s official debut in 2007, F.T. Island has been gaining global acclaim with hit tr

PerformanceJuly 11, 2016

I.O.I’s Yu Yeon-jung to join Cosmic Girls

K-pop group I.O.I’s Yu Yeon-jung will be joining another girl group Cosmic Girls as its 13th member, announced the singer’s management agency Starship Entertainment on Monday.“We came to this decision after evaluating the synergy created between Cosmic Girls and Yu Yeon-jung, and ask fans for their support for the new 13-member Cosmic Girls,” said Starship Entertainment in a press release. I.O.I, which debuted in May, was created through Mnet’s reality K-pop group survival show “Produce 101.” Fo

PerformanceJuly 11, 2016

I.O.I’s Yu Yeon-jung to join Cosmic Girls

Creator of Broadway hit ‘Hamilton’ says goodbye, quietly

NEW YORK (AP) -- Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator and star of the Broadway smash hit “Hamilton,” made a subdued final bow Saturday alongside two other departing stars in the show that has become a cultural phenomenon.The performance Saturday at the Richard Rodgers Theatre was also the last for Leslie Odom Jr., who won a Tony Award as Aaron Burr, and Phillipa Soo, a Tony nominee who portrayed Eliza Schuyler. The three -- plus an ensemble member -- took their bows together but none said anything.Mi

PerformanceJuly 11, 2016

Dobong-gu to run outdoor swimming pool

Changdong Sports Culture Complex in Dobong-gu, northeastern Seoul, will open an outdoor swimming pool for a week beginning from Saturday. The opening hours of the pool will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dobong-gu outdoor swimming poolThe entrance fee is 3,000 won ($2.60). Those under the age of 3 can enter for free if proof of medical insurance or a copy of their resident registration is shown. The pool will have various facilities for children including a 40-meter water slide, sand playground and

CultureJuly 11, 2016