PEN to honor Joan Didion

What do Harrison Ford and Joan Didion have in common? They’ll both be at the PEN Center USA awards dinner in October, where he will present her with the lifetime achievement award. Their connection is personal rather than literary: The actor and author have known each other since 1971, when the not-yet movie star built her beach house.“He was a carpenter,” she explains by phone from New York. “I was happy with his work ― and even happier with his presence in the house because he was a great mora

BooksSept. 5, 2013

Book explores retirement trends in Korea

A recently published collection of academic papers explores retirement trends in the Korean job market, focusing on the impact of forced retirement at a young age ― mid-50s for most workers ― and how it affects individuals. Coedited by scholars Thomas R. Klassen and Yang Yun-jeong, the book, titled “Korea’s Retirement Predicament: The Aging Tiger,” comprises a total of 10 academic papers regarding retirement issues in Korea and overseas, including income security for the elderly, retirement pens

BooksSept. 5, 2013

Messi pays back millions to taxman: reports

MADRID (AFP) ― Barcelona star Lionel Messi and his father paid off 5 million euros ($6.6 million) they owed to the taxman ahead of their court appearance on tax evasion charges, media reported Wednesday.Spanish newspapers citing a ruling by a judge in Gava, near Barcelona, said the Argentine player’s father Jorge Messi deposited the payment, which covers more than 4 million euros in unpaid taxes plus interest, with the court on Aug. 14.Prosecutors accuse the two of defrauding the tax office of i

PeopleSept. 5, 2013

Boryeong Mud Festival to appear in school textbook

The Boryeong Mud Festival will appear in a Korean high school textbook.According to Boryeong City, South Chungcheong Province, Thursday, the festival will be introduced in a high school textbook on social and cultural studies to be edited by Jihaksa Publishing Co. It will be described as one of three flagship provincial festivals of Korea on Page 104, along with the Celadon Festival in Gangjin, South Jeolla Province, and the Rice Cultural Festival in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province. Currently, the mud

PeopleSept. 5, 2013

Koo named to board of national contemporary dance company

Koo Cha-hoon, chairman of the board of directors of the LIG Arts Foundation, on Thursday was appointed a member of the board of directors of the Korea National Contemporary Dance Company, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said. Koo will serve the post for three years. Koo is also the chairman of LIG Investment and Securities, and has been engaged in nurturing the arts in the country including dance. In 2012 he received the Mecenat of the Year award in 2012. In 2007 he received a specia

PeopleSept. 5, 2013

Polanski discusses impact of sex crime conviction

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) ― Director Roman Polanski, in a rare interview published on Thursday, shares his frustrations and feelings about being the object of hatred due to a complicated legal case stemming from a sex crime more than 30 years ago.Polanski, 80, the Polish-French director of films such as “Rosemary’s Baby” and 2002’s Oscar-winning “The Pianist,” pleaded guilty in 1977 to having sex with 13-year-old Samantha Geimer during a photo shoot, fueled by champagne and drugs.In an interview wit

PeopleSept. 5, 2013

BoA makes drama debut

Director gives K-pop diva 75 points for first major television roleBy Jean OhK-pop diva BoA is set to put her acting prowess to the test in her first major television drama. Slated to star in KBS’ short, two-episode, rom-com “Expect to Date” (working title), this will be the 26-year old singer’s first small screen lead. After making a brief cameo appearance in SBS’ “ATHENA: Goddess of War” in 2010, BoA continued to forge a career in television with SBS’ hit music reality show, “K-Pop Star,” earn

TelevisionSept. 5, 2013

Sumi Jo shares talent, life and love with younger fans

Twenty-seven years ago, fledgling soprano Sumi Jo auditioned in front of the legendary maestro Herbert von Karajan, who called her “the voice from heaven.” Her career skyrocketed from then on, and Jo won competition after competition, sang on the stages of world-famous opera halls, and collaborated with internationally acclaimed artists and orchestras. The soprano has a huge following in Korea where people have called her the “People’s Soprano.” Now, Jo is determined to share the love and respec

PerformanceSept. 4, 2013

Malala says books can defeat terrorism at U.K. library opening

BIRMINGHAM, England (AFP) ― Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani schoolgirl shot in the head by the Taliban after campaigning for girls‘ right to an education, said books were “the weapons to defeat terrorism” as she opened a new library in her adopted English city on Tuesday.The 16-year-old gave a speech before unveiling a stainless steel plaque to mark the opening of Europe’s biggest public library, the gleaming new Library of Birmingham.Yousafzai, who was flown to the central English city for surg

PeopleSept. 4, 2013

KNUA to recruit foreign professors

The Korea National University of Arts will hire more professors from outside the country over the next five years, its newly appointed president Kim Bong-ryol said Wednesday. Aiming to recruit “masters” and “rising stars” in the international art scene to share their knowledge and know-how, the school will establish a special fund to meet international standards of pay, Kim said at a press conference. There are currently 146 professors at the school and Kim plans to raise the number to 165 in th

CultureSept. 4, 2013

Kim brings incest and self-mutilation to Venice

VENICE (AFP) ― Korean director Kim Ki-duk, who won the Golden Lion award at Venice film festival last year, is back in the floating city with a tale of incest and self-mutilation.“Moebius,” a story about a father’s infidelity sparking a chain of violent events which lead to his wife dismembering their son, was initially banned in Kim’s home country.The Korean Media Rating Board put its foot down over the sex, nudity and incest and Kim had to cut out the offending passages before they would allow

FilmSept. 4, 2013

Bhutanese exposition on dance to open Busan film fest

A Bhutanese film directed by a Buddhist monk has been selected as the opener of the upcoming 18th Busan International Film Festival. It is the first time for a Bhutanese movie to be screened as an opening film at an international film festival, according to the organizers. Directed by Khyentse Norbu, the film features Bharata Natyam, a classical Indian dance. Norbu is unable to attend the film festival, as he is currently occupied with his religious training.A total of 301 films, including 95 wo

FilmSept. 4, 2013

Mungyeongsaejae trail breathes history

This is the eighth 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.Hundreds of years ago, seonbi, literati of the Joseon era (1392-1910), walked hundreds of kilometers from the Gyeongsang region to sit the civil service e

TravelSept. 4, 2013

KEF chairman lectures in Ethiopia

Lee Hee-beom, chairman of the Korea Employers Federation, gave a lecture on Korean economic development in Ethiopia, the federation said. Invited by Ethiopian Foreign Minister Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Lee spoke to a meeting of Ethiopian ambassadors and consuls general stationed around the world in Addis Ababa on Tuesday.He explained the Saemaeul Movement and other steps that transformed Korea from a war-ravaged underdeveloped country into an economic power. The movement, also known as the New

PeopleSept. 4, 2013

Lee Hyori releases wedding photographs

Singer Lee Hyori, who recently tied the knot with guitarist Lee Sang-soon, released photographs taken on her wedding day and released a brief statement about the simple ceremony on her official fan website, Hyori Together, on Tuesday. “We were worried that it would rain, but the weather was nice. We and a few of our friends worked hard for a few days preparing for the wedding but in the end it was a meaningful and fun day,” Hyori wrote, adding, “I want to thank everyone who cheered us on and gav

PeopleSept. 4, 2013

Ex-U.S. Secretary of State Albright given Swedish prize

STOCKHOLM (AFP) ― Former U.S. secretary of state Madeleine Albright will receive a prize in memory of assassinated Swedish prime minister Anna Lindh for her role as a “unique female leader,” the award’s organizers announced Tuesday.The Anna Lindh prize, worth 150,000 Swedish kronor (17,000 euros, $23,000), is given to those who “help others and strive for a more humane and just world,” according to the Anna Lindh memorial fund, which bestows the honor. Albright, 76, is “one of the most remarkabl

PeopleSept. 4, 2013