Gwangju-based artist Doug Stuber will be holding an exhibition of expressionist paintings in the city’s PDG Gallery from June 22.It is the first of several the gallery plans to put on featuring expat artists.To create his paintings Stuber uses bowls of paint in usually two or more colors, which he then applies directly to the canvas to create abstract images. “I try to ‘accidentally’ make shapes that people can relate to,” he explained.  “Often they come out like unusual dinosaurs or strange ani

Expat LivingJune 11, 2013

French scholar Antoine Compagnon used to think the plane was the perfect place to read. But he recently discovered it may no longer be. “There used to be nothing else to do other than read (hard-copy books) on the plane,” the scholar said during a press conference in Seoul on Friday. “But now people watch movies and play games using their tablet devices. And I hear in-flight Wi-Fi is now available for New York-L.A. routes.”While he appreciates e-books and the technology, Compagnon, who specializ

BooksJune 11, 2013

CultureJune 11, 2013

BERLIN (AFP) ― Walter Jens, one of Germany’s most prominent public intellectuals whose image was tarnished by his membership of the Nazi party during World War II, has died aged 90, his university said Monday.A spokesman for the University of Tuebingen where Jens had been a professor emeritus of rhetoric said he had died Sunday after a long battle with dementia.Walter Jens, as a writer, researcher and the former head of Berlin’s Academy of Fine Arts, served as a “moral authority” as West Germany

PeopleJune 11, 2013

SAN SALVADOR (AFP) ― Salvadoran construction workers building a housing complex unearthed Mayan pots, ceramic fragments and other artifacts, an official said.The find was made in Colon, 25 kilometers west of San Salvador.Specialists alerted to the site also found pieces of obsidian and part of a human skeleton which may also be from the Mayan period.A technician from the Culture Ministry, Julio Alvarado, said the area where the find was made is one the Central American’s country’s richest from a

CultureJune 11, 2013

Hollywood movie star Brad Pitt landed in Gimpo Airport in Seoul on Tuesday morning to promote his latest movie “World War Z” together with his son Pax.The 49-year-old actor is planning to meet South Korean fans at Cheonggye Plaza located in the center of Seoul during a red carpet event scheduled for Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.“World War Z” is a blockbuster zombie thriller based on a novel about a former United Nations employee saving the Earth from a zombie pandemic. The movie hits local theaters in Ko

FilmJune 11, 2013

World-renowned director Kim Ki-duk has asked Korea’s movie rating’s agency to reconsider its decision to give a highly restricted rating to his latest film. Kim’s new film “Moebius” got a “restricted screening” rating from the Korea Media Rating Board on June 1. Given that Korea does not have a single theater dedicated to screening films with a restricted rating, the agency’s decision means audiences cannot watch Kim’s new film in his home country. The board’s decision was prompted by the film’s

FilmJune 11, 2013

South Korean music group Sistar made its much-anticipated return on Tuesday by releasing its second album.The popular all-female quartet held its comeback performance to the cheers of fans who flocked to a showcase stage in Mapo-gu, Seoul.Within hours of release, the title song of the album “Give It to Me” reached the No. 1 spot on the country’s major music charts including Melon, Mnet.com, Olleh, Bugs, Naver Music and Daum Music. The group also released the music video of “Give It to Me,” whic

PerformanceJune 11, 2013

A growing number of South Korean celebrities have been meeting their soul mates within the entertainment industry, heralding a boom of star couples. Against this backdrop, The Korea Herald has summed up the top 10 celebrity couples that draw keen attention from fans in Korea and elsewhere.1. Lee Byung-hun & Lee Min-jung Actors Lee Byung-hun and Lee Min-jung are tying the knot in August. Breaking up after a brief relationship in 2006, they reunited and have been together since last year. Lee Byun

June 11, 2013

Artist Kim Chong-hak is known for landscape paintings that portray the dynamic energy of Korean nature. Moreover, he’s known as the painter of Seoraksan Mountain, one of the most rugged mountains in the country that boasts great sceneries throughout the year. Kim is one of the few Korean painters who chooses to go deep inside the mountain to better portray the pristine landscape. Having painted the diverse landscapes of Seoraksan Mountain for more than 30 years, Kim held a retrospective in 2011

PerformanceJune 10, 2013

A 16th-century war diary kept by famous Korean naval hero Yi Sun-sin is highly likely to be added to UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register, officials said Monday.The war diary, called “Nanjung Ilgi,” has recently received a preliminary recommendation for addition to the list by the International Advisory Committee (IAC) of the UNESCO Memory of the World, Cultural Heritage Administration said.The move further increased the journal’s chances of getting a final recommendation from the committee dur

CultureJune 10, 2013