The art of Korean traditional liquor

Savoring traditional Korean soju requires five steps, similar to wine tasting. You have to look at the color, smell the aroma, sip and hold it in the mouth for several seconds before letting it slide down the throat and enjoying the slowly spreading scent inside the nose and throat. “A good soju is soft and makes you smile,” said artisan Kim Taek-sang at his brewing studio at Samcheong-ro in Jongno, central Seoul. Kim, who was named Seoul Intangible Cultural Asset No. 8 in 1990, has carried on t

Life&CultureJan. 22, 2016

'Rebuilding dining and drinking culture from scratch'

During normal get-together parties at the year-end, Koreans chat and share past memories while roasting their beef and pork bellies over hot grills. But these parties can’t start without shots of distilled liquor soju or boilermaker drinks -- mix of beer and soju.After endless and unstoppable shots of drinks not only in glasses but also bowls, some get up quietly and leave early, while others who stay behind get emotional which sometimes leads to tussles while their minds go blank, with no memor

CultureJan. 22, 2016

Sansawon provides historical look at traditional Korean liquor

There’s an ancient folktale that tells the story of a monkey who blushed and smiled uncontrollably after gorging on a fermented apple he found on the ground. After a farmer noticed the monkey’s pleasant reaction to eating the old piece of fruit, he wondered if humans could enjoy the same blissful side effect, which led to the invention of alcohol. Visitors learn the history of traditional Korean liquor products at the Sansawon gallery in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province. (Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Heral

CultureJan. 22, 2016

Author McDermid continues to tell powerful crime story

British author Val McDermid‘s thrilling novels about detective chief constable Carol Jordan and clinical psychologist Tony Hill continue to richly delve into the vagaries of modern crime and the psychological motives that propel people to do the unthinkable.　McDermid continues her high standards in her compelling ninth outing with Carol and Tony, whose personal and professional relationship take myriad detours. While “Splinter the Silence” excels as a gripping crime fiction, the novel also works

BooksJan. 21, 2016

Debut novel questions whether soldiers ever truly come home

Late in ”A Hard and Heavy Thing,“ University of Wisconsin-Madison law student Matthew J. Hefti’s debut novel, Levi Hartwig is drinking with his dad in a bar, more than a year after returning from stints as a soldier in both Iraq and Afghanistan.　”We‘re all trying to boil down our meaningless experiences to fit this tiny little conventional, three-act, linear narrative,“ the disconsolate Levi says."A Hard and Heavy Thing" By Matthew J. Hefti (Tyrus Books)　Hefti -- who was raised in Wisconsin, ser

BooksJan. 21, 2016

‘Things to Do in a Retirement Home Trailer Park’ gives graphic form to dying

Aneurin Wright’s debut graphic novel, “Things to Do in a Retirement Home Trailer Park ... When You‘re 29 and Unemployed,” is a shape-shifting chimera stuffed between book covers; a comic that explains the nuances of emphysema and elder care, a meta-meditation on death, loss and coping mechanisms, a tale of father-and-son reconciliation in which the father is a curmudgeonly rhino and the son a headstrong -- and totally ripped -- spectacle-wearing Minotaur. It’s all at once heartbreakingly sad, vi

BooksJan. 21, 2016

Bryson tours Britain again in ‘The Road to Little Dribbling’

LONDON (AP) -- Bill Bryson loves Britain. Really.　The Iowan-born writer, who takes an affectionate if sometimes exasperated look at his adopted country in “The Road to Little Dribbling,” cherishes Britain's landscape, its history, its architectural heritage, its people. He’s not so keen on its reality: TV shows, its litter and -- this is a shock -- its beer.　With a touch of embarrassment, Bryson admits that he is no fan of real ale, the cask-conditioned beer that for many is iconically English.　

BooksJan. 21, 2016

Oldest Christian monastery in Iraq razed

IRBIL, Iraq (AP) -- Satellite photos obtained by the Associated Press confirm what church leaders and Middle East preservationists had feared:  The oldest Christian monastery in Iraq has been reduced to a field of rubble, yet another victim of the Islamic State group's relentless destruction of heritage sites it considers heretical. 　St. Elijah’s Monastery stood as a place of worship for 1,400 years, including most recently for U.S. troops. In earlier millennia, generations of monks tucked candl

CultureJan. 21, 2016

[Herald Interview] Art and Internet: Making art accessible

The Korean art market faces an ongoing dilemma: Despite an increasing number of museum-goers, there are relatively few art buyers. The Korea International Art Fair best represents the dilemma -- record numbers visit the country’s largest art fair each year, but sales have stagnated if not dwindled.Young entrepreneur Park Euy-kyu, CEO of OPEN GALLERY, found it ironic when he examined the Korean art market, which has been suffering from a slump for many years. Park Euy-kyu, CEO of OPEN GALLERY (OP

PerformanceJan. 21, 2016

'The King and I' taps Daniel King, a 'Lost' and 'Hawaii Five-0' star

NEW YORK (AP)  -- Broadway's next king has been awfully busy chasing bad guys on the streets of Honolulu.　Daniel Dae Kim, who plays a detective on the TV series "Hawaii Five-0," takes over in May as the King of Siam in the blissful Lincoln Center Theater revival of "The King and I," a role he calls "maybe the greatest role for an Asian male in theater."　Kim, who graduated from New York University with a master’s degree in acting and cut his teeth in off-Broadway shows, said he's been "looking fo

PerformanceJan. 21, 2016

Big Bang nears grand finale of world tour

K-pop idol group Big Bang is holding encore concerts at Seoul Olympic Park Gymnastic Stadium on March 4-6 following its world tour, YG Entertainment, the group’s agency, said Wednesday.　The group’s world tour “MADE,” which kicked off in Seoul last April, has covered 32 cities in 13 countries, including in Asia, North America and Australia. Some 120 million people attended the concerts and the tour set a record for the largest cumulative audience for a Korean group in China, with 25 million atten

PerformanceJan. 21, 2016

Yuh, Black in Seoul for ‘Kung Fu Panda 3’

The director and lead voice actor for the upcoming DreamWorks animated feature “Kung Fu Panda 3” are in Seoul to promote the latest installment of the “Kung Fu Panda” series.　Both director Jennifer Yuh Nelson and Jack Black showed particular fondness for the film, perhaps because of their long history with it."Kung Fu Panda 3” director Jennifer Yuh Nelson (left) and Jack Black pose for press at the Conrad Hotel in Seoul Thursday. (Yonhap)　“I think one of the great things about working on these f

FilmJan. 21, 2016

4Minute to release new album next month

Five-member girl group 4Minute is releasing its seventh EP album “Act 7” on Feb. 1, the group’s agency Cube Entertainment said in a press release Wednesday.　Cube Entertainment also unveiled the jacket image of “Act 7” on its official social media sites Thursday, following the release of a teaser image on the previous day announcing the group’s return after a yearlong hiatus. The cover of 4Minute’s 7th EP “Act 7” (Cube Entertainment)　The jacket image is based on the concept of Amazons, the group

PerformanceJan. 21, 2016