In 1879, 5-year-old crown prince Sunjong was diagnosed with smallpox, a disease that claimed many lives during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). But the prince began to show signs of improvement, and his father King Gojong hosted a party when the royal doctor confirmed his full recovery. That feast is displayed on an eight-panel folding screen at the National Palace Museum of Korea, in a special exhibition on Joseon’s royal medicine. “The Birth, Aging, Illness and Death of the Royal Family of the

July 24, 2014

More than two hours before showtime on Wednesday afternoon, Seoul Arts Center’s opera theater was already brimming with people ― predominantly young women. The kiosk that sells official souvenirs had a long line, although it wasn’t open yet. The manager at a lobby cafe shared how her business was booming thanks to the early birds, many of whom munched on sandwiches and muffins at her shop while waiting for the show to start. Much of the enthusiasm might be attributed to K-pop group JYJ member Ki

July 24, 2014

This is the ninth in a series highlighting women and their accomplishments in the various facets of the Korean entertainment industry. ― Ed.Stacy Oh is the manager for quite possibly one of the best-known celebrities in the world: Barbie.And while most may not think of Barbie or other Mattel brands such as Monster High as celebrities, Oh says that with the way companies are incorporating entertainment content into their brands and promotions, more characters are reaching celebrity status.“People

July 24, 2014

The man who created the African savanna on stage for the Broadway musical “Lion King” is trying to revive his sense of a romantic, atmospheric setting, working on the world’s most famous love story, “Romeo and Juliette.” In his first Korean venture, Richard Hudson is designing the set and costumes for the Korea National Opera’s upcoming production of “Romeo et Juliette” to be staged at Seoul Arts Center in October. The Korea Herald on Monday sat down with the designer, who was in Seoul for a 10-

July 23, 2014

A 4-foot-tall boy became an 800-foot-tall lizard in a Chicago production studio recently, battling monsters and wreaking havoc on a miniature cityscape.Five-year-old Maddex, aka “Madzilla,” stomped in costume through a meticulously designed set that volunteers had built as part of a Make-A-Wish Foundation project. Cameras rolled as he roared and took directorial cues in front of a green screen. Local celebrities, including Mayor Rahm Emanuel and ex-Bears football coach Mike Ditka, also participa

July 23, 2014

Yun Ho-jin, the man behind Korea’s two most successful original musicals “Last Empress” and “Hero,” has offered a sneak preview of the musical “Woyzeck,” his most ambitious undertaking in a more than 20-year career in theater.The cast performed five of the songs ― composed by an obscure British band called The Singing Loins ― at the LG Arts Center in Seoul, Monday, giving a glimpse into the much-anticipated show slated for a world premiere here in October. If Monday’s sampling is any indication,

July 22, 2014

The National Library of Korea has disclosed a rare document showing the military capability of the Joseon era (1392-1910), Monday.Joseon officials prepared manuscripts to complete “haeyu,” the process of transferring duties to a successor.The library’s disclosed haeyu document was compiled by Yoon Bin, an army second deputy of the West North Camp in Giljumok, North Hamgyong Province, during the ninth year of King Jeongjo’s reign (1785), for his successor Kim Se-hui. Kim then confirmed the report

July 22, 2014

Jeongdong Theater, established and run by the government, has a clear mission: to introduce Korea’s traditional arts to foreign visitors. Tucked away behind Deoksugung Palace in Seoul, the small theater with 250 seats has been mounting traditional arts performances every day for the past 17 years. On Sunday, it celebrated its millionth audience member, a milestone in its devoted history since its foundation on the historic site of the country’s first Western-style theater. In an interview last w

July 20, 2014

Monet, Picasso, Chagall, Warhol, Hirst ― these are just a few of the artists, the greats who are immediately recognized by their last name alone, whose original works will hang at the Hangaram Museum at Seoul Arts Center until Sept. 17. “The Great Artists of the 20th Century: From Renoir to Damien Hirst,” an exhibition organized by the Opera Gallery Group in celebration of its 20th anniversary, is a unique opportunity to view in a single venue 104 original pieces of the 53 leading artists of the

July 18, 2014

If you’ve been in Portage Lakes State Park in Ohio recently you just might have spotted some dragons. Not the long-toothed Loch Ness kind that live under the sea, but dragon boats that glide across the water.Members of the Dragon Dream Team, all wearing pink life jackets, have been practicing their strokes on recent warm summer evenings. The women remained in sync when paddling the 12-meter watercraft. They were beautiful, strong, energetic and breast cancer survivors.The team, which hones its s

July 16, 2014

SACRAMENTO, California ― Some parents buy a dog or cat when their children leave home. When her son Jack Gavron heads to college in the fall, Mindy Fox will get a library.The library, a handbuilt wooden box decorated to look like the family’s Craftsman-style home, already sits in Fox’s front yard in the Land Park neighborhood in Sacramento, but Gavron is the primary steward. When he built it for his senior high school project this spring, he joined a community of approximately 15,000 Little Free

July 16, 2014

During World War II, approximately 200,000 women across Asia ― some as young as 11 years old ― were taken to frontline “comfort stations” to provide sex to the Imperial Japanese Army troops. Most came from Korea, then a Japanese colony. Seven decades later, these women, euphemistically called “comfort women,” are in their ’80s and ’90s and demanding an apology and compensation from Japan for what they had to go through. The number of surviving Korean victims is down to 54. Still, justice seems t

July 15, 2014

Korea’s oldest bookstore in Seoul, Jongno Books, was a landmark in terms of numbers of customers and its symbolic significance as the trove and exchange of knowledge. The five-story bookstore was the only large bookstore in Seoul until Kyobo Book Center opened in the 1980s. It was also a popular meeting spot where people browsed books while waiting. Since the 1980s, two new large bookstores, Kyobo and Youngpoong, mounted a tough challenge to Jongno Books, taking a large chunk of its customers, a

July 11, 2014

After publishing over 3,000 books in the 39 years of his publishing career, Kim Eoun-ho, president of Hangilsa, one of Korea’s leading publishing houses, believes publishing a book is an act of asking how one should live. Kim attempted to answer this deep probing life question by publishing his own book, “The Forest of Books, Sound of Books.” The book is compiled from his handwritten journals from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31 in 2013, centering on his day-to-day life as a publisher, and stories about 800 d

July 11, 2014

Korea’s bookstore industry is in the doldrums, as dismal sales continue to force many sellers out of business. But at least one bookstore is expanding, defying the broader market downturn. That is Aladdin Used Books ― a used-book franchise of online seller Aladdin. The company, which runs 19 shops, has chalked up an average 30 percent annual growth in sales, said company spokesperson Jo Sun-ah. Aladdin Used Books is not the typical small, “crammed to the ceiling” kind of shop. Rather, it is the

July 11, 2014

Whether looking for the timeless literary classics from Brontë or Fitzgerald, or prefering to check out Danielle Steel’s newest tale of high society crisis or the next mentally disturbing nightmare sequence of Stephen King, Seoul has a couple of well-established bookstores to accommodate all of your English book needs.While it may be no longer that difficult to track down physical copies of the latest English-language publications in the “Foreign Section” at any Seoul’s big chain book establishm

July 11, 2014

Pop musicg.o.d. 15th Anniversary Reunion Concert: The newly reunited ’90s K-pop idol group g.o.d. will be embarking on a nationwide concert tour starting in July. After more than 12 years apart, the five original members of g.o.d. made their highly anticipated comeback in May with their newest single “The Lone Duckling.” The K-pop veterans are slated to hold two concerts, on July 12 and 13, at the Jamsil Sport Complex’s Auxiliary Stadium in Seoul, before moving on to Gwangju, Busan, Daegu and Da

July 11, 2014