[Eye on English] Complex perceptions of Korean English-speakers

Young professional Jeong So-hee was surprised when a coworker complained about “people who speak English when they are fluent in Korean.” The 26-year-old works at a company where she and her colleagues deal with foreign clients almost on a daily basis. Every employee has considerable knowledge of the English language, although not everyone has studied overseas. “I think it’s rude to speak to your coworkers in Korean when you have a foreign client sitting in front of you, who can’t understand Kor

April 16, 2014

[Herald Interview] Tenor talks about life’s many turns

Kang Yosep seems to be a hot commodity in Europe’s opera scene. Last December, he sang the leading role in Puccini’s tragic opera “La Boheme” for 17 days in three different productions staged by top opera houses in Berlin, Mannheim and Vienna. His schedule for this year and the next looks much the same. He is to perform in the German cities of Munich, Leipzig and Dresden, and in Warsaw and Vienna in the next few months. “I would love to spend some time with my family in Seoul, but my schedule is

April 16, 2014

Old lumber is trend for some of the best new homes

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina ― Reclaimed lumber is among the most environmentally friendly building materials because, as any 12-year-old can explain, recycling is good for us and the planet.The wood is beautiful. A floor of salvaged antique heart pine glows with the patina of decades, even centuries. Every piece of barn siding is uniquely weathered, which gives a one-of-a-kind appeal to walls and furniture.And, say Paul Atkinson of Southend Reclaimed and Jonathan Kauffman of Kauffman and Co., buye

April 16, 2014

Illinois Lottery app stirs up controversy

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois ― When Illinois launched its first-in-the-nation lottery app in January, Matthew Ruder quickly signed up so he could jockey for jackpots with just a tap of the finger on his smartphone.“It’s really easy to buy lottery tickets on the big draw days,” said Ruder, 40, of Pekin in central Illinois. “I can just log in to it, add some money to it, buy some tickets, and then I have them right there instead of stopping at the store. It just makes it easier sometimes.”State lottery o

April 16, 2014

Beloved in antiquity, Greece’s hot springs left untapped

THERMOPYLAE, Greece (AFP) ― Hercules used them to regain his strength after his legendary labors, Hippocrates lauded their beneficial properties and even a famous Roman general, Sulla, said he owed his health to them.Their praise was for hot springs, a medicinal resource known and appreciated in Greece since antiquity ― though regrettably less so nowadays.“Greece invented the therapeutic use of hot springs thousands of years before the birth of Jesus Christ,” says Zisis Aggelidis, a professor of

April 16, 2014

Book online for evening tours of royal palaces

Royal palaces in Seoul open at night only a few days a year, usually when the weather is cool and the scenery is beautiful. This spring, the government has altered its usual palace operating plans to invite more visitors. Still, if you want to walk around the old site in peaceful evening hours, you’d better book online, well in advance. According to the Cultural Heritage Administration, Changgyeonggung and Gyeongbokgung will remain open until 10 p.m. for 12 days from April 29 and April 30, respe

April 15, 2014

Sumi Jo sings Bach on new album, tour

Sumi Jo, one of the most beloved classical singers in Korea, has just released a new album with Deutsche Grammophon, “Only Bach.” The Grammy-winning soprano sings cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach and nothing else on her latest album, including well-known pieces like “Jesus bleibet meine Freude (Jesus, Joy of Man’s Desiring)” and “Ave Maria.”Bach cantatas are usually sung with a small orchestra, but Jo sings accompanied by only a guitar and a violin, adding a fresh appeal to the beloved songs. I

April 15, 2014

[Herald Interview] Putting Korean culture in global limelight

This summer, a series of Korean concerts, plays and performances will be held in London, competing for the limelight at the city’s major arts festival ― the City of London Festival. Five or six other Korean performance groups will take the much-coveted stage at the famous Edinburgh Festival next year, continuing what Angella Kwon hopes to be “the Korean culture bash” at high-profile international arts festivals. “Hallyu, or the popularity of Korean culture overseas, is still a very tiny, tiny mo

April 14, 2014

[Weekender] Time to dance!

From ballet to b-boy, dance is seeing a resurgence in Korea. TV shows feature dancers to grab viewers’ attention, ballet companies enjoy unprecedented ticket sales and an increasing number of fitness clubs offer dance workout programs: All because more Koreans are rediscovering dance as a source of rejuvenation in today’s stressful society. “Koreans’ interest in dance was never this high before,” said Jang Seung-heon, a longtime dance producer and general director of Dancers’ Career Development

April 11, 2014

[Weekender] Burn calories, build muscle without being stuck in the gym

Many 9-to-5ers find it impossible to regularly work out at the gym, although they do want to shed some kilos and stay in shape. They may be too exhausted from work, or may have health conditions that prevent them from doing weight lifting or sprinting. But in most cases, it is boredom that causes people to avoid regular workouts ― even celebrities such as singer Son Dam-bi and actress Ko Jun-hee publically complain that “gym workouts are ‘boring.’” The good news is that many forms of dance have

April 11, 2014

Following the beat of his own drum

Artee Pedicab president Lee In-jae’s resume bears witness to the storied life the young man has had in his 28 years so far.A graduate of Cushing Academy in Massachusetts, Lee went on to study history at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, a private liberal arts college in the United States. After completing his freshman year, Lee, a Korean national, returned to the country to fulfill his mandatory military service.For six months in 2006, Lee did a tour of Iraq, serving in the 11th Brigade in Erb

April 11, 2014

Calendar

Theater“Ophelia”: Local musical “Ophelia,” an interpretation of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” is being staged in Seoul in May. Ophelia is a fictional character who appears in “Hamlet.” She’s a young noblewoman whose father is killed by her love interest, Hamlet, and eventually goes mad. The upcoming musical is centered around Ophelia, rather than Hamlet ― the protagonist in the original Shakespeare play. Composer Choi Woo-jeong, screenwriter and former Culture Minister Kim Myung-gon, and contemporary

April 11, 2014

Korean-American poet receives Walt Whitman Award

NEW YORK (AP) ― A young Korean-American poet has received a $5,000 award for first-time writers that also ensures the publication and thousands of sales of her debut collection. Hannah Sanghee Park has won the Walt Whitman Award, the Academy of American Poets announced Wednesday. Her book, “The Same-Different,” will be released next year by Louisiana State University. The poetry academy will purchase thousands of copies and distribute them to its members. Pulitzer Prize winner Rae Armantrout cho

April 10, 2014

Poet Ko Un to attend overseas literary festivals

Renowned South Korean poet Ko Un will visit London, Berlin and Chicago this year to attend various literary festivals, a local publisher said Wednesday.According to Changbi Publishers, which has printed many of Ko’s poems, he will attend a “poetry night for Ko Un’s poems” hosted by the Victoria and Albert Museum, considered to be one of the world’s greatest museums of art and design, in London on May 30. The London event will draw many influential writers working in London, Changbi said.  After

April 9, 2014

Iranians avoid bad luck with outdoor festival

TEHRAN (AP) ― Iranians flocked to parks rich with the smell of grilled kebabs on Wednesday to toss around Frisbees, bat badminton birdies and battle one another in chess and backgammon ― all to avoid being caught inside on the unlucky 13th day of the Persian New Year. The annual public picnic day, called Sizdeh Bedar, which comes from the Farsi words for “thirteen” and “day out,” is a legacy from Iran’s pre-Islamic past that hardliners in the Islamic Republic never managed to erase from calendar

April 9, 2014

The allure of silk flowers

A small exhibition, which opened Tuesday inside Gyeongbokgung Palace, brings back to life royal Joseon era (1392-1910) silk flowers, which look as delicate as real blossoms. The “Beautiful Royal Silk Flowers” exhibition at the National Palace Museum of Korea displays works by silk flower master Hwang Su-ro and recreates two royal banquets held in 1829 to celebrate King Sunjo’s 40th birthday and the 30th anniversary of his enthronement. The banquets, like any other function at the royal palace du

April 8, 2014

Lawmakers misspell Obama’s name

What is the name of the U.S. president? Barraco Barner, as a British beautician spelled it in her now world-famous tweet in March? Well, ask some lawmakers in Korea and you might get this: Barak Obama. Rep. An Min-suk and 39 other members of the National Assembly misspelled the U.S. president’s name in a letter they sent to him through an official channel. In the letter, dated April 4, the lawmakers asked Obama to bring a 16th-century royal seal, stolen from Korea and now in the custody of U.S.

April 7, 2014

Soprano debuts in two Met Opera roles in 24 hours

NEW YORK (AP) ― Soprano Kristine Opolais has made Metropolitan Opera history, becoming the first singer in its 131 years to debut in two major company roles within 24 hours.The 34-year-old Latvian soprano sang Cio-Cio-San in Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly” on Friday night, went to dinner and got to bed at 5 a.m. Met General Manager Peter Gelb called 2 hours later, asking if she could replace ailing Anita Hartig as Mimi in a performance of Puccini’s “La Boheme” that was broadcast live to movie theat

April 6, 2014

[Photo News] Design Market

April 6, 2014

Calendar

Dance“Vortex”: The National Dance Company of Korea, which has been solely focusing on Korean traditional dance, is collaborating with a foreign choreographer for the first time since its inception in 1962. Their upcoming performance, “Vortex,” is choreographed by Finnish artist Tero Saarinen. Participating dancers include Kim Mi-ae, the troupe’s principal dancer, and Park Hye-ji, an apprentice who was surprisingly selected by Saarinen to play one of the leading characters in the piece. “Vortex”

April 4, 2014