The Korea Herald

Ancient tombs unearthed in far western China

BEIJNG (UPI) ― Archaeologists said Friday they had unearthed a group of tombs in remote western China that date back about 2,500 years.The tombs were believed built by the ancient Zoroastrians and were discovered in the high-altitude Pamirs Plateau near the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences said.The Zoroastrian religion is one of the earliest in recorded history and originated in ancient Persia. Scholars consider it a significant influence on the so-calle

Aug. 19, 2013

Slave dwelling project works toward preservation

CHARLESTON, South Carolina (AP) ― Over the past three years, Joe McGill has slept in almost 40 former slave dwellings in a dozen U.S. states, hoping to draw attention to the need to preserve the structures and tell their stories.Now he’s expanding the effort and working to make the Slave Dwelling Project a nonprofit organization, with plans for a national conference next year. He said paperwork will be filed within the next two weeks to make it official.“We tell a lot of our history through the

Aug. 19, 2013

Britons should get a say on car park king’s remains: judge

LONDON (AFP) ― The British public should be consulted on the final resting place of Richard III, the 15th-century king whose skeleton was found under a car park, a judge said on Friday.The bones of Richard, a controversial monarch demonized by Shakespeare, were dug up last year outside a municipal building in Leicester, central England.The University of Leicester, whose archaeologists found the site, have claimed the remains as their own and planned to rebury them at Leicester Cathedral, a decis

Aug. 18, 2013

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Pop music“Hyundai Card Super Concert 19 City Break”: Joining the club of blowout summer music festivals, this year the Hyundai Card Super Concert 19 City Break two-day music festival is bringing some of the hottest bands in the rock music industry. The lineup includes headlining acts Metallica, Muse, Iggy and the Stooges, Limp Bizkit, Rise Against as well as popular local bands Jang Ki-ha and the Faces, Kwon Soon-kwan and much more. The two-day music Hyundai Card Super Concert will be held on Au

Aug. 16, 2013

Nevada petroglyphs the oldest in N. America

PYRAMID LAKE, Nevada (AP) ― Ancient rock etchings along a dried-up lake bed in Nevada have been confirmed to be the oldest recorded petroglyphs in North America, dating back at least 10,000 years.The petroglyphs found on limestone boulders near Pyramid Lake in northern Nevada’s high desert are similar in design to etchings found at a lake in Oregon that are believed to be at least 7,600 years old. Unlike later drawings that sometimes depict a spear or antelope, the carvings are abstract with tig

Aug. 15, 2013

Nevada petroglyphs the oldest in N. America

Six decades of coverage and growth

Korea’s first president, Syngman Rhee, makes an address to the U.S. Congress in 1954.The April 19 Revolution in 1960President Park Chung-hee meets U.S. President John F. Kennedy in 1961.Kim Jae-kyu, chief of the intelligence agency, stands trial for assassinating President Park Chung-hee in 1979.Soldiers clamp down on the Gwangju Democratization Movement in 1980Hyundai Motors rolls out the 200,000th Pony in 1980. The company began manufacturing the nation’s first mass-produced car in 1975.Pres

Aug. 13, 2013

Cultural icons reflect spirit of the times

The Korea Herald revisits the past six decades through the lives of iconic cultural figures and examines how their professional and personal development reflect the nation’s complex and often tumultuous history. 1950s: Choi Seung-hee, dancer (1911-1969)The life of legendary dancer Choi Seung-hee (1911-1969), lauded as one of the best dancers in Asia in the late 1930s, was entwined with Korea’s complex post-colonial politics, the Korean War and national division.Of aristocratic birth, Choi traine

Aug. 13, 2013

Cultural icons reflect spirit of the times

Jane Austen museum in bid to buy author’s ring

LONDON (AP) ― Jane Austen’s House Museum says it has received a 100,000-pound ($155,000) donation to help it buy the “Pride and Prejudice” writer’s ring back from singer Kelly Clarkson.Earlier this month the British government placed a temporary export ban on the gold-and-turquoise ring in the hope money could be found to keep it in Britain.The museum said Monday it had raised 103,200 pounds of the 152,450 pound asking price, most of it from a single anonymous donation.Clarkson, an Austen fan, b

Aug. 13, 2013

Herald steps beyond media

Growth from humble beginnings to biggest English newspaperThe Korea Herald has been providing English news to South Koreans and Korean viewpoints to people outside of the country for the past 60 years. Its sister paper, The Herald Business, and other units of Herald Corp. are also leading the local media market. It all started with a four-page tabloid called The Korean Republic, the forerunner of The Korea Herald.In the early 1950s, then-President Syngman Rhee sought the creation of an English

Aug. 13, 2013

Sleepless summer in Seoul

As summer is in full swing, many Seoulites are finding it hard to sleep at night without the air conditioner on.But the city offers a number of ways to escape the heat outside the house at night, from outdoor concerts to film screenings by the Hangang River. Here are some events and spots to check out to help you cool down, have fun, and relax. Outdoor concerts Seoul Arts Center is throwing free night concerts this month every Saturday at its spacious outdoor property. The four concerts feature

Aug. 9, 2013

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Festivals“The Great Battles of Hansan Festival”: A reenactment of a heroic sea battle during the Hideyoshi Invasion of Korea more than four centuries ago will be conducted from Aug. 14-18 in the waters off Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province. In the Hansan Daecheop, or Great Battle of Hansan, Korean naval ships led by Adm. Yi Sun-sin destroyed an invading Japanese armada. Over 100 ships will take part in the reenactment, which will be the highlight of the commemorative Hansan Daecheop Festival.

Aug. 9, 2013

Heritage office lifts travel ban on ‘Pensive Bodhisattva’

The Silla-period gilt-bronze Buddha statue “Pensive Bodhisattva” will be traveling to New York for an upcoming show after the Cultural Heritage Administration on Friday rescinded its ban on the National Treasure No. 83 from being taken out of the country. The reversal came 11 days after the National Museum of Korea was notified of the travel ban on July 29. With the green light from the state-run heritage agency, “Pensive Bodhisattva” will take its place as the highlight of the “Silla, Korea’s G

Aug. 9, 2013

Heritage office lifts travel ban on ‘Pensive Bodhisattva’

Spanish dig seeks prehistoric ancestors of Europeans

ATAPUERCA, Spain (AFP) ―With trowels and paintbrushes, dozens of archaeologists in white hard-hats patiently sift the reddish-brown earth in the caves of Atapuerca, searching for remains a million years old.From under strata spanning hundreds of millenia at this site in northern Spain, they unearth ancient mouse bones and the teeth of horses ― but what they most hope for is a sign of prehistoric humans that could write a new chapter in our evolution.“The site covers a very long period of time, p

Aug. 6, 2013

Debunking the French myth, one chapter at a time

PARIS (AFP) ― You think French women don’t get fat, their kids never throw food, couples have lots of good sex and families eat gourmet dinners every night? Think again.A new book by British writer Piu Marie Eatwell seeks to debunk “myths” about a country that is sometimes idealised abroad, but leaves some visitors sorely disappointed when they realize it is actually ... normal.In “They Eat Horses, Don’t They?” the author goes against a tide of popular books that depict France as the land that s

Aug. 5, 2013

Bahrain history slowly rises from sands

SAAR, Bahrain (AP) ― More than 4,000 years ago, Dilmun merchants traveled from Mesopotamia to the Indus River, titans of trade and culture before rise of the empires of the Persians or the Ottomans.Over a millennia, the civilization that Dilmun created on the back of trading in pearls, copper and dates as far as South Asia faded into the encroaching sands. It wasn’t until an excavation by Danish archaeologists in the 1950s that its past was rediscovered.Now, with Bahrain in a deepening political

Aug. 5, 2013

Department stores expand culture programs for men

Cultural centers at South Korea’s major department stores are opening courses designed for male customers, reflecting their growing interest in self-development and willingness to spend on such cultural programs.Lotte Department Store is set to open culture classes for cooking, fashion styling and fishing in September. Fishing will be taught by Kim Jee-min, a blogger specializing in the popular sport. “The male students in our culture courses were about 5 percent (of the total) three years ago a

Aug. 5, 2013

Exhibit recalls Bob Hope, who made troops laugh

NEW ORLEANS (AP) ― Bob Hope entertained 11 presidents at the White House, hosted the Academy Awards 19 times and told thousands of jokes to some 10 million U.S. troops over the course of four wars.Now the long life and legacy of the beloved actor and comedian, who died 10 years ago at age 100, is being celebrated at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans, where the World Golf Hall of Fame & Museum has brought the “Bob Hope: An American Treasure” traveling exhibition.More than 160 mement

Aug. 4, 2013

U.S. exhibit shines light on rare Beatles photos

TAOS, New Mexico (AP) ―Snow and frigid temperatures didn’t stop thousands of screaming teenagers from crowding into the Washington Coliseum in the nation’s capital for the Beatles first live concert on American soil.And not having a flash didn’t stop photographer Mike Mitchell, then just 18 years old, from using his unrestricted access to document that historic February night in 1964 using only the dim light in the arena.Ghostly shadows and streams of light filled some negatives. With the help o

Aug. 4, 2013

U.S. exhibit shines light on rare Beatles photos

Ellen DeGeneres to host Oscars for second time

NEW YORK (AP) ― Comic and daytime television host Ellen DeGeneres was picked to host the Academy Awards for the second time.Show producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron announced DeGeneres’ selection Friday. The movie awards show will air on ABC on March 2.“There are few stars today who have Ellen’s gift for comedy, with her great warmth and humanity,” the producers said in a statement. “She is beloved everywhere.”DeGeneres quipped: “I am so excited to be hosting the Oscars for the second time. You

Aug. 4, 2013

Ellen DeGeneres to host Oscars for second time

Korea to open foreigner-friendly recreational forest in capital area

As the number of foreign nationals in Korea ― including Asian workers, tourists and multicultural families ― soars to some 1.5 million, the Korea Forest Service, the nation’s forest policy maker, is preparing to open the first foreigner-friendly national recreational forest in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, next year as part of its forest-based welfare policy for citizens, a senior KFS official said.“The first-of-its-kind national recreational forest, to be named ‘ASEAN Recreational Forest,’ will of

Aug. 2, 2013

Korea to open foreigner-friendly recreational forest in capital area