BUSAN/DAEJEON ― Five South Korean men have been caught on charges of stealing two precious ancient Korean Buddha statues from Japan and trying to sell them in South Korea, police here said Tuesday.Police said they have arrested a 69-year-old surnamed Kim and booked four others without physical detention for violating the cultural properties protection law.The suspects are accused of stealing the two statues from the Kaijin shrine in Nagasaki Prefecture on Oct. 8. They, however, safely entered So

Jan. 29, 2013

The following is part of a series exploring unique museums, collections and the passionate collectors behind them. ― Ed.Over the past 45 years, Bae Myung-hee has traveled all over the country to scour antiques stores, auctions and flea markets, hunting and searching for very particular and peculiar items. The items are not necessarily fiscally valuable or worth their weight in gold, but are precious to her all the same. Ever since she was a child, Bae has had a serious passion and obsession for

Jan. 29, 2013

People with narcissistic, Machiavellian, and psychopathic personalities are the most successful in office environments, a psychologist and author Oliver James suggests.In his new book “Office Politics,” James identified three types of dysfunctional workers in modern workplaces: psychopaths, Machiavellian, and narcissist. According to James, the people most likely to thrive in office are ‘triadic’ people, who are a combination of all three.He alleged that the triadic people’s self-centeredness, s

Jan. 29, 2013

A Florida cigar dealer said he sold a nearly 19-foot long Gran Habano #5 El Gigante cigar for $185,000.Juan Panesso, who runs CigarsDirect.com in Westchase, said he located the El Gigante for an unidentified buyer who was seeking a number of rare varieties of cigar for his private collection and he was able to get the buyer a discount from the usual $200,000 price tag for an El Gigante, The Tampa (Fla.) Tribune reported Monday.Panesso said the cigar, which he had shipped out of the country to th

Jan. 29, 2013

Korea has emerged as one of the most popular destinations for international musicians, but most concerts are limited to Seoul, the capital city. An attempt to address the situation is “The House Concert ― In Your Town,” an ambitious project aimed at bringing classical music to people living in remote areas.On the back of its growing popularity, the project plans to hold 1,000 “cozy” concerts outside Seoul this year. The first performance of the year took place at a local concert hall in Gimje, N

Jan. 28, 2013

Almost half of international air tickets sold here in 2012 were bought by women in their 20s and 30s, according to figures from a travel agency. According to online travel agency Interpark Tour’s analysis of outbound flight ticket sales last year, female customers accounted for 54.4 percent. Women in their 20s took 23.2 percent followed by those in their 30s 22.6 percent. On the other hand, overseas trips were bought more often by men in their 30s than those in their 20s. Thirty-somethings marke

Jan. 27, 2013

PARK CITY, Utah (AP) ― Ashton Kutcher says playing Steve Jobs on screen “was honestly one of the most terrifying things I’ve ever tried to do in my life.”The 34-year-old actor helped premiere the biopic “jOBS” Friday, which was the closing-night film at the Sundance Film Festival.Kutcher plays the Apple Inc. founder from the company’s humble origins in the 1970s until the launch of the first iPod in 2001. A digital entrepreneur himself, Kutcher said he considers Jobs a personal hero.“He’s a guy

Jan. 27, 2013

This is the 12th in a series on foreigners in Korean entertainment. ― Ed.Ida calls herself a composer. She plays three instruments ― cello, piano and guitar. She avoids staying in a single genre, and has written everything from classical music to music for contemporary dance companies.Ida came to Korea initially as a journalist about four years ago. She majored in peace and conflict studies and spent years traveling and working with refugees, living in places such as Bosnia and Japan. Now 28, sh

Jan. 27, 2013

Transcending into the realm of modern performance art, the Korean marital art of taekwondo has graduated beyond being just a method of self-defense and a combat sport. Taekwondo can now be considered a spectacle of artistic and musical integrity. The World Taekwondo Federation estimates that there are approximately 70 million practicing taekwondo athletes around the globe, making it one of the world’s most practiced martial arts. With its increasing popularity, due largely to its induction into

Jan. 25, 2013

“Thrombocytopenia shortened my lifespan and made it difficult to walk. Yet taekwondo helped my body and mind immeasurably and even allowed me to kick.”These are the reflections of taekwondo grade holder Sheila Radziewicz who visited the World Taekwondo Headquarters in Kukkiwon. She decided to overcome her obstacles and fight her genetic disorder, which means she has no arms or kneecaps, and learn taekwondo. “Wow, I can’t believe I really did that,” she exclaimed. “A life’s path changed by taekwo

Jan. 25, 2013

Theater“Shear Madness”: The Korean adaptation of the popular German play “Shear Madness” is back for its second run in Seoul. The play is one of the longest-running plays in the world, premiering back in 1963. The play takes place in a hair salon, which is owned by a gay hairdresser named George. After George and his flirty assistant Suji welcome two customers, one a wealthy housewife and the other an antique dealer, the landlady of the shop is murdered upstairs. The audience is asked to partici

Jan. 25, 2013

The year 2013 is the 200th anniversary of the birth of two great composers, Richard Wagner (1813-1883) and Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901). Even those who are indifferent to classical music can hum one or two of their melodies. Verdi’s “Libamo, ne Lieti Calici,” from “La Traviata” or “La Donna e Mobile” from “Rigoletto”; Wagner’s “Wedding March” or “Tannhuser” are played everywhere ― from year-end parties to weddings and TV commercials. Verdi’s works include “La Traviata,” “Rigoletto,” “The Troubadou

Jan. 24, 2013

Baekje Kingdom established its capital in the lower reaches of the Han River basin. For 678 years, Baekje was one of the ancient kingdoms of the Three Kingdoms era, along with Goguryeo and Silla. After its establishment in the Han River basin, Baekje moved its capital to Wungjin (today’s Gongju) and Sabi (today’s Buyeo), where the highly developed Baekje culture flowered. Archaeologists have found ruins of royal palaces in Wanggung-ni in Geumma of Iksan, North Jeolla Province, which they assume

Jan. 23, 2013

The Korea Herald is publishing “Korea’s Cultural Pride,” a 10-part series on the country’s cultural and natural heritage. A total of nine tangible and 14 intangible examples of heritage have been designated UNESCO World Heritage for international preservation. This year 15 cultural properties are on the tentative list, awaiting designation. This installment explores the Baekje historic sites in the central part of the Korean Peninsula. ― Ed.Baekje Kingdom (B.C. 18-A.D. 660), in what is now Gongj

Jan. 23, 2013

Lotte Hotel is hosting a restaurant week that offers discounts on special course menus at its restaurants. The “Restaurant Super Week,” which runs from Jan. 25-31, offers diners a 30 percent to 50 percent discount on special menus at restaurants in Lotte Hotel Seoul in Sogong-dong, Lotte Hotel World in Jamsil, and Lotte Hotel Ulsan. The participating restaurants are the French restaurant Pierre Gagnaire; Italian restaurant Peninsula; Japanese restaurant Momoyama; Korean restaurant Mugunghwa and

Jan. 23, 2013

Big Bang will release a new DVD featuring the group’s Seoul concert in March last year, YG Entertainment announced Wednesday. The “Alive Tour in Seoul” DVD is scheduled to be released on Jan. 29. The first disc features 23 live session tracks and remixes of the group’s hit songs, while the second disc features behind-the-scenes footage of the concert. “Making of” film clips and a multi-angle video of the “Bad Boy” encore will be a bonus. Big Bang, currently on the “Big Bang Alive Tour 2012” tour

Jan. 23, 2013

Photographer Kim Jung-man is holding a smartphone photo exhibition to help young and elderly people with visual impairments. Titled “Eyes of Vega,” the exhibition features photos Kim took with Pantech’s latest mobile phone Vega R3, equipped with a 13 million-pixel camera.Kim captured beautiful scenes during his travels to Seoul’s old palaces, Jusanji Lake in North Gyeongsang Province, Jeju Island, Tokyo, and China’s Yunnan Province. “These are photos I took with two sets of Vega smartphones. I s

Jan. 22, 2013