A statue that made worldwide news as the “Iron Man” and was purportedly carved from a meteorite a thousand years ago is likely a modern fake, a researcher says.While supposedly made by the 11th-century Bon culture of Tibet and looted in the 20th century by a Nazi ethnologist, incorrect “pseudo-Tibetan” features of the carved Buddha figure suggest it‘s a modern European fake, Buddhism specialist Achim Bayer of the University of Seoul said.The 10-inch statue bears 13 features Bayer said are easily

Oct. 25, 2012

Guatemala's Mayan people accused the government and tour groups on Wednesday of perpetuating the myth that their calendar foresees the imminent end of the world for monetary gain."We are speaking out against deceit, lies and twisting of the truth, and turning us into folklore-for-profit. They are not telling the truth about time cycles," charged Felipe Gomez, leader of the Maya alliance Oxlaljuj Ajpop.Several films and documentaries have promoted the idea that the ancient Mayan calendar predicts

Oct. 25, 2012

Following is part of a series on Seoul’s hottest bars and clubs. ― Ed.While Seoul’s bar scene is rather blas, offering little in terms of diversity, if you are looking for a fun and enjoyable drinking experience and willing to spend a fair amount of money, W Seoul Walkerhill’s WOOBAR is the place to go.Since its opening in 2004, the bar has been growing in popularity and reputation, serving some 400-500 regulars every weekend. Many praise the facility’s “cool” entertainment environment with its

Oct. 24, 2012

Following is part of a series exploring unique museums, collections and the passionate collectors behind them. ― Ed.Gucci, Prada, Fendi, Channel ― whatever your guilty pleasure, your one-stop fix for all things handbag can be found right here in Seoul. From a circa 1550 green silk Italian purse to a $100,000 red crocodile leather Hermes Birkin bag, the Simone Handbag Museum hosts one of the finest handbag collections in the world, with more than 350 historic, classic and modern Western-style bag

Oct. 24, 2012

KBS1 TV’s travel documentary “Backpack Travel” won the Grand Prix award at the second Festival Asia TV & Film On Journey 2012 held in Japan, the broadcaster said.The award winning episode, “Backpack Travel’s Mekong Delta, Vietnam” produced by director Ahn Sung-jin, was aired on Jan. 14. The episode filmed the nature and lives of the inhabitants living in the lower Mekong Delta Region famous for its river that streams down from Tibet and flows through Southeast Asia and into the East China Sea. S

Oct. 23, 2012

Quarterly magazine has served as window to Korean culture and art for 25 yearsKoreana, a quarterly magazine on Korean culture, marks its 100th issue this month and celebrates 25 years of serving as a window to Korean art and culture for foreign readers. Launched in 1987 by The Korea Foundation, affiliated with the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, it has served as an iconic Korean culture magazine for international readers.“Koreana has established a reputation as a high-class cultur

Oct. 21, 2012

Harvard’s theology journal has decided not to publish a paper on a disputed “The Gospel of Jesus’ Wife” by a Harvard historian, according to news reports.The Harvard Theological Review recently announced that it will withdraw the paper by Professor Karen King on the supposed lost gospel -- in which Jesus mentions his wife -- in its January 2013 issue. It added however, the study may be published after it has been confirmed to be genuine.“The owner of the papyrus fragment has been making arrangem

Oct. 21, 2012

Interpreter-professor Choi dedicated to improving Korea’s image abroad“I have been very lucky,” Choi Jung-wha, president of Corea Image Communication Institute, begins in her interview with The Korea Herald.When Choi, the head of the Korean-French department of the Graduate School of Interpretation and Translation at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, credits something as fickle as Lady Luck for her achievements, surely she is being modest.If anything, her “bon augure,” as she calls it, is mu

Oct. 19, 2012

The Corea Image Communication Institute is an organization whose main goal is to promote Korea and Korean culture on a global level. The institution organizes international events and annually honors people, events or even landmarks that promote Korea’s positive brand image. In order to create a dialogue between cultural leaders regarding Korean culture, the CICI hosted the Culture 20, a meeting of leading cultural figures from the G20 countries. In order to maximize the effect of the 2010 G20 S

Oct. 19, 2012

The hottest parties, biggest fun for Halloween 2012It’s that time of year again when ghosts and ghouls come out to play ― along with thousands of Halloween revelers.Many bars, clubs and even amusement parks are going all out for the fall holiday, with a number of festivities taking place the weekend before Oct. 31. Here are just some of the events going on.ItaewonDISTRICT: ON “Dark Castle” at DISTRICTThis month at DISTRICT: ON event at glam Lounge and club MUTE, Halloween revelers are in for two

Oct. 19, 2012

Pop music“Singing the Beatles”: A special two-concert event will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Beatles. Eleven artists from the Korean indie rock scene including the Moonshiners, Jang Jae-in, the Windy City, the Mentles, Kingston Rudieska, Yozoh and many more will hit the stage with their versions of more than 30 classic Beatles hits. The performance will be held at the Mapo Art Center on Nov. 2-3 at 8 p.m. and 6 p.m., respectively. Tickets range from 22,000 won to 33,000 won. For more i

Oct. 19, 2012

After a decade of success, operators of the Templestay program are seeking to offer programs that are more intimate and “current” for people seeking Zen meditation, early-morning chanting and the serenity that the program provides. On Oct. 31, the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Templestay program that has attracted nearly a million people by kicking off what it calls “Templestay Season 2.”“It has been a good 10 years. Templestay has become a brand of Ko

Oct. 18, 2012

The National Library of Korea on Wednesday said that it has digitalized more than a dozen books owned by a noted French scholar of Korean studies more than a century ago and indexed the content of hundreds more. The books will help local scholars as well as the public study the history, costumes as well as geography of the Joseon Dynsty (1392-1910), the NLK said. According to the state-run library, 421 volumes of old Korean books were found at College de France in 2010.  Among them were 254 book

Oct. 17, 2012

Cites France’s return of Korea’s Uigwe books as good example of cooperationAn Italian expert on cultural heritage repatriation on Tuesday praised the inter-governmental cooperation between Korea and France in sharing ownership of disputed historical books and moving forward to a new future. He also called for an internationally shared understanding in heritage repatriation and cooperation in cases involving illegally obtained cultural properties.“I think it was a win-win situation for both count

Oct. 17, 2012

The Cultural Heritage Administration and the National Trust for Cultural Heritage are to hold a signing ceremony Thursday at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., completing the government’s purchase of the former Korean Empire legation building in the U.S. capital.The building, which was used as the legation building by the Korean Empire until 1905, was originally purchased by King Gojong in 1891 for $25,000. After Japan’s annexation of Korea in 1910, the building was forced to be sold t

Oct. 16, 2012