The Korea Herald

Retired colonel’s unfinished teaching job in Kenya

Six years ago, Kim Eung-soo, a retired Air Force colonel, wanted to do something that would make a difference. Teaching Korean language and culture to foreign laborers in Korea seemed like a worthwhile thing to do, so he took an intensive training course to become a Korean language lecturer. After graduation, however, he made an unusual choice ― opening a Korean language class in Nairobi, Kenya, not Seoul.“There was no one there to teach Korean but Kenyan people wanted someone to be there. And I

Aug. 10, 2012

Retired colonel’s unfinished teaching job in Kenya

Wash away the heat

Different types of swimming pools offer entertainment, reliefAlthough the record-breaking temperatures that gripped the nation have abated somewhat and the heat wave warning was removed early Friday, the weather is still expected to remain warm. A number of pools in the city offer both cool relief as well as dining and entertainment opportunities for the Seoulites seeking a break from the dog days of summer close to home. There is an “infinity edge” pool, where swimmers cannot see the edges of

Aug. 10, 2012

Australia excludes Korean from major foreign language education

The Australian government reportedly decided to remove Korean language from the major foreign languages officially taught in Australian schools.News reports said the Korean Education Centre and Korean Cultural Office located in Sidney said on Friday the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority decided to exclude Korean from the foreign language list.ACARA, an independent organization under the Australian government, takes charge of curriculum assessment and evaluation for schools

Aug. 10, 2012

Australia excludes Korean from major foreign language education

Korea to expand program to cultivate culture experts

The government will expand both in quality and quantity its education program for aspiring creators of content related to traditional Korean culture, the culture ministry said Wednesday.The ministry has offered a month-long education course on traditional Korean culture for producers, scriptwriters and others with creative jobs in the broadcasting and movie industries, since April, so they can play a role in increasing the world’s awareness of Korean traditional culture through their work.It has

Aug. 8, 2012

Mexico finds mass of bones in unusual Aztec burial

MEXICO CITY (AP) ― Mexican archaeologists say they have found an unprecedented human burial in which the skeleton of a young woman is surrounded by piles of 1,789 human bones in Mexico City’s Templo Mayor.Researchers found the burial about five meters (15 feet) below the surface, next to the remains of what may have been a “sacred tree” at one edge of the plaza, the most sacred site of the Aztec capital.The National Institute of Anthropology and History said the find was the first of its kind, n

Aug. 8, 2012

Italian churches pray for rain

(MCT)Churches in northern Italy said they are praying for rain to end the drought and ease the strain from recent record temperatures.Multiple churches in the city of Padua said they are ending Masses with a special prayer asking for rain to end the recent drought, ANSA reported Tuesday.Temperatures in much of Italy have been at record highs approaching 104 degrees. (UPI)<관련 한글 기사>찜통더위 견디다 못해 무리지어

Aug. 8, 2012

A glance back at gugak in Paris in 1900

Rare Korean traditional music instruments returned home from France after 112 years on display at the National Gugak CenterMore than 100 years before K-pop reached Paris, Emperor Gojong (1852-1919) personally introduced Korean traditional musical instruments to the French capital. The instruments, including “geomungo,” “”haegeum,” “piri” and “daegeum,” were showcased at the Paris International Exposition in 1900. They were carried by the delegation led by Min Young-chan, a relative of Empress My

Aug. 7, 2012

Lunch not ‘just lunch’ for ex-lovers

Eating food with an ex-lover sparks more jealousy with one‘s current partner than meeting that same person for coffee, U.S. researchers suggest.Study co-authors Kevin M. Kniffin, a postdoctoral researcher at Cornell University’s Dyson School of Applied Economics, and Brian Wansink, the director of Cornell’s Food and Brand Lab, measured the amount of jealousy reported by current romantic partners if one of them were contacted by an ex-lover and subsequently engaged in several food- and drink-base

Aug. 7, 2012

Unfriending with ex-lovers on Facebook gives distress

After breakups, almost 90 percent of people check up regularly on their ex-boyfriends or ex-girlfriends on Facebook, according to a master’s thesis by a student at the University of Western Ontario in Canada.For her thesis named “It’s Complicated: Romantic Breakups and their Aftermath on Facebook,” Veronika Lukacs, 25, a media studies graduate, surveyed 107 people who had experienced a breakup in the past 12 months.Of those surveyed, 88 percent said they keep an eye on their former lovers on Fac

Aug. 7, 2012

Unfriending with ex-lovers on Facebook gives distress

Marilyn Monroe honored on 50th anniversary of her death

LOS ANGELES (AFP) ― Some 300 Marilyn Monroe fans gathered Sunday at the Los Angeles cemetery where she is buried, commemorating the iconic sex symbol on the 50th anniversary of her death. Culminating a week of celebrations organized by various fan clubs, the ceremony was held at her final resting place in Westwood Village Memorial Park, a small patch of greenery between a parking lot and a residential part of the city.Fans as well as friends and relatives paid homage to the actress, who died on

Aug. 6, 2012

NMOCA holds summer culture festival

The National Museum of Contemporary Art, Korea in Gwacheon, south of Seoul, will hold a summer culture festival on Saturday nights, featuring music concerts, movie screenings and performances in its outdoor sculpture garden. The festival titled “Kill Your Stress, Heal Your Heart” aims to let visitors fight off stress through participating in a variety of cultural events and recharge themselves in natural surroundings. Various programs run from 5-10 p.m. on Saturdays from Aug. 11-25. It will feat

Aug. 5, 2012

Strong hearts, lungs linked to good grades

Cardiorespiratory fitness -- a healthy heart and lungs -- had an impact on boys' and girls' grades on reading and math tests, U.S. researchers said.Study co-author Trent A. Petrie, director of the Center for Sport Psychology at the University of North Texas, and colleagues gathered data at five Texas middle schools from 1,211 students, of whom 54 percent were female -- with an average age of about

Aug. 4, 2012

Balancing mind and body

Healing emerges as keyword for mental health in stressful, highly competitive societyIn a desperate attempt to change herself and take charge of her life, a 44-year-old housewife visited the Saneum Art Therapy Center in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi Province, last winter. Trapped in a prison of self-blame for being overweight, childless for years and having constant conflict with her husband, she was under extreme stress and feeling helpless, recalled her therapist Weon Jung-yen, director of the center.

Aug. 3, 2012

Calendar

Exhibitions“Whale, the Moving Island”: Lotte Gallery holds the solo photo exhibition of the famous underwater photographer Chang Nam-won at the Lotte gallery, located 12th and 14th floor of the Lotte Department Store in Sogong-dong, Seoul. The exhibition features pictures of humpback whales Chang took in the waters off Vavau Island, 1,900 kilometers away from New Zealand. Photo works include the rare moment when a whale approaches closer to a diver, and moves around, which is considered to be a

Aug. 3, 2012

Why do women outlive men?

A new study about the “mother’s curse” may reveal why women outlive men. The phenomenon links to an evolutionary “loophole” caused by direct passing of mitochondria DNA from mother to child. Only the mother passes her mitochondria DNA to her child, unlike in other DNA where both the mother’s and father’s strains influence the child. This direct inheritance leads to a problem that harmful mutations can be accumulated, according to a new study published in the journal Current Biology. The harmful

Aug. 3, 2012

Asia Society Korea Center corrects translation errors

The Asia Society Korea Center held a launching ceremony for the Search and Correct Campaign in partnership with the Asia 21 Korea Chapter, Voluntary Agency Network of Korea, and Herald Media on Wednesday. The Search and Correct Campaign (SCC) includes two projects ― the Korean-English translation correction project and the textbook correction project ― which are designed to improve communication between Korea and other countries. The Korean-English translation correction project will tackle mist

Aug. 2, 2012

Asia Society Korea Center corrects translation errors

Actor Kil Yong-woo donates to Africa

Actor Kil Yong-woo, 57, donated the proceeds from his recent photo exhibition to “I Love Africa,” an international relief agency for Africa. Kil’s photo exhibition, titled “Kil Yong-woo I Love Africa,” was held July 26-27 and raised more than 20 million won ($17,000).Kil himself took the photos during his week-long volunteer trip to Tanzania in June. There he participated in a relief project called “Sharing Water of Life.” Kil dug 11 wells in three different villages and delivered relief items t

Aug. 1, 2012

U.S. customs seizes Egyptian artifacts at Mexican border

LAREDO, Texas (AP) ― U.S. customs officers in Laredo have seized two stolen Egyptian sarcophagus-type artifacts and are working on getting them back to Egypt.A Customs and Border Protection statement described the artifacts as painted with intricate faces and designs. A customs officer at the World Trade Bridge in Laredo initially examined the shipment listed as Egyptian sculptures. Homeland Security Investigations agents determined the artifacts weren’t travelling with required documentation an

July 31, 2012

ARKO publishes books about contemporary Korean culture

Arts Council Korea (ARKO) has published three books in English on Korean dance, K-pop and female artists as part of a project to introduce Korean contemporary arts and culture to the world.According to ARKO, it is the nation’s largest funding agency for the arts.The three books are part of a 15 volume series, which ARKO began last year with four titles on the theater district in Seoul Dehangno, the Korean diaspora, 20th century Korean music and architecture in Seoul. It plans to issue three more

July 31, 2012

ARKO publishes books about contemporary Korean culture

Study: Modern culture may have earlier start

JOHANNESBURG (AP) ― Poisoned-tipped arrows and jewelry made of ostrich egg beads found in South Africa show modern culture may have emerged about 30,000 years earlier in the area than previously thought, according to two articles published on Monday. The findings published in the journal “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences’’ show that the 44,000-year-old artifacts are characteristic of the San hunter-gatherers. The descendants of San people live today in southern Africa, so the item

July 31, 2012