Remains of agricultural tools used in the Neolithic period as well as a farming site, which are presumed to be East Asia’s oldest, have been found in Goseong, Gangwon Province, according to the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage.According to the institute, the discovery of the archaeological traces, which mostly consist of pieces of earthenware, proves people living on the Korean Peninsula started cultivating crops during the Neolithic period. Along with the stoneware pieces, the i

June 26, 2012

In the lobby of the Samsung Hospital Funeral Center in Seoul, clusters of mourners dressed in black confer solemnly ― a common sight in mortuaries everywhere. But Samsung is one of South Korea’s technology leaders, so it is not surprising to also see an electronic screen with high-resolution pictures of the deceased and information on which of the 20 halls their services are being held in.Whereas several cultural causes have been revitalized in recent years ― hanok, makgeolli, even Confucian wed

June 26, 2012

The number of advertisements submitted to AD STARS 2012, an international advertising festival to be held in Busan, surged dramatically compared to last year, making the festival a key advertising event on the international stage. According to the organizing committee of AD STARS 2012, the number of advertisements submitted to the committee totaled 10,431, a 46 percent jump from last year’s 7,130 entries.It is the first time the committee has seen the number of entries exceed 10,000 since the ad

June 26, 2012

JAHANABAD, Pakistan (AP) ― When the Taliban blew the face off a towering, 1,500-year-old rock carving of Buddha in northwest Pakistan almost five years ago, it fell to an intrepid Italian archaeologist to come to the rescue.Thanks to the efforts of Luca Olivieri and his partners, the 6-meter-tall image near the town of Jahanabad is getting a facelift, and many other archaeological treasures in the scenic Swat Valley are being excavated and preserved.Hard-line Muslims have a history of targeting

June 26, 2012

A Chinese Crested dog from Britain defeated an international group of competitors to win the title of World’s Ugliest Dog.Mugly won the grand prize Friday at the Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma, Calif., Bay City News Service reported.“I couldn’t speak when they announced Mugly’s name,” the dog’s owner, Bev Nicholson, said. “I didn’t know which way to look. I was shaking as much as the dog.”The prize carries a number of perks. In addition to a trophy, Mugly and Nicolson get $1,000, a stay at the Sh

June 25, 2012

Theater"Hairspray”: Broadway musical “Hairspray” is returning for its third run in Seoul. Having premiered in Seoul in 2007, the musical had another successful run in 2009. "Hairspray" has won a total of eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical in 2003, since it first opened in Broadway in 2002. It takes place in the early 1960s, and tells the story of Tracy Turnblad, an overweight yet optimistic teenager who dreams of becoming a star dancer by appearing on a dance-themed TV show. The role of T

June 22, 2012

Veterinarians at a North Carolina zoo say they are crossing their fingers as a pair of jumbo contact lenses are made for one of their elephants.C’sar nearly went blind at the N.C. Zoo in Asheboro, but cataract surgery saved the day and has the 38-year-old bull African elephant pretty much back to normal after some harrowing months of bumping into things and being unable to eat.　The next step is to fit C’sar with a custom-made set of soft contacts that will not only protect his eyes but also comp

June 21, 2012

 U.S. scientists recently claimed to have found the remains of the legendary lost city of Ciudad Blanca (“White City”) in Honduras, according to news reports.Using laser-based light detection and ranging technique, researchers from the University of Houston and the National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping have managed to locate ruins of the ancient city, hidden deep within the jungle for centuries.Scientists flew over Honduras’ Mosquitia region shooting laser pulses that hit the ground and the

June 17, 2012

 Theater“Wedding”: Popular musical producer Song Seung-hwan, whose 1997 non-verbal piece “Nanta” made a global hit, has made a comeback with another foreigner-friendly work. Titled “Wedding,” Song’s latest musical is also non-verbal; its actors and actresses sing, dance, act and play over 20 musical instruments. The one-of-a-kind performance is specifically designed to draw foreign audiences. The show is a comical theatrical portrait of an ordinary Korean wedding, where the bride‘s father isn’t

June 15, 2012

Perfectly timed shots by  Henri Cartier-Bresson and  Marc Riboud captivate viewers Every photographer dreams of capturing a perfect moment that becomes the iconic image of the time. Separate photo exhibitions of work by two acclaimed Magnum photographers of the 20th century ― Henri Cartier-Bresson and Marc Riboud ― present a series of perfect moments that leave a lasting impact. Looking at photos by Cartier-Bresson makes viewers wonder how long the photographer must have waited and how carefully

June 14, 2012

A Chinese delegation abruptly left a religious conference in Yeosu on Wednesday morning after Tibetans attending the event refused to acquiesce to demands they leave. The Chinese delegation, consisting of Buddhist officials and monks, had walked out of the opening ceremony of the World Fellowship of Buddhists in Korea the previous evening. The Chinese had complained about the Tibetans’ participation, claiming that they represent Tibet’s government-in-exile. Saying they did not want to share the

June 13, 2012

Korean people in their 30s, who were born in the 1970s and went to college in the 1990s, are the key generation leading mainstream Korean culture and consumption markets, a private think tank said in a report.Dubbed the “397 generation,” those in their 30s took up the largest portion in contributing to the sales of local department stores with 31.2 percent in 2010, followed by those in their 40s at 27.6 percent, the report by the LG Economic Research Institute said. Meeting the needs of the larg

June 13, 2012

BEIJING (AFP) ― Chinese archaeologists have unearthed 110 new terracotta warriors that laid buried for centuries, an official said Monday, part of the famed army built to guard the tomb of China’s first emperor.The life-size figures were excavated near the Qin Emperor’s mausoleum in China’s northern Xi’an city over the course of three years, and archaeologists also uncovered 12 pottery horses, parts of chariots, weapons and tools.“The ... excavation on the 200-square-meter site has found a total

June 12, 2012

Young people, mostly female, gather inside a small cottage in Kolkata, India. They twist and turn, laughing and joking as they try to dance to the music. It seems like another jolly day at a typical dance class, except for one thing: The participants are all victims of horrific crimes.It is a dance therapy session started by Kolkata Sanved, a human rights organization that uses dance to heal victims of violence and trafficking. Many of the participants are young girls who were forced into sexual

June 11, 2012