The Korea Herald

Gwangmyeong Cave wraps up Lascaux exhibition, looks to next chapter

For the first time in Asia, France’s cherished Lascaux Paleolithic cave paintings found a temporary home inside Korea’s Gwangmyeong Cave. 　In celebration of the 130th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Korea and France, the Lascaux International Exhibition made its way here. The commemorative diplomatic project allowed Gwangmyeong Cave -- the country’s latest tourist hot spot -- to host the Lascaux International Exhibition from April through Sept. 4. 　The world-famous Lascaux cave paintings

Sept. 4, 2016

Gwangmyeong Cave wraps up Lascaux exhibition, looks to next chapter

Dalai Lama hopes to visit S. Korea

The Dalai Lama called for love, mercy and sympathy for a better future at a meeting with a South Korean Buddhist group advocating for his visit to the country. "I have not been able to visit Asian countries except Japan," the 81-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader told about 10 representatives from the group and the accompanying Korean journalists at his residence in Dharamshala, northwestern India, on Tuesday. "I am certain about my future visit to South Korea, if the South Korean believers' re

Sept. 1, 2016

Campaign launched to fix inaccuracies about Korea

The Korean Culture and Information Service has rolled out a new service to encourage people to report and fix incorrect information about Korea found in both online and offline outlets, including the internet, broadcast programs and print publications. 　The Facts about Korea program, which was announced on Thursday, aims to enlist the help of both Korean citizens and foreigners to “contribute to correcting inaccuracies” about the country. 　“Through this service, we hope that Korean citizens will

Sept. 1, 2016

Jikji Korea Festival to kick off with UNESCO Jikji award

CHEONGJU, North Chungcheong Province (Yonhap) -- In 2004, three years after confirming “Jikji” as the world’s oldest extant book printed with movable metal type, UNESCO decided to establish a prize in memory of its designation as world documentary heritage.The biennial UNESCO Jikji Memory of the World Prize is awarded to an individual or group who has made a contribution to preserving and promoting documentary heritage. The National Library of the Czech Republic received the inaugural honor in 2

Aug. 31, 2016

Ceremony marks end of Korea-France Year

A yearlong celebration of Korean culture in France came to an end Tuesday with an awards ceremony in Paris that recognized more than 80 French and Korean cultural figures who took part in the cultural exchanges between the two countries. Korean Culture Minister Kim Jong-deok awarded a total of 88 cultural figures, including Didier Deschamps, head of the Chaillot National Theater.Korea organized more than 200 cultural events at 120 cultural institutions in some 60 cities throughout France from Se

Aug. 30, 2016

[Foreigners Who Loved Korea] Liu Yongyao, Chinese general who supported Korean independence

Liu Yongyao played many roles as a soldier, professor, and politician of the Republic of China. He helped the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea in Chongqing receive recognition from the Nationalist government of China and actively supported the Korean independence movement in areas such as diplomacy, politics, economy, military and culture. Building skills in the military academyLiu Yongyao, also known by the courtesy name Zhezhi and the pen name Wukun, was born in Yaojiaga Village

Aug. 30, 2016

[Foreigners Who Loved Korea] Liu Yongyao, Chinese general who supported Korean independence

Time ripe for Korean traditional music venue

The new Seoul Donhwamun Traditional Theater is opening its doors Thursday, with the aim of becoming one of the nation’s top-tier concert theaters specializing in Korean traditional music. Situated between Changdeokgung and Jongmyo, the site of a former gas station has been completely transformed. The Seoul Metropolitan Government acquired the property in 2009 and built the stunningly picturesque and quaint performance theater house, which takes reference from traditional “hanok” -- traditional K

Aug. 30, 2016

Time ripe for Korean traditional music venue

Cate Blanchett and Josh Groban lead Broadway's fall season

NEW YORK (AP) – “Cats” is back on Broadway, purring along. “Hamilton” tickets are still hard to get. What else is new this fall? Some big celebrities are coming, including Cate Blanchett, Diane Lane, Janet McTeer, Josh Groban and Liev Schreiber. Some old writers are also showing up, like Anton Chekhov and Leo Tolstoy. Here’s a look at some highlights of the first half of the 2016-2017 Broadway season:Old school tunesProducers raided the golden age of movie musicals to pull out a stage adaptation

Aug. 30, 2016

Lost heritage: Quake deals blow to Italy’s art treasures

ROME (AP) -- Within hours of last week’s devastating earthquake in central Italy, members of the national police squad of art experts were already exploring the mounds of rubble in several medieval hill towns.They have photographed hundreds of centuries-old churches with missing roofs, torn-away frescoes or gaping holes where stained glass once filtered sunlight. The quake and several powerful aftershocks dealt the latest blow to Italy’s long-deteriorating abundance of art and architecture.Even

Aug. 30, 2016

Lost heritage: Quake deals blow to Italy’s art treasures

London's Notting Hill Carnival turns 50

LONDON (AFP) - Hundreds of thousands of revelers took to the streets to celebrate London‘s Notting Hill Carnival on Monday, as police made more than 400 arrests during the festival’s 50th anniversary.Feathered dancers, steel bands and earth-shaking sound systems featured in the vibrant celebration of British Caribbean culture, with many festival-goers sporting glittery face paint and waving Jamaican flags.“It‘s excellent! We are loving the free spirit of everyone and we have all been dancing,” s

Aug. 30, 2016

Korea to hold culture ministers' talks with 7 S. Asian countries this week

The culture ministers of South Korea and seven South Asian countries will hold their second round of talks this week in the southwest city of Gwangju to agree on enhancing cultural cooperation among them, South Korean officials said Monday.During the one-day talks on Thursday, South Korean Culture Minister Kim Jong-deok and his counterparts from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are scheduled to adopt a joint communique on an action plan in relation to what

Aug. 29, 2016

Korea, China, Japan agree to push for 'Culture Olympics'

Cultural ministers of South Korea, China and Japan agreed Sunday to push for co-hosting various academic and cultural events timed for the Summer and Winter Olympics to be held in the three countries, Seoul officials said.South Korean Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Kim Jong-deok and his Chinese and Japanese counterparts reached the agreement at the end of a two-day meeting in this South Korean resort island of Jeju, they said.South Korea is the host nation of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter

Aug. 28, 2016

France sued over control of Titanic artifacts

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The bankrupt US company that controls thousands of artifacts salvaged from the ill-starred Titanic has sued the French government to be allowed to sell some of them.Premier Exhibitions filed the suit in a Florida federal bankruptcy court to press the French government to clarify it has no interest in the artifacts that would prevent their sale.The suit, made last Wednesday in Jacksonville, came after the judge in the case last month denied Premier permission to sell some of th

Aug. 24, 2016

Royal treasures kept deep underground

Gyeongbokgung is an open museum without relics. Buildings in the palace are missing the furniture, tableware, books, paintings and clothes that used to make it a living space. Instead, these are kept in underground storages at the palace site as the prized collections of the National Palace Museum of Korea. Some 45,000 royal artifacts are housed at the 18 museum underground collection vaults at two different locations within the palace grounds. The artifacts -- including old documents, books, pa

Aug. 23, 2016

French museum asks, ‘Want to buy a tank?’

CATZ, France (AFP) -- Fancy buying a World War II tank? Then make tracks to a museum in Normandy, France, which is closing its doors and selling off its entire collection.One of the star lots of the 130 being auctioned off by the Normandy Tank Museum is an American M4 Cadillac tank made in 1942 which is listed at between 80,000 euros ($90,500) and 140,000 euros. A 1944 Jeep MB is also going under the hammer for an estimate of 25,000 euros, while a military Caterpillar D-8 bulldozer is available

Aug. 23, 2016

Festival to celebrate world’s oldest metal-type book

CHEONGJU, North Chungcheong Province (Yonhap) -- An international festival centered on the world’s oldest extant book printed with movable metal type will kick off in Cheongju in September to shed new light on its creative value, bringing together world-renowned writers and scholars, organizers said Tuesday.The Jikji Korea Festival will open Sept. 1 in the central South Korean city, some 130 kilometers south of Seoul, for an eight-day run under the theme of “Jikji, Enlightening the World,” with

Aug. 23, 2016

Festival to celebrate world’s oldest metal-type book

Korea to host int'l fest on world's oldest metal-type book

An international festival on the world's oldest extant book printed with movable metal type will kick off in Cheongju in September to shed new light on its creative value, bringing together world-renowned writers and scholars, organizers said Tuesday.The Jikji Korea Festival will open Sept. 1 in the central South Korean city, some 130 kilometers south of Seoul, for an eight-day run under the theme of "Jikji, Enlightening the World," with the main venues including the Cheongju Arts Hall and the C

Aug. 23, 2016

French beach burkini ban sparks disdain across the sea

LONDON (AFP) - The ban on the Islamic burkini swimsuit on some French beaches has triggered disdain in English-speaking countries, where outlawing religion-oriented clothing is seen as hampering integration.Newspaper commentators have condemned the ban as an absurdity, and one questioned how a burkini could be more offensive than “middle-aged bum crack” bursting out from traditional Western beachwear.And experts said the debate raised questions about the French one-size-fits-all model of integra

Aug. 21, 2016

French beach burkini ban sparks disdain across the sea

A North Korean defector’s life in webtoon

Seoul (AFP) -- When North Korean defector Choi Sung-Guk decided it was time to go public with his experiences, he avoided the well-trodden “harrowing memoir” route in favor of a cartoon strip. Drawing skills and some online space provided Choi with everything he needed to reach a young Korean-speaking audience that might otherwise have little attention to spare for a 36-year-old escapee from over the border.Choi, who spent eight years making cartoons at Pyongyang’s SEK animation studio, now post

Aug. 17, 2016

A North Korean defector’s life in webtoon

Gyeongbok Palace to offer night tours

Night tours at Gyeongbok Palace, one of the royal palaces in Seoul, will begin on the first day of September, the Cultural Heritage Administration said Thursday.Set to run from Sept. 1 to 17, the "Starlight Tour with Daejanggeum" will include a Korean traditional music performance and a 12-plate royal dinner. The visitors will be treated as if they were invited to dine with the king of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), according to the state culture agency. "Daejanggeum" is the title character of

Aug. 17, 2016