[Weekender] High hopes for Pope Francis

Father You Heung-sik, bishop of the southern diocese of Daejeon, couldn’t believe his ears when he heard that Pope Francis, the leader of the 1.2 billion Roman Catholics worldwide, would be traveling to his diocese to attend a gathering of some 2,000 young believers. “This is a miracle. What else can I say?” said the priest who wrote to the pontiff several times to invite him to the sixth Asian Youth Day. No pope has ever attended the event. He believes that it was God’s will that the pope, reve

Aug. 8, 2014

[Weekender] Seosomun Martyrs’ Shrine birthplace of Korean Catholics

Pope Francis is to visit Seosomun Martyrs’ Shrine before presiding over the beatification Mass in Gwanghwamun Square on Aug. 16. Seosomun Martyrs’ Shrine occupies a central place in the history of Catholicism in Korea. During the 19th century, an estimated 10,000 Catholics were martyred across the country as a crackdown on Catholicism intensified amid power struggles, foreign intervention, and ideological conflict that put the converts at odds with the reigning Joseon state. Many Catholics who w

Aug. 8, 2014

[Weekender] Korea awaits ‘people’s pope’

Last year, a 6-year-old boy in a yellow shirt wandered up on the stage during Pope Francis’ address to the large crowd at St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City. The boy sat on the pope’s chair and hung out on the stage. He then clung onto the pope’s legs and refused to leave, even after promises of candy or cardinals’ other efforts to escort him away. The pope patted the boy’s head and gave him a generous smile as he delivered his speech. It was just another account of what Pope Francis is known fo

Aug. 8, 2014

[Weekender] Police tighten security ahead of papal visit

Korea is beefing up security ahead of next week’s visit by Pope Francis, as it prepares to escort the Catholic leader while tens of thousands of people are expected to tail his every move. But the pope’s insistence on keeping the distance between him and ordinary people as small as possible will prove challenging for security officials.Despite being one of the most high-profile religious leaders in the world, the famously frugal pope has rejected the use of a bulletproof car, opting instead for

Aug. 8, 2014

A tuneful campaign for unification

On Aug. 14, one day before Koreans mark their independence from Japanese colonial rule, Lee Seung-chul will embark on a tuneful campaign for the reunification of the Korean Peninsula. With a group of young North Korean defectors, the singer-songwriter will travel to the easternmost islets of Dokdo, where they will together sing his “unification song” and “Arirang,” an iconic folk song loved by Koreans on both sides of the border. The performance will be primarily symbolic with hardly any audienc

Aug. 8, 2014

Calendar

Dance“Prince Hodong”: The Korean National Ballet is slated to restage its production of “Prince Hodong,” an original work based on the traditional Korean tale “Princess Nakrang and Prince Hodong” ― a dramatic cultural tale of love, war and death. The ballet is a modernized retelling of the classic tale, combining elements of Western artistic culture with traditional Korean culture. “Prince Hodong” will be staged on Aug. 29 and 30 at the Sungnam Arts Center in Seoul. For more information, call (0

Aug. 8, 2014

A book forest for everyone

It is the first of its kind. The library is open 24 hours a day, carrying over 200,000 donated books. A wide selection of texts, ranging from literature, science, and arts to humanities welcomes people of all ages. Located in the heart of Paju Book City, a publishing community that creates, publishes and sells Korean books in Paju, north of Seoul, The Forest of Wisdom opened in June. Since then, thousands of visitors have visited the library.The Forest of Wisdom library in Paju, Gyeonggi Provinc

Aug. 6, 2014

Tiny Van Goghs: Kids bloom through preschool art program

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina ― Jessica McQuillen never saw herself as a preschool teacher. Instructing at an elementary school was always the goal.Still she went down a winding road that led her to the job as the only arts and music teacher at Charlotte’s Thompson Child Development Center, a preschool facility that serves many children from families that have struggled with substance abuse, mental health, poverty or other issues.McQuillen, 44, uses the creative process through Thompson’s art progra

Aug. 6, 2014

Look, man, no hands! Learning to ride a bicycle as an adult

MINNEAPOLIS ― For many, learning how to ride a bike is a rite of passage. For others, it never happens. Now, some adults are finding out what they’ve been missing.Sheldon Mains is helping adults take care of that unfinished childhood business.In a metro area known for its thriving bike culture, Mains discovered that there’s a surprisingly large number of adults who have little or no experience on two wheels.As an avid cyclist, he’s trying to change that. Two years ago, Mains worked with a neighb

Aug. 6, 2014

Decades of labor created grand design for house with two pianos

PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania ― When Bill Sheppard plays “Traumerei,” sweet chords fill his living room, and you understand instantly why he wanted to keep this grand piano with the golden sound.Made in 1917 by Mason & Hamlin, the mahogany instrument was a gift from Margaret Schreyer, his late, longtime music teacher and friend.“She was my son’s godmother,” said Sheppard, who already owned a 1929 piano made by the same Massachusetts company when he inherited this one, made during a golden age for pia

Aug. 6, 2014

Forum draws 16 cultural bigwigs

The Corea Image Communication Institute will host its annual Culture Communication Forum this summer, inviting 16 cultural leaders to participate.The institute holds the forum, in its fifth edition this year, to boost the understanding and knowledge of the nation’s culture and image worldwide.The delegates, representing 15 G20 foreign countries along with the host, are from France, Russia, Canada, the U.S., Germany, Korea, Australia, the U.K., India, Indonesia, China, Italy, Turkey, Mexico, Japa

Aug. 5, 2014

Pope’s Mass to draw 1 million

The highlight of Pope Francis’ much-anticipated visit to Korea next week is arguably the beatification Mass to be held on Aug. 16 in streets of Gwanghwamun Square. As many as 1 million people are expected to gather in the area to see the head of the Roman Catholic Church beatify 124 Korean martyrs, although the likelihood of a close encounter is very slim. Officials at the Korean Catholic Church unveiled Tuesday more details about the ceremony, while asking for understanding and cooperation of c

Aug. 5, 2014

[Weekender] Calendar

Pop musicIncheon Pentaport Rock Festival: The annual Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival, a three-day rock music fest, is one of the nation’s most popular summer music events. This year’s edition will include performances by popular English psychedelic-rock band Kasabian, Travis, Boys Like Girls and more to be announced soon. The festival will also include performances by a wide range of local bands including Dear Cloud, PIA and Romantic Punch. In its eight-year history, Pentaport has hosted interna

Aug. 1, 2014

U.S. ends effort to reclaim mummy mask for Egypt

ST. LOUIS (AP) ― A 3,200-year-old mummy mask at the center of a years-long custody fight will stay at the St. Louis Art Museum now that the U.S. government is giving up its fight to reclaim it for Egypt. U.S. Attorney Richard Callahan said Tuesday that the Department of Justice will take no further legal action to reclaim the funeral mask of Lady Ka-Nefer-Nefer, a noblewoman who died in B.C. 1186. The mask went missing from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo more than 40 years ago. The St. Louis Art M

July 31, 2014

Summer music school grows with festival

PYEONGCHANG, Gangwon Province ― On a sunny Sunday afternoon, students carrying their own instruments crisscrossed through dozens of buildings at the snowless ski resort of Alpensia, rushing to lessons, master classes or makeshift practice rooms. Some of them were heading to the resort’s convention center, where renowned pianist Peter Frankl was scheduled for a master class.  During the master class, which was open to the public, three students had a chance to perform in front of the maestro and

July 30, 2014

Boutique gyms offer workout alternative

It’s a Wednesday evening at the Pop Physique studio in downtown Baltimore, and a dozen women ― most clad in leggings, T-shirts and socks ― are rotating their hips while trying to hold an exercise ball between their thighs.“Great job, guys!” says instructor Smithy Onattu, directing her students via a headset as a playlist with songs such as Lana Del Rey’s “Florida Kilos” and “Tumblr Girls” by rapper G-Eazy pumps through the art-filled space.Over the course of an hour, the group will tackle a seri

July 30, 2014

Joint committee to seek UNESCO status for Buddhist mountain temples

South Korea is stepping up efforts to inscribe the nation’s traditional Buddhist mountain temples as UNESCO World Cultural Heritage sites with the founding of a new association to facilitate and oversee the inscription process until 2018.The Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism will join hands with various actors including the Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea and 12 regional organizations, to form a joint committee for the inscription project by signing a memorandum of understanding on Aug. 6

July 27, 2014

Calendar

FestivalsThe Great Battle of Hansan Festival: The festival commemorates Korea’s historic victory in the Hansan sea battle during the Joseon period. The Joseon fleet commanded by Adm. Yi Sun-sin battled Japanese invaders in waters off Tongyeong near Hansando Island in 1592. The city of Tongyeong commemorates Yi’s victory with a parade, musicals, dances and cultural programs involving visitors. The festival will take place from Aug. 13-17 at various venues of the city, including Yi Sun-sin Park an

July 25, 2014