‘Museums should be independent from political meddling’

A museum is more than a warehouse of antiques and should be independent from political, business and other interference, according to the leader of an international body of museums. Hans Martin Hinz, the president of the International Council of Museums, called for open and public discussion in setting the direction of museums and exhibitions in order to guarantee transparent and respected education. “Parties continue to see contemporary history as a political instrument whose power is not to be

Nov. 26, 2012

Study: TV a unifying force for families

Some predict smartphones, computers and video games may replace TV, but Canadian researchers say families watching television together is a unifying force. “Young Canadians today live in a different world than that experienced by previous generations. In this context, many well-placed observers have predicted the impending death of television,” Dr. Andre H. Caron of the Universite de Montreal and director of the Center for Youth and Media Studies, said in a statement. “We wanted to test the vera

Nov. 26, 2012

Sleep before exams, don‘t study all night

Many students will be pulling all-nighters to prepare for final exams, but U.S. researchers say a good night‘s sleep may be a better idea. Dr. Philip Alapat, medical director of the Harris Health Sleep Disorders Center and assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine, recommends students study throughout the semester, set up study sessions in the evening because it is the optimal time of alertness and concentration and get at least 8 hours of sleep the night before exams.“Memory recall and

Nov. 26, 2012

Webtoons grip Korea, go global

Twenty-something Jang Geu-rae has been struggling to adapt to One International, a global trading firm. He is not a college graduate -- he barely finished high school but instead focused on baduk, and he doesn’t speak English nor has any computer skills. His colleagues are all highly educated, carrying around various certifications and qualifications. It intimidates Jang from time to time, but he keeps learning and learning without complaint, facing trials and errors and moving forward to becomi

Nov. 23, 2012

Korean webtoons reach out to world

Webtoons have become more than a cultural item. With the help of rapidly spreading high-tech mobile gadgets, a growing number of people are exposed to webtoons and businessmen are seeking to use them in new entrepreneurial opportunities. “No one can deny that webtoons can be powerful sources. They are read by millions of people, which is commercially attractive. Also they can be adapted to different media platforms,” said Lee Du-ho, a Korea Creative Contents Agency PR officer. The Cartoon Indust

Nov. 23, 2012

Affordable arts in winter

Art does not have to be pricy. Despite ticket prices soaring well above 200,000 won for the most-talked about concerts, there is always room for affordable tickets and events for art lovers on tight budgets.“A cheaper ticket price doesn’t mean that the content or the quality of the show is poor,” said Park Min-kyoung, spokeswoman at the Goyang Cultural Foundation. “Of course, some of the artists’ names might be less influential than household names, but they are still highly acclaimed performers

Nov. 23, 2012

Gil takes helm of KBS

Gil Hwan-young was inaugurated as the 20th president of state-run terrestrial broadcasting network KBS on Friday. Gil, who succeeded Kim In-kyu, stressed that he would seek to raise TV license fees in order to stabilize the firm’s fiscal status. “The fee raise will be used to invest in digitalizing all programs,” Gil said in his speech at the inauguration ceremony. The ceremony was held three earlier than announced. Gil’s term expires on Nov. 23, 2015.By Bae Ji-sook (baejisook@heraldcorp.com)

Nov. 23, 2012

Korean tourism agency sues Incheon Airport CEO for slander

The Korea Tourism Organization filed a defamation lawsuit Thursday against the CEO of Incheon International Airport Corporation for damaging its name by making false remarks about the management of its airport duty free shops. “The Incheon Airport CEO Lee Chae-wook dishonored the KTO by calling us a ‘company suffering deep losses from the duty free shop business and an organization that does nothing but waste taxpayers’ money,’” said KTO CEO Lee Charm at a press conference on Thursday morning. 

Nov. 22, 2012

Exhibition showcases beauty of Korea’s traditional crafts

For lovers of traditional Korean art, an exhibition that opened last week at a gallery in Seoul’s Insadong street may give as much joy as a gift set of carefully selected traditional Korean craft items.Titled “An Old is A New,” the exhibition at the ARA Art Center has an extensive range of craftworks, from small metalwork pieces to furniture and roof tiles.It features some 500 works by 180 traditional artisans, including those designated as among the country’s “important intangible cultural heri

Nov. 22, 2012

History museum opening delayed

Controversies are mounting over the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History, whose opening, which had been scheduled for Thursday, has been postponed indefinitely. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Wednesday said that the opening of the museum highlighting the past, present and future of the Republic of Korea has been officially postponed till “all things are rendered.” “There have been minor glitches ― the height of the exhibition desks was too high, the air conditioning was

Nov. 21, 2012

Aimard to show quintessential contemporary classical music

French pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard, widely hailed as the guardian of modern piano compositions, will be performing for the first time in Korea at LG Arts Center in southern Seoul at 5 p.m. on Sunday.A master of Gyrgy Ligeti, a well-known composer who was Aimard’s teacher, he is expected to woo his Korean audience into the world of modern music with his transparent and honest approach. His program is filled with contemporary classical music: It includes Heinz Holliger’s “Elis: 3 Nocturnes for P

Nov. 21, 2012

MBN tops ratings of general-content channels

Round-the-clock cable network MBN enjoyed the highest viewer ratings among the four general-programming channels that have been in operation since Dec. 1 last year.According to the AGB Nielsen Media Research’s study on paid-television subscribers from Dec. 1 last year to Nov. 18, MBN marked an average viewer rating of 0.643 percent, followed by jTBC’s 0.565 percent and Channel A’s 0.552 percent. TV Chosun marked the lowest with 0.432 percent. MBN, formerly a 24-hour business news channel run by

Nov. 20, 2012

Seoul Philharmonic opens new season ticket sales

The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra opens a new season of ticket sales on Wednesday without a president ― the top management seat has remained empty since the retirement of Kim Ju-ho, whose term expired at the end of February. The SPO and the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the main sponsor of the orchestra, have been searching for a CEO to lead one of the most noted orchestras in the country but have not managed to secure one. “The CEO of SPO is a very unique position. The person must understand bo

Nov. 20, 2012

Stitching beauty of Korean embroidery

Following is part of a series exploring unique museums, collections and the passionate collectors behind them. ― Ed.In the conservative Confucian society of Joseon, use of vibrant colors was restrained as they were thought to carry sexual connotations. As a result, the subtle use of color dominates many artifacts of Joseon as shown in white porcelain and clothes. The only place that was free from the Confucian principle, however, was in Korean women’s boudoir culture, according to Huh Dong-hwa,

Nov. 20, 2012

Charlie Chaplin hat and cane net more than $62,000

Charlie Chaplin‘s iconic bowler hat and cane were auctioned off for $62,500 this weekend, as part of an auction which also includes a John Lennon nude drawing of himself and Yoko Ono.The hat and cane, trademark of Chaplin’s Little Tramp character, were in “remarkable condition” and had been estimated to go for between $40,000 and $60,000 at the sale by auction house Bonhams on Sunday. But when it went under the hammer, the sale price hit $62,500 the auctioneers said.Legend has it that Chaplin ca

Nov. 19, 2012

Photos show Einstein‘s brain ’different‘

Recently discovered photographs of Albert Einstein‘s brain made after his death show it was unlike those of most people, a U.S. researcher says.After Einstein died in 1955, his brain was removed and photographed but many of the photos were thought to be lost for more than 55 years.Fourteen were recently uncovered by the National Museum of Health and Medicine in Silver Spring, Md., as part of a donation from the estate of Thomas Harvey, the pathologist who took the original photos, USA Today repo

Nov. 19, 2012

Feltsman goes strong for Bach

It might seem quite peculiar for a Russian pianist to specialize in Bach when indigenous powerhouses such as Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich and Prokofiev rule the classical music scene. But to Vladimir Feltsman, it was natural. “Yes, Tchaikovsky is a great composer. But it was Bach that led me to music and sustained me all the way to here,” he said in his interview with The Korea Herald on Friday, a day before his “Sejong Soloists with Vladimir Feltsman,” held at Goyang Aramnuri.  “Those who do not k

Nov. 18, 2012

Korea heading to level playing field for nation branding: Koo

If you have second thoughts about a shirt you were thinking of buying after seeing the “Made in Korea” label, the chances are that you are unconvinced by Korea’s progress. What eliminates the hesitation is improvement in the nation brand, says Samuel Koo, chairman of the Presidential Council on Nation Branding, who assumed office last month.“It’s not about the quality of the shirt. The country of origin could make people refuse the purchase or willing to pay more for it,” he told The Korea Heral

Nov. 14, 2012

Korea is heading to level playing field for nation branding: Koo

If you have second thoughts about a shirt you were thinking of buying after seeing the “Made in Korea” label, the chances are that you are unconvinced by Korea’s progress. What eliminates the hesitation is improvement in the nation brand, says Samuel Koo, chairman of the Presidential Council on Nation Branding, who assumed office last month.“It’s not about the quality of the shirt. The country of origin could make people refuse the purchase or sometimes willing to pay more for it,” he told The K

Nov. 14, 2012