Joseon-period picture book sold for record price at auction

A Joseon-period book of paintings and writings has been sold for a record 3.4 billion won ($3.1 million), the highest price ever paid for ancient Korean artwork. The book with the long title “Toeuieseonsaengjinjeokcheop” was said to have been bought by an unknown telephone bidder during an auction at K-Auction in Seoul in September. But according to the Cultural Heritage Foundation on Tuesday, the ownership of the old piece of art has been transferred to Samsung Foundation of Culture and a new t

Nov. 13, 2012

Unlocking pieces of Korean history

Society today is riddled with the latest and best security systems for protecting valuables. Everything of value seems to hide behind the protective barriers of deadbolts, eye scanners, key pads or voice and fingerprint recognition, elements that made films like “Ocean’s 11” so intriguing. Technological advancements have allowed for an increase in the beefiness of high-tech security to the point where old-fashioned keys and locks are slowly becoming things of the past — soon to be archaic relics

Nov. 13, 2012

Actress, professor set up video box at U.S. gallery

Actress Song Hye-kyo and Seo Kyung-duk, a visiting professor at Sungshin Women’s University and an expert on promoting Korea, launched a video box promoting Korea at the newly renovated Arts of Korea Gallery at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. By showing the process of making traditional pottery in a video presentation, the two expect to give museum visitors a better understanding of Korean culture as well as raise the public’s interest.  The gallery, scheduled to open on Nov. 16, will feature

Nov. 13, 2012

Archaeologists explore site on Syria-Turkey border

ISTANBUL (AP) ― Few archaeological sites seem as entwined with conflict, ancient and modern, as the city of Karkemish.The scene of a battle mentioned in the Bible, it lies smack on the border between Turkey and Syria, where civil war rages today. Twenty-first century Turkish sentries occupy an acropolis dating back more than 5,000 years, and the ruins were recently demined. Visible from crumbling, earthen ramparts, a Syrian rebel flag flies in a town that regime forces fled just months ago.A Tur

Nov. 12, 2012

Calendar

Dance“Swan Lake”: Internationally acclaimed ballet company Mariinsky Ballet will be in Korea to stage the Tchaikovsky classic “Swan Lake.” The famous ballet tells the story of Odette, a princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer’s curse. She tries to break the curse with her love interest prince Siegfried, but fails when the prince is tricked by the sorcerer. The Russian troupe was founded in the 18th century and is now considered one of the world’s greatest ballet companies. The show runs

Nov. 9, 2012

Science explains instant attraction

The region in the brain that makes romantic decisions has been explored by many scientists around the world, and one of the latest findings is that the decisions depend on whether a person looks similar to oneself, not only if whether she or he has physically attractive features, research showed. When people saw a person who is physically attractive, the ventromedial prefrontal cortex which sits closer to the front of the head was activated. When people saw a face that tripped their trigger but

Nov. 8, 2012

Opera ‘Carmen’ to be screened at Megabox

Opera fans here will be able to enjoy a world-class performance on the big screen with top-notch sound system at cinemas this month.Starting Saturday, Georges Bizet’s “Carmen,” originally performed at the Vienna State Opera, will be screened at Megabox theaters in COEX, Central City, Daejeon, Bundang and Yeongtong in Gyeonggi Province. “Carmen,” a tragic love story between young and sexy temptress Carmen and hot-blooded cadet Don Jose, was chosen as the “most want-to-see opera” in a Korea Nation

Nov. 7, 2012

Radu Lupu concerts excite classical fans

Romanian piano legend Radu Lupu’s concerts in Seoul are the talk of the town. Lupu’s recital on Nov. 17 and concert with the Korean Symphony Orchestra on Nov. 19 at Seoul Arts Center are regarded as the “crme de la crme” of the Korean classical scene this year as the master pianist who rarely exposes himself to the public outside of a limited number of concerts will be performing for the first time in Korea. Lupu had previously planned to perform in Seoul in 2010 but canceled at the last minute

Nov. 7, 2012

Mammoth skeleton found near Paris

A near-complete skeleton of a mammoth that lived up to half of a million years ago has been found in France. Finding a complete animal is very rare, experts say.The French National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research said that the skeleton included a femur, a complete pelvis, jawbones and four connected vertebrae. The remains were discovered at Changis-sur-Marne, northeast of Paris. The animal is thought to have lived between 200,000 to 500,000 years ago.Gregory Bayle, head of arche

Nov. 7, 2012

New T. Rex-sized dino dubbed ‘Sauron’

A dinosaur species that lived in North Africa 95 million years ago has been named for the demonic Eye of Sauron in the Lord of the Rings films, scientists say.A single fossil of the species dubbed Sauroniops pachytholus, or “eye of Sauron” in Greek, was unearthed in southeastern Morocco in 2007.Part of the upper skull included the eye socket, study leader Andrea Cau of the Museo Geologico Giovanni Capellini in Bologna, Italy, said in an email to National Geographic News.“The idea of a predator t

Nov. 7, 2012

Sumi Jo to hold ‘La Luce’ concert

Soprano Sumi Jo will hold a recital, “La Luce,” on Tuesday at 8 p.m. at the Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul. Jo will sing pieces from her latest album, “La Luce,” which contains “light“ classic songs of softer, more emotional nature by Russian composer Igor Krutoy, who wrote the song that Jo sang at the opening of the 11th Winter Asian Games last year in Kazakhstan. The world-class coloratura will also present well-known songs from her repertoire such as ”Music of the Night” from the musical

Nov. 5, 2012

Jang Sa-ik sharing the authentic Korean spirit

Jang Sa-ik’s music is close to nothing else in the world. He has the voice of thunder ― he often refuses to use microphones and still manages to fill the concert hall ― but then whispers gently like a little girl. He sometimes ignores the beat and melodies ― his bands are always alert for his improvisations ― and he narrates in the middle of a piece that sometimes comes across as “odd” to many people. He mixes his tunes with jazz, blues and other music genres, but manages to keep the indefinable

Nov. 5, 2012

Ancient burial site detailed in new study

Details on a burial ground in England believe to be linked to a medieval exorcism ritual have been revealed in a recent study by a British archaeologist, according to local media outlets.The burial site, which was uncovered in the ancient minster town of Southwell, had been a burial site to keep “dangerous dead” from rising from their graves, Matthew Beresford of Southwell Archaeology said in his report. The body inside the grave had metal spikes piercing its shoulders, heart and ankles, leading

Nov. 5, 2012