The Korea Herald

Korea promotes 7 Buddhist temples as UNESCO heritage

A presidential panel said on Wednesday that it is promoting Buddhist temples in Korea as UNESCO world heritage sites.The Presidential Council on National Branding said it has selected seven Buddhist temples around the country to register them as provisional UNESCO world heritage sites by the end of this year. If selected, the panel plans to apply for formal registration in 2015, an official at the panel said.After a two-year consultation with the Cultural Heritage Administration, the panel chose

Aug. 22, 2012

Korea buys Korean Empire’s former legation building in Washington D.C.

The government purchased a historical building in Washington D.C., which was used as the legation building of Korea’s Joseon Dynasty (1392-1897) and the Korean Empire (1897-1910) in the U.S. from 1891 to 1905, the Cultural Heritage Administration announced on Tuesday. Korea retrieved ownership of the property 102 years after the country was annexed by Japan, the state-run organization said. The three-story building, which is located about 10 minutes away from the White House by car, was first bu

Aug. 21, 2012

Korea buys Korean Empire’s former legation building in Washington D.C.

Global ad gurus to attend Busan festival

The annual Busan International Advertising Festival, also known as AD Stars, kicks off Friday at BEXCO with world-renowned creative directors attending.Under the theme of “Digital Humanism,” the three-day festival will offer industry experts a chance to share their ideas on marketing and creativity in the digital era.The list of celebrities in the global advertising industry who are participating in the festival includes Coca-Cola vice president Jonathan Mildenhall, Cheil Worldwide executive dir

Aug. 21, 2012

Global ad gurus to attend Busan festival

Things not to ask in a job interview

Many people practice their interview skills before going to a job interview by coming up with answers to likely questions. But top interviewees also come up with suitable questions to ask the job interviewer. According to a news source, interviewers deem most questions acceptable but have problems with a few. Here is what experts have to say about these questions:5. Is there a probationary period? “It sounds like you’ve been fired in the past or somehow expect to perform poorly at some point,” s

Aug. 20, 2012

A 63-year-old engineer and Japan's 'Last Ninja'

A 63-year-old former engineer may not fit the typical image of a dark-clad assassin with deadly weapons who can disappear into a cloud of smoke. But Jinichi Kawakami is reputedly Japan's last ninja.In the public mind, this is the typical image of a ninja. (123rf)As the 21st head of the Ban clan, a line of ninjas that can trace its history back some 500 years, Kawakami is considered by some to be t

Aug. 20, 2012

A 63-year-old engineer and Japan's 'Last Ninja'

Culture becomes center of Korea-China ties

This is the sixth and last in a series of articles to mark the 20th anniversary of diplomatic ties between South Korea and China. ― Ed.The term “hallyu” was first coined in the late 1990s by Chinese journalists to describe Chinese people’s craze over Korean TV dramas. Hallyu, meaning Korean Wave, has continued for more than ten years and has sparked China’s interest in other Korean cultural content and business industries such as Korean products, food, tourism, medical services and even the Kore

Aug. 19, 2012

Culture becomes center of Korea-China ties

Video store owner fights back on unscrupulous customers

A video store owner who lost $26,000 in unpaid late fees and unreturned videos over the past three years, said she publicly exposed the names of customers who caused her lossesChristie Ross in North Carolina set a whiteboard she coined the “Wall of Shame” in front of her store with 300 names of people who either had not paid late fees or returned videos.“It probably is harsh, but the way I look at it is -- a lot of these people have cussed us,” Ross said. “Who cares about late fees?”In addition

Aug. 17, 2012

Cultural figures to hold forum in Seoul

International cultural leaders will gather next month in Seoul to experience Korean culture and discuss how to better promote it. The Corea Image Communication Institute will invite 14 cultural icons from around the world to its third 2012 Culture Communication Forum from Sept. 4-6. The CICI organized the C20 (Culture 20) side event during the G20 Seoul Summit in 2010. “The third CCF is an event that facilitates cultural communication among the participating leaders and helps them learn Korean c

Aug. 15, 2012

Study: Fighting bullies pushed evolution

Stopping bullying has an evolutionary basis, a U.S. researcher says, preventing them from monopolizing resources so groups can increase their odds of survival.The urge to band together against strong aggressors is a key to humanity's success as a species, biomathematician Sergey Gavrilets at the University of Tennessee said.He used mathematical models to investigate why humans exhibit strong egali

Aug. 15, 2012

Opening a door to traditional Korean culture

Korean Buddhist cultural offerings designed to go globalBuddhism is not just a religion in Korea. It is an integral cultural asset that has substantially contributed to the development of the country’s tradition and arts for the last 1,700 years. The Korean Buddhist culture now attempts to go abroad in an effort to better serve the rising global demand for learning about Korean history and culture, thanks to the popularity of K-pop around the world.The Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism, an affil

Aug. 14, 2012

Opening a door to traditional Korean culture

Evidence for story of Samson and the lion?

(123rf)Israeli archaeologists say a recently unearthed seal may add substance to the biblical story of Samson and the lion.A seal measuring about a half-inch in diameter, which depicts a human figure next to a lion, was discovered at the archaeological site of Beth Shemesh, located between the biblical cities of Zorah and Eshtaol where the Bible's book of Judges says Samson was born, flourished an

Aug. 14, 2012

Evidence for story of Samson and the lion?

[Announcement] New Korea Herald launched

The Korea Herald has established itself as the country’s largest English newspaper over the past six decades by providing quality news and analyses to readers both at home and abroad.Ahead of the 60th anniversary of The Korea Herald and the 10th anniversary of the renaming of The Herald Business next year, the paper unveiled a new design and new content on Tuesday to better serve our readers. The revamped design aims to offer visually sophisticated and reader-friendly content. The most visually

Aug. 13, 2012

[Announcement] New Korea Herald launched

Chairman Hong sets new corporate vision

Jungwook Hong, chairman and largest shareholder of Herald Corp., has launched new corporate vision “Re-imagine!” after four years as a lawmaker in the National Assembly. In a recent interview with The Korea Herald, Hong spoke about his intention to expand the company’s presence beyond the media. Hong outlined his plan to create a company that influences consumers’ lifestyles, revealing his ambition to enter the consumer market with a series of new businesses.Following is a Q&A with Hong.KH: What

Aug. 13, 2012

Korea Herald keeps lead in local English daily market

The Korea Herald had the largest circulation of the English-language dailies published in Korea last year, according to a report on the circulation of the country’s dailies by the Korean unit of Audit Bureau of Circulations.The Korea Herald topped the English daily market share with 46 percent in 2011, followed by its two domestic competitors with 28 percent and 26 percent.In terms of paid circulation, The Korea Herald was the only English-language newspaper that saw an increase last year.Paid c

Aug. 13, 2012

Korea Herald keeps lead in local English daily market

Top English newspaper’s multi-platform strategy spearheads digital trend

Today’s versatile, cutting-edge devices like smartphones and tablet PCs have reshaped how people obtain information. Released in 2009 in Korea, Apple’s iPhone has allowed Korean users to enjoy multimedia content anywhere, anytime. The multimedia function was further strengthened by tablet PCs’ bigger screens and better processing power.The digitization movement is also rapidly changing the news industry. Gone are the days when people sat on the couch waiting for the 9 o’clock news or the morning

Aug. 13, 2012

Top English newspaper’s multi-platform strategy spearheads digital trend

Forget ‘Borat’ - D.C. exhibit shows the real Kazakhstan

WASHINGTON -- The first question might be, where is Kazakhstan? The second is, why go see an exhibit about it?The answer is simple. Kazakhstan is basically unknown to Americans outside of the 2006 movie “Borat,” and has more to offer.“Nomads and Networks,” which opened Saturday at the Arthur M. Sackler museum in Washington, D.C., provides a snapshot of this vast country and its ancient history.Found to the south of Russia and the west of Mongolia and China, Kazakhstan is slightly less than four

Aug. 13, 2012

Oldest recording of national anthem unveiled

The 1942 recording of the Korean national anthem performed by Korean-Americans reveals longing for the country’s independenceThe oldest existing recording of the Korean national anthem, or “Aegukga,” performed by Korean-American men and women in 1942 while Korea was under Japanese colonial rule, was revealed for the first time in Seoul on Monday. The state-run Independence Hall of Korea unveiled the record that has three songs ― old and new versions of the national anthem and “Mugungwha,” or th

Aug. 13, 2012

Oldest recording of national anthem unveiled

[Announcement] New Korea Herald to be launched Aug. 14

The Korea Herald has established itself as the country’s largest English newspaper over the past six decades by providing quality news and analyses to readers both at home and abroad.Ahead of the 60th anniversary of The Korea Herald and the 10th anniversary of the renaming of The Herald Business next year, the paper is to unveil a new design and content selection on Aug. 14 to better serve our readers. The revamped design will offer visually sophisticated and reader-friendly content. The most vi

Aug. 12, 2012

[Announcement] New Korea Herald to be launched Aug. 14

Archaeologists cover up Afghan heritage

BAMIYAN, Afghanistan (AFP) ― “It’s there,” says an archaeologist pointing to the ground, where fragments of a Buddha statue from the ancient Gandhara civilisation have been covered up to stop them being stolen or vandalised.Just months before the U.S.-led invasion in 2001, the Taliban regime shocked the world by destroying two giant, 1,500-year-old Buddhas in the rocky Bamiyan valley, branding them un-Islamic.More than 10 years on Western experts say Afghanistan’s ancient Buddhist and early Isla

Aug. 12, 2012

Bringing King Sejong’s dream to the world

Institute aims to export standardized Korean language courses, culture overseasIn 1443, King Sejong invented the Korean alphabet, called Hunminjeongeum, or the “proper phonetic system to educate the people.” The system was created for those of his subjects who could not read Chinese characters. But he could never have realized that more than 500 years later his invention would be used globally.The number of Korean languages users worldwide is estimated at more than 80 million. And the figure is

Aug. 10, 2012

Bringing King Sejong’s dream to the world