ANGOULEME, France (AFP) ― Iranian dissident cartoonist Mana Neyestani says drawing has been his salvation and a weapon to combat his own personal demons as well as Tehran’s hardline Islamist regime.Neyestani’s autobiographical comic book “An Iranian Metamorphosis,” a Kafkaesque story recounting his jailing in Iran over a cartoon depicting a cockroach that sparked riots in 2006, is due to hit stores on Feb. 16.“With this book, I wanted to share my experiences but also to forget my worst nightmare

Feb. 16, 2012

Major museums in Germany will hold a joint exhibition of Korean relics, offering a rare chance to appreciate Korean art from the 11th to 20th centuries, the German Embassy in Seoul said. The joint exhibition will tour four German cities, including Grassi Museum of Ethnology in Leipzig and East Asia Art Museum in Cologne from Feb. 17 to May 27. The touring exhibition will also be held at museums in Frankfurt and in Stuttgart, the embassy said in a statement. A total of 10 museums in Germany broug

Feb. 16, 2012

POZORRUBIO, Philippines (AFP) ― Filomeno de Guzman does not know Sparta from medieval Scotland, but the Philippine swordsmith is an expert at replicating ancient warriors’ tools for killing each other.A stubby ex-military sergeant who has never set foot abroad, de Guzman and 15 rice farmer-neighbors who moonlight as blacksmiths craft old truck leaf springs into things of terrible beauty.The business feeds an overseas market for replica swords of Roman gladiators, Greek infantry and Japanese samu

Feb. 16, 2012

Some 300 authors from 114 countries will be visiting Korea in September, including Nobel literary prize winners Orhan Pamuk, Wole Soyinka, and Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clezio, to attend the 78th International PEN Congress in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province.A London-based international association of writers, International PEN has been hosting the congress, which consists of networking and literary events and lectures, in cities around the world. The event has been held in Korea twice before in

Feb. 15, 2012

For Jennifer Emmert, it’s the best of both worlds. Emmert loves kids and spends tons of time with her six nieces and nephews, from outdoor activities to sleepovers at her place. The 30-year-old is engaged to be married, but she’s perfectly happy living up to the name of one of her favorite books: “Childless and Loving It.”“I’m completely content with adoring and smothering my nieces and nephews and keeping my life the way it is,” said the Minneapolis resident. “I absolutely love and adore them,

Feb. 15, 2012

The Northeast Asian History Foundation, a state-run history research institution, announced on Monday that it will build a national database on Korea’s early kingdoms as well as Dokdo and have it available online by November.According to the foundation the database will feature Korea’s ancient history as well as Dokdo, the rocky islets in the East Sea that the Japanese claim are part of their territory.  The database’s Dokdo section will include different types of maps of the islets and the East

Feb. 14, 2012

If chocolate’s the thing for your sweetie on Valentine’s Day, why give plain old candy when you can give a chocolate plant (Theobroma cacao)? Handmade chocolate is being arranged in preparation for Valentine's Day. (Yonhap)THE CHALLENGE OF CHOCOLATEGrowing chocolate from seed is difficult. Fres

Feb. 13, 2012

STOCKHOLM ― South Korea’s Culture Minister Choe Kwang-shik on Saturday promoted the country’s traditional culture at the opening ceremony of a Korean antiquities exhibition room at a museum here.The Korean room in Sweden’s Museum of East Asia in Stockholm displays 160 of 350 Korean artifacts owned by the museum, most of which are ceramics. “The Korean room is our project to promote relations between the two countries further following the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties

Feb. 12, 2012

Goethe Institut stresses dialogue, collaboration between Korean and German cultureThis is the second of the series introducing cultural centers of different countries in Seoul. ― Ed.With Korean cultural centers slowly expanding their presence in countries around the world, the Goethe Institut in Seoul says it is important to respect artists’ creativity, rather than using their production as means of building the nation’s image.“It is important in the cultural sphere to respect culture, cultural

Feb. 12, 2012

Namdaemun, Seoul’s historic gateway and National Treasure No. 1 which was severely damaged by arson in 2008, will be completely restored by December, according to the Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea. Friday marks the fourth anniversary of the arson.Currently, the restoration is about 70 percent complete. The damaged gate site, which has been cordoned off with a set of fences and a curtain, will be unveiled in August, prior to the completion of restoration. The administration said its r

Feb. 9, 2012

Buddhist group to open temple food restaurant in Paris next yearA Korean Buddhist group will soon bring temple food to the world as a part of its effort to introduce the 1,700 years of Korean Buddhist culture abroad.“Korean Buddhist temple foods have been drawing attention from the health-conscious in North America and Europe,” Ven. Jihyun, director of Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism, an affiliate of Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, told The Korea Herald on Tuesday.“We will seek ways of both mo

Feb. 8, 2012

An Iranian government-affiliated agency has banned dolls of the Simpsons cartoon characters, who join Barbie and others on a toy blacklist, an independent newspaper reported on Monday.The report said that the Simpsons were banned to avoid the promotion of Western culture. But Superman and Spiderman

Feb. 7, 2012