Mega church founder hits back at elders’ demands on his family

Davind Yonggi Cho, Emeritus Pastor at Yoido Full Gospel Church, expressed dismay on Sunday over elders who demanded Cho’s family and close aides step down from posts at the church’s affiliated charity, the Sharing Love and Happiness Foundation.The charity unit is a non-profit organization that the c

Aug. 1, 2011

Summer brings a feast of festivals to Busan

City hosts international contests, concerts and summer eventsBusan is running a plethora of fiestas this month that will be the envy of those living in the northern part of the country. First and foremost, the city of festivals is currently running the Busan Sea Festival until Aug. 9 at several loca

Aug. 1, 2011

Dig through ancient Rome finds mosaic

ROME (AP) ― Excavations in the bowels of an ancient Roman hill have turned up a well-preserved, late 1st century wall mosaic with a figure of Apollo, nude except for a colorful mantle over a shoulder.Archaeologists and city officials unveiled the recent find to reporters Friday on the Oppian Hill. An archaeologist works on a mosaic discovered in downtown Rome on Friday. (AP-Yonhap News)The mosaic-

July 31, 2011

Out of the ordinary fun for summer

Something for everyone awaits at airfield, ostrich ranch, dairy farm and mud flats just hours from SeoulNine out of 10 South Korean office workers have decided to spend their vacation within the country this summer instead of flying overseas, according to a recent survey by Korean Chamber of Commerce.Sure, the Korean Peninsula is full of beautiful tourist spots. But what to do if you are tired of

July 29, 2011

Ladies, don’t gain weight if you want to keep your boyfriend

 A new U.S. study has revealed that 48 percent of men would leave their partners if they gained too much weight, the Daily Mail reported.On the contrary, only 20 percent of women would stop dating a guy who gains weight.The poll was conducted by AskMen.com and Cosmopolitan.com, involving 70,000 people across the U.S.According to the poll, a third of both men and women believed that the opposite se

July 27, 2011

Gold crown of Silla makes first overseas trip to Sydney

The gold crown of Silla, excavated from the Cheonmachong, or “Heavenly Horse Tomb,” of the Silla Kingdom (57 B.C.― 935 A.D.), will make its first overseas trip in October. The National Treasure No. 188, currently kept at the Gyeongju National Museum, will be shown at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney as part of an upcoming exhibition on Korea’s metal crafts.Gold crown of Silla, excavated from the Ch

July 25, 2011

Magazine introduces Kyobo Life’s poetry billboards to the world

 Corporate image ad campaign that posts short poems become cultural iconKyobo Life Insurance Co. billboards offering excerpts from poems, which has long been a familiar sight for Seoulites, made their international debut through the quarterly magazine Koreana.Koreana is a quarterly magazine published since 1987 in eight languages ― Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Japanese, Spanish and Ru

July 24, 2011

‘Countries must talk to reclaim looted artifacts’

EU expert says international network can help return cultural properties to rightful homesOutside of a crime or conviction, the only way to prompt the return of cultural properties is to negotiate, said Manlio Frigo, professor of European Union and international law at Italy’s University of Milan. Frigo visited Seoul to participate in a forum on the return of cultural property with other world-lea

July 19, 2011

Longest carnivorous dinosaur tooth-marks found in Hadong

A South Korean team of scholars said they have found the world’s longest and deepest carnivorous dinosaur tooth-marks ever documented in Hadong, South Gyeongsang Province.The tooth-marks found on a bone of a herbivorous dinosaur from the early Cretaceous period (left) and an enlarged image of part of the bone. (Pukyong National University)Led by Paik In-sung, professor of sedimentary geology at th

July 18, 2011

Star Wars trooper walks across Australia for charity

An Australian man is walking across his country wearing a Storm Trooper outfit from movie “Star Wars” to raise money to help seriously ill children.Jacob French, 20, aims to make $50,000 to donate to the Starlight Children’s Foundation, an organization for youngsters with life-threatening diseases. (Facebook)“Starting in July 2011 I aim to walk from Perth (Western Australia) to Sydney (New South W

July 18, 2011

TV series reexamines Tripitaka Koreana

KBS special documentary looks for ways to practice Buddhist teachings in daily livesHAPCHEON, South Gyeongsang Province ― Haein Temple, deep inside the folds of Mount Gaya in South Gyeongsang Province, is known for housing arguably the world’s most comprehensive and oldest intact Buddhist canon, the Tripitaka Koreana.Visitors have been prohibited from entering the Janggyeong Panjeon, the depositor

July 17, 2011

Pop Music

“Beady Eye Live in Seoul”: Rock band Beady Eye will hold a concert on Sept. 3 at Ax-Korea in Seoul at 7:30 p.m. The concert had been initially scheduled in May but was delayed due to the March earthquake and tsunami in Japan. The U.K. group consisting of Liam Gallagher and other ex-members of Oasis released their first album “Different Gear, Still Speeding” in February. Korean indie band Gukkasten

July 15, 2011

Dance

“Baribari Chochom Didimsae 2011”: National Dance Company of Korea has been offering this performance series since 2001 to help the public better understand and appreciate Korean dance which is often considered difficult. It presents both traditional dances and new choreography inspired from the traditional dances. It runs through July 24 at The National Theater of Korea in Jangchung-dong, central

July 15, 2011

Festival

“Buyeo Seodong Lotus Festival”: In Buyeo County in Gongju, South Chungcheong Province, a lotus festival will be held from July 21-24. The festival celebrates beautiful lotus flowers and highlights the importance of preserving wild flowers. Programs include some events related to lotus flowers, making paper lotus flowers and making lotus flower soap. Other tourist destinations are located nearby th

July 15, 2011

Classical Music

“Asia Philharmonic Orchestra”: The Asia Philharmonic Orchestra, established in 1995 by Maestro Chung Myung-whun and Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, will hold its regular concerts in Korea, Japan and China. In 1995, when Chung conducted the opening ceremony of an international orchestral festival in Tokyo, he met many Asian musicians from top orchestras. His idea was to put them together.

July 15, 2011

Theater

“Coyote Ugly”: The beloved songs from the movie Coyote Ugly, like “Can’t Fight the Moonlight,” can be heard again on stage this time. Though the musical’s setting is the bar Coyote Ugly 10 years since the movie’s success, the storyline is basically the same, starting with young singer-songwriter wannabe April’s arrival to the city. Luna of K-pop group f(x) shares the role of April with two other a

July 15, 2011

Exhibitions

“Life Story”: Gallery SUN Contemporary is presenting 13 new works by South Korean sculptor Kim Gyung-min. Kim is known for her unique style of colorful and bright sculptures despite the flood of abstruse contemporary art. At the exhibition, visitors can find bubbly and joyful sculptures reflecting her everyday life with her family. The exhibition runs through July 31 at Gallery SUN Contermporary i

July 15, 2011

Russia marks 450 years of St. Basil’s Cathedral

MOSCOW (AP) ― He was naked, homeless and fiercely argumentative ― and his name is immortalized in one of Russia’s most remarkable buildings, St. Basil’s Cathedral.An exhibition detailing the lives of St. Basil and other religious zealots known as “holy fools” opened Tuesday as part of ceremonies marking the 450th anniversary of perhaps Moscow’s most famous tourist attraction.After years of restora

July 13, 2011