As the hypnotic harmony of percussion instruments rippled throughout the Indonesian Embassy in Seoul on Sept. 17, Indonesian and Korean audiences sat still side by side, thoroughly tuned to the Gamelan music performed in front of them. The event on the pleasant Sunday afternoon featured performances of Indonesia’s traditional ensemble music Gamelan and lion dance Reog, marking the launch of weekly music classes for students. “Harmony in Gamelan is created through the disciplined application of e

Diplomatic Circuit Sept. 25, 2017

Kim Doo-hwan was in dire straits as his father’s business was teetering on a slippery slope following the Asian financial crisis of 1997. Kim, deprived but determined to succeed, worked countless odd jobs to pay for his tuition and living expenses when he entered university in the early 2000s. Eager to escape menial work, he launched an online advertising company after finishing his military service. The enterprise took off propitiously, and Kim made the bold decision to get out of his comfort z

Diplomatic Circuit Sept. 25, 2017

Meat, Malbec combination at Park Hyatt SeoulThe Park Hyatt Seoul’s restaurant and teahouse The Lounge is holding a promotion of premium meat dishes paired with Argentine Malbec wine through Jan. 31 next year. The combination of Terrazas Malbec varieties and meat dishes is priced at 58,000 won per person. A glass of wine costs 18,000 won. Wine varieties include Terrazas Single Vineyard Malbec (165,000 won per bottle) and Terrazas Reserva Malbec (90,000 won per bottle), both produced at the Terraz

Food Sept. 24, 2017

MADRID (AP) -- Spain says it is expelling the ambassador of North Korea in response to Pyongyang’s nuclear tests and missile launches over Japan.The Foreign Ministry said in a tweet that Ambassador Kim Hyok Chol had been called in and informed he was persona non-grata and would have to leave by the end of the month.Foreign Minister Alfonso Dastis told reporters Monday in New York that Spain had warned the ambassador there would be consequences if the country continued with the tests, which he sa

World News Sept. 19, 2017

OSLO (AFP) - Norway‘s sovereign wealth fund, the largest in the world, on Tuesday reached the value of $1 trillion dollars for the first time, the Norwegian central bank, which manages the fund, said. This amount equals nearly $189,000 (157,000 euros) for each of the 5.3 million people living in Norway.Established in the 1990s to manage the Norwegian state’s oil revenues, the fund set the record thanks to the appreciation of the world‘s major currencies against the dollar and a good stock market

World News Sept. 19, 2017

MOSCOW (AFP) - Russian officials and Orthodox priests on Tuesday unveiled a statue in Moscow of inventor Mikhail Kalashnikov, whose iconic AK-47 assault rifle has claimed countless lives worldwide.A priest sprinkled holy water on the seven-metre tall statue of Kalashnikov gripping his deadly creation, which will now loom over motorists from a traffic island in one of the sprawling capital‘s central thoroughfares. Culture minister Vladimir Medinsky praised the inventor and called the rifle -- whi

World News Sept. 19, 2017

NAYPYIDAW, Myanmar (AFP) - Aung San Suu Kyi said Tuesday she does not fear global scrutiny over the Rohingya crisis, pledging to hold rights violators to account but refusing to blame the military for violence that has driven some 421,000 of the Muslim minority out of her country.In an address timed to pre-empt likely censure of Myanmar at the UN General Assembly in New York -- delivered entirely in English and aimed squarely at an international audience -- she called for patience and understand

World News Sept. 19, 2017

MOSCOW (AFP) - Stanislav Petrov, a Soviet military officer who is widely credited with helping prevent a nuclear war with the United States, has died aged 77, his son told AFP on Tuesday. Petrov, whose extraordinary story was told in a documentary titled “The Man Who Saved the World”, received several international awards, was honoured at the United Nations and met Hollywood superstars such as Robert De Niro and Matt Damon.Yet Petrov lived in a small town outside Moscow and died in relative obsc

World News Sept. 19, 2017

South Korea will establish a centralized “control tower” to manage its renewable energy policies and prepare backup facilities for solar and wind power plants for stable power supply, a government panel said Tuesday. The government plans to increase the ratio of renewable energy from the current 1.9 percent to 20 percent by 2030, with details on how to reach the target to be included in the energy road map to be announced within this year. For efficient management of energy demand and supply, th

Social Affairs Sept. 19, 2017

The Mexican Embassy in Seoul marked its 207th anniversary of independence Friday, also celebrating thriving ties with Korea in commerce, security and everything in between over the last six decades.“Both countries celebrate 55 years of bilateral relations this year, and we have always stayed close in a changing and challenging world,” Mexican Ambassador to Korea Bruno Figueroa said in a speech at Millennium Seoul Hilton. “Our political dialogue continues fruitfully, and we work closely through M

Diplomatic Circuit Sept. 18, 2017

With the launch of the ASEAN Culture House in Busan on Sept. 1, the public gains a valuable platform through which to peer into the thriving lives of Southeast Asians, said the president of Korea Foundation, urging Korea’s genuine interest in the region’s myriad local cultures. “To maintain a sustainable partnership with ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations), we should bear in mind that it takes two to tango. The ASEAN Culture House was established to correct any imbalance in our ex

Diplomatic Circuit Sept. 18, 2017

Across serene and pacific Costa Rica, the military has long been a thing of a bygone era. The Central American country renounced its military in 1949, and has since spearheaded a path of peace and development in a region perennially engrossed in conflict and violence. According to Costa Rican Ambassador to Korea Rodolfo Solano Quiros, the pursuit of pacifism and dialogue as a national strategy has enabled channeling resources to education, health care and the environment instead, tangibly improv

Diplomatic Circuit Sept. 18, 2017

Authentic Mexican food at Millennium Seoul HiltonThe Millennium Seoul Hilton’s flagship restaurant, Cafe 395, is holding a promotion of Mexican cuisine through Wednesday. Authentic Mexican dishes prepared by Chef Daniel Gonzalez from Mexico are available alongside regular buffet offerings. Mexican specialties include hot and cold appetizers, entrees and desserts, including green ceviche tostadas, scallops aguachile, duck tamales with black mole sauce, soft crabs with green mole, beef sweetbreads

Food Sept. 15, 2017

Anticipating the lifting of US sanctions in the near future, Sudan is ready to reinvigorate its global engagement and draw industrial expertise, technology transfers and agricultural investment from Korea, the country’s No. 2 diplomat has said. In an exclusive interview with The Korea Herald, Hamid Mohamed E. Momtaz, state minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the comprehensive embargo imposed on Khartoum since 1997 is likely to be abrogated by October. In January, Washington partial

Diplomatic Circuit Sept. 11, 2017

The British Embassy in Seoul returned the Doldamgil Road to the public on Aug. 30, which had been occupied by the diplomatic mission for over 130 years. The 100-meter stretch of land at the back of the embassy did not formally belong to the British mission, but was incorporated into the compound since the 1960s. The issue was put under the spotlight in 2010, and raised with the embassy, leading to a memorandum of understanding between the embassy and the Seoul Metropolitan Government. “Whether r

Diplomatic Circuit Sept. 11, 2017