The Korea Herald

Hong Kong grannies awarded taekwondo black belts

HONG KONG (AFP) -- Too old to learn taekwondo? Not for a group of Hong Kong grandmothers who became black belts after demonstrating their kicking and punching prowess, according to a report Wednesday.The seven women, aged 63 to 74, received the top ranking in the Korean martial art after passing a t

People Sept. 28, 2011

Greeting cards cheer up jobless Americans

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- At a loss for words when someone you know is suddenly out of work? Try sending a greeting card.With unemployment in the United States hovering around the nine percent mark, Hallmark -- the nation‘s biggest greeting card manufacturer -- has rolled out eight cards to cheer up the j

Arts & Design Sept. 28, 2011

Pink Floyd‘s pig flies again over London

LONDON (AFP) -- The giant inflatable pig from Pink Floyd’s iconic “Animals” album sleeve flew again on Monday above Battersea Power Station in London almost 35 years after the original cover image was taken.The 1976 cover shoot was restaged for the launch of “Why Pink Floyd?” a multi-platform

Performance Sept. 27, 2011

Jay-Z, Coldplay perform at iHeartRadio concert

LAS VEGAS (AP) ― Jay-Z rapped about his beef with corporate radio in the monster jam “99 Problems,” noting that stations won’t play his hits if he doesn’t do their shows. But on Friday, he played savior to radio station giant Clear Channel, headlining a two-night concert billed as the largest in rad

Performance Sept. 26, 2011

Jay-Z, Coldplay perform at iHeartRadio concert

Yacht world seduces China, Brazil’s rich

MONACO (AFP) ― Russian oligarchs and their floating palaces helped keep the luxury yachting industry buoyant through the crisis, but super-rich buyers from China and Brazil are rushing to join them on the waves.Emerging market billionaires are showing a keen interest in superyachts, according to pun

Travel Sept. 26, 2011

Italian designers opt for ladylike chic

MILAN (AP) ― Midway through the current women’s wear fashion week for the Spring-Summer 2012, it is clear that designers are thinking ladylike, not sporty.There are few trousers in the collections, and when they show up they are slim and proper. Short shorts do have a prominent place on the runway,

Arts & Design Sept. 26, 2011

Andy Warhol’s art takes stage on U.S. National Mall

WASHINGTON (AP) ― Andy Warhol is known for soup cans and celebrity images, not so much for painting headlines and abstract works.The late pop artist has left much to be discovered in two shows that open Sunday on the National Mall.The National Gallery of Art is opening its first Warhol exhibit with

Performance Sept. 25, 2011

Rio opens world’s biggest music festival

RIO DE JANEIRO (AFP) ― About 100,000 people turned out Friday in Brazil for the start of the world’s biggest music festival, Rock in Rio, featuring an all-star line-up including Rihanna, Katy Perry and Coldplay.The event is expected to attract 700,000 people over its week-long run, with around 100,0

Performance Sept. 25, 2011

Rio opens world’s biggest music festival

Paul McCartney’s ballet fails to excite critics

Performance Sept. 25, 2011

Peter Greenberg uses high-level tour guides

NEW YORK (AP) ― If travel expert Peter Greenberg does not like his tour guides when he explores different countries for his new public television series, he really has nobody to complain to.That is because he is starting at the top, everywhere. “The Royal Tour” features Greenberg, the CBS News trave

Travel Sept. 23, 2011

Peter Greenberg uses high-level tour guides

Whisked away to another world

LA CADIERE D’AZUR, France ― It is day four of cooking class at La Bastide des Saveurs, and many of the 14 students are looking for chairs to catch a few minutes of rest before the whisking begins. But it is also dessert day, so a delicious reward at the end is guaranteed.Such are the joys, and chall

Food Sept. 23, 2011

Wine of the week: 2008 Allende White Rioja

Looking for an alternative to Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc? Lately, some interesting whites are coming out of Rioja, and Allende’s Rioja Blanca is one of them.A blend of Viura and Malvasia aged in French oak, the 2008 is a rich, almost oily wine, with an extravagant scent, from this relatively new

Food Sept. 23, 2011

Wine of the week: 2008 Allende White Rioja

Gloria Estefan releases sensual album in English

NEW YORK (AP) ― Conga, merengue, salsa, cumbia. And also pop. Rock. Folk.As a singer, Gloria Estefan has offered a whole palette of flavors and colors to her fans, both in English and in Spanish. But with her new English album, “Miss Little Havana,” the Cuban star reveals a side she had yet not expl

Performance Sept. 22, 2011

Gloria Estefan releases sensual album in English

K-pop’s slick productions win fans across Asia

MANILA (AP) ― How did Seoul become Asia’s capital of cool?Even here in the Philippines, once an undisputed bastion of American pop and Hollywood movies, South Korean pop music, soap operas and fashion are now all the rage.“I want the same brown, but slightly blonde color, as Sandara’s hair,” says 22

Sept. 22, 2011

K-pop’s slick productions win fans across Asia

Medvedev takes to Bolshoi stage to hail ‘new’ theater

MOSCOW (AFP) ― Surrounded by leggy tutu-clad ballerinas, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev Tuesday took to the stage of the historic Bolshoi Theatre to hail its reconstruction after half a decade of closure.His business suit rather starkly contrasting with the frilly costumes of the Bolshoi’s world

Performance Sept. 21, 2011

Articles by Kim Hoo-ran