SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Authorities cleared both Air France flights bound for Paris from the U.S. that had to be diverted Tuesday night because of anonymous threats received after they had taken off.Air France Flight 65 from Los Angeles International Airport to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris was diverted to Salt Lake City International Airport, Air France said in a statement. At about the same time a second flight, Air France 55, took off from Dulles International Airport outside Washington a

Korea has seen rapid growth in the webtoon industry, with the number of digital comics platforms reaching nearly 30 and more than 4,000 comic artists currently working in the field as of last year, according to data by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.  Warren Kwon, CEO of Rolling Story (Rolling Story)For Warren Kwon, the chief executive of Rolling Story, it is time for webtoons to venture overseas. To do so, he teamed up with Korea’s leading webtoon artists and launched a collective

The way people consume entertainment content has continued to be reshaped over the past decade. Technology has enabled global consumers to upload, share and watch not only short-length videos, but also movies, documentaries and news, according to Antoine Nazaret, head of content Asia at France-based video-sharing platform Dailymotion. “Video sharing started in 2005 when short videos were really appealing, enabling them to go viral. But now, technology has enabled anyone to upload a variety of co

South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Monday that it would toughen regulations governing online news companies and services, beginning this Thursday.Under the revised Newspaper Law, media companies with editorial staffs of five, rather than the current three, will be allowed to register with the ministry and operate online news services.They will also be required to hand in supporting documents showing that their employees will be and are receiving benefits such as health in

Grand Hilton Seoul presents swellfish at MitsumomoJapanese restaurant Mitsumomo at the Grand Hilton Seoul will be presenting swellfish dishes until Dec. 31.Mitsumomo is offering set menus with the best quality swellfish from the clean waters of the Tongyeong Sea. The set menus include marinated swellfish skin with dropwort, swellfish sashimi, swellfish tempura, swellfish chiri or spicy swellfish stew.Swellfish is especially good for blood circulation and very effective for skin care, both for wo

Dubai opens Korea tourism office Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing said that it has opened its Korean tourism office aimed at promoting tourism to the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates.In a launching event with the local media and tourism industries, Dubai Corporation said that the city aims to attract 20 million tourists by 2020 when Dubai will be holding the Expo 2020 under the theme of “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future.”Its Korea office is its 21st oversea

Even though Pizzafication Jaha opened over a year ago in Seoul’s Seochon, chef Suh Ki-won is still trying to achieve his idea of perfect pizza.  Pizzafication Jaha‘s tartufata pizza features slow-roasted oyster and shitake mushrooms, fresh mozzarella and white truffle oil.  (Lee Sang-sub/The Korea Herald)For Suh, the goal is not to create a transcendental Neopolitan or Roman or any specific regional type of pie per se. While the roots of his style of pizza are planted in Italy’s Napoli, Suh sees

When people think of Indian food, curries, butter chicken and naan usually come to mind.Vikram UdaygiriBut Vikram Udaygiri and Kasiviswanathan, two chefs invited by the Millennium Seoul Hilton Hotel from Bangalore, India, said India is a country of diversity that offers various regional cuisines beyond just curries, chickens and naan.They say India is like Italy, which has a variety of dishes beyond pasta, or Korea, which offers more than bibimbap.Kasiviswanathan“India has various food! Every 15

World-renowned designers, artists, architects, brand marketers and tech entrepreneurs gathered at the Herald Design Forum to explore and share their insights on the future of design in a variety of fields in Seoul on Tuesday.Herald Corp. Chairman Jungwook Hong addresses the audience during the opening ceremony of theHerald Design Forum 2015 at the Grand Hyatt Seoul on Tuesday. (Ahn Hoon/The Korea Herald)In his opening speech, Chairman Jungwook Hong of Herald Corp., the forum’s organizer, said de

Around 1,000 design innovation enthusiasts flocked to the Grand Hyatt Seoul on Tuesday for the launch of this year’s Herald Design Forum. Under the theme of “Design Platform Creates Value Through Integration,” the fifth annual design forum sought to expand the realm of creative ingenuity in hopes of sparking a brighter future of innovation and outside-the-box thinking.The forum featured lectures by 11 pioneers in the fields of design and technology, including Randi Zuckerberg, founder of Zuckerb

Designers have used innovative thinking to bring changes in every aspect of life. But changes they bring often fail to reach the underprivileged, creating an ever-widening gap in benefits to different sections of society. Shigeru BanJapanese architect Shigeru Ban and young Korean entrepreneur Kim Ju-yoon have turned to those who remain on the sidelines of design-led innovations, or a technology-driven life. They shared their stories of finding solutions for their chosen communities in the second

President Park Geun-hye said Tuesday that design has become an important field that can not only boost the value of the cultural industry but also has the potential to create a “new economy.”A contratulatory letter from President Park Geun-hye is displayed on the screen at the Herald Design Forum in Seoul on Tuesday. (Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald)In her congratulatory letter to the Herald Design Forum 2015, the president said design offers a variety of industries and people to gain insights an

Korea will hold a series of design fairs and business events in and around Seoul, starting with the Herald Design Forum on Tuesday. The Herald forum, to be held at Grand Hyatt Hotel in Seoul, will bring together 11 creative minds in diverse fields of design, ranging from architecture, art, food to 3-D printing, who will share their experience and insights with local audience. They include Randi Zuckerberg, founder of Zuckerberg Media and former marketing director at Facebook, Pritzker Prize-winn

Arik Levy, a world-renowned industrial designer, said Korea’s design sector should keep working toward narrowing the communication and cultural gap between people.Arik LevyIn an interview with The Korea Herald, Levy said that this would take some time to develop using art and technology. But given Korea’s rapid progress in the field of design arts and technology, he said the country would be able to take that challenge.Best known for his signature “Rock” sculptures, the designer said he is drive

JUNGMUN, Jejudo Island -- In complete silence and inside a dark theater, light beams down from above and merges to form the image of K-pop singer G-Dragon. G-Dragon’s “Awake” hologram concert at Play K-Pop (Park Hyong-ki/The Korea Herald)Then a concert begins, with the holographic G-Dragon singing, rapping and dancing his way through hits such as “Fantastic Baby.” With large-screen displays on the side of the theater showing dynamic visual images of his dancers dancing to the rhythm, spectators

Once considered “hazardous” to the young, comics in Korea are having their moment in the sun with webtoons, or web comics, hailed as holding the potential to become the country’s next driver of hallyu, or the Korean Wave. “In the ’80s, comics were considered bad and were burnt. But now, they are being displayed at special exhibitions and events, representing Korea’s culture in the world,” Lee Chung-ho, president of the Korea Cartoonists Association, said at the 15th Cartoons Day event in Seoul o

Whenever people find themselves in trouble, in conflict or in depression, Lee Bae-yong, the president of the Academy of Korean Studies encourages them to look to and study history.Lessons, cases and events from the past can boost one’s insight and help develop inner wisdom and solutions for the future, she says.Lee Bae-yong, president of the Academy of Korean Studies  (Academy of Korean Studies)When Lee talks about history, she is not just talking about general Korean history.She is specifically

Selena Wedding Hall renovated for new openingImperial Palace Seoul said it renovated its Selena Wedding Hall with vintage gold and white decor of authentic European style concept. In celebration of the new concept launching event, Imperial Palace Seoul is offering a table flower décor upgrade benefit to soon-to-be newlyweds that are tying the knot in Selena Wedding Hall next March. Pinned as the representative of “luxurious Gangnam wedding,” Imperial Palace Seoul wedding boasts 26 years of servi

Smile for foreign touristsThe Korea Tourism Organization said that it is expanding its “K Smile” campaign with the retail and tourism industries in an effort to boost inbound tourism.The K Smile program is aimed at promoting the Korean culture of kindness and reliable tourism and retail services for local and foreign tourists.It has established ties with regional governments such as North Jeolla Province and interest groups including the Visit Korea Committee to boost K Smile.Under the theme of

Apgujeong-dong in the affluent Gangnam district is considered the Beverly Hills of Korea, where people can catch the latest trends in fashion, food, music and entertainment.If Chungmuro in Jung-gu, central Seoul, is considered the movie town, Apgujeong is a town for K-pop artists and fans.GangnamDol art dolls designed based on K-pop stars on K Star Road  (Park Hyong-ki/The Korea Herald)With rows of restaurants, gift shops and malls next to famous record companies and talent agencies on the stree