South Korea and China agreed to take even tougher actions to deal with illegal fishing activities to prevent the depletion of fish stocks around the Korean Peninsula, the government said Friday.The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said the two countries issued a communique earlier in the day in Beijing that aims to better tackle illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities. As of last year 341 Chinese boats have been caught breaking rules.The latest understanding comes after Seou

Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin bought a 2.1 percent stake in Lotte Confectionery Co. on Friday, emerging as the second-largest shareholder in one of the group's major affiliates.Shin spent around 69 billion won (US$60.5 million) in buying a total of 30,000 shares in Lotte Confectionery, the company said in a regulatory filing. The purchase was made during after-hour trading.The purchase brought his stake in Lotte Confectionery to 8.78 percent, which exceeded a 6.83 percent stake owned by his

Having experienced rapid economic growth in the past few decades, Korea has proactively implemented recycling-oriented measures against the growing waste.The government implemented waste schemes during industrialization in the ’60s and ’70s, and in 1992 it began to actively push for recycling under the recycling promotion act. The state set legal limits on the use of packing materials and disposable products; imposed waste fees on manufacturers that make unrecyclable products; and provided suppo

This is a second and final story on the two-part travel series following a weeklong West Coast road trip from the bayside city wonders of San Francisco, California, to the frills and thrills of Las Vegas, Nevada. -- Ed.LAS VEGAS, Nevada / GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Arizona -- Known as the city where jet-setters are openly encouraged to let go of their inhibitions and indulge themselves in the seedier pleasures of life, Las Vegas is called the sin city for all the best reasons.Following the seas

Set against the imaginative backdrop of exotic India, the Universal Ballet’s latest production of “La Bayadere” pays homage to the 19th-century tale of two people’s eternal vows that ends in tragedy. The nearly three-hour-long “La Bayadere,” or the “The Temple Dancer,” follows the story of the alluring lower caste temple dancer Nikiya and her unflinching love for a young, royal warrior named Solor. Sharing her deep love and affection, Solor vows to the gods his eternal devotion to her.  Scene fr

Wu Wei, a renowned soloist of the traditional Chinese mouth-organ sheng, will hit the stage Friday night as part of Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra’s two-day “Ars Nova” contemporary music concert series. The 4,000-year-old woodwind folk instrument is a rare sight in today’s music scene, with an equally rare-sounding instrumental pitch to match. “The sounds of the sheng are very mysterious and the skills it takes to play this instrument are not something that can easily be explained,” said SPO compo

Staatskapelle Dresden orchestra’s guest conductor Chung Myung-whun (Matthias Creutziger)Following a number of world-class ensembles that have graced the Seoul stage this year, the month of November promises to be a much-welcomed continuation of some of the classical music world’s best.  The Seoul Arts Center is gearing up to play host to three of Germany’s oldest and celebrated orchestras -- the Staatskapelle Dresden, the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra.

Recognized as one of Spain’s most distinguished international conductors, maestro Juanjo Mena and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra took to the stage Wednesday night at the Seoul Arts Center bringing to life the sounds of Britten, Sibelius and Schubert, while also delighting the audience with the evening’s highlight: special guest soloist Viktoria Mullova.  Opening up its return performance in Korea after more than seven years, the orchestra performed Benjamin Britten’s buoyant Simple Symphony, Op.

Psy, Big Bang and TVXQ are among the five acts that best represent K-pop, according to a recent survey on the nation’s best hallyu content of all time. According to the Korea Creative Content Agency, which released the poll Tuesday, the remaining two in the top five K-pop acts are Girls’ Generation and BoA; while the list for most popular Korean TV dramas and shows to-date are: “Jewel in the Palace,” “Winter Sonata,” “My Love from the Star,” “Autumn in My Heart” and reality TV show “Running Man.

YB, one of the country’s most iconic rock bands, will be celebrating 20 years of rocking with the release of new single “20-years,” as well as by holding four concerts in Seoul later this month. 　“It has not been an easy ride and many bands do not make it this far, so this is a very special feat,” said band leader and vocalist Yoon Do-hyun during a press conference held at Ilchi Art Hall in Seoul on Tuesday.With Yoon at the helm over the past two decades, YB has not only solidified its name as o

Continuing the efforts to vamp up its public image by reaching out to the community, the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra opened up its rehearsal studio Tuesday night for the second time this year. Tickets to the rehearsal were sold out, as the SPO welcomed 45 members of the public to the orchestra’s practice room to get a behind-the-scenes glimpse of how the maestro conducts a rehearsal session. This concept of public education and involvement has been used by other orchestras spanning the globe, s

Geotjeori is basically a kimchi that’s made to be eaten fresh without fermentation. As such, the vegetables are lightly salted. Geot means outer or outside, and jeori means salted or pickled. Most commonly made with napa cabbage, geotjeori goes especially well with dishes such as kalguksu (a warm noodle soup) and barbecued meat.Because it’s eaten without fermentation, during which a natural sweetness develops, the addition of sugar or corn syrup (or Korean rice syrup) helps round out the flavor

An elderly Yi woman, who belongs to one of the biggest ethnic minority groups in Yunnan, wears a traditional Yi costume for a dance performance. (Claire Lee /The Korea Herald)YUNNAN PROVINCE, China -- While it may not be home to the Forbidden City or the Oriental Pearl Tower, China’s southwest province of Yunnan is where one can get a glimpse of one of the most unique and culturally rich sides of the country.The location of Yunnan, which means “the place of the colorful clouds in the south” in C

Enjoy autumn at Taebaek ForestLocated 700 meters above sea level, tourists can enjoy the autumn breeze and landscape at the Taebaek Highland Natural Recreational Forest in Taebaek, Gangwon Province.The Korea Tourism Organization said that, beginning in October, visitors to the recreational forest will be able to see firsthand the change of season to autumn. The fall comes to Gangwon Province before any other part of South Korea.Travelers can not only enjoy fresh air but also take long walks in t

Enjoy Kensington Jeju Hotel’s activity programsThe Kensington Jeju Hotel is presenting various activity programs to maximize the excitement of autumn on Jejudo Island. Guests opting for the Luxury All-Inclusive Package will be able to choose from activity programs such as Green Tea Farm Tour and Gotjawal Trekking.Picnic with Autumn Scent is a program for an exciting outing to an animal farm and Saebyeol Orum for a trekking course -- with the beautiful scenery of Muscanthus, as also known as silv

A promotional image of the upcoming Korea-France collaboration performance piece, “Beautiful Escape: Emergency Exit,” which will be held as part of the 2015 Hi Seoul Festival lineup on Oct. 2 and 3 at the Seoul Museum of Art and the Cheonggye Plaza, respectively. (Hi Seoul Festival)This year’s Hi Seoul Festival will highlight more than 50 acts and street performances, including eight acts invited from overseas. Under the theme of “Let’s play on the street,” the festival is being held from Oct. 1

Yang Yo-seob of the boy band Beast plays Prince Christopher in the ongoing musical production of “Cinderella.” (Showholic)One of the world’s most recognized and enchanting fairy tales, “Cinderella” has now taken center stage as one of Korea’s newest musical productions. With music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, the Broadway hit musical has made its way to Seoul for the first time. Hammerstein’s original Broadway show made a grand debut on the musical scene in 2013, receiv

Personal and work-related emails that Hillary Clinton said had been deleted from her email server have been recovered by the FBI, US media reported.Clinton, the frontrunner for the 2016 Democratic Party presidential nomination, has been dogged for months by revelations that she used a private email account and home server in lieu of the official government email system while she was secretary of state from 2009 to 2013.Clinton said the server was wiped clean after aides determined which messages

The U.N. Security Council will be quick in taking punitive steps against North Korea in case it launches a long-range rocket, a senior South Korean official said Wednesday.He cited "close coordination" among key parties concerned -- South Korea, the United States, China, Japan, and Russia. If the North presses ahead with such a provocative act, the 15-member council is expected to convene immediately under the so-called trigger clause in previous resolutions, the official told reporters in a bac

Hours after a U.S. media report claimed Wednesday he has set his sights on Major League Baseball (MLB), Lotte Giants outfielder Son Ah-seop apologized to his teammates for causing a distraction at a key juncture late in the season.With the Giants battling for the fifth and final playoff spot in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), Yahoo Sports reported that Son plans to enter the posting this offseason, putting himself up for a silent auction among interested big league teams.The Giants must f