President Park Geun-hye expressed hopes on Thursday that more people will donate, citing her email conversation with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg."I have recently exchanged an email with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg about sharing and the spirit of donation," Park wrote in her Facebook post. "I hope that there will be more people in our country who are sharing and donating."Earlier this month, Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan announced that they would donate 99 percent of their Faceboo

South Korea warned Thursday Japan will face an angry backlash from neighbors and the international communist if the country rewrites its modern history with a revisionist view.A controversial history review office of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party held its first meeting on Tuesday as it reportedly seeks to review an array of modern historical events.The move is raising concerns that Japan may rewrite its modern history of World War II aggression and atrocities as the meeting will report

Rival parties once again failed Thursday to agree on redrawing electoral districts for next year's general elections.Ruling Saenuri Party Chairman Kim Moo-sung, main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy Chairman Moon Jae-in and the parties' floor leaders sat together over the demarcation of constituencies earlier in the day, but the meeting fell through without an outcome, according to party officials. It was their seventh negotiation held on the issue this month as the parties gear up

Amid the well-being trend and the rise of conscious consumerism, urban apiaries have started mushrooming in Korea as people seek different and eco-friendly ways of spending. Instead of buying branded honey which is rich in sugar ― business insiders secretly admit that some bees are fed sugar for cost efficiency ― Koreans have started installing beehives on rooftops to attract wandering bees in the bustling city center and give them some honey.Park Jin, head of Urban Bees Seoul, and Fraser Dohert

Last week’s hike in U.S. interest rates, the first in nearly a decade, has ended an era of ultraeasy money in the world’s largest economy that is now deemed to have gone beyond the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis.Emerging market countries, many of which have been considered particularly vulnerable to the impact of a U.S. rate rise, seemed barely rattled by the widely expected move.The initial response, however, cannot be allowed to ease concerns about the threat to be posed by a tightenin

What happens when an orchestra conductor marries his violinist, who leaves him for a trumpet player, then ends up falling for a harpist -- only to find out his estranged wife wants to reconcile? The basic premise of Japanese author Koki Mitani and composer Takayuki Hattori’s musical “Orchestra Pit” may sound befuddling, but its combination of light-hearted humor and up-tempo musical interludes make it a refreshing departure from other blockbuster musicals whose scores and lyrics have been memori

Kim Bong-mee conducts the Herald Philharmonic Orchestra, which is slated to hold its year-end concert on Dec. 27 at the Inje Cultural Foundation’s Grand Concert Hall in Inje, Gangwon Province. (Korea Herald file photo)Continuing its forging of orchestral-based, genre-hodgepodge reinterpretations of widely recognized repertoires, the Herald Philharmonic Orchestra will present its final concert of the year on Sunday. Under the baton of Kim Bong-mee, the Herald Phil’s year-end performance will be h

The Academy of Korean Studies on Tuesday unveiled its latest publication series on Korea‘s 70-year history since its liberation from Japanese colonial rule.The new anniversary series consists of six volumes dealing with the past seven decades of Korea from different perspectives: diplomacy, security and unification; environment; culture; education; politics; and economy.  The Academy of Korean Studies’ latest publication series on Korea’s 70-year history since its liberation from Japanese coloni

The once hugely popular 1990s electropop duo Turbo has made its much-awaited return to the spotlight after 15 years -- only this time around, Turbo has returned as a trio.Kim Jung-nam and Kim Jong-kook, reuniting with past member Kim Jung-nam, have joined the ranks of g.o.d and Seo Taiji as ’90s music icons making a comeback to today’s K-pop scene, with the Turbo members dropping the 19-track comeback album “Again” on Monday. Members of the ’90s band Turbo pose during a press conference at the R

iKON (YG Entertainment)YG Entertainment’s latest boy band iKON is preparing its first studio album release, which will feature a track cowritten and composed by fellow labelmate artist G-Dragon, one of the biggest figures in K-pop. The boy band’s upcoming track “I Miss You So Bad” was written in collaboration with G-Dragon and iKON rappers B.I and Bobby, and composed by G-Dragon and Dee.P.The track marks the first time that K-pop veteran G-Dragon has written and composed a song for an artist out

Lee Na-young (left) and Won Bin. (Eden 9)Seven months after tying the knot at their quiet Gangwon Province wedding, celebrity couple Won Bin and Lee Na-young have welcomed their first child. Their baby boy was reportedly born Saturday at a hospital in Gangnam, Seoul. “Lee Na-young has given birth to a son, and the mother and child are both very healthy,” said a representative from Lee’s managing agency. Won and Lee married on May 30 in a low-key wedding, which many in the public eye referred to

Joo Young (Starship Entertainment)Representatives at K-pop management agency Starship Entertainment announced Saturday that its solo singer-songwriter Joo Young had enlisted in the military last month. “Joo Young enlisted on Nov. 26. After going through four weeks of basic training, he will be fulfilling his services as a public welfare solider for two years,” the agency said in a statement.  Joo Young, 24, first made his debut as a R&B soloist in 2010 with his EP “Same as You.” Although still r

Following this year’s Kumho Art Hall Rising Star series participant Christel Lee’s victory at the International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition earlier this month, the series’ musicians are continuing to snag international accolades. Supported by the Kumho Asiana Cultural Foundation, the “Kumho musicians” dominated this year’s 9th International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians in Novosibirsk, Russia, Tuesday, taking home first place for both violin and piano.  Violinist Kim Dong-hyun

Since publishing its first issue in 1888, National Geographic has captured the hearts of millions, making it one of today’s oldest continuous publications.With its dedication to showcasing the stories of the world, it has earned a reputation for having some of the most iconic and recognizable photographs that define the times. The National Geographic archive is in a league of its own, inspiring generations of photographers, both professional and amateur. A photograph of the Gomateshwara Bahubali

At a time when rhythm and blues music was virtually nonexistent in the Korean music scene, Solid, the now-defunct vocal trio of Korean-American singers, became one of the pioneering forces of Korean soul with its debut in 1993.  Former Solid members Kim Jo-han, Jeong Jae-Yoon and Lee Joon, whose debut album was aptly titled “Give Me a Chance,” are, to this day, still regaled as among the country’s most influential figures in introducing the R&B genre to Korean listeners. Solid was short-lived. T

Pianist Lang Lang (Lang Lang official site)In his first solo recital tour in Korea in five years, international piano superstar Lang Lang received cheers and applause fit for a classical icon Tuesday night.With a sizable international fan following unheard of for most classical musicians, the 33-year-old Chinese pianist is certainly no stranger to having the welcoming fanfare of a rock star. Some ticket-less spectators could be seen watching the virtuoso’s concert from a TV screen in the lobby o

Winners of this year‘s 8th Korea Opera Awards, including the orchestra prize-winning Herald Philharmonic Orchestra, founded by Herald Corp., pose at an awards ceremony held at the Press Center in central Seoul on Monday. (Korea Opera Awards)The Herald Philharmonic Orchestra, founded by Herald Corp., was honored with an arts award for orchestras at this year’s 8th Korea Opera Awards, held at the Press Center in central Seoul on Monday.Still in its infancy having debuted last October, the Herald P

Singer-songwriter Lucid Fall (Antenna Music)As part of an unusual “A Night With Tangerines” music package deal, singer-songwriter Lucid Fall will be prereleasing 1,000 copies of his upcoming seventh studio album on a TV home shopping program, along with tangerines from his orchard on Jejudo Island.According to the singer’s management agency Antenna Music, Lucid Fall’s upcoming 15-track “For Somebody” album will go on sale at 2 a.m. on Friday on the CJ O Shopping TV home shopping network. The pre

A scene from the Korea National Opera‘s new production of Giuseppe Verdi’s ”La Traviata“ (Korea National Opera)Following its staging of Wagner’s “The Flying Dutchman,” the Korea National Opera is unveiling its latest production of one of Giuseppe Verdi’s best-known operatic tales -- “La Traviata.”The upcoming production will be staged from Dec. 9-12 at the Seoul Arts Center’s Opera Theater, marking the KNO’s final performance of the year.The three-act Italian opera masterpiece is the quintessent

Famed local magician Choi Hyun-woo is presenting his latest stage production, “The Sherlock: Gravity 503,” a magic show with a live musical flair and a dash of unscripted comedy. Choi, 37, was the first Asian winner of the Originality Award at the International Federation of Magic Societies’ 2009 World Championship of Magic -- the world’s largest magic competition -- and was also selected as the youngest judge at the federation’s 2012 championships. Choi first launched his series of live magic p