Popular South Korean singer and actor T.O.P of boy band BIGBANG has been hospitalized for an apparent drug overdose, his Seoul-based agency said Tuesday. YG Entertainment said the 29-year-old rapper, whose real name is Choi Seung-hyun, is currently receiving treatment at an intensive care unit of a Seoul hospital. The agency first reported that Choi was found unconscious, but police later denied that he was in critical condition.South Korea's singer and actor T.O.P of boy band Big Bang (Yonhap)"

현직 큐레이터, 예술계 종사자들이 말하는 공공미술시민 참여형 프로그램, 공론화 통해 공공미술 발전시킬 수 있어　전세계으로 주목하고 있는 공공미술은 대중 속으로 파고든다는 개념에서 시민과의 소통을 중시한다.우리 나라 예술계에도 동일한 움직임이 감지되는 가운데 지난 4월 서울시는 10명의 현직 큐레이터들과 100여명의 서울시민을 대상으로 서울시 공공미술 시민 발굴단을 선발, 공공미술의 가장 큰 주체이자 향유자인 시민들의 참여를 유도하는 2달간의 프로젝트를 시작했다.이 프로젝트에 전문 큐레이터로 참가하게 된 임나래 (34)씨는 업계에서 쌓은 약 10년 간의 경험을 통해 공공미술은 “소수가 즐기는 어려운 것이 아니라 더 많은 이들이 저마다의 취향, 필요, 상황에 따라 즐길 수 있는 것”이라고 말했다.“이번 활동을 통해 저희 조원들과 내가 사는 지역사회와 도시에 공공미술이 어떤 긍정적/부정적 변화를 가져왔는지, 또는 어떤 변화를 가져왔으면 좋을지를 이야기하고 있습니다. 무심코 지나쳤던 작품들

Yim Na-re, a 34-year-old freelance curator, is one of the supervisors for Seoul City’s program to help residents unearth art on the city’s streets.Under the project called “Art on Seoul’s Streets Found by Citizens,” some 100 participants discover and promote lesser-known public art and landmarks in groups of 10, joined by field experts and art connoisseurs.After a 10-year career as a curator and art critic, Seoul-based Yim said many Koreans are still “shy” to open up and discuss about what they

Nearly 10,000 South Koreans have suffered or are suffering from diseases related to environmental factors -- many of them lung-related diseases -- in the past decade, government data released by a civic group showed Sunday. According to the Asian Citizen’s Center for Environment and Health, in one fourth of the 9,853 reported cases, victims died. Of the total, 2,467 were recognized by the Environment Ministry to have asbestos-related diseases. About 40 percent or 1,006 of the victims have died m

From July, Seoul will provide free public transportation on days with high fine dust concentrations in order to discourage commuters from driving and help curb air pollution. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Thursday that it would introduce fare exemptions for bus and subway users during commuting hours -- from the first train or bus to 9 a.m. and from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. -- on days when the daily average concentration of ultra fine dust is above 50 micrograms per cubic meter. The same will a

President Moon Jae-in’s move to reverse the effects of a controversial damming and dredging project has run into an unexpected snag: South Korea may be entering one of the most severe droughts in decades. From Thursday, the government will release water from six of the 16 dammed pools on four major rivers, the first step after Moon’s order earlier this month to review from scratch the previous Lee Myung-bak administration’s 22 trillion won ($19.5 billion) project.The water levels of the dammed p

On May 28, 2016, a 19-year-old repairman was crushed to death by an incoming subway train while working on a malfunctioning safety door at Seoul’s Guui Station. Safety guidelines that repair crew should work in pairs and train operation should be halted while they are on tracks were ignored to minimize the convenience of passengers. The victim, surnamed Kim, was all by himself on the tracks, and the train’s conductor was not informed of the ongoing maintenance work. One year later, nine official

A two-day international forum on fine dust problems will kick off in Seoul on Thursday. Hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the forum will bring together representatives from 13 cities in northeastern Asia including Beijing, Jilin, Tokyo, Kyoto, Japan, Ulaanbaatar. There will also be researchers from government agencies and education institutions such as the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Science, Japan’s Mie University and the Mongolian University of Life Science. Citizens p

Media files and messages were recovered from at least two mobile phones found inside the salvaged Sewol ferry, a committee investigating the wreckage said Friday. One of the two phones was turned off at 10:01 a.m. on April 16, 2014, the day of the ship’s sinking, which left over 300 dead or missing. Some of the unread messages on the device said, “Did you escape? You must contact me,” “Heard that police just sent a patrol boat,” “Did you get on a rescue copter?”Screen capture of a lawmaker Ahn M

South Korea will tighten rules on unisex public bathrooms over safety and privacy issues, the Ministry of Interior said Friday. Under the revised Public Toilets Act, slated to take effect later this year, the owner of a building with a place of business of over 2,000 square meters must build toilets separately for men and women.The same will apply to public institutions such as hospitals and schools of over 1,000 square meters. Many public bathrooms in crowded downtown areas are shared by men an

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said Thursday that a human bone discovered from inside the ferry Sewol on May 10 was identified to be from Danwon High School student Cho Eun-hwa, one of the nine passengers missing from the disaster in April 2014.Cho is the third victim to be identified since a search of the recovered wreckage began in April. The two already identified are Danwon High School teacher Go Chang-suk and student Heo Da-yoon.Danwon High School student Cho Eun-hwa (Yonhap)The searc

The South Korean government has injected almost 22 trillion won ($19.6 billion) into a massive rivers development project since its launch in 2008, data showed Wednesday.According to government data, 11.85 trillion won, about half of the cost poured into the project, was spent on works on the Nakdong River, the longest river in Korea. About 3.67 trillion won was used on the Han River, while 3.4 trillion won was spent on the Geum River and 3.36 trillion won on the Youngsan River. The money was sp

Hopes rise for a new investigation to clear lingering suspicions about the 2014 sinking of the Sewol ferry, with the wreckage recovered, missing victims’ remains found and several phones discovered with still-retrievable data. An independent fact-finding committee investigating the disaster, which killed over 300 passengers, is set to meet Friday to discuss how to proceed with their probe. The special body, launched in April with eight members appointed by the National Assembly, said that it wil

Shoes Tree, an art installation made of 30,000 worn-out shoes near Seoul Station, has elicited mixed reviews since its unveiling Saturday. “At first, I thought it was a pile of garbage. Looking at it close, it is surely a garbage mountain and smells really bad,” said Kim Gui-ri, a 49-year-old Seoul citizen, participating in a city-run program to discover and promote public art in the capital. A citizen takes a photo of installation art Shoes Tree in Seoul Station on Saturday. (Kim Da-sol/The Kor

국내 최초의 공중 정원이라는 콘셉트로 만들어진 ‘서울로 7017’이 지난 토요일 개장했다.‘서울로 7017’이 개장하면서 서울역 광장에 설치된 조형물 ‘슈즈 트리’(Shoes Tree)가 최대 관심사로 떠올랐다.슈즈트리는 세계적 정원 디자이너로 손꼽히는 황지해 작가의 재능 기부 작품으로, 버려진 신발 3만 켤레로 만들어졌다. 폐기될 신발에 예술적 가치를 부여해 우리의 소비문화를 되돌아 보는 취지이다.  슈즈트리를 설치한 정원 디자이너 황지해 작가가 코리아헤럴드와의 인터뷰에서 포즈를 취하고 있다.다만 몇몇 시민들은 주변과 어울리지 않는다고 비판했다.서울시가 도심 속 공공미술 작품의 가치를 발굴하고 시민들이 직접 개선점을 찾아 제안한다는 취지에서 운영하는 서울시 공공미술 시민 발굴단에서도 다양한 의견이 나왔다.서울시 에너지 복지사로 일하는 김귀리 (49)씨는 “공공미술 작품이 시민들에게 줄 수 있는 즐거움이나 힐링을 (슈즈트리에서) 찾기 힘들었다”며 아쉬움을 표했다.아트 저널리스트로 일

Even before Shoes Tree, a giant art installation made from thousands of worn-out shoes, was officially unveiled in front of Seoul Station, it drew mixed responses. Some called it a giant pile of garbage. Others, refraining from premature judgment, expressed curiosity over its artistic intention and meaning. The artist, Hwang Ji-hae, sat down with The Korea Herald on Monday, two days after its unveiling Saturday, to discuss her work.Hwang Ji-hae, garden designer and environmental artist, stands i

President Moon Jae-in on Monday ordered a review of a mammoth rivers development project, a much-debated legacy of former President Lee Myung-bak. The presidential office Cheong Wa Dae stressed the review would be a “policy inspection” on the 22 trillion won ($19.6 billion) national undertaking -- which a large proportion of the public still seems to disapprove of -- not a political vendetta targeting individuals. The project, initiated in 2008 with a strong push from then-President Lee, require

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations will become more important for South Korea diplomatically and economically, with new President Moon Jae-in’s emphasis on diplomatic diversification, Moon’s special envoy to the ASEAN said Sunday. Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, named Friday by Moon as special envoy to the regional organization, departed Sunday for a tour of three nations.  Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon (center). Yonhap“My dispatch is in line with the president’s conviction and vision that aside

Following weeks of yellow dust storms and high fine dust levels, South Korea is seeing a rise of ozone concentration levels in the air, which experts said are just as harmful as dust particles. High ozone concentration occurs when the temperature is high. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, a daytime high in Seoul on Sunday reached 28 degree Celsius, a summer heat normally expected at around mid-July to August. Daytime highs reached 29 degrees Celsius in Daejeon and Gwangju, an

Concerns are growing over dangers posed by emergency exits with no balcony or ladder after another man accidentally fell to his death in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province. The accident, which occurred earlier this month, has reignited calls for safety measures.Police said that the deceased 58-year-old man, identified by the surname Kim, opened an emergency exit door on the second floor of a building in search for a toilet. However, he fell from 3 meters above ground as there were no balcony or emergen