The Korea Tourism Organization has invited Japanese tourists with disabilities to Korea in its effort to offer more travel opportunities to underprivileged people. A group of 30 Japanese tourists from Fukuoka accompanied by their caretakers started their tour on Tuesday in Seoul, and are expected to visit major tourist attractions in the city including Myeong-dong, Gyeongbokgung Palace, Namsan Hanok Village and Han River through Friday. “We will make tourism barrier-free for people with disabili

Daeyang Gallery and House has won the 2012 Emirates Glass LEAF Awards, a prestigious international architecture award that recognizes innovative architectural design. The private art gallery and house won in the category of Mixed-Use Buildings of the Year for its “intriguing combination of commercial and living accommodation on a grand scale,” according to the jury. The LEAF award is given by the Leading European Architects Forum, which was founded in 2001.  The gallery, designed by New York-bas

Lee Bul starts second phase of her artistic career three months after a retrospective exhibition in JapanLee Bul, one of Korea’s most internationally recognized artists, embarked on a new phase in her artistic career presenting new sculptures three months after a retrospective exhibition in Japan. Lee recalled the three-month project to create the four brand new pieces “reckless,” but admitted she found a light at the end of the long tunnel that might lead her to a new phase of her art world. “

The future for young Korean designers in film concept design is bright as film production sites move from Hollywood to other countries, according to Korean-American concept designer Steve Jung. “Koreans have this excellent dexterity and a special talent in design. They are already showing outstanding performance in video game design,” said Jung at a lecture on concept design for films at the Herald Design Forum on Friday. “What they need is more confidence. Many students ask me whether they can

The role of design is to make peoples’ lives easier and better, but what makes a design iconic among thousands of new designs released every year is an emotional connection with people, according to Bruce Duckworth, co-founder of brand design agency Turner Duckworth based in San Francisco and London.“Iconic design is emotional,” said Duckworth at the lecture on advertisement at the Herald Design Forum on Friday in Seoul. Duckworth and his design team led several iconic brand and packaging design

YUCATAN PENINSULA, Mexico ― What’s the Mexican drug-war body count now? 47,000? Ever since the killings began to escalate in late 2006, I’ve been visiting the country less and choosing spots more carefully.But the Yucatan Peninsula was an easy call. One of the safest and most rewarding places in Mexico these days is the same steamy, lizard-ridden Maya stamping ground where ritual sacrifice was once business as usual, where the alleged apocalypse ― the end of the Maya calendar ― is barely 100 sho

Tourism Australia launched a new marketing campaign “There’s Nothing Like Australia” to present a stronger image of Australia to global tourists. Created as an online campaign in 2010, it invited Australians to upload their travel stories and photos to www.nothinglikeaustralia.com, which are now being used as an interactive and digital map of Australia, giving tourists around the world ideas about their holiday. The new campaign will start with TV advertisement showing attractive tourist destina

As the world’s population increases and the demand for natural resources surges, architects need to create sustainable buildings that last more than 100 years, according to Japanese architect Tadao Ando.“Fifty years ago, we lived using one-tenth of the energy we use today, and now with the population growth, we need more resources. And we build many things as well, but what we need to keep in mind is creating sustainable buildings that last over 100 to 150 years,” said Ando in a lecture held dur

A private auction featuring drawings by internationally acclaimed designers was held at the Herald Design Forum on Thursday. The sale held along with dinner for VIPs presented a total of four sketches: a drawing of animals by former automobile designer Chris Bangle, a car sketch by design chief of KIA Motors Peter Schreyer and two architectural sketches of Japanese architect Tadao Ando. “We are happy to have Bangle and Schreyer who are present here today and I felt a great passion from audience,

The Herald Design Forum returns on a larger scale following its successful inauguration last year. The three-day forum, taking place from Wednesday to Friday this week, has attracted an eager audience looking for lively discussions and debates with world’s top designers. The design forum has positioned itself to serve as a major forum for discussing design in Korea, hosting leading designers and artists as speakers to share their design philosophies and ideas with local audiences. “Last year, we

Deoksugung Project breathes new life into desolate royal bedchamber, garden and buildingsThe turbulent royal history of late Joseon period seemed to have faded in memories of visitors to Deoksugung. But this fall, the royal history is revived by Korean contemporary artists, who shed light on both happy and unfortunate days of the palace. Through the Deoksugung Project, organized by the National Museum of Modern Art, Korea and Deoksugung Office of the Cultural Heritage Administration, 12 artists

Brand designer Bruce Duckworth talks about roles of design in business and in peoples’ livesWhere there is an abundant choice of products, what differentiates one from the others is design. More companies are recognizing the importance of design and making it a key business strategy. “Successful business in the future will see design as a key component at the heart of business success, not as an add on,” said Bruce Duckworth, creative director of the world’s leading advertising agency Turner Duc

Artist Koo Dong-hee has been chosen the winner of the 13th Hermes Foundation Art Award. The art award, launched in 2000 in Korea, aims to contribute to the development of Korean art by supporting Korean artists. Koo was selected among three finalists including Jackson Hong and Lee Mi-kyung, whose works are also on exhibit at Hermes Atelier inside the Maison Hermes Dosan Park in Seoul. The Hermes Foundation presented Kim with an award of 20 million won ($18,000) and a plaque last Thursday. Koo wo

The following is the last in a series of articles on design prepared in anticipation of the Herald Design Forum which takes place Sept. 19-21. ― Ed.Korean design is breaking out on the world stage as more design products from the country receive attention at global fairs and a growing number of local designers receive international awards. At Maison et Objet, an international home decoration fair held in Paris from Sept. 7-11, 32 products made by Korean companies and individual designers selecte

Korean rapper-singer Psy is enjoying great popularity in the U.S., taking the No. 1 spot on the U.S. iTunes Chart with “Gangnam Style” on Saturday and making appearances at NBC’s “Today Show” and “Saturday Night Live.” “It’s surprising to see a Korean artist reach No. 1 on the iTunes chart, which accounts for about 80 percent of the U.S. online music charts,” his agency YG Entertainment said. “Gangnam Style” entered at No. 52 on iTunes on Aug. 27, and then broke the top 10 on Thursday. Psy debut

ANAHEIM, California ― As we walked across the broad, brick-paved plaza, a burst of music swelled, the strings rising to cinematic heights amid a pounding of kettle drums. A man in a crisp white shirt waved and beamed. Perfectly manicured flowers swayed in the breeze.It felt, for a moment, that we had accomplished something greater than simply walking out the gates at Disneyland in Southern California.But that is the trick of Disneyland, I learned after a recent trip to the “Happiest Place on Ear

A group of nine provincial governments and a private “micronation” created a regional tourism network this week to promote diverse travel programs in different provinces in Korea. Nine mayors of provincial governments and the CEO of the Republic of Naminara, a privately owned island in Chuncheon, Gangwo n Province, launched the travel consortium The United Nations of Imagination to promote regional tourism.“Nami Island declared itself a micronation in 2006; it has become a famous tourist destina

Latin American art is the highlight of this year’s Korea International Art Fair featuring a large number of Latin American artists and art galleries. The Latin American art exhibition also celebrates the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between South Korea and Latin American countries. The fair, being held at COEX in Samseong-dong, Seoul, from Sept. 13-17, features the works of 84 Latin American artists including some big names such as Fernando Botero, Carlos Cruz-Diez and Jesus Rafael S

It has been said love needs no translation, but for a Mexican and Korean chef couple, love sometimes needs a dictionary, Google Translate and, of course, body language. Han Jo-eun, pastry chef of Millennium Seoul Hilton, and Montserrat Pineiro, former executive chef of Hilton Airport Mexico City, met briefly for about three weeks in 2010 and another three weeks in 2011 for a Mexican food promotion event in Seoul. Over the next three years, they developed a relationship through email.“When I got

South Korean rock guitarist Shin Joong-hyun will perform his hit songs for a U.S. audience at a record label’s anniversary concert in Los Angeles at the end of September. “Shin has been invited to perform at a concert that celebrates the 10th anniversary of the record company Light in the Attic,” said a marketing official of Guitarnet, a Korean guitar importer and distributor, which is handling Shin’s concert in the U.S. in collaboration with the record company.  U.S. label Light in the Attic re