By Michael Rand The Minnesota Star Tribune (TNS) There is something about being in one of the world’s great cities that makes you sharper. So much is happening at once that you must pay attention. You cannot be a passive observer, but rather must live in every moment to survive and ultimately thrive. That thought came to me on a recent walk in London, on one of (according to my Step Tracker phone app) 52,573 steps over the course of three days on my first but hopefully not last trip to thi

Lynn O’Rourke Hayes FamilyTravel.com (TNS) As temperatures rise, hurricanes whirl and wildfires burn, the conversation about climate change and our role in it is intensifying. And, with increased documentation about the environmental, economic and social impact of travel, families may be wondering how best to be a responsible traveler. Here are five ideas to consider. Choose wisely Popular vacation spots like Barcelona, Spain; Venice, Italy; and many US national parks have begun taking ste

Sara A. Solis-Castaneda Ambassador of Guatemala to Korea On the occasion of the 62nd anniversary of diplomatic relations between Guatemala and the Republic of Korea (1962-2024), it is essential to highlight a lesser-known aspect: Guatemala's early contribution to the dissemination of Korean literature in Latin America, even before the establishment of the Republic of Korea. This endeavor was spearheaded by the Guatemalan writer and diplomat Enrique Gomez Carrillo, who, in 1906, translated

    What if you were given carte blanche to do anything that you desire? While that may be a dream come true for most, architect Cho Min-suk said, “I refuse to do that project.” A leading Korean architect and winner of several awards including the Golden Lion at the Venice Architecture Biennale in 2014, Cho was offered just such an opportunity 10 years ago. “Someone with means said, ‘You just make a pure, beautiful place,’” recalled Cho during an int

I almost did not make it to pianist Yunchan Lim’s recital at the Bucheon Art Center on Monday night. In my harried state after work, I got Bucheon and Bupyeong mixed up and called for a cab to the Bupyeong Art Center. Both Bucheon and Bupyeong are cities in Gyeonggi Province, about 30 minutes apart by car. Both have an art center. The 1,445-seat concert hall was packed, tickets for Lim’s recital having sold out in 50 seconds. Among those in the audience were 15 lucky Bucheon resident

A general view shows people standing on Hollywood Boulevard on the day of the launch event for the new "Star Wars" series "The Acolyte," in Los Angeles, May 23. Reuters-Yonhap

DIRIYAH, Saudi Arabia - New history is being made in the historic site of Diriyah, home to the first Saudi Kingdom established in 1446, as the city on the northwestern outskirts of the Saudi capital Riyadh turns into a vibrant nexus of contemporary art every two years. Launched in 2021, Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale is a sprouting of Vision 2030, a comprehensive plan to prepare Saudi Arabia for the challenges of the post-fossil fuel age. While the bold plan, announced in April 2016, is mos

As a producer in the Korean television industry, I recognize that my competitors are no longer confined to fellow producers within the industry but rather extend to creators in the domains of YouTube, TikTok and video games. As the founder of Netflix once said, his biggest competitors are video games and … sleep. In this age of on-demand everything, everywhere, all at once, the battle for audience engagement has never been more difficult. I will admit that I now find it difficult to compl

The Korean concept of “madang,” a multi-functional courtyard, will be central to the 23rd Serpentine Pavilion designed by Seoul-based architect Cho Min-suk and his firm, Mass Studies. The pavilion, titled “Archipelagic Void,” will be unveiled at Serpentine South in London on June 5, Serpentine said in announcing the choice of this year’s pavilion Monday. Shaped like a five-pointed star with a void in the center, “Archipelagic Void” will consist of five &

It was a hectic year-end. Flying 13 hours for a family reunion, doing last-minute gift shopping and getting together with extended family for Christmas dinner kept me busy with scarcely any time to think about the coming year, much less the requisite New Year’s resolutions. Coming up with New Year’s resolutions, as perfunctory as they may be, for me is an opportunity to ruminate on how I want to live the next 12 months. Of course, by February, I would come to realize that I had bit

How do we live in changing times is a question that the Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale, which runs Feb. 20 through May 24 in Saudi Arabia, seeks to ask. Taking place at the historic town of Diriyah, just outside the capital Riyadh and home to the UNESCO World Heritage site of At-Turaif, the biennale will feature 92 artists from 43 countries, including 30 artists from the Gulf region, according to a press release issued by the biennale Wednesday. “We face climate change, political tensio

Wearing a white shirt and jeans, Arts Council Korea Chairperson Choung Byoung-gug prepares coffee at his Seoul office in the small-theater district of Daehagno before the interview in late July. “Five or six years ago, we signed a memorandum of understanding for a 50 billion-won ($37 million) project to build a coffee museum, a coffee library and so on in Addis Ababa,” said Choung, recalling his work as a member of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Commit

With more than 9.4 million people living in the capital city sprawling 605 square kilometers, Seoul is one of the most crowded cities in the world. It boasts a population density of some 15,567 people per square kilometer. New York City, by comparison, has a population density of about 11,313 people per square kilometer. It comes as no surprise that in Seoul, where space is scarce, we build not only above ground and underground, but over and under existing structures as well. We also cover strea

CHUNCHEON, Gangwon Province -- Approaching the observatory located across the street from the statue of the Maiden of Soyanggang on the Soyang River, one is struck by its height. The four-story structure is 20.4 meters tall. If you had come expecting something taller – you would not have been wrong to expect something of a greater height since observatories are typically tall structures or situated at some height – you might wonder if you were at the right place. Completed in March 2

The three-year COVID-19 pandemic was not only a great disruptor, it also highlighted long-standing problems, including health inequity around the world. “I thought this was the final straw on bragging about our health care system. It showed every weakness, including huge health disparities in mortality and impact,” said Dr. Matthew H. Liang, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and professor of health policy and management at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, ta

Whether as innocent as a young child moving to her favorite Disney tune or as highly choreographed and tightly executed as the moves of a K-pop band, dancing is an elemental expression of the self and a universal form of communication. At the Busan International Dance Festival, which took place from June 2-4 in the southern port city, 40 dance teams from around the world communicated pure joy, whimsical caprice, despair and hope, human struggles and victory. Watching the dancers perform on an ou

Economic ties may have their ups and downs, but not so with cultural bonds, said Abu Dhabi's leading patron of the arts recently in Seoul, when discussing cultural exchanges between the two sides, whose strategic partnership covering business, energy and defense got a boost in January with a state visit to the United Arab Emirates by President Yoon Suk Yeol. “Once you connect in culture, this is solid because when your culture means something to me, I will protect it no matter what,

New York artist Gregory de la Haba’s first show in Seoul is underway at Hangaram Art Museum of the Seoul Arts Center, showcasing some 20 paintings completed over the last two years. As was the case for many people around the world, the pandemic period was a productive one for de la Haba, who set up a studio inside his garage at the back of his house in the borough of Queens when he could not travel to his studio in Brooklyn, New York. Unable to travel or meet friends, de la Haba’s fo

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is often referred to as a disease with thousand faces, reflecting the wide spectrum of diverse clinical manifestations of the disease. It can be fatal with major organ involvement. Basically an autoimmune disease, the immune system that is supposed to protect you turns against SLE patients. While autoimmune diseases are usually organ-specific and usually involve one organ, SLE is typically non-organ specific and can attack any organ and thus can lead to many di

Speaking at Thursday's session on “Global Challenges,” Dr. Bae Sang-cheol of Hanyang University pointed out that social determinants account for more than 50 percent of population health. One’s genetic makeup and biology as well as personal behaviors contribute only around 25 percent. Medical care, meanwhile, accounts for about 20 percent. In his presentation titled "Access to Health Care," Bae noted that in lower socioeconomic status areas, lupus management is