Most Popular
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'Super Rich in Korea' will leave viewers appreciating Korea more: producers
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Probe of first lady on Dior bag allegations set to begin
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Top prosecutor pledges 'speedy, strict' probe into first lady's luxury bag allegations
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Indonesia’s KF-21 fighter jet deal cut back -- what’s next?
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[KH Explains] Can tech firms' AI alliances take on Nvidia?
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Police seek arrest warrant for med student who killed girlfriend
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Local filmmakers criticize ‘The Roundup: Punishment’ monopoly of screens
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[Grace Kao, Meera Choi] Has money displaced romance on dates?
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Will China's self-sufficient dream in HBM come true?
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Man stabs woman and her son amid financial dispute, killing 1
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Joo-yeon rumored to be leaving Afterschool
Afterschool’s Joo-yeon. (Pledis)K-pop starlet Joo-yeon may be parting ways from the eight-member girl group Afterschool as well as her label Pledis Entertainment, according to news reports that began circulating Monday. Her contract with Pledis is scheduled to expire on Dec. 31 and it was reported that Joo-yeon had no plans to renew her contract with the agency or remain as a member of Afterschool. The reports also said that her last activity with the group will be Afterschool’s upcoming Chinese
Dec. 22, 2014
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Rolling Stone includes 2NE1’s ‘Crush’ in top 20 albums of 2014
Beating out the cream of the crop in pop music such as Pharrell Williams and newcomer Sam Smith, the K-pop idols of 2NE1 have made their mark this year with the album “Crush” named in Rolling Stone’s “20 Best Pop Albums of 2014.” Taking the No. 6 spot on the magazine’s list of the year’s 20 best albums, “Crush” is only the K-pop group’s second full-length album. After its release on Feb. 27, the album went on to shatter a number of records, including becoming K-pop’s biggest selling album in the
Dec. 22, 2014
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2NE1's 'Crush' among this year's 20 best pop albums: U.S. magazine
"Crush," the second full-length album released by South Korea's popular girl group 2NE1, has been chosen among the 20 Best Pop Albums of 2014 by an influential U.S. music magazine, its management said Monday."Crush" ranked sixth on the list recently released by Rolling Stone magazine, which also included albums by global pop stars such as Taylor Swift's "1989," Pharrell Williams' "Girl," Ariana Grande's "My Everything" and Maroon 5's "V," YG Entertainment said.2NE1 is the only Asian act on the l
Dec. 22, 2014
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[Herald Interview] Craftsmanship behind Joseon woodblocks
Kim Gak-han has spent most of his life working with wood, from cabinetmaking to carving ancient texts and drawing on wood plates.“Now that I think about it, I think I was destined to do it,” the craftsman said in his Seoul studio, which was filled with wood plates of different sizes alongside countless handmade cutting tools and chisels. “One beauty of engraving is that you can’t think about anything else while you are doing it. It requires your full attention and there is something therapeutic
CultureDec. 21, 2014
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Jangpangak, the woodblock archive
ANDONG, North Gyeongsang Province ― They say to see the real Korea, one must visit Andong, the home of Korean Confucianism. But even in this historic city, the real gems are hidden far off the beaten track. One such treasure waiting to be discovered is the collection of tens of thousands of woodblocks housed at Jangpangak, a storage facility in a peaceful little town called Seobu-ri. Tucked away at the foot of a hill overlooking the hamlet and a nearby lake, Jangpangak is the depository of the 6
CultureDec. 21, 2014
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[Herald Review] A ballet to bring out the ‘rage’ within
Twenty-five dancers, 70 minutes, 11 frantically energetic scenes and no intermission: “Rage” truly turns classic ballet on its head and gives the poetic dance form a modern, fury-provoking twist. Seoul Ballet Theater’s latest production is not what the general public might expect from a night at the ballet. Unlike a traditional performance, “Rage” is action-packed, nonstop adrenaline with dancers running across and around the stage in a constant state of unrest. The choreography was the brainchi
PerformanceDec. 21, 2014
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9 films advance in Oscars shortlist for best foreign film
LOS ANGELES (AP) ― The list of contenders for best foreign film got a bit smaller Friday as the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences announced the nine features that will advance to the next round of voting. Included are Ruben Ostlund’s patriarchy-skewering avalanche film “Force Majeure” from Sweden, Andrey Zvyagintsev’s “Leviathan,” about a property dispute in a small Russian coastal town, and Pawel Pawlikowski’s Polish drama “Ida,” about a young woman with dreams of being a nun who dis
FilmDec. 21, 2014
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Coelho says Sony hack threatens all
GENEVA (AP) ― Brazilian author Paulo Coelho says the Sony hack threatens us all if society doesn’t enforce important values: our individual and collective freedom of expression and an unwavering refusal to negotiate with anonymous terrorists. The best-selling author said in an interview Friday with The Associated Press that he was prepared to make himself an example ― even if it meant inviting criticism and potential threats ― if Sony Pictures had taken him up on his $100,000 offer for the right
FilmDec. 21, 2014
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Furious at leaks, Madonna releases songs early
NEW YORK (AFP) ― Madonna on Saturday suddenly released six new songs months ahead of schedule, furious that early versions had leaked online in what she had described as “artistic rape.”The songs will appear on the pop icon’s first album in three years, “Rebel Heart,” which comes out in March. The six tracks show Madonna going further in a hip-hop direction and include a collaboration with leading female rapper Nicki Minaj.The Material Girl said she decided to put the songs on sale online after
PerformanceDec. 21, 2014
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Year’s top song is Beyonce, Sia’s ‘Pretty Hurts’
NEW YORK (AP) ― Need a new playlist? Check out the Associated Press’ top songs of 2014 list. Heard them before? Then play them again.1. “Pretty Hurts,” Beyonce: Contemporary music’s top singer and songwriter ― Beyonce and Sia ― join forces to create a song that is heavy, deeply felt, emotional ― but most important, beautiful. “Pretty Hurts,” with its winning accompanying music video, tackles the insecurities anyone and everyone feels, and Beyonce’s rising vocals bring Sia’s words to life.2. “Cha
PerformanceDec. 21, 2014
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[Weekender] The rise of cable TV
On any given Seoul subway train on any ordinary weekday morning, the majority of the passengers are engrossed in texting, reading and watching videos on their smartphones.But the gadgets are not the only difference between them and members of the older generation, who used to read newspapers and books on their way to work. Younger Koreans are increasingly becoming addicted not to prime-time KBS dramas, but also to shows like “Misaeng (Incomplete Life)” by cable network tvN. Viewers with increasi
TelevisionDec. 19, 2014
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[Weekender] Alternative content draws younger viewers
Kim Jun-hyung, a 32-year-old Seoulite, used to think local TV dramas were for “ajummas” ― a Korean term for middle-aged housewives ― until he accidentally watched the first episode of tvN’s “Misaeng (Incomplete Life).” “I could relate to the characters instantly because I am just as overworked as they are,” he said about the popular show, which is about the everyday lives of office workers at a competition-driven trading company. “I loved how there is no romance for some lazy chaebol character w
TelevisionDec. 19, 2014
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[Weekender] French celebrity finds success on cable TV
The increase in cable television networks in South Korea has given rise to an array of new personalities, including ones from other countries. Among them is Robin Deiana, a French national with Italian ancestry who has made Korea his second home.Known among Korean fans by his first name, Deiana is best known as a panelist on the popular JTBC show “Nonsummit,” a program featuring expats living in Korea. The panel discusses Korean issues such as filial piety, education and dating from foreign pers
TelevisionDec. 19, 2014
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Calendar
Pop music“All Night Stand”: Just as he did last year, Psy will be returning to the stage for his “All Night Stand” holiday concert series. Psy has held holiday concerts each year for the past decade, with last year’s four-day event attracting a total of 60,000 fans. The man who defined Gangnam style will be hosting a series of shows from Dec. 20-24, with two separate performances on Christmas Eve. The shows will be held at Seoul Olympic Park’s Gymnastics Stadium with ticket prices ranging from 7
CultureDec. 19, 2014
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Embroidery elevated to an art form
From the outside, the private museum looks like any other apartment unit in Seoul. Open the metal door, however, and your eyes are dazzled by what unfolds before you: an entire apartment filled with embroideries on the wall, embroidered folding screens, and cabinets and tables decorated with intricate embroideries. In fact, every surface seems to be covered with needlework.Some of them are so fine and intricate that from a distance they appear to be paintings. Some are so hyperrealistic that the
PerformanceDec. 19, 2014
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‘Sniper’ brings Eastwood back, a lot closer to the bull’s eye
The acting drops away from Bradley Cooper’s performance as “deadliest American sniper” Chris Kyle. Cooper bulked up, kept a pinch between his lower lip and jaw and became a man of few drawled words, the perfect Clint Eastwood hero in Eastwood’s film “American Sniper.”The director, who has seemed distracted if not downright bored with his recent films ― “Jersey Boys” was sort of a post-orangutan low ― returns to form with a clean kill of a movie, an unfussy combat film that only drifts in a third
FilmDec. 19, 2014
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Box Office: The Tailors, The Hobbit, Ode to My Father
The Tailors (Korea)Opening Dec. 24Drama. Directed by Lee Won-suk“The Tailors” is the story of two tailors: Jo Dol-seok (Han Suk-kyu), the head of Sanguiwon, the office in charge of royal attire in the Joseon era (1392-1910), and Lee Gong-jin (Gosu), a rebellious, skilled young designer who sets his fashion career in motion by designing the most outrageous and artistic hanbok of the time. When Dol-seok, an orthodox designer, becomes jealous of Gong-jin’s talent, their friendly competition escalat
FilmDec. 19, 2014
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Eyelike: Flaming Lips fail with ‘Sgt. Pepper’ cover
Flaming Lips fail with ‘Sgt. Pepper’ coverThe Flaming Lips“With a Little Help from My Fwends”(Warner Bros.) Ever wonder what “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” would sound like sung by robots? Me neither, but here’s the answer.The Flaming Lips have recorded a full-length tribute to the Beatles’ 1967 album, and the music is even more far-out and psychedelic than the landmark original. This daft pop is silly, bombastic, druggy, irreverent and rude, with lots of bleeps and blasts, but it’s not
PerformanceDec. 19, 2014
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Holidays are merry moneymakers for theme parks
LOS ANGELES ― While children waited in line to snap photos with Santa Claus, the aroma of freshly steamed tamales and hot cocoa lingered in the warm fall air.“Yay, it’s snowing,” a teenage girl screamed at the tiny bubbles that masqueraded as the white stuff sprayed from electric blowers hidden in nearby trees. Christmas tunes blared from outdoor speakers, the music mixing with the rumble of a roller coaster speeding along steel tracks.The holidays have arrived in a big way for the first time at
TravelDec. 19, 2014
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Public art aplenty in Boulder City, Nevada
BOULDER CITY, Nevada ― Your savvy, but ultimately foolhardy, tourist on his way to Hoover Dam will take a sharp left on the Highway 93 bypass and avoid this city’s “historic” downtown altogether.Yet what the traveler saves in time and gas mileage, always important in these frugal times, he will lose in the immeasurable realm of the sublime. He will miss a lovely Art Deco-drenched, Depression-era town forged by the New Deal, a town that takes aesthetics so seriously in its urban core that it coul
TravelDec. 19, 2014