Most Popular
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10-man S. Korea lose to Indonesia to miss out on Paris Olympic football qualification
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Hybe-Ador feud should have limited effect on Hybe's overall performance: analysts
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Second Gimpo civil servant found dead, after apologizing for not finishing work
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DP leader says he will meet Yoon without conditions
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First-ever meeting of president, opposition chief set to finally happen
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NewJeans' singles, Japanese debut to proceed as planned, despite Hybe-Ador feud
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Blinken calls on China to press N. Korea to end its 'dangerous' behavior
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Experts raise concerns about Japan putting pressure on Naver over Line
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Samsung mobile chief, Google device head meet in Seoul
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Ship linked to NK arms shipments to Russia is moored in China: State Dept.
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Girls’ Generation leaves for China without Jessica
K-pop idol group Girls’ Generation left for China on Tuesday without Jessica, backing up claims that she was forced out of the group by her label SM Entertainment. Eight members of the group -- Taeyeon, Tiffany, Seohyun, Sunny, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung and Yoona -- turned up at Incheon International Airport on Tuesday morning before flying to Shenzhen, China, to attend a fan meeting. Jessica, however, was not sighted at the airport. (OSEN)The other girls did not respond to any of the questions f
Sept. 30, 2014
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Jessica removed from Girls’ Generation
Jessica, member of K-pop girl group Girls’ Generation, revealed Tuesday that her label SM Entertainment had unilaterally dismissed her from the group. “I was preparing myself for the upcoming schedule, but I was notified today that I am no longer a member of Girls’ Generation as of today,” Jessica wrote on her Weibo at around 5 a.m. on Tuesday. In the message she left both in English and Korean, she could not hide her confusion. “I have put Girls’ Generation first and actively focused on our act
Sept. 30, 2014
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Fashion, food and JYJ in Gangnam
Gangnam is hosting its annual hallyu festival from Thursday to Sunday, presenting a K-pop concert, fashion shows, a food festival and an international marathon for expats and locals. In its eighth year, the Gangnam Festival celebrates hallyu culture, featuring K-pop group JYJ, top fashion designers and stores from the district’s hip and trendy Garosu-gil street. It also invites expats, foreign tourists and local residents to run together in a charity marathon. In celebration of the festival, dep
Sept. 29, 2014
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Fashion made in China: Fine for everyone but the Chinese
MILAN (AFP) ― It has been called fashion’s dirty little secret but according to Miuccia Prada, soon everybody will be doing it.Made-in-China’s just fine with Prada’s supremo and a host of other influential industry figures.But for Chinese companies and designers seeking to become global style players, producing high-end clothing on home soil is complicated.Trade barriers, brand perception issues and the sourcing of certain fabrics combine to form an obstacle to them competing internationally wit
Arts & DesignSept. 29, 2014
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Book festival returns to Paju
An annual literary festival will be held at Paju Book City in Gyeonggi Province, bringing over 500 writers from home and abroad to present and discuss a wide range of literary works. “Paju Booksori Festival,” marking its fourth year, will kick off this week from Oct. 3-12 for a 10-day run at different venues in Paju Book City, a cluster of some 260 Korean publishing houses in Paju. “Last year, in its third year, the festival was selected as a representative festival by the Ministry of Culture, S
CultureSept. 29, 2014
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Prolific Prince goes funk, rock, sci-fi with two albums
NEW YORK (AFP) ― As the funky bass quiets down near the start of one of Prince’s two new albums, a soothing female voice informs that medication has put him in “suspended animation” for 45 years.Is the 56-year-old megastar speaking of his own career, or does the song imagine his body being frozen? No matter ― the voice explains that he is now “in a place that does not require time.”The themes of science fiction and timelessness ― as well as plenty of sex ― run throughout the album “Art Official
PerformanceSept. 29, 2014
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Revisiting old Seoul
The simple rectangular building in Gwanghwamun, which looks identical to the U.S. Embassy building in Seoul, was a symbol of a power shift in the modern history of Korea. Initially built using an aid fund in the 1960s, the building was a center of political power, functioning as the headquarters of the Supreme Council for National Reconstruction, a military committee led by President Park Chung-hee, who had taken over the South Korean government in a coup d’etat. Governing legislative, administr
Arts & DesignSept. 28, 2014
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[Herald Interview] Soprano bridges two ends of music spectrum
To say that Suh Yeree has a versatile voice is an understatement. In one stage, the soprano was the living messenger of Handel, dressed like women found in 17th-century European paintings and singing church music with a crystal clear voice and all the right spirituality. Then in another, she was a whip-wielding cop in a leather outfit, the embodiment of the satirical wit in the music of 21st-century composer Gorge Ligeti. Not only does she cross back and forth between two very different territor
PerformanceSept. 28, 2014
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Change afoot in Pyongyang? In fashion, yes
PYONGYANG (AP) ― High heels, with sequins. Brightly colored, tight-fitting dresses. Hairstyles and makeup that are almost like what you would expect on streets of Beijing or Seoul. Something is definitely afoot in the style scene of North Korea’s capital. Most North Koreans remain too poor to think much about fashion, and the country in general maintains a deep-rooted resistance to outside influences. But in Pyongyang, where the standard of living is relatively high, clothes and styles have been
CultureSept. 28, 2014
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[Herald Review] Exploring blurred line between truth and national interest
Which comes first, truth or national interest?This question is asked several times in the film “Whistle-Blower” by director Yim Soon-rye (“The Best Moment of Our Lives,” “Southbound”). “The truth,” the TV producer of an investigative journalism program answers in less than a second. “Because truth ultimately contributes to the national interest.” But what if the truth is ugly, unwanted or tarnishes the national image? In that case, how many people would give the same answer without a second thou
FilmSept. 28, 2014
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Jay Z, Beyonce take stage at Global Citizen fest
NEW YORK (AP) ― Jay Z sounds the call to end world poverty performing before thousands in New York’s Central Park. The rapper headlined Global Citizen Festival on the Great Lawn Saturday, where Beyonce surprised the audience by joining her husband on stage.He told the crowd ― many of whom earned free tickets by volunteering ― to support the Global Citizen Festival’s movement to end poverty by 2030.No Doubt, Sting, Carrie Underwood, Alicia Keys, Tiesto, fun. and The Roots also performed.The Globa
PerformanceSept. 28, 2014
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[Weekender] Natural wonders of Jeju
Every fall, Jejudo invites visitors to take part in a walking festival to explore the island’s fascinating landscape through the popular Olle walking trails.This year’s Jeju Olle Walking Festival, scheduled for Nov. 6-8, takes visitors to oreum (volcanic cones), unique rock formations and a white sand beach dotted along three of the 21 Jeju Olle walking trails. The trails lead to every nook and cranny of the island and reveal unspoiled natural wonders. Visitors witness stunning landscapes formed
TravelSept. 26, 2014
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A creature of habit
Writer Bae Su-ah is prone to carsickness and cannot travel to Seoul for the interview, I am told. So on the Friday afternoon before the long Chuseok holiday, I get on a bus to Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province, for an hourlong ride, hoping that I can keep my nausea in check.Bae works at home and does not feel comfortable doing an interview there, so she has picked out a cafe to meet at. Upon arrival, I find it has been the venue for several previous interviews, recognizing the particular blinds from phot
CultureSept. 26, 2014
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Calendar
ROYAL MUSIC AT NIGHT ― Musicians practice Jongmyo Jeryeak, the UNESCO-listed royal ancestral ritual music, at Jongmyo, a Confucian shrine for Joseon kings and queens in Seoul, on Thursday. The grandiose royal music will be performed at night from Sept. 26-28. (Yonhap)Classical musicChung Myung-whun piano recital: Maestro Chung Myung-whun will hold his first recital tour of Korea as a pianist, not as a conductor as he is widely known now, starting in Changwon on Oct. 5. He will play in Daegu on
CultureSept. 26, 2014
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Eyelike: alt-J returns with beautiful, baffling LP
alt-J returns with beautiful, baffling LPalt-J“This Is All Yours” (Atlantic)The new album from alt-J isn’t supposed to exist. Nobody, we’re told, wants to hear this kind of stuff anymore. The album ― and especially this artsy kind of album ― is dead.Yet here is “This Is All Yours”: weird, complex, goofy, sublime, baffling and completely unlike anything else out so far this year. You might say the album has arrived just in time, spicing up a bland year with something of a puzzle for listeners who
PerformanceSept. 26, 2014
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Box Office
Scarlet Innocence (Korea)Opening Oct.2Romance, Thriller. Directed by Yim Pil-sungAdapted from the classic Korean tale “The Story of Simcheong,” “Scarlet Innocence” begins with Hak-kyu (Jung Woo-sung), a young, charming literature professor, who was embroiled in a sex scandal and had to move to the countryside from Seoul until the matter was settled. It is in the country where he encounters 20-year-old Deok-yi (Esom), an innocent girl working at an amusement park. They fall madly for each other,
FilmSept. 26, 2014
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Gross and funny ‘Boxtrolls’ is animated film of the year
There’s something about stop motion 3D animation ― the not-quite-real textures of skin and hair, the quite real cloth and metal, the subtle gloomy lighting effects ― that says “spooky.”All the best animated films with a hint of Halloween have been stop motion animation or digital efforts that duplicate that hand-molded model look ― “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” “Coraline.”“The Boxtrolls” is from Laika, the studio that made “ParaNorman” and “Coraline.” This adaptation of an Alan Snow novel (“
FilmSept. 26, 2014
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Learning how to survive a plane crash
LONDON (AP) ― They raced down the slide, one by one, like children at a playground. At the bottom, smartphone photos were snapped and high fives exchanged. The frequent fliers were all smiling and laughing ― and quietly hoping to never use an evacuation slide again. Doing so would mean their plane had just crashed. The slide demonstration was part of a half-day safety course that encourages passengers to be aware of their surroundings and familiarize themselves with what happens in an emergency.
TravelSept. 26, 2014
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Cycling France’s Loire Valley
CHAUMONT-SUR-LOIRE, France (AP) ― There are hundreds of kilometers of bike trails through the chateaux towns of the Loire Valley ― and that’s what tripped us up. We’d been trying to cycle the 27 kilometers from Chenonceaux to Chaumont, but kept getting lost. We even asked directions from a passing motorist who was certain she knew which way the bike route went, then sent us to the wrong town. Now we were at a Y-intersection on the outskirts of Chaumont, facing two green-and-white bike path signs
TravelSept. 26, 2014
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Australia promotes two tourism draws ― food, wine
Tourism Australia kicked off the “Restaurant Australia” campaign, promoting its food and wine as major appeals for global tourists. The campaign focuses on promoting three major appeals ― people, places and produce. It attempts to showcase creative dishes made, using fresh ingredients grown in the open, natural environment.“Our aim is to demonstrate Australia’s culinary credentials on a global stage, and what better way to do it than harnessing our country’s best chefs, freshest produce and fine
TravelSept. 26, 2014