Around the hotels

 Vodka-caviar pairing at Oakwood Premier Coex Center SeoulThe hotel offers premium caviar canapes paired with Absolut Vodka at the bar on the fifth floor until Feb. 28. The caviar canapes will be served with Russian traditional wheat pancake Blini which is eaten during Russian holiday Maslenitsa, known as Pancake Week. Three set menus, which all include the vodka and caviar canapes, are served during the promotion. The bronze set includes grilled sausages and hot dishes; the silver set includes

FoodFeb. 14, 2014

New-old Thai at Bua

At Bua, a modern Thai restaurant that opened near Itaewon Station in November, one might blink twice at items like roti and nam prik num with fried pork. While both eats may not be as well known outside of Thailand as dishes like pad thai and som tam, Bua owner-chef Kim Yoo-ah says both are Thai staples, easily found throughout the country. “I wanted to introduce people here to new dishes,” Kim, 28, said, keen on showcasing dishes that might be novel to some diners in the city but are actually v

FoodFeb. 14, 2014

Haemul bap (seafood rice bowl)

Haemul bap is rice cooked with seafood and served with a sauce. This type of rice bowl is very popular in Korean homes. By throwing in a few other ingredients while cooking the rice, you can have a filling one-pot meal. The obvious benefit of cooking the other ingredients with the rice is that the rice will soak up the flavors as it cooks. Because my rice cooker locks once it’s started, I cook haemul bap on the stove so I can add the seafood later in the cooking process to avoid overcooking. Wat

FoodFeb. 14, 2014

‘Let It Go’ from Disney’s ‘Frozen’ stirs up Korean music scene

Two Disney princesses are leading the local music scene and setting new box-office records in South Korea.Since premiering on Jan. 16, Walt Disney Animation Studio’s recent film “Frozen” has been making local box-office history, becoming the most-viewed animated film in South Korea by attracting over 8 million local viewers according to the Korean Film Council on Tuesday.Loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen’s story “The Snow Queen,” “Frozen” tells the story of Anna, a brave, determined princ

PerformanceFeb. 14, 2014

Students perform at Carnegie

Students at the Dwight Schools in Seoul, New York and London put on a concert in Carnegie Hall in New York on Jan. 31, as part of the schools’ international program. Under the program, 11 high school students from Seoul performed in the “Tutti,” an event designed to bring together Dwight students in grades 4-12 from three continents to collaborate as artists and share the universal language of music.“Watching Dwight School Seoul musicians perform alongside its sister schools from New York and Lo

PeopleFeb. 14, 2014

[Photo News] Tourism partnership

PeopleFeb. 14, 2014

[Photo News] 45th anniversary

PeopleFeb. 14, 2014

Commuting makes you unhappy: study

Commuters have lower life satisfaction and a lower sense that their daily activities are worthwhile, the Guardian reported.According to a study on workers’ well-being by the Office for National Statistics based on around 60,000 people, the worst effects of traveling to the workplace were associated with journey times of between 30 and 90 minutes.But travel times reaching three hours have a different effect. People may be able to use their time more productively on a longer journey, Guardian said

Life&CultureFeb. 14, 2014

Women are attracted to taller man: study

Women prefer dating taller men while men care less about height, a study suggested. The study conducted by researchers at the University of North Texas and Rice University used data from Yahoo’s personal dating advertisements of 455 men and 470 women in the U.S. to find out whether the height of a potential partner matters for both genders. Almost the half of the female respondents, or 49 percent, said they wanted to date only men who were taller than them.On the other hand, men are not as conce

Life&CultureFeb. 14, 2014

‘Smart diapers’ to alert carers when it’s time for a change

Researchers at the University of Tokyo have developed a super-thin sensor that can go inside diapers to detect when it’s time for a change, U.S. technology media Website Cnet reported. The device, measuring around 7 centimeters by 5 centimeters, monitors pressure, temperature, and wetness to check when the diaper has been soiled.Researchers developed flexible circuits, thinner than a piece of plastic wrap, that could be implanted in the body to monitor body temperature or blood pressure or impla

Life&CultureFeb. 14, 2014

Harpist’s special homecoming

Lavinia Meijer is one of the world’s top harpists. In her home country of the Netherlands, she is a cultural icon who has brought harp, an instrument rarely played solo, to the forefront of its classical music scene. And she is a Korean adoptee.Currently in Seoul for her fourth performance in the country, she said getting to grips with her biological roots has had a lasting impact on her music.“(Coming to Korea) is always special for me,” the 31-year-old harpist said at the Sony Music office in

PerformanceFeb. 13, 2014

Grim forecast for Korean art market

Both the total sales value and prices of Korean art fell last year despite an increased number of works sold, according to a report on the local arts market by economics professor Choi Jeong-pyo of Konkuk University this week.Seoul Auction, which accounts for half of all auction sales in the country, sold 1,888 pieces for about 39 billion won ($36 million) in 2013. The amount was down 2.6 percent from 2012.K Auction, which takes up 28 percent of the market, auctioned off 1,258 works for 18.8 bil

PerformanceFeb. 13, 2014

Three nights of Beethoven sonatas

Attention, Beethoven fans! Some of the world’s most highly acclaimed musicians are coming to Korea this month for three all-Beethoven sonata concerts in Seoul. Scheduled for Feb. 17, 20 and 21 at Seoul Arts Center, the three concerts are a unique chance to indulge in the world of Ludwig van Beethoven through three different instruments ― the piano, violin and cello. Kicking off the Beethoven bash on Feb. 17 is Catherine Cho, a Korean-American violinist who teaches at the prestigious Juilliard Sc

PerformanceFeb. 13, 2014

SM ballad artists serenade fans in joint recital

Six of the representative vocal powerhouses of SM Entertainment gathered on Wednesday night to perform an intimate recital show in front of 800 fans for the “SM The Ballad Vol.2 Joint Recital.” The special recital was held in commemoration of the agency’s second ballad album project, titled “Breath.” Under the theme of painful break-ups, this year’s ballad singles project features collaborative work by eight SM artists from Korea and China, including SHINee’s Jonghyun, Girls’ Generation’s Taeyeo

PerformanceFeb. 13, 2014

U2 to play Mandela song at Oscars

LOS ANGELES (AFP) ― Irish rock veterans U2 will play their Oscar-nominated song “Ordinary Love” from the movie “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom” at this year’s Academy Awards, organizers announced Wednesday.The March 2 performance at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood will be the first time U2 has played the song live, said Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, producers of the 86th Academy Awards. The tune is among four nominees for best original song along with “Happy” from “Despicable Me 2,” “Let It Go” from

PerformanceFeb. 13, 2014

2NE1 announces release date of second album

After nearly five years since making their K-pop debut, the four ladies of 2NE1 are finally releasing the act’s second full studio album titled “Crush.” The group’s upcoming album is slated to be released on Feb. 24, the same day rivaling powerhouse girl group Girls’ Generation is scheduled to release its comeback EP album “Mr. Mr.”YG Entertainment CEO Yang Hyun-suk is calling this album 2NE1’s “first full album with brand new songs,” explaining that the ladies’ debut studio album featured only

PerformanceFeb. 13, 2014

100 years after birth, Burroughs’ work still has power to shock

Even sober, William S. Burroughs had visions.As a young child, he saw a green reindeer the size of a cat. Another time, he woke to see tiny men scrambling among his building blocks, he said.“He was one of those children who never really got over the magical kingdom. Part of him stayed there,” says biographer Barry Miles. Burroughs’ kingdom, literally speaking, began in a comfortable house in the Central West End of St. Louis, at 4664 Pershing Avenue (known as “Berlin Avenue” before World War I).

BooksFeb. 13, 2014

For Joyce Maynard, writing ‘Labor Day’ was a labor of love

It took Joyce Maynard only 10 days to write “Labor Day,” the New York Times best-selling novel that serves as the basis for the movie of the same name that opened Friday.That kind of speedy production isn’t typical.“I don’t want people out there, who are trying to write a book, to get the wrong idea. I have been writing for 42 years and they didn’t all come out this way. My new book took two years to write,” Maynard says.Had you asked Maynard the day before she started writing “Labor Day” ― the

BooksFeb. 13, 2014