Most Popular
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Korea's food inflation surges to third-highest in OECD
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W13tr cash handout likely top agenda for Yoon's 1st meeting with Lee
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[AtoZ into Korean mind] Humor in Korea: Navigating the line between what's funny and not
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Med school deans urge for freeze of 2025 quota
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Yoon seeks rebound, taps 5-term lawmaker as chief of staff
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Medical standoff deepens as doctors reject new med school plan, talks
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N. Korea says Kim guided simulated nuclear counterattack drill
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Culture Ministry, KTO unveil Hallyu-themed tours
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[Herald Interview] Why Toss invited hackers to penetrate its system
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BOK chief says won will level off if Middle East conflict eases
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Epik High tops charts at home, aboard with new album
South Korean hip-hop trio Epik High swept local music charts and iTunes albums charts in seven regions with its first full-length album in two years on Tuesday.Hours after the group’s eighth studio album, “Shoebox,” was released on online music sites at home and abroad, the album’s title track “Happen Ending” sat atop real-time charts of eight domestic services, including Melon, Naver Music, Olleh Music, Genie, Soribada and Mnet.Other songs on the album such as “Born Hater,” “Spoiler” and “Rich”
PerformanceOct. 21, 2014
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TVXQ’s live tour begins in Seoul
TVXQ will begin their concert tour, “TVXQ! Special Live Tour -- T1ST0RY,” at Seoul Olympic gymnasium on Dec. 6-7.The tour title, “T1ST0RY,” is the combination of TVXQ, “HISTORY,” and the numbers 1 and 0, which imply their 10th anniversary.The group had successfully finished their last world wide tour, “TVXQ! Live Tour ‘Catch Me’” that took place in major world cities such as Seoul, Los Angeles and Hong Kong from November 2012 to July 2013. The group was also recorded as the first Korean group w
Oct. 21, 2014
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What do jeans mean to you?
Many people are probably familiar with the history of blue jeans ― how denim pants moved from work clothes for California gold miners in the 19th century to a must-have item for rebellious youngsters in the 1950s and ’60s to street wear that can be found in almost everybody’s wardrobe. An exhibition that opened in Seoul last week offers a rare glimpse into how the garment became part of the Korean wardrobe and how Korean wearers came to love its individuality and intimacy. “Jeans have become a u
CultureOct. 20, 2014
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Archaeologists seek movie set in California sands
GUADALUPE, California (AP) ― Archaeologists working in the sand dunes along the Central California coast are digging up ancient sphinxes ― but these are made of plaster.More than 90 years ago, legendary filmmaker Cecile B. DeMille erected 21 giant sphinxes and a 240-meter-wide temple as a set for the silent, black-and-white classic movie “The Ten Commandments.”But in 1923, when filming was over, DeMille abandoned them there among the sands of the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes in Santa Barbara County.No
FilmOct. 20, 2014
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Film about Korean naval hero to open in China
A scene from “Roaring Currents”A South Korean smash-hit movie about a 16th-century Korean naval hero will open in Chinese theaters this year, the film’s local distributor said Monday.“‘Roaring Currents’ will be shown in some 3,000 theaters throughout China within this year with China’s largest state-run movie distributor, China Film Group, in charge of the film’s distribution,” CJ E&M Corp. said.Released on July 30, “Roaring Currents” drew a cumulative 17.6 million viewers in South Korea. On Aug
FilmOct. 20, 2014
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‘New Girl,’ ‘Cosmos’ win environmental media award
BURBANK, California (AP) ― TV’s “New Girl,” “Parenthood” and “Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey” have been recognized for supporting green initiatives by the Environmental Media Association.The organization presented its Environmental Media Awards on Saturday during a gala dinner that also celebrated its 25th anniversary.Board member Ed Begley Jr. lauded the Environmental Media Association for encouraging the entertainment media to serve as a vehicle to educate the public about environmental concerns.
TelevisionOct. 20, 2014
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[Herald Interview] Snarky Puppy gears up for first concert in Korea
Led by Grammy Award-winning musician and composer Michael League, fusion instrumental band Snarky Puppy is holding its first concert in Korea on Tuesday night at the Blue Square theater in Hannam-dong, Seoul. The large-scale band was started by League more than 10 years ago while he was attending jazz school at the University of North Texas. Gathering together nine of his pals, the band was initially launched as an opportunity for the budding composer to play out the jazzy hybrid funk music that
PerformanceOct. 20, 2014
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S. Korea, China to coproduce Chinese version of ‘Full House’
A South Korean producer will coproduce a Chinese-language version of the hit South Korean TV soap series “Full House,” the producer said Monday.Group Eight Co. said it is teaming up with China’s Media Asia Group Holdings to produce the Chinese version of the drama that was aired on South Korea’s KBS 2TV channel in 2004.The filming of the new series will begin in December for possible broadcasting next year, it said.Eli, a member of the South Korean idol group U-Kiss, was cast for the series’ mal
TelevisionOct. 20, 2014
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Seoul fashion is all about wearable and practical designs
Models, designers, fashionistas and celebrities descended on the newly opened Dongdaemun Design Plaza and Park to take note of Korea’s hottest fashion trends for the upcoming 2015 spring-summer season, as the six-day extravaganza of runway shows kicked off Friday.Seoul Fashion Week, a biannual fashion festival in its 15th year, opened to a large crowd from home and abroad with menswear collections on Friday and Saturday. Both top and up-and-coming Korean designers are presenting 85 fashion shows
Arts & DesignOct. 19, 2014
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‘Leviathan’ named best picture at London Film Fest
LONDON (AP) ― Movies about corruption, gang violence, honor killing and war took prizes Saturday as the London Film Festival recognized cinema that confronts the harsh realities of our world. Andrey Zvyagintsev’s “Leviathan,” a tragic satire of small-town Russian corruption, was named best picture. The film, which took the screenplay prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, was praised for its “grandeur and themes” by a jury that included actor James McAvoy and producer Jeremy Thomas. Ukrainia
FilmOct. 19, 2014
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Vinyl ‘renaissance’ boosts British album sales
LONDON (AFP) ― Vinyl records are enjoying a “renaissance” in Britain, the music industry’s trade body said on Friday, with sales for the year on track for their highest result in nearly two decades.Figures from the Official Charts Company showed almost 800,000 vinyl albums have been sold so far this year, already more than last year’s total of 780,674 and nearing the 1 million mark of 1996.“Vinyl enthusiasts are now able to enjoy the renaissance of the format,” said Lynne McDowell, a spokeswoman
PerformanceOct. 19, 2014
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[Herald Review] Seo Taiji induces ’90s nostalgia with lavish ‘Christmalowin’ return
Seo Taiji, one of the country’s most influential musical figures and ’90s icons, finally made his long-awaited return to the music scene with his extravagant live production of “Christmalowin,” the singer’s first concert performance in five years. A view of the lavish stage for Seo Taiji’s “Christmalowin” solo comeback concert held at Jamsil Sports Complex’s Olympic Stadium in Seoul on Saturday. (Seo Taiji Co.)In commemoration of his upcoming ninth full-length album, “Quiet Night,” Seo’s comeba
Oct. 19, 2014
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S. Korean satellite scientist dies
Choi Soon-dalChoi Soon-dal, a pioneer in South Korea’s satellite-building program who contributed greatly to technological development in this field, died of old age late Saturday. He was 83. The scientist, who was an honorary professor at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, received his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Seoul National University and went to the United States to get his master’s at the University of California, Berkeley and his doctorate in electri
PeopleOct. 19, 2014
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[Weekender] Orchestras for all
When the different notes and timbres of as many as 100 instruments combine into a glorious harmony, it is not only those in the audience who feel moved. The musicians and the conductor too feel overwhelmed with the sense of belonging and pride, as well as the spiritual richness of the classical music. This is what the people interviewed by The Korea Herald all said when asked what was it about playing in orchestras that they loved so much. “I have been running my own business. Looking back at al
CultureOct. 17, 2014
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[Weekender] Changing lives through music
Nearly four decades ago, Venezuelan economist and musician Jose Antonio Abreu gathered 11 impoverished children in a parking garage in Caracas and started teaching them classical music.His notion was simple: free music education can lift the children out of poverty and crime, which in turn could tackle social problems plaguing the country.The initiative ― “El Sistema” or the System ― became hugely successful, so far affecting nearly 2.5 million youngsters mostly from low-income backgrounds and p
PerformanceOct. 17, 2014
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[Weekender] Civic orchestras spread love of music
The marching band of the historical Kyungbock High School in Seoul, founded in 1921, was disbanded in 1979 after a complaint was filed that the trumpet sound coming from the window might be a disturbance for the presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae, a few meters from the school. “It was the time when the U.S. President Jimmy Carter was visiting. It was a historical visit,” recalled Kim Hak-myung, 59, one of the former band members. The school reacted to the anonymous complaint by dissolving the
PerformanceOct. 17, 2014
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[Weekender] Young, ambitious and in a gentleman’s game
If one is asked to picture a classical music conductor, it is safe to say that more often than not, the image which immediately springs to mind is that of an older male in a freshly pressed black-and-white tuxedo gently waving a baton.However, thrashing past these outdated stereotypes is 38-year-old maestro Sung Shi-yeon, who is making waves in the classical music world as a notable upcoming, young female conductor.Although her career has only just taken off, Sung has already received a number o
PerformanceOct. 17, 2014
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[Weekender] ‘Real fulfilment comes from being in an orchestra’
As the principal timpanist of the Seoul Philharmonic, Adrien Perruchon stands in the back row, yet provides the orchestra’s heartbeat. The large drums’ deep resonance and gratifying boom plays an essential role in any orchestra. Beethoven loved timpanis for their rich sound and harmonic potential. Asked what attracted the 31-year-old musician to the instrument, he smiled. “You get to play with the orchestra, quite opposite from playing a piano,” he said. “Although the timpani can be played solo
PerformanceOct. 17, 2014
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Transforming centuries-old artistry
Kim Young-jun was a star stock manager in the 1980s and 1990s when the Korean economy was on the rise, registering strong growth. He gave financial advice on TV and radio, and also wrote two books on stock investments. “I was a celebrity in finance,” said Kim. His advice proved worth heeding most of the time. The rule was, he said, invest when others don’t. Then, suddenly, he realized that all his life was built around the hollow world of the stock market. “I felt like I was a robot chasing mone
PerformanceOct. 17, 2014
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Calendar
FestivalTen Million Chrysanthemum Festival: Iksan, North Jeolla Province, invites visitors to one of the biggest chrysanthemum festivals in Korea. At the festival, arrangements of more than 120,000 flowers will be exhibited in a 35,000-square-meter garden in Iksan Central Park and Iksan Jewelry Museum from Oct. 24 to Nov. 2. Crafts and culinary programs will offer a chance to make bracelets and paper crafts and to cook pancakes and cookies using chrysanthemums. For more information, call (063) 8
CultureOct. 17, 2014