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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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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Blinken calls on China to press N. Korea to end its 'dangerous' behavior
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Ship linked to NK arms shipments to Russia is moored in China: State Dept.
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Fans flock to Scranton for ‘The Office’ fete
SCRANTON, Pennsylvania (AP) ― The actors who play Pam, Jim, Dwight and other beloved characters from the popular NBC show “The Office” bade farewell on Saturday to the northeastern Pennsylvania city of Scranton that served as the TV setting for their fictional paper company.The NBC mockumentary about a clan of quirky cubicle-dwellers at the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Co. wraps up May 16 after nine seasons, and a crowd estimated at 10,000 attended a “Wrap Party” in Scranton to show their appr
May 5, 2013
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Calendar
Pop music“Unite all Originals Live with Snoop Dogg”: Snoop Dogg will perform in Seoul for the first time this month. After a trip to Jamaica last year, the rapper revealed his conversion to the Rastafarian movement and announced his rebirth under the name Snoop Lion. The rapper was previously known for his violent lyrics, but shifted his gears from hip-hop to reggae following his conversion. Snoop Lion will perform live at the Olympic Park Soccer Stadium on May 4, along with special guests 2NE1.
May 3, 2013
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Mount Fuji poised to get World Heritage status
TOKYO (AP) ― Japan’s iconic Mount Fuji looks likely to win recognition as a World Heritage site.The Agency for Cultural Affairs issued a notice Wednesday saying Mount Fuji was recommended for World Heritage status by the International Council on Monuments and Sites, a body affiliated with UNESCO.Formal approval is expected in June at a World Heritage Committee meeting in Cambodia.A collection of cultural sites in Kamakura, a scenic town near Tokyo that once was the nation’s capital, were not rec
May 3, 2013
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Celebrated monk implores, ‘Never give up on life’
Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hahn, the author of “No Death, No Fear,” “The Art of Power,” and “The Miracle of Mindfulness,” on Thursday encouraged sufferers of depression, anxiety and stress to never give up on life. “Emotion is just an emotion but we are much larger than emotions. Why do we have to kill ourselves because of such feelings that come and go?” he said at a press conference held in central Seoul on the day. Korea has topped the suicide rankings among OECD countries for the past several
May 2, 2013
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Report shows persistence of TV violence
NEW YORK (AP) ― Violence, gore and gunplay were staples on prime-time television even in the most sensitive period directly following the Newtown school shooting.A study of 392 prime-time scripted programs on broadcast networks shown during the month following Vice President Joe Biden’s January meeting with entertainment industry executives on the topic revealed that 193 had some incident of violence, according to the Parents Television Council. Some are cartoonish ― quite literally, with Homer
May 2, 2013
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New MBC president nominated
The board meeting of the Foundation for Broadcast Culture on Thursday nominated Kim Jong-guk, president of Daejeon MBC, a branch of the nationwide broadcasting network, as the new CEO of the mother company. The foundation holds a 70 percent stake in MBC.Kim, a Korea University graduate, began his career at MBC in 1982 as a reporter. Kim is reported to have received five votes out of the total nine at the board meeting. He previously served as president of Masan/Jinju MBC as well as Gyeongnam MBC
May 2, 2013
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Samsung Group president hosts lunch for CICI speech contest winners
Rhee In-yong, president of Samsung Group, invited the winners of Corea Image Communication Institute’s 2013 speech contest to a luncheon and discussion on cultural topics on Thursday.Rhee and the winners discussed and exchanged ideas about the “Meaning of the success of the Korean wave and new areas of the Korean wave,” “New keyword for 2013 Korea” and “Multicultural Korea.” “Korea is opening up to the world and I hope you will become the bridge between Korea and the outside world,” he said at t
May 2, 2013
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Seo Kyung-duk, Song Il-kook to post makgeolli ad in WSJ
Seo Kyung-duk, a PR expert in promoting Korean culture, said he would post a new ad for makgeolli in the Wall Street Journal later this month.The professor of Sungshin Women’s University in Seoul commented on Twitter on Thursday that “the actor Song Il-kook, who has become a world star thanks to the worldwide success of his drama ‘Jumong,’ will participate in this project.”The ad will be financed by crowdfunding, a method that enlists financial support from ordinary citizens interested in the pr
May 2, 2013
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More and more U.S. women take up arms
FREDERICKSBURG, Virginia (AFP) ― Proudly brandishing a target she had riddled with bullets, 62-year-old Sharon Schaefer could not hide her delight at joining America’s growing number of gun-toting women.“It was fun!” she exclaimed breathlessly, much to the approval of her instructor Teresa Ovalle.“You did a good job, Sharon,” said the former Marine, who had just given the senior citizen a crash course in pistols at the Fredericksburg Range, some 80 kilometers southwest of the U.S. capital.On Thu
May 1, 2013
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Excavation of ‘treasures’ in waters off Jindo to be resumed
A search for Korean cultural properties that may exist on the bottom of the sea off a southwestern island will be resumed as planned on Wednesday after six months of suspension due to low water temperatures, officials said Tuesday. The sea off of Jindo Island’s Oryu-ri is likened to “an underwater treasure trove” as top-quality Goryeo celadon vases and bottles were found in the latest survey conducted last fall by the National Research Institute of Maritime Cultural Heritage.Goryeo is the ancien
May 1, 2013
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[Graphic News] Sungnyemun to open to great fanfare after more than five years of renovation
Sungnyemun, or the South Gate from the Joseon era (1392-1910), will be unveiled to the public on Saturday after 63 months of restoration. A lavish ceremony is planned to mark the return of the National Treasure No.1 in central Seoul. The restoration was the fruit of around 35,000 people’s dedication, from the selection of the best wood and stone to adhering to the most traditional method possible.The Cultural Heritage Administration said it reinforced fireproofing and the fire alarm system since
April 30, 2013
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TV program formats emerge as new hallyu exports
A singer looks into the camera, singing his heart out. The audience is reduced to tears and gives rapturous applause. Still, one of the seven singers must go home. If this sounds all too familiar, it should be. It is part of the MBC hit show “I Am a Singer,” where seven contenders compete to become the “best singer in the nation” ― except now, it is aired in China with a Chinese cast, targeting the Chinese audience. The show, which began airing here in early 2011, caught the attention of broad
April 30, 2013
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Korean artist, groups invited to Edinburgh fest
Three big names in the Korean art world are among the lineup of this year's Edinburgh International Festival, sponsors of the event's Korean programs said Monday.Nam June Paik Art Center, an art museum run by Gyeonggi Province; photographer and media artist Kim Hyung-su and YMAP, a contemporary dance troupe, have been invited to the festival scheduled for Aug. 9-Sept. 1, according to the British Council, one of the sponsors.The provincial government established the art center in 2008 in honor of
April 29, 2013
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Sungnyemun returns after tragic blaze
Sungnyemun is back.After five years and three months of restoration costing 25 billion won ($22.5 million), the National Treasure No. 1, which served as the South Gate of the capital city during the Joseon era (1392-1910), will be open to the public May 5, the Cultural Heritage Administration said Monday. On Saturday, a grand celebration stretching all the way from Sungnyemun to Gwanghwamun Plaza in central Seoul will be held from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., marking the restoration of the gate that was se
April 29, 2013
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Maisky brings Seoul emotional Bach
With his bushy gray hair and Issey Miyake pleated shirts, he seemed more like an ascetic onstage than a musician. But on May 6 Latvian cellist Mischa Maisky will perform his all-time favorite, Suites for Unaccompanied Cello by Johann Sebastian Bach. Sans pianist Martha Argerich ― one of his lifelong musical partners and who was to perform Beethoven, Schubert and Stravinsky with him in Korea but cancelled last week due to a health condition ― Maisky is to feature Bach’s Cello Suite Nos. 1, 3 and
April 29, 2013
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Hallyu fuels Korean language boom abroad
The Asia-wide popularity of Korean TV dramas and pop music known as hallyu has caused a boom in Korean language learning in foreign countries, the culture ministry said Monday.As hallyu has increased people’s interest in Korea and its language, there have been noticeable increases in the number of foreigners taking courses at state-sponsored Korean language institutes abroad or taking the official Korean language proficiency test, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.Starting
April 29, 2013
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Buddhist leaders use technology to reach masses
Yes, South Korea is the most wired country in the world, but the preconceived stereotypes of Buddhist monks living in ascetic, rustic conditions nevertheless do not blend well with smartphones. Yet monks are chatting and texting, and spreading Buddhist teachings, on cell phones everywhere from Dongguk University in the heart of Seoul to the sandy courtyards of mountain hermitages.“This is not an age of happiness but an age of exhaustion and difficulty. But a single text message can give you stre
April 28, 2013
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Feelings of Zoophoria
“So, we are now going to take pictures with a snake. It doesn’t bite and it’s not scary at all!” Kim Dong-ok, a zookeeper at Seoul Children’s Grand Park Zoo, said Monday morning in a classroom inside the tropical animal zone. She was talking to about 50 children from a nearby kindergarten who had come to the park and zoo on a field trip. Slightly anxious and excited, the children let Kim wrap a Burmese python around their necks. While even some teachers, evidently scared, refused the animal, man
April 26, 2013
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K-musicals inspire Japan
Korean musical “Caffeine” marked the grand opening of Amuse Musical Theatre, a performance hall dedicated to musicals in Tokyo, on Thursday. Eight to nine Korean musicals will be presented each year there, paving the way for Korean performance arts to advance into the Japanese market.“Caffeine” is a romantic comedy from Daehagno, the cradle of small-stage theaters in Seoul, that has been widely popular among people in their 20s and 30s. It tells the love story of an ordinary couple who accidenta
April 26, 2013
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Yeonhuipungnyu Theater set to open Friday
A theater dedicated to traditional Korean musical performances will open Friday at the National Gugak Center. Yeonhuipungnyu Theater will host a concert hall called Pungnyu Sarangbang, named after a typical meeting room in traditional Korean houses, and an outdoor theater called Yeonhuimadang, as well as practice rooms. The concert hall with Korean traditional interior features floor seating that can accommodate 130 people. The outdoor theater can seat up to 1,300 people. A special performance w
April 24, 2013