Most Popular
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[Exclusive] Korean military set to ban iPhones over 'security' concerns
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Korean, Romanian leaders discuss defense tech, nuclear energy
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S. Korea calls on Japan to confront history amid Yasukuni Shrine visit
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Yoon’s jailed mother-in-law excluded from latest parole list
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Hybe and Min Hee-jin, CEO of Hybe sublabel Ador, lock horns
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[Pressure points] Leggings in public: Fashion statement or social faux pas?
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Korea’s homegrown nanosatellite successfully launches into space
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[Herald Interview] 'Amid aging population, Korea to invite more young professionals from overseas'
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Nicaragua shuts down Seoul embassy
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Rocket engine expert, ex-NASA exec to lead Korea's new space agency
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S.M. to hold global talent audition
Korea’s top entertainment agency SM Entertainment said it would hold overseas auditions for future K-pop stars starting January. Starting Jan. 7 in Daegu, Korea, the auditions will go to 15 cities in five countries including the U.S., China, Canada and Japan, S.M. said. The talent agency has produced many famous musicians and pop groups including Girls’ Generation, Super Junior and f(X), becoming Korea’s largest entertainment firm in the past decade. The auditions are open to anyone and everyone
Nov. 18, 2011
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Demi Moore to divorce Ashton Kutcher
LOS ANGELES (AP) _ Demi Moore is ending her marriage to fellow actor Ashton Kutcher, she told The Associated Press on Thursday.(Ashton Kutcher and his wife Demi Moore, AP)Moore, 49, and Kutcher, 33, were wed in September 2005, but the couple's relationship became tabloid fodder in recent months as r
Nov. 18, 2011
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KOCIS unveils new slogan for 40th anniversary
Korean Culture and Information Service this week announced its new slogan for its 40th year anniversary, which it selected from entries from the public. The slogan reads: “Reaching out Constantly, Resounding Globally!”KOCIS, an affiliate of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, had organized a public contest for the slogan from Oct. 21 to Nov. 3. A total of 297 people, including foreigners, submitted entries.The winning phrase was created by Cho Han-gyeong, 24, from South Chungcheong Prov
Nov. 17, 2011
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Sharon Stone announces 2 new roles
LOS ANGELES (AP) ― Sharon Stone is taking on two very different roles: One in a Linda Lovelace biopic, and another online to welcome returning troops.The 53-year-old actress says she will play Lovelace’s mother in “Lovelace.” But before filming starts, the “Basic Instinct” star has another mission: She’s taking her first steps into the world of social media with a Facebook page that welcomes returning military personnel home from duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.Stone says her page will serve as a c
Nov. 17, 2011
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Two different gay films to arrive on K-film scene
‘Life is Peachy’ and ‘REC’ bring different approaches, styleAfter this year’s success of “Miracle of Jongno Street,” the nation’s first gay-themed documentary, Korea’s film scene sees the arrival of two very different queer films. One is the feature debut of So Joon-moon, one of the four gay men featured in director Lee Hyuk-sang’s documentary released in June. In the non-fiction film, So appeared as a struggling film director who often gets discouraged by social scrutiny of his sexual orientati
Nov. 17, 2011
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Looking back on a dance legend
She was beautiful and talented, but unfortunate. Choi Seung-hee, born in South Korea in 1911, was a leading dancer who introduced modern dance to the nation at a time when modern society was starting to develop. She performed overseas in the late 1930s and was lauded as one of the best dancers in Asia along with India’s Uday Shankar.Despite her talent and pioneering achievements, Choi did not receive much of the spotlight here because she defected to North Korea in 1946 with her husband An Mak
Nov. 17, 2011
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Less than stellar year for charity bazaar
Less than stellar year for charity bazaarBy Yoav CerralboThis year’s SIWA and Diplomatic Community Bazaar received mixed reactions from participants.For some embassies, it was a good year selling most or all of their products with the profits going to charities in Korea.For others, it was a year that did not bear much fruit despite the amount of labor they put into making it a success.Dressed in traditional dress, the women of the Nordic Club sold out of all their homemade bread, chocolates, Chr
Nov. 17, 2011
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Benetton yanks pope-imam kiss ad after protest
VATICAN CITY (AP) _ The Benetton clothing company quickly withdrew an ad featuring a fake photo of Pope Benedict XVI kissing a top Egyptian imam on the lips after the Vatican denounced it as an unacceptable provocation. (Yonhap News) Benetton had said its ``Unhate'' campaign launched Wednesday
Nov. 17, 2011
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Botero sculpture fetches $1.7m in New York
NEW YORK (AP) ― Fernando Botero’s monumental bronze “Dancers” has fetched more than $1.7 million at a New York auction, setting a new record for a sculpture by the renowned Colombian artist.The sculpture, which depicts a couple standing face to face, as if about to start a dance, was made in 2007 and bought directly from Botero.It was acquired at the first session of Christie’s Latin American Art sale on Tuesday, by a private European buyer whose identity was not revealed.The previous record for
Nov. 16, 2011
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Ai Weiwei: Feels like I just paid $1.3m ransom
BEIJING (AP) ― Outspoken Chinese artist Ai Weiwei said Wednesday he feels like he has paid a ransom, after depositing $1.3 million into a government account while he contests a huge tax bill months after being held in police detention.Chinese tax authorities say Ai’s design firm, Beijing Fake Cultural Development Ltd., owes 15 million yuan ($2.4 million) in back taxes and fines. Ai disputes the government’s tax-evasion allegations and says he does not even own the company involved.The guarantee
Nov. 16, 2011
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‘Masters’ gathered at Opera Gallery Seoul
An exhibition of 40 masterpieces by some of the greatest artists of recent times kicks off on Thursday at Opera Gallery Seoul in Cheongdam-dong, southern Seoul. “The Masters” includes works by Claude Monet, Fernand Leger, Alexander Calder, Pablo Picasso, Joan Miro, Marc Chagall, Auguste Rodin, Georges Braque, Andy Warhol, Robert Indiana, Yves Klein, Keith Haring and Tom Wasselman. Opera Gallery is a leading gallery chain which first opened in Singapore in 1994. It has 11 branches all over the wo
Nov. 16, 2011
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Political campaigns a gold mine for late-night comedians
LOS ANGELES ― Earlier this political season, many comedians lamented the absence of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin in the 2012 presidential race, fearing they would never be able to tap an equally rich source of humor in the stable of button-down Republican candidates. Oh, ye of little faith.Perhaps, after Rick Perry’s already infamous debate gaffe of absent-mindedness, “The Daily Show’s” Jon Stewart put it best this week: “Many Republican faithful thought Perry would be the answer to their pray
Nov. 16, 2011
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K-pop wields influence in local stock market
YG, third entertainment agency to be listed on KOSDAQ,attracts 3.6 trillion won in IPOThe recent success of YG Entertainment and other listed Korean entertainment agencies in the stock market is an indicator of the growing influence of Korean pop music at home and abroad, analysts said Wednesday. YG Entertainment drew more than 3 trillion won in its initial public offering this week, receiving bids for 561 times the number of shares allocated to individual investors.The company, which produced p
Nov. 16, 2011
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Court upholds suspended prison term for celebrity over enlistment delay
SEOUL, Nov. 16 (Yonhap) -- A Seoul court on Wednesday rejected a TV celebrity's appeal of his conviction for a deliberate enlistment delay and upheld a suspended jail term handed down earlier this year.Reading a summary of its decision, the appellate division of the Seoul Central District Court said
Nov. 16, 2011
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New generation of music central to Occupy protest
NEW YORK (AP) ― The sound of insistent drumming bounces off the sides of nearby office towers announcing the location of the Occupy Wall Street home base long before its inhabitants are otherwise seen or heard.Turn a corner in Zuccotti Park and you’re likely to run into a drum circle or find someone strumming a guitar. Maybe it’s an amateur trying to keep spirits up, or it could be the real deal ― recording artists such as David Crosby and Graham Nash.Music and musicians are woven into the fabri
Nov. 15, 2011
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Streep shows ‘Iron Lady’ style at film poster launch
LONDON (AFP) ― Meryl Streep showed her credentials for the role as former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher when the launch of the poster for her new biopic “The Iron Lady” went awry in London on Monday.The Oscar-winning actress was supposed to pull on a length of rope to unveil the poster on a mobile billboard atop a truck opposite the Houses of Parliament ― but she broke the rope clean off. Streep, however, in Thatcher-like style was unperturbed. With the help of director Phyllida Lloyd
Nov. 15, 2011
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Pitt muses on acting, growing older
Hollywood star Brad Pitt won’t quit acting at 50, enjoys getting older and will always focus on telling stories that are “significant to our times.” So said the actor during his first visit to Korea on a promotional tour for baseball drama “Moneyball,” Tuesday.“I do not have the exact deadline on my
Nov. 15, 2011
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Best is yet to come: Yang Hyo-joo
After winning Silver Bear in Berlin, young director struggles to once again prove herselfThis is the second of a series of articles on up-and-coming Korean filmmakers. ― Ed.Just about 30 minutes before the interview, director Yang Hyo-joo sends an SMS.“There is a wall on the second floor of the cafe,” it says. “I’m hiding right behind it.”Stepping into the busy cafe in Hannam-dong, southern Seoul, there indeed is a gray wall. The 25-year-old is totally drawn into her own thoughts behind the wall
Nov. 14, 2011
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Lee Ufan returns with ‘vibrating’ blank space
Korean artist holds first solo show at Gallery Hyundai after monumental Guggenheim retrospective in New YorkOnly ten canvases are displayed on the first and second floors of Gallery Hyundai in Sagan-dong, central Seoul, creating a tranquil and somewhat vacant atmosphere. As if adding to the mood, each canvas features only a single square-shaped dot in the signature form of artist Lee Ufan. He made it a point, said the South Korean artist, to put as little as possible in the gallery to maximize t
Nov. 14, 2011
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‘Immortals’ reigns in U.S. with $32 million in opening weekend
LOS ANGELES (AP) ― The gods of ancient Greece have extended their rule to the U.S. weekend box office with a No. 1 debut for the action tale “Immortals.” The story of Greek hero Theseus took in $32 million in the U.S., while Adam Sandler’s comedy “Jack and Jill’’ opened at No. 2 with $26 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.The new movies bumped the animated hit “Puss in Boots” to the No. 3 spot after two weekends at the top. “Puss in Boots” earned $25.5 million, raising its domestic to
Nov. 14, 2011