Most Popular
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Blinken calls on China to press N. Korea to end its 'dangerous' behavior
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New celebrity-endorsed therapy for face contouring requires only a pair of rubber bands
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Tensions heighten ahead of first president-opposition chief meeting
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Seoul to provide housing subsidy to married couples with newborns
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[Weekender] How DDP emerged as an icon of Seoul
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Rapper jailed after public street fight with another rapper
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Doctor group's incoming head renews call for govt. to scrap medical school quota hike for dialogue
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Woman gets suspended term for injuring boyfriend with knife
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[KH Explains] No more 'Michael' at Kakao Games
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[Music in drama] An ode to childhood trauma
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Using good music to change perceptions
This is the 11th in a series highlighting women and their accomplishments in the various facets of the Korean entertainment industry. ― Ed.Though she’s only been a professional DJ for two years, DJ Navi says she hopes that she and other female DJs can break down current perceptions of women in the DJ world. “I believe all those DJs and myself, we have to break those perceptions. Even my friends who are DJs, we get a lot of that. ‘Oh, they look pretty, but their music isn’t good enough,’” she sai
Aug. 7, 2014
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Vienna chosen to host 2015 Eurovision Song Contest
VIENNA (AFP) ― It is known as the city of music and as a destination for fans of the music of Mozart and Brahms.But now a musical extravaganza of a different variety is making its way to Vienna: the Eurovision Song Contest.Austria was guaranteed to host the 2015 competition after bearded transvestite Conchita Wurst topped the results board earlier this year.But on Wednesday, organizers revealed that the capital Vienna had beaten Graz and Innsbruck to host the show.The competition will take place
Aug. 7, 2014
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Mariah Carey to hold solo concert in October
Globally recognized R&B diva Mariah Carey will return to Korea this fall to hold her first solo concert in Seoul in more than a decade, Yescom Entertainment said Wednesday. Carey is slated to perform on Oct. 8, however, according to officials at Yescom, the exact time and venue for the upcoming concert have not yet been decided. It has been reported that the fall concert will be Carey’s third time in Korea, after her first solo concert performance in 2003 and a short visit in 2009 to promote her
Aug. 7, 2014
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Metal band, rapper latest to drop Israel concerts
WASHINGTON (AFP) ― Thrash metal band Megadeth and hip-hop star CeeLo Green joined a growing list of entertainers Tuesday whose scheduled concerts in Israel have been canceled amid the Gaza crisis.Los Angeles-based Megadeth was due to play in Tel Aviv on Wednesday, but on its website the group said it wasn’t able to secure a guarantee that it could make it.“The band was looking forward to this concert and is disappointed they will not be able to put on the show for their fans, but expects to retu
Aug. 6, 2014
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Chasing the K-pop dream
“Time to get up girls!” The call comes at 6 a.m. as it does every morning, pulling Ray from her bunk bed at the start of another 16-hour day in search of stardom.Ray and the five other young women sharing a small Seoul apartment make up the K-pop band Billion ― which at times can feel like the number of miles they are from achieving their goal.K-pop glamour has conquered much of Asia and beyond, but for every headlining boy and girl band, there are many more like Billion struggling for a break o
Aug. 5, 2014
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Palmer to be Broadway’s first black Cinderella
NEW YORK (AP) ― Like many girls, actress and singer Keke Palmer grew up dreaming of meeting a prince who would whisk her away to a life of love and happiness. In her case, it’s going to happen ― eight shows a week on Broadway. Palmer said she’ll be stepping into the title role in “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella” starting Sept. 9 at the Broadway Theatre. She will become the first African-American to play the part on the Great White Way. “It’s honestly one of those things that I can’t believe
Aug. 5, 2014
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[Herald Interview] Opera singers’ life on stage and off
Soprano Cathleen Kim refrains from talking before performing.Sparing the vocal cords helps not only vocally, given that she has to pull off stratospheric coloratura arias on stage. It also helps her stay focused on the character she has to become. Then as she walks on stage, she feels that something inside her flips the switch that turns her stage persona on. “From the very first step onto the stage, I become a different person. I become the character,” Kim said. The process is very different fo
Aug. 4, 2014
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[Herald Review] Rockin’ in the rain
The sweat-dousing, sauna-like humid weather and Typhoon Nakri’s heavy rains did not top tens of thousands of rock lovers from flocking to Penta Park in Incheon over the weekend to attend the annual Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival. With a near decade-long run, Pentaport is still one of the country’s most attended summer festivals. The three-day event brought around 80 acts this year, including headlining overseas acts Kasabian and Travis as well as local pop rock icon Lee Seung-hwan. English roc
Aug. 4, 2014
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Singer joins hunger strike by Sewol victims’ families
South Korean pop singer Kim Jang-hoon said Monday that he will join a hunger strike by family members of those killed in the Sewol ferry disaster to press politicians for the early parliamentary passage of a special law aimed at determining the cause of the disaster.“I’ll join the hunger strike by the bereaved family members at the Gwanghwamun square from 2 p.m. today,” Kim wrote on his Facebook page.“The special law is for all of us and the country, not just for the bereaved families, but (I do
Aug. 4, 2014
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Met Opera talks halted for financial review
NEW YORK (AP) ― The Metropolitan Opera and unions representing its singers, dancers and musicians agreed Saturday to halt labor negotiations for a week and avoid a threatened lockout while an independent analyst studies the New York City organization’s finances. The Met and the unions agreed to the review at the request of a federal mediator brought in to end the contract dispute, which could disrupt one of the world’s most prestigious cultural institutions. The Met, the American Guild of Musica
Aug. 3, 2014
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Dionne Warwick knows her way to San Jose
SAN JOSE, California (AP) ― In 1968, Dionne Warwick had never been to San Jose and didn’t think much of the song. But after the iconic singer recorded “Do You Know the Way to San Jose?” and the song became a huge hit, the 73-year-old singer says with a laugh that she “cried all the way to the bank.” The catchy tune penned by the songwriting team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David would become her biggest international seller and won Warwick her first Grammy Award in 1968. This week, Warwick is head
Aug. 3, 2014
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Eyelike: Block B may lose identity with new concept
Block B may lose identity with new conceptBlock B“Her”(CJ E&M)The seven members of Block B have returned with the love-themed EP “Her,” which moves away from their typical quirky and upbeat style and instead features cutesy tunes best described as “less macho.”Though the boy band understandably steers in this new direction in a bid to show off its wider musicality and boyish charm, it seems that the new EP potentially tarnishes the group’s established style and core identity ― being silly, energ
Aug. 1, 2014
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Inspiration in a moon jar
The pure simplicity of moon jars from the Joseon period (1392-1910) has inspired generations of Korean artists, including pioneer of abstract art Kim Whanki. Three exhibitions this summer highlight the beauty and value of white porcelain together with the modern artwork inspired by them. Gana Art Center displays seven of 20 remaining moon jars in the world. Moon jars are a type of white porcelain that is more than 40 centimeters tall, and made between the late 17th and 18th centuries. Their simp
July 31, 2014
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Massive Attack dedicates Lebanon gig to Gaza children
BYBLOS, Lebanon (AFP) ― Influential British band Massive Attack dedicated their only Middle East gig to the children of Gaza, openly condemning Israel’s “massacre” of the Palestinians.As the band played in Byblos, in Lebanon, just a few hundred kilometers north of Gaza, swaying music-lovers on Tuesday night held up Palestinian flags as Massive Attack issued a rare, explicit condemnation of Israel’s offensive.In an exclusive interview with AFP, frontman Robert Del Naja said: “This bombardment of
July 31, 2014
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Making music of her own
This is the 10th article in a series highlighting women and their accomplishments in the Korean entertainment industry. ― Ed.When composer Miho first started making music around 17 years ago, she said she was just one of a few women doing so. At times it was difficult. When she would go to a recording studio, no one truly saw her as a composer. But, she said, she didn’t let it get to her.“As a woman composer, it wasn’t difficult to do my job, but it was difficult because of other people. But bac
July 31, 2014
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National Theater unveils season repertory
The state-run National Theater of Korea introduced its repertory system in 2012. It was not an easy process. The theater company put together an entire program of performances in advance, then presented premieres and restaged shows alternately. The system required the theater to increase the number of programs and plan early. It had to give up revenue from lending out the theater space, while taking on the burden of added costs.Despite initial concerns, this innovative approach has started to br
July 30, 2014
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European jazz festival in Sept.
Last year’s inaugural European Jazz Festival in Korea showcased diverse jazz musicians and unique jazz styles from eight European nations.This year, 13 acts from the United Kingdom, Sweden, Switzerland, France, Denmark, Italy, Germany and Norway will once again bring a fresh array of European jazz to Seoul audiences.European Jazz Festival 2014 will take place over three days from Sept. 19-21 at the BBCH Hall at Kwanglim Arts Center in Seoul. Unlike most other music festivals, EJF will be held in
July 30, 2014
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‘Dokdo has a masculine charm’
Acclaimed photographer Kim Jung-man has returned with an exhibition portraying the beauty of Dokdo, the easternmost islets of the Korean Peninsula.He is presenting 55 Dokdo photographs he took from 2012 to 2013 with cooperation and support from the Northeast Asian History Foundation and the Korea Coast Guard. Kim has donated the copyrights of the photographs to the foundation, which will use his works to promote Dokdo as a Korean territory. Kim is well-known for his fashion photography, photos o
July 29, 2014
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Gaga on Bennett duet CD: Jazz comes easier than pop
NEW YORK (AP) ― Lady Gaga is a bonafide pop star, but the singer says recording jazz music was easier than pop. Gaga has spent two years recording an album of jazz standards with Tony Bennett called “Cheek to Cheek,” to be released this fall. “You know, it’s funny, but jazz comes a little more comfortable for me than pop music, than R&B music,” Gaga said in an interview Monday. “I’ve sang jazz since I was 13 years old, which is kind of like my little secret that Tony found out. So this is almost
July 29, 2014
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Under-15 performers banned from working late at night
New legislation aimed at improving long-criticized practices and protocols in the entertainment industry took effect on Tuesday.The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Monday that actors, singers and other performers under the age of 15 are banned from working between the hours of 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. and also more than 35 hours a week.Moreover, private entertainment agencies cannot be established and operated freely any longer. The new legislation requires them to now register with the go
July 29, 2014