Most Popular
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[Weekender] Geeks have never been so chic in Korea
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[News Focus] Mystery deepens after hundreds of cat deaths in S. Korea
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[KH Explains] Why Korea's so tough on short selling
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NewJeans members submit petitions over court injunction in Hybe-Ador conflict
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N. Korea says it test-fired tactical ballistic missile with new guidance technology
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‘Kim desperately wanted to denuclearize,’ Moon writes in memoirs
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Actors involved in past controversies return first via streaming service originals
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S. Korea's exports of instant noodles surpass $100m for 1st time in April: data
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Korea set to finalize medical school expansion plans
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US military commander in S. Korea during Gwangju uprising dies
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[Herald Review] ‘Happy End’ to sweet, sorrowful year
The four gentlemen of vocal group Sweet Sorrow have returned with a series of year-end concerts to bring 2014 to a happy end. The year-end concert series, titled “Happy End,” comes less than six months after Sweet Sorrow held its nationwide “Harmony” concert series after its fourth studio album, “For Lovers Only,” was released in June. Though Sweet Sorrow is not part of the mainstream K-pop scene, it still managed to attract thousands of concertgoers to each of its shows, making it one of the mo
PerformanceDec. 23, 2014
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Met Opera credit rating downgraded despite labor deal
NEW YORK (AFP) ― Moody’s on Monday downgraded the credit rating of New York’s Metropolitan Opera, voicing concern over the ability of North America’s largest classical music company to improve its financial profile.The Met, considered among the world’s most prestigious opera houses, in August reached an agreement with labor unions to cut pay and benefits over a four-year period.But Moody’s Investors Service said that the Met had only enough readily available cash at the end of the last fiscal ye
PerformanceDec. 23, 2014
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TVXQ breaks Bon Jovi's record on Japanese chart
South Korean male duo TVXQ set a new record by topping Japan's Oricon weekly albums chart for the fourth consecutive time, the most for a foreign artist in Japan, the group's management said Tuesday.The duo recently topped the Oricon weekly chart with its latest album "With," making it the act's fourth full-length album to top the chart, S.M. Entertainment said.With this, according to Oricon's press release, TVXQ broke the record set by American rock band Bon Jovi, which topped the chart with th
Dec. 23, 2014
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Korean films top 100 mln viewer mark for 3rd year
The annual number of viewers of South Korean movies has exceeded the 100 million mark for the third consecutive year, a government office compiling official box-office data said Tuesday. Homegrown films had attracted 100.19 million viewers as of midnight, which means that an average of two of such films were seen by a person in a country with 50 million people in 2014, the Korean Film Commission said.Leading the success was "Roaring Currents," an epic film that drew an all-time record of 17.6 mi
FilmDec. 23, 2014
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[Herald Interview] Curative powers of the novel
Can the perplexed teenager Holden Caulfield in “The Catcher in the Rye” or the Finch siblings in “To Kill a Mocking Bird” or the scandalous Anna Karenina of the eponymous novel help people cope with mental or emotional problems?The answer is yes for the bibliotherapists Ella Berthoud and Susan Elderkin, who believe that suitable fiction can heal, inspire and transform readers and provide new life perspectives. Bibliotherapists prescribe novels instead of medicine or counseling to cure life’s ail
BooksDec. 22, 2014
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Muslim-friendly restaurant guidebook published
Despite the increasing number of Muslim tourists and expats in Korea, finding decent halal restaurants is a challenge for many Muslims here. The state-run Korea Tourism Organization has released a guidebook on Muslim-friendly restaurants to help Muslims here find halal cuisine more easily. The guidebook, available only in English for now, classifies 118 selected restaurants into five groups according to their degree of Muslim-friendliness. The five groups are halal-certified, self-certified, Mus
TravelDec. 22, 2014
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‘Hobbit’ goes out on top with $90.6 million 5-day debut
NEW YORK (AP) ― While Hollywood continued to wrestle with the fallout of the Sony hacking scandal, the weekend box office offered the solace of a moviegoing truism: Hobbits sell. Peter Jackson’s final installment of his six J.R.R. Tolkien adventures, “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies,” debuted with $56.2 million over the weekend and $90.6 million since opening Wednesday, according to studio estimates Sunday. For an industry reeling from the cancellation of “The Interview” and terrorist
FilmDec. 22, 2014
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Elton John weds after 21 years with partner
WINDSOR, United Kingdom (AFP) ― British pop legend Elton John married long-time partner David Furnish in Windsor on Sunday, the ninth anniversary of their civil partnership, with the singer posting evidence on social media.The 67-year-old singer posted a picture on photo-sharing website Instagram of himself and Furnish in blue suits brandishing a pen as they signed a form.“That’s the legal bit done. Now on to the ceremony!” said the caption.The star-studded ceremony was to take place at their Wi
PerformanceDec. 22, 2014
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Joo-yeon rumored to be leaving Afterschool
Afterschool’s Joo-yeon. (Pledis)K-pop starlet Joo-yeon may be parting ways from the eight-member girl group Afterschool as well as her label Pledis Entertainment, according to news reports that began circulating Monday. Her contract with Pledis is scheduled to expire on Dec. 31 and it was reported that Joo-yeon had no plans to renew her contract with the agency or remain as a member of Afterschool. The reports also said that her last activity with the group will be Afterschool’s upcoming Chinese
Dec. 22, 2014
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Rolling Stone includes 2NE1’s ‘Crush’ in top 20 albums of 2014
Beating out the cream of the crop in pop music such as Pharrell Williams and newcomer Sam Smith, the K-pop idols of 2NE1 have made their mark this year with the album “Crush” named in Rolling Stone’s “20 Best Pop Albums of 2014.” Taking the No. 6 spot on the magazine’s list of the year’s 20 best albums, “Crush” is only the K-pop group’s second full-length album. After its release on Feb. 27, the album went on to shatter a number of records, including becoming K-pop’s biggest selling album in the
Dec. 22, 2014
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2NE1's 'Crush' among this year's 20 best pop albums: U.S. magazine
"Crush," the second full-length album released by South Korea's popular girl group 2NE1, has been chosen among the 20 Best Pop Albums of 2014 by an influential U.S. music magazine, its management said Monday."Crush" ranked sixth on the list recently released by Rolling Stone magazine, which also included albums by global pop stars such as Taylor Swift's "1989," Pharrell Williams' "Girl," Ariana Grande's "My Everything" and Maroon 5's "V," YG Entertainment said.2NE1 is the only Asian act on the l
Dec. 22, 2014
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[Herald Interview] Craftsmanship behind Joseon woodblocks
Kim Gak-han has spent most of his life working with wood, from cabinetmaking to carving ancient texts and drawing on wood plates.“Now that I think about it, I think I was destined to do it,” the craftsman said in his Seoul studio, which was filled with wood plates of different sizes alongside countless handmade cutting tools and chisels. “One beauty of engraving is that you can’t think about anything else while you are doing it. It requires your full attention and there is something therapeutic
CultureDec. 21, 2014
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Jangpangak, the woodblock archive
ANDONG, North Gyeongsang Province ― They say to see the real Korea, one must visit Andong, the home of Korean Confucianism. But even in this historic city, the real gems are hidden far off the beaten track. One such treasure waiting to be discovered is the collection of tens of thousands of woodblocks housed at Jangpangak, a storage facility in a peaceful little town called Seobu-ri. Tucked away at the foot of a hill overlooking the hamlet and a nearby lake, Jangpangak is the depository of the 6
CultureDec. 21, 2014
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[Herald Review] A ballet to bring out the ‘rage’ within
Twenty-five dancers, 70 minutes, 11 frantically energetic scenes and no intermission: “Rage” truly turns classic ballet on its head and gives the poetic dance form a modern, fury-provoking twist. Seoul Ballet Theater’s latest production is not what the general public might expect from a night at the ballet. Unlike a traditional performance, “Rage” is action-packed, nonstop adrenaline with dancers running across and around the stage in a constant state of unrest. The choreography was the brainchi
PerformanceDec. 21, 2014
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9 films advance in Oscars shortlist for best foreign film
LOS ANGELES (AP) ― The list of contenders for best foreign film got a bit smaller Friday as the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences announced the nine features that will advance to the next round of voting. Included are Ruben Ostlund’s patriarchy-skewering avalanche film “Force Majeure” from Sweden, Andrey Zvyagintsev’s “Leviathan,” about a property dispute in a small Russian coastal town, and Pawel Pawlikowski’s Polish drama “Ida,” about a young woman with dreams of being a nun who dis
FilmDec. 21, 2014
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Coelho says Sony hack threatens all
GENEVA (AP) ― Brazilian author Paulo Coelho says the Sony hack threatens us all if society doesn’t enforce important values: our individual and collective freedom of expression and an unwavering refusal to negotiate with anonymous terrorists. The best-selling author said in an interview Friday with The Associated Press that he was prepared to make himself an example ― even if it meant inviting criticism and potential threats ― if Sony Pictures had taken him up on his $100,000 offer for the right
FilmDec. 21, 2014
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Furious at leaks, Madonna releases songs early
NEW YORK (AFP) ― Madonna on Saturday suddenly released six new songs months ahead of schedule, furious that early versions had leaked online in what she had described as “artistic rape.”The songs will appear on the pop icon’s first album in three years, “Rebel Heart,” which comes out in March. The six tracks show Madonna going further in a hip-hop direction and include a collaboration with leading female rapper Nicki Minaj.The Material Girl said she decided to put the songs on sale online after
PerformanceDec. 21, 2014
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Year’s top song is Beyonce, Sia’s ‘Pretty Hurts’
NEW YORK (AP) ― Need a new playlist? Check out the Associated Press’ top songs of 2014 list. Heard them before? Then play them again.1. “Pretty Hurts,” Beyonce: Contemporary music’s top singer and songwriter ― Beyonce and Sia ― join forces to create a song that is heavy, deeply felt, emotional ― but most important, beautiful. “Pretty Hurts,” with its winning accompanying music video, tackles the insecurities anyone and everyone feels, and Beyonce’s rising vocals bring Sia’s words to life.2. “Cha
PerformanceDec. 21, 2014
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[Weekender] The rise of cable TV
On any given Seoul subway train on any ordinary weekday morning, the majority of the passengers are engrossed in texting, reading and watching videos on their smartphones.But the gadgets are not the only difference between them and members of the older generation, who used to read newspapers and books on their way to work. Younger Koreans are increasingly becoming addicted not to prime-time KBS dramas, but also to shows like “Misaeng (Incomplete Life)” by cable network tvN. Viewers with increasi
TelevisionDec. 19, 2014
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[Weekender] Alternative content draws younger viewers
Kim Jun-hyung, a 32-year-old Seoulite, used to think local TV dramas were for “ajummas” ― a Korean term for middle-aged housewives ― until he accidentally watched the first episode of tvN’s “Misaeng (Incomplete Life).” “I could relate to the characters instantly because I am just as overworked as they are,” he said about the popular show, which is about the everyday lives of office workers at a competition-driven trading company. “I loved how there is no romance for some lazy chaebol character w
TelevisionDec. 19, 2014