Composer Yoon Il-sang writes requiem for Sewol victims

As the death toll from the ferry accident continues to rise day by day, veteran composer Yoon Il-sang has written a requiem for the victims.“I dedicate this song to the Sewol victims who have passed away ... I pray that they will be happy in the afterlife,” Yoon Il-sang wrote on his Twitter page on Wednesday after unveiling the elegy on his SoundCloud account.“Take Care,” a calm and doleful piano composition, was written, arranged and played by the composer himself.“It was difficult to work on b

April 23, 2014

Dress codes: What should schools limit?

EVANSTON, Illinois (AP) ― They’re called leggings ― popular fashion items that are tight-fitting pants to some, and glorified tights to others. Younger girls often wear them as pants with little fuss. But as those same girls approach middle school, leggings have become a clothing accessory that’s increasingly controversial ― and seemingly, the favorite new target of the school dress code. Some schools have banned leggings outright. Others have set limits. Haven Middle School in Evanston, just no

Arts & DesignApril 23, 2014

London looks to give voice to muted buskers

LONDON (AFP) ― Concerned that London’s seasoned street musicians are being silenced by excessive regulation, mayor Boris Johnson is leading calls for the buskers’ voices, and guitars, to be heard again.Camden Town in north London, with its punks and a main street bristling with “alternative” shops, has long been a favored destination for young visitors. But several months ago, buskers were ordered to silence their instruments by 9 p.m.Some fear that in bowing to the residents’ complaints about n

CultureApril 23, 2014

Magnifying glasses become necklaces, handkerchiefs

As a child, jewelry designer Yoon Hye-rim loved playing with her magnifying glass. “I’ve always been an observer,” she said. “I would use it to observe flowers, insects and other things in nature.”The up-and-coming designer recently launched a brand named “Efluvi,” which offers magnifying glasses in different forms, including necklaces, handkerchiefs, and even paperweights. She is one of the artists-in-residence at Seoul Art Space Sindang, an artist residency program funded by the government at

Arts & DesignApril 23, 2014

CLASH concert to help Justice for N. Korea

Regular expat-Korean charity concert CLASH will run again Saturday, with a show in aid of Justice for North Korea. This is the second CLASH in aid of Justice for North Korea, a non-partisan volunteer organization that helps North Korean refugees escape from China into South Korea and supports them here. JFNK also works with international organizations to push for better human rights conditions in North Korea and raise more awareness of the situation through street campaigns. The opening musical

Expat LivingApril 22, 2014

Lex-i-con to honor ‘self-confessed geek’ killed in road accident

Two events will be held in Itaewon on Saturday in honor of longtime expat Lex Boutilier, who died in a road accident on April 4.An indoor event with a Comic Con feel will be held in the afternoon, followed by a screening of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” and live music in the evening.The Lex-i-con events are being organized by a group of Boutilier’s friends, led by Jacco Zwetsloot, who worked with him at Hongik University.Zwetsloot said he got to know Boutilier through a shared interest in scie

Expat LivingApril 22, 2014

Seoul Global Center opens coworking space

As a one-stop support organization for international residents in Seoul, the Seoul Global Center has been providing a range of services including counseling on daily living, business consultation and cultural and educational programs. There are 400,000 foreign nationals living in Seoul and an increasing number want to start their own business or are seeking opportunities with local companies.Catering to the needs of foreign entrepreneurs, its Biz Lounge recently opened on the sixth floor of the

Expat LivingApril 22, 2014

Domestic operas to highlight festival

Two Korean operas and classic Italian, French and German operas will highlight this year’s Korea Opera Festival set for May 2-June 1. In its fifth year, the monthlong festival will present five stage productions which organizers say will help deepen, broaden and diversify the local opera scene. Two free outdoor concerts, including a closing gala, are planned as part of the festival’s efforts to entice new opera fans. The five works to be presented are Richard Strauss’ “Salome” by Korea Opera Gro

CultureApril 22, 2014

KOFA rediscovers classic Korean film

The Korean Film Archive has rediscovered the original reel of a popular film from the 1960s based on a real-life diary kept by a child from an impoverished household. The film, titled “Sorrow Even Up in Heaven,” enjoyed enormous popularity when it was released in theaters in 1965, drawing 285,000 viewers in Seoul alone. It is the highest-grossing black-and-white Korean film of all time, according to KOFA.Despite its box-office success, the film went missing along with many others produced before

FilmApril 22, 2014

Top stars to hold slew of intimate spring concerts

As the weather begins to brighten and the promise of greener pastures is just around the corner, a handful of popular artists have organized a series of concerts, moving away from the typical overcrowded, flashy K-pop stage settings. Shin Seung-hoon, IU, Lena Park and other stars will be performing a series of intimate concerts on small stages across the city to usher in the spring. Veteran singer Shin, oftentimes dubbed the “King of Ballads” in Korea, has announced that he will be holding a str

April 22, 2014

Actress Han Ga-in pregnant with first child

Actress Han Ga-in, 32, and her husband, actor Yeon Jung-hoon, 36, are expecting their first child after 9 years of marriage.“Han Ga-in is currently pregnant. Yeon is very happy, because it’s their first child after years of marriage,” Han’s agency BH Entertainment said in a statment on Monday. “However, as the nation is in grief over the ferry disaster, the couple notified only their families and relatives of the pregnancy.”According to the agency, “Han will be focusing on prenatal care for the

April 22, 2014

[Herald Interview] ‘Keep English learning fun for kids’

As U.S. President Barack Obama had once pointed out, South Korean’s zeal for education is second to none. But English language education author Patrick Jackson said effort alone is not enough when vying to become a polyglot. For young language learners, the key is to keep the work interesting, enjoyable and connected to the real world. “The amount of content (Korean) students go through in a year is much more than any other place I know, more than possibly anywhere in the world,” he said. “But i

PeopleApril 22, 2014

Leica celebrates 100 years with vintage exhibition and auction

Monochrome gelatin and vintage silver prints of subjects ranging from completely random strangers to some of the world’s most influential politicians were on display at the Coex Convention Center last week to celebrate 100 years of Leica photography. The exhibition was held from April 17-20 and featured some of the German camera company’s most prized possessions, including 50 vintage cameras and 50 iconic Leica photographs. The event featured an array of vivid, artistic photographs of icons like

CultureApril 21, 2014

Bid, Dick, bid: ‘Dick and Jane’ artworks for sale

BROOKLINE, New Hampshire (AP) ― In the portrait, the little boy’s blue eyes twinkle as he looks straight ahead. His apple cheeks shine. There’s a gap in his teeth, and his reddish-brown hair is just slightly tousled. He’s an all-American boy. He’s Dick, of the illustrated “Dick and Jane” series that helped teach generations to read from the 1930s to the 1970s. He’s also Nancy Childress’ childhood neighbor and the model for the drawing by her father, Robert Childress, that along with Jane, Sally,

PerformanceApril 21, 2014

‘Captain America’ tops box office for third week

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― Captain America continues to vanquish box office foes, triumphing in ticket sales for the third consecutive week and dominating over megastar Johnny Depp’s new movie.“Captain America: The Winter Soldier” added another $26 million to its coffers, according to studio estimates Sunday, while Depp’s sci-fi thriller, “Transcendence,” opened in fourth place with $11 million. Directed by longtime Christopher Nolan cinematographer Wally Pfister, the Warner Bros. film is Depp’s third c

FilmApril 21, 2014

‘Landscape of Desire’

A young man follows a middle-aged woman from a distance. She moves through a park in a wheelchair. Once she enters her apartment, she fastens the sturdy door lock tight, making a few blunt clicking sounds. She gets out of her wheelchair and finds a beam of sunlight shining directly into her eyes. The light is reflected off a window in the building across from her apartment block. Behind the window stands the man who was following her through the park. He is tilting the window to point the light

PerformanceApril 21, 2014

[Herald Interview] Indie rapper dreams big

Korean-American rapper Snacky Chan, 33, has always been an independent artist. From his start in the Boston underground hip-hop scene in the late ’90s to his move to Korea in 2008 and up to today, he said he’s never been out to get signed. Instead, he relies solely on himself. “When I first started ― first debuted ― the whole system kind of changed. People were doing stuff independent and building their own fan base, getting on the radio without depending on your label’s backing,” he said in a r

PerformanceApril 21, 2014