‘Rural-20’ sheds light on Korea beyond Seoul

It is estimated that approximately 60 percent of tourists to Korea never leave Seoul. Aiming to expose more tourists to the beauty and cultural richness of Korea’s nonmetropolitan areas, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs has developed the “Rural-20” program for easy travel to these areas and activities offering a taste of rural life. In March 2010, the ministry, after a series of trips and deliberations, announced its list of 20 villages that best represent the country’s rural

TravelSept. 5, 2013

Temple project promises journey of self-exploration

Haeinsa Temple is hosting “Haein Art Project 2013 MAUM” from Sept. 27 to Nov. 10 as a part of the 2013 Tripitaka Koreana Festival, an event that introduces the 800-year-old example of cultural heritage of the Goryeo. A total of 30 teams of artists, including artists from India, Hong Kong, Spain, Italy, and the United States, are participating in the project. The artists’ pieces will be displayed in and around Haeinsa Temple in Hapcheon-gun, South Gyeongsang Province. Artwork will also be exhibit

PerformanceSept. 5, 2013

BoA makes drama debut

K-pop diva BoA is set to put her acting prowess to the test in her first major television drama. Slated to star in KBS’ short, two-episode rom-com “Expect to Date” (working title), this will be the 26-year-old singer’s first small-screen lead. After making a brief cameo appearance in SBS’ “ATHENA: Goddess of War” in 2010, BoA continued to forge a career in television with SBS’ hit music reality show, “K-Pop Star,” earning credibility as a compelling judge in the singing competition.Having establ

TelevisionSept. 5, 2013

Israeli TV drama series wins top prize at Seoul International Drama Awards

Israeli television drama “Prisoners of War” won the grand prize at this year’s Seoul International Drama Awards.The series, originally broadcast on Israel’s Channel 2 from March to May 2010, features three Israeli soldiers who were captured almost 20 years ago while on a mission with their unit in Lebanon. It won the Israeli Academy Awards for Television for Best Drama Series back in 2010.In the hallyu drama section, MBC’s 2012 period horror-romance “Arang and the Magistrate” won the Best Drama

TelevisionSept. 5, 2013

American film co-produced by Koreans competing in Venice

An American eco-thriller coproduced by Koreans has been included in the main competition lineup of the ongoing Venice International Film Festival. Titled “Night Moves,” the film stars American actress Dakota Fanning and actor Jesse Eisenberg in the lead roles. Directed by Kelly Reichardt, it tells the story of three young radical environmentalists who come together and plot to blow up a hydroelectric dam.Two Korean producers, Kim Sae-rom and Kim Sae-mi, participated in the production process of

FilmSept. 5, 2013

Pessl’s strange ‘Night Film’ mesmerizes

Night FilmBy Marisha Pessl (Random)Labeling the films of enigmatic director Stanislas Cordova “scary” is a grotesque understatement. Cordova ― the unseen, menacing, malignant force at the heart of Marisha Pessl’s new novel ― makes movies that are terrifying, catastrophic; they are hypnotic black holes into which viewers plunge and emerge shaken and obsessed.“Maybe your next-door neighbor found one of his movies in an old box in her attic and never entered a dark room alone again,” the prologue s

BooksSept. 5, 2013

‘Year of What Now’ is really a ‘what if?’

The Year of What NowBy Brian Russell (Graywolf)On the surface, Brian Russell’s first book of poems, “The Year of What Now,” seems nothing if not traditional.Winner of this year’s Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference Bakeless Prize, it reads as a confessional, a sequence of reflections by a man whose wife is undergoing treatment for cancer.But if part of Russell’s purpose is to explore the dynamics of a relationship stretched by crisis, there is something else at work here also ― an exploration of genr

BooksSept. 5, 2013

PEN to honor Joan Didion

What do Harrison Ford and Joan Didion have in common? They’ll both be at the PEN Center USA awards dinner in October, where he will present her with the lifetime achievement award. Their connection is personal rather than literary: The actor and author have known each other since 1971, when the not-yet movie star built her beach house.“He was a carpenter,” she explains by phone from New York. “I was happy with his work ― and even happier with his presence in the house because he was a great mora

BooksSept. 5, 2013

Book explores retirement trends in Korea

A recently published collection of academic papers explores retirement trends in the Korean job market, focusing on the impact of forced retirement at a young age ― mid-50s for most workers ― and how it affects individuals. Coedited by scholars Thomas R. Klassen and Yang Yun-jeong, the book, titled “Korea’s Retirement Predicament: The Aging Tiger,” comprises a total of 10 academic papers regarding retirement issues in Korea and overseas, including income security for the elderly, retirement pens

BooksSept. 5, 2013

Messi pays back millions to taxman: reports

MADRID (AFP) ― Barcelona star Lionel Messi and his father paid off 5 million euros ($6.6 million) they owed to the taxman ahead of their court appearance on tax evasion charges, media reported Wednesday.Spanish newspapers citing a ruling by a judge in Gava, near Barcelona, said the Argentine player’s father Jorge Messi deposited the payment, which covers more than 4 million euros in unpaid taxes plus interest, with the court on Aug. 14.Prosecutors accuse the two of defrauding the tax office of i

PeopleSept. 5, 2013

Boryeong Mud Festival to appear in school textbook

The Boryeong Mud Festival will appear in a Korean high school textbook.According to Boryeong City, South Chungcheong Province, Thursday, the festival will be introduced in a high school textbook on social and cultural studies to be edited by Jihaksa Publishing Co. It will be described as one of three flagship provincial festivals of Korea on Page 104, along with the Celadon Festival in Gangjin, South Jeolla Province, and the Rice Cultural Festival in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province. Currently, the mud

PeopleSept. 5, 2013

Koo named to board of national contemporary dance company

Koo Cha-hoon, chairman of the board of directors of the LIG Arts Foundation, on Thursday was appointed a member of the board of directors of the Korea National Contemporary Dance Company, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said. Koo will serve the post for three years. Koo is also the chairman of LIG Investment and Securities, and has been engaged in nurturing the arts in the country including dance. In 2012 he received the Mecenat of the Year award in 2012. In 2007 he received a specia

PeopleSept. 5, 2013

Polanski discusses impact of sex crime conviction

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) ― Director Roman Polanski, in a rare interview published on Thursday, shares his frustrations and feelings about being the object of hatred due to a complicated legal case stemming from a sex crime more than 30 years ago.Polanski, 80, the Polish-French director of films such as “Rosemary’s Baby” and 2002’s Oscar-winning “The Pianist,” pleaded guilty in 1977 to having sex with 13-year-old Samantha Geimer during a photo shoot, fueled by champagne and drugs.In an interview wit

PeopleSept. 5, 2013

BoA makes drama debut

Director gives K-pop diva 75 points for first major television roleBy Jean OhK-pop diva BoA is set to put her acting prowess to the test in her first major television drama. Slated to star in KBS’ short, two-episode, rom-com “Expect to Date” (working title), this will be the 26-year old singer’s first small screen lead. After making a brief cameo appearance in SBS’ “ATHENA: Goddess of War” in 2010, BoA continued to forge a career in television with SBS’ hit music reality show, “K-Pop Star,” earn

TelevisionSept. 5, 2013

Sumi Jo shares talent, life and love with younger fans

Twenty-seven years ago, fledgling soprano Sumi Jo auditioned in front of the legendary maestro Herbert von Karajan, who called her “the voice from heaven.” Her career skyrocketed from then on, and Jo won competition after competition, sang on the stages of world-famous opera halls, and collaborated with internationally acclaimed artists and orchestras. The soprano has a huge following in Korea where people have called her the “People’s Soprano.” Now, Jo is determined to share the love and respec

PerformanceSept. 4, 2013

Malala says books can defeat terrorism at U.K. library opening

BIRMINGHAM, England (AFP) ― Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani schoolgirl shot in the head by the Taliban after campaigning for girls‘ right to an education, said books were “the weapons to defeat terrorism” as she opened a new library in her adopted English city on Tuesday.The 16-year-old gave a speech before unveiling a stainless steel plaque to mark the opening of Europe’s biggest public library, the gleaming new Library of Birmingham.Yousafzai, who was flown to the central English city for surg

PeopleSept. 4, 2013