Makoto Shinkai’s latest work arrives in Seoul

Japanese anime director Makoto Shinkai has a solid fan base in Korea, with his previous works “Voices of a Distant Star” and “Children Who Chase Lost Voices” well received by anime lovers here.To their delight, Shinkai’s latest film is hitting local theaters this week. Titled “The Garden of Words,” the 46-minute film premiered in Korea during last month’s Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival. Tickets for its screening sold out during the festival, and it received positive reviews from bo

FilmAug. 6, 2013

Webcam to broadcast from Andy Warhol’s U.S. grave

PITTSBURGH (AP) ― The Andy Warhol Museum is launching a live video feed from the pop artist’s gravesite to honor his 85th birthday.The project, a partnership with the EarthCam webcam network, was to go live Monday at midnight, the museum said.Warhol museum director Eric Shiner said the project is titled “Figment” because of a Warhol quote in which the artist said, “I always thought I’d like my own tombstone to be blank. No epitaph and no name. Well, actually, I’d like it to say, ‘Figment.’”The s

PerformanceAug. 6, 2013

Hallyu Camp 2013 kicks off in U.S. capital

The King Sejong Center in Washington, D.C., has kicked off its annual Hallyu Camp once again this week, giving young American children the opportunity to immerse themselves in workshops and activities all revolving around traditional and pop culture. The camp is designed to give fans of Korean pop culture a more in-depth understanding of the country and its people. During the five-day program, participants get to experience what it means to be Korean through a variety of interactive workshops, l

Aug. 6, 2013

O2 music fest offers alternative to summer rock circuit

With the summer music festival calendar crowded with large-scale rock events, a new music fest being inaugurated later this month promises a welcome break from the usual ear-splitting sounds of the season. The O2 Nami Island Music Festival 2013 was designed as a two-day summer music festival for those looking for non-rock music performances.Filling the small island with the sounds of folk music and easy-listening classical pieces, the O2 music festival offers music lovers an opportunity to camp

PerformanceAug. 6, 2013

Sharon Stone happily unrecognizable in new role

NEW YORK (AP) ― Actors make physical transformations for roles all the time; it’s what they do. Still, many have found it truly stunning to see Sharon Stone ― who at 55 still looks unnervingly like the sleek, blonde, leg-crossing femme fatale she played two decades ago in “Basic Instinct” ― appear dark, severe, ungainly and nearly unrecognizable in “Lovelace.”“NOBODY recognized her,” says Amanda Seyfried, who plays Stone’s daughter, the “Deep Throat” star Linda Lovelace, in the film that opens F

FilmAug. 6, 2013

PaperTree seeks to heal

Despite debuting nearly two years ago, the members of rock trio PaperTree are still trying to make their mark on the Korean indie scene. After a recent member change, the band is now back to its original founding members ― Song Young-keun on vocals and bass, Kim Tae-hyun on guitar and Lee Ye-chan on drums. “Our name means a tree made with paper. And paper is made from trees, it is like an infinite cycle. We wish the same for our music careers. We get motivation and a purpose to keep pursuing mus

Aug. 6, 2013

New bands get a boost from ‘K-Rookies 2013’

Emerging rock bands PaperTree and OopsNice will take to the stage in the last installment of the “K-Rookies 2013” concert series to be held at Muse Live, a 240-seat entertainment venue at Seoul Olympic Park, southern Seoul, on Aug. 17. This is the third concert featuring new bands, following performances by Je’she and Some Birds on June 22 and Round Heads and South Carnival on July 20. Organized by the Korea Creative Content Agency and launched last year, “K-Rookies” aims to support talented, em

Aug. 6, 2013

Actor’s son accused of sexual abuse

Popular actor Cha Seung-won’s son is to be investigated by police for sexual assault, Seoul Prosecutors’ Office announced on Monday.According to Seoul Prosecutors’ Office, an 18-year-old high-school girl recently filed a complaint against Noah Cha, claiming she was sexually assaulted by the 24-year-old multiple times while held captive in a property owned by his grandfather.The elder Cha offered his apology online on Saturday, saying he felt “responsible” as a father for the situation “regardles

Aug. 6, 2013

Ex-Wonder Girls member Sunmi to make solo comeback

Sunmi, a former member of the K-pop group Wonder Girls, has announced she will be making a comeback as a solo artist. More than three years have passed since Sunmi left the girl group in 2010 to pursue academic studies. She is still affiliated with her original agency, JYP Entertainment, which stated on Monday, “Sunmi is preparing a comeback as a solo artist. Final dates are still being worked out.” According to the agency, Park Jin-young, the agency chief, is going to play a major role in her c

Aug. 6, 2013

MBLAQ to hold first exclusive concert in Mexico

The five-member K-pop group MBLAQ is to hold an exclusive concert in Mexico City on Aug. 8.The concert titled MBLAQ Mexico 2013 will start at 8 p.m. at Mexico City’s Pepsi Center, allowing the country’s fans to see the singers in person for the first time. Arirang TV and Mexico’s biggest broadcasting company Televisa are both covering the concert. During their five-day stay in Mexico, MBLAQ will perform at various venues and make media appearances.MBLAQ’s hit track “Mona Lisa” topped various cha

Aug. 6, 2013

Former KT chief executive takes office as head of Daelim University College

Nam Joong-soo, former chief executive of KT, one of the nation’s major telephone and Internet operators, took office as the new president of Daelim University College in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province, Wednesday. His term is four years. The 58-year-old Seoul native graduated from the business administration department of Seoul National University in 1979, acquired a Ph.D. in management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the U.S. in 1990, and served as president of KTF and KT from 2003

PeopleAug. 6, 2013

Kim Jang-hoon to hold concert in Toronto Oct. 11-12

Pop singer Kim Jang-hoon, famous for activities and donations to promote Korea, is expanding his U.S. concert tour beyond the country. According to his agency Concert World on Tuesday, 5,000-seat concerts have been scheduled for Oct. 11 and 12 in Toronto, Canada. Kim also has been in contact with concert agencies and the Korean communities in Chile, Italy and Britain. He held concerts in Los Angeles, Seattle and New York in May, then returned to Korea to direct the DMZ World Peace Concert, which

PeopleAug. 6, 2013

Pyeongchang Special Music Festival features artists with disabilities

Organized by Special Olympics Korea and Love We Can, a group that specializes in setting up cultural events for those with intellectual disabilities, Pyeongchang Special Music Festival began Tuesday morning for a five-day run through Aug. 10 at Alpensia Resort in Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province. Artists with intellectual disabilities from 12 different countries, as well as mentors and volunteer workers, will join in the festival, bringing 300 participants. The festival will include a wide variety

PerformanceAug. 6, 2013

Lee to mark 1993 initiative with dinner with Samsung staff

Samsung Group chairman Lee Kun-hee will host a dinner at the Shilla hotel on Aug. 16 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of his declaration of the “New Management Initiative.” According to the group on Tuesday, Lee will invite the chief executives and vice presidential-level officials of all its subsidiary companies to the dinner.He will join them at a get-together for the first time in about seven months after his birthday dinner on Jan. 9. During the dinner, Lee will likely look back over the

PeopleAug. 6, 2013

Lee Mi-sook off to new start with Sidus HQ

 Actress Lee Mi-sook has signed a contract with a new entertainment agency, Sidus HQ entertainment.“We will give unconditional support for Lee to continue her work,” said the agency on Tuesday. “We are looking forward to Lee’s active work with us in more various fields.” Lee, along with actresses Lee Bo-hee and Won Mi-kyung, gained popularity in the 1980s. She played numerous roles in TV dramas as well as movies including “Cinderella‘s Sister,” “Untold Scandal” and “Actresses.”“Lee is an actress

TelevisionAug. 6, 2013

[Photo News] Lim Kim to release new album in September

Singer Lim Kim announced Tuesday that she will release her second mini-album as a solo artist next month. “My second mini-album is slated to come out in September. I’m recording it right now, so please look forward to September!” Kim, whose real name is Kim Ye-rim, said via her Facebook page. Mystic89, the 20-year-old singer’s agency, said that Kim is currently putting the finishing touches on her new album. Kim is best known to the public as a member of singing duo Togewol. She and her band mat

PerformanceAug. 6, 2013

Herald Ecofarm launches nation’s first juice detox line

Herald Ecofarm has launched the nation’s first-ever juice detox line, Just Juice Cleanse, which offers customers six different flavors of all-natural juices. The Just Juice Cleanse store opened its doors Monday at the Shinsegae Star Super in Dogok-dong, Seoul. Juice cleansing is quickly becoming a popular trend in detox dieting, where people consume only fruit and vegetable juices for a short period to shed some pounds and help rid the body of toxins.The Just Juice cleansing range is a three-day

FoodAug. 5, 2013