SAAR, Bahrain (AP) ― More than 4,000 years ago, Dilmun merchants traveled from Mesopotamia to the Indus River, titans of trade and culture before rise of the empires of the Persians or the Ottomans.Over a millennia, the civilization that Dilmun created on the back of trading in pearls, copper and dates as far as South Asia faded into the encroaching sands. It wasn’t until an excavation by Danish archaeologists in the 1950s that its past was rediscovered.Now, with Bahrain in a deepening political

CultureAug. 5, 2013

World-renowned soprano Sumi Jo will be joined by K-pop group BEAST member Yang Yo-seob at her outdoor concerts to be held in Olympic Park, Seoul, on Sept. 14 and 15.The concert, titled “La Fantasia,” is not a typical classical concert: It will take place at Olympic Park’s 88 Lakeside Stage, where audiences will be able to listen to the coloratura’s lyrical melodies under a moonlit autumn sky. The audience will be able to enjoy an interesting mix of performances by not only prominent classical mu

Aug. 5, 2013

Ever since the Jisan Valley Rock Festival started in 2009, the talk of every summer has been, “Which was better, Jisan or Pentaport?” This summer is no different. Even in the midst of an outpouring of music festivals this summer, Jisan ― now dubbed the Ansan Valley Rock Festival with its new location ― and Pentaport were still two of the biggest festivals to catch. And the debate continued as the two went back-to-back in the last weekend of July and the first weekend of August. There was plenty

PerformanceAug. 5, 2013

LONDON (AFP) ― Scottish actor Peter Capaldi, best known as the abusive spin doctor in satire “The Thick of It,” was on Sunday named as the new eponymous star of cult British series “Doctor Who.”The BBC unveiled the 55-year-old Glaswegian as the 12th Time Lord during a live program on Sunday evening.“Being asked to play the Doctor is an amazing privilege. Like the Doctor himself I find myself in a state of utter terror and delight. I can’t wait to get started,” said Capaldi, who will replace outg

TelevisionAug. 5, 2013

Broadcasting network MBC said it would cancel its long-running children’s show “Popopo,” which had produced many stars and enjoyed steady ratings from young viewers. MBC said it will take the show off the air to promote “change and development of new early childhood education programs.” Since 1981, “Popopo” has aired for 32 years, defending its status as the oldest children‘s program in South Korea. Its popular theme song is also widely known among both children and adults. A number of female ho

TelevisionAug. 5, 2013

The first Korean run of German musical “Elisabeth” last year was enormously successful, sweeping many awards including the Best Musical, at last year’s Musical Awards. The show is back in Seoul in a bigger venue this year ― Seoul Arts Center’s Opera Theater ― starring some of last year’s cast and newly added actors and actresses. Musical actress Ok Ju-hyun, who won the Best Actress last year for her performance in the piece, once again played the beautiful yet unhappy Austrian empress ― “the 19t

PerformanceAug. 4, 2013

TAOS, New Mexico (AP) ―Snow and frigid temperatures didn’t stop thousands of screaming teenagers from crowding into the Washington Coliseum in the nation’s capital for the Beatles first live concert on American soil.And not having a flash didn’t stop photographer Mike Mitchell, then just 18 years old, from using his unrestricted access to document that historic February night in 1964 using only the dim light in the arena.Ghostly shadows and streams of light filled some negatives. With the help o

CultureAug. 4, 2013

NEW YORK (AP) ― Comic and daytime television host Ellen DeGeneres was picked to host the Academy Awards for the second time.Show producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron announced DeGeneres’ selection Friday. The movie awards show will air on ABC on March 2.“There are few stars today who have Ellen’s gift for comedy, with her great warmth and humanity,” the producers said in a statement. “She is beloved everywhere.”DeGeneres quipped: “I am so excited to be hosting the Oscars for the second time. You

CultureAug. 4, 2013

Korean-American singer John Park, who was a semi-finalist on season nine of “American Idol,” and the runner-up of the local singing audition program “Superstar K2,” has announced that he will record a Korean version of his recently released English single “Sipping My Life Away.”“I had been working on my first full album for the past year and a half, and it was my first attempt at writing and composing some of my own songs,” Park announced on his agency’s website. “As the popularity of ‘Sipping M

PerformanceAug. 4, 2013

In honor of the band’s newest album release, “Reel Impulse,” the five rockers of YB Band will be putting on a special three-day garage concert performance from Aug. 30 to Sept. 1 at the Sungsoo-dong Daelim Garage. The “YB Garage Concert ‘Garage Chaos’” is a 19-and-older restricted performance intended to be an all-out loud, hard-core warehouse rock show in celebration of the band’s comeback album. YB Band, also known as the Yoon Do-hyun Band, released its ninth studio album, “Reel Impulse,” on J

PerformanceAug. 4, 2013

JYJ member Kim Junsu is planning to hold an exclusive concert in Sydney, Australia on Sept. 28.The singer’s agency, C-Jes Entertainment, announced that Kim would be performing in Big Top Sydney, a multi-purpose venue capable of holding more than 3,000 people. This will be the star’s first time performing Down Under. Kim, 26, released his sophomore solo album on July 15, receiving rave reviews from within the country as well as abroad. On July 20 he started his Asia tour for the latest album, “In

Aug. 4, 2013

A pop concert to mark six decades since fighting stopped in the Korean War was held near the demilitarized zone on Saturday. Gyeonggi Province hosted the DMZ World Peace Concert on an outdoor stage specially built for the event at Imjingak, about 54 kilometers northwest of Seoul. The concert was broadcast live through YouTube. Kim Jang-hoon, a pop singer well known for holding concerts to promote Korea, directed the gig. BEAST, f(x), Girl’s Day, Ailee, K. Hunter and LUV took the stage. Actors Ah

PeopleAug. 4, 2013

 Anime director Makoto Shinkai, known for his “5 Centimeters Per Second,” is set to unveil his new animated film “The Garden Of Words,” a coming-of-age story that draws upon the sentimental love between a young high-school boy and an older woman.Takao Akizuki, a 15-year-old boy who wishes to be a shoe designer, finds no motivation in life and struggles to pursue his dream. One rainy day, he encounters a mysterious woman at a Japanese garden. The spark in their first encounter lures them to retur

FilmAug. 4, 2013

South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho's box office hit "Snowpiercer" drew more than 2.5 million viewers in the first four days of its opening, a market tracker said Sunday.   The film, starring top Korean actor Song Kang-ho alongside Hollywood thespians Chris Evans, Ed Harris and Tilda Swinton, attracted more than 840,000 viewers on Saturday, bringing the accumulated total to 2,506,969, according to the Korean Film Council.   The number of local cinemas showing the movie also increased from 848 t

FilmAug. 4, 2013

YANGPYEONG, Gyeonggi Province ― Habitually bombarded by stress, feeling pressure from work or school, being trapped in a sea of traffic and constantly blitzed by the chaotic noise of the city are simply some of the unavoidable daily obstacles that the average urbanite experiences in any large metropolitan area. However, with two-thirds of Korea made up of forests, it seems only natural for locals to want to break away from city life and revert back to the laws of nature, seeking out a new life b

TravelAug. 2, 2013

As the number of foreign nationals in Korea ― including Asian workers, tourists and multicultural families ― soars to some 1.5 million, the Korea Forest Service, the nation’s forest policy maker, is preparing to open the first foreigner-friendly national recreational forest in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, next year as part of its forest-based welfare policy for citizens, a senior KFS official said.“The first-of-its-kind national recreational forest, to be named ‘ASEAN Recreational Forest,’ will of

CultureAug. 2, 2013