The largest puppet festival in Korea, the annual Puppet Festival Chuncheon, kicks off on Aug. 9-15 this year. Marking its 25th anniversary, the festival will present 200 performances by 96 teams of puppeteers and puppet theater troupes from Korea and abroad. Seven acclaimed puppet troupes from six countries including Greece, China, Portugal, Bulgaria, New Zealand and Spain are participating in the festival. Greek team Nevma Theatre will feature the bunraku-style (a form of traditional Japanese p

CultureJuly 29, 2013

What was it like to work with Korean director Bong Joon-ho in making a dystopian sci-fi thriller?According to famed British actress Tilda Swinton, it was like “being in a kindergarten.”“What made me decide to be in a Bong Joon-ho film? Bong Joon-ho,” the actress said in a press conference promoting their latest collaboration, “Snowpiercer,” in Seoul, Monday. “Not only his work, but really, the person. We met maybe two years ago and we became friends instantly. And we wanted to play together. I c

FilmJuly 29, 2013

Despite scattered rain showers that forced people to trudge through heavy muddy terrain that was sludgy enough to make some in the crowd lose their shoes, the inaugural 2013 Ansan Valley Rock Festival attracted more than 50,000 rock music lovers in three days and left the crowd screaming for more. The three-day annual rock music fest, which was originally known as the Jisan Valley Rock Festival, relocated its stages to the Daebu Sea Breeze Theme Park in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, for the first ti

PerformanceJuly 29, 2013

A research book by Park Chul, president of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, has been translated into Japanese and published in Japan, the university announced.Park, a prominent scholar of Spanish literature, first wrote in 1986 about Gregorio de Cespedes, a Spanish Jesuit priest, who was the first European on record to land on the Korean peninsula in 1593. He stayed in Korea for about a year. His book, published in both Spain and Korea, led to the establishment of the Cespedes Memorial Hall

PeopleJuly 28, 2013

PYEONGCHANG, Gangwon Province ― The lush green mountains of Daegwallyeong in Gangwon Province are the idyllic setting for the premier summer classical music event that the Great Mountains Music Festival and School, organized by the Gangwon Art and Culture Foundation, has become over the past decade.Saturday evening’s gala concert was a vibrant testimony to how far the festival has come. The 1,300-seat Music Tent, built specifically with the annual music festival in mind, was packed with classica

PerformanceJuly 28, 2013

The popular night time tours of Changdeokgung Palace return in August.The Cultural Heritage Administration and the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation will be hosting “2013 Moonlight Tour at Changdeokgung Palace” from Aug. 21 to Oct. 20.A UNESCO World Heritage site, Changdeokgung Palace is one of the five palaces in Seoul built during the Joseon period. The program includes a walk around the palace while learning fun facts with the help of an expert guide. Afterward, participants will be able to

CultureJuly 28, 2013

Film buffs and music lovers will likely be found in Jecheon, North Chungcheong Province, next month, as this year’s edition of the annual Jecheon International Music Film Festival is just around the corner. Celebrating its ninth edition this year, the upcoming JIMFF will screen 95 music-themed movies, including 11 world premieres.French director Martin Le Gall’s “Pop Redemption” is opening the upcoming edition kicking off on Aug. 14. The film is a comical cinematic portrait of a satanic rock ban

FilmJuly 28, 2013

NEW YORK (AP) ― Jennifer Aniston is dismissing rumors surrounding her upcoming wedding to Justin Theroux and is setting the record straight.The 44-year old actress was promoting her new film, “We’re the Millers,” on Saturday when she told the Associated Press that she and Theroux are doing fine, and have not set a date, postponed their wedding, or argued about where to get married.Aniston and Theroux began dating more than two years ago. They got engaged last summer, but their lack of wedding pl

FilmJuly 28, 2013

BEVERLY HILLS, California (AP) ― A Hillary Rodham Clinton miniseries timed to precede the 2016 presidential election is part of NBC’s effort to create “event” programming that will draw viewers to the shrinking world of broadcast network TV, NBC’s programming chief said Saturday.“We need to be in the event business. I think you’re going to hear that from every broadcast network,” said Bob Greenblatt, NBC Entertainment chairman.The four-hour miniseries “Hillary,” starring Diane Lane as the former

TelevisionJuly 28, 2013

More than 50,000 people gathered in Ansan over the weekend to move to the beat of the 2013 Ansan Valley Rock Festival. The first day on Friday attracted around 19,000 people with headliners The Cure, one of Britain‘s most influential and enduring bands. The group performed for three hours but had the audience lose track of time. Another British group, The xx, marking their first visit to Korea, created a dream-like ambiance with the help of dry ice and their trademark indie sound. The following

PerformanceJuly 28, 2013

One million liters of water, 1,200 chickens, 13,345 eggs, and 4,239 rolls of toilet paper. This is how much an average person consumes during his 78.5 years on Earth, according to “Lifetime Numbers Made by a Person,” an infographics project by Yook Ho-joon. Yook’s work is part of a Sejong Center exhibition titled “BINGO - The Story of Life and Arts from Cuban Refrigerators,” a rare opportunity to enjoy Cuban contemporary art as well as Korean artists’ paintings and installations. While the 15 Ko

CultureJuly 26, 2013

 Pop Music“2013 Ansan Valley Rock Festival”: As Korea’s biggest rock festival, the Valley Rock Festival presents one of the best lineups of big musicians from Korea and abroad such as this year’s headliners The Cure, NiN, Skrillex, the Foals, the XX, My Bloody Valentine, Idiotape, Peppertones and many others. This year’s festival has moved from Jisan Resort to the Daebu Sea Breeze Theme Park. The three-day festival will be held from July 26 to 28. Ticket prices are 120,000 won for a one-day pass

CultureJuly 26, 2013

The Terror LiveCrime. Directed by Kim Byung-woo.Opening Aug. 1Due to an unsavory incident, star anchor Yoon Young-Hwa (Ha Jung-Woo) is pulled from the TV news and is now hosting a radio show. One day during his live show, Yoon receives a phone call threatening to blow up a bridge in Seoul. At first, he takes it as a joke and tells the terrorist to proceed, but soon he realizes that the threat is real. Realizing this could be his one chance to get back to being a newscaster, Yoon broadcasts the p

FilmJuly 26, 2013

Feel the energy in Xia Junsu‘s sophomore album Xia“Incredible”(LOEN Entertainment)Former TVXQ member Xia Junsu’s sophomore solo album “Incredible” is an energetic 12-track record that includes a mix of genres and styles including dance, ballad, neo-soul, R&B and hip-hop. Before the album was even released it created a buzz with the announcement that Puff Daddy’s step-son Quincy Brown would be featuring on the title-track on the album. Indeed, the album does live up to the hype, beginning strong

PerformanceJuly 26, 2013

Screen comedy has taken a decided turn towards the blue in recent years, driven by such runaway raunchy hits as “The Hangover” and “Tropic Thunder.” You can trace the trend back to “Wedding Crashers” or even “There’s Something About Mary,” and the mainstreaming of comic crude has only picked up steam of late.But it’s taken a while for female-centered comedies to catch up in the cursing and crudity.“And it’s about time,” cracks Kristen Wiig, whose “Bridesmaids” (2011) first offered up equal time

FilmJuly 26, 2013