Most Popular
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Court refuses injunction on medical school expansion
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Why Korean crime stories typically feature nameless, faceless perpetrators
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Debate on 'no-seniors zones' heats up
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Rare mid-May heavy snow warning issued over mountainous areas of Gangwon
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S. Korea, Cambodia forge strategic partnership
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Is NewJeans headed for a long 'break'?
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[KH Explains] Hyundai-backed Motional’s struggles deepen as Tesla eyes August robotaxi debut
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Police raid popera singer Kim Ho-joong's house over hit-and-run suspicions
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Trump may like to 'solve' N. Korean nuclear problem if reelected: ex-official
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New Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office chief vows full-fledged probe into first lady
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Cho Yong-pil to hold concert with indie rock bands
Cho Yong-pil, one of South Korea’s top singers, will showcase his 19th album, “Hello,” as well as many of his previous hits on a monthlong tour. Cho, widely regarded as the representative figure of Korean pop music, will kick off his tour at Seoul Olympic Park’s Gymnastics Stadium on May 31 amid heightened attention to his music following the successful launch of his much-anticipated “Hello” album. The 63-year-old singer will tour Daejeon, Uijeongbu, Jinju and Daegu for a full month.“I started
PerformanceMay 28, 2013
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[Photo News] Actress Hwang Jung-eum wows fans with fashion photos
Fashion magazine Bazaar recently released a series of photos featuring South Korean actress Hwang Jung-eum.Photos courtesy of Bazaar.
Arts & DesignMay 28, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Moon writes Korean film history at Cannes
Korean director Moon Byoung-gon on Sunday won the Short Film Palme d’Or at Cannes International Film Festival, which ran May 15-26, for his film “Safe.” Moon is the first Korean to win the honor.“I am bewildered and didn’t know if I would win a prize,” the 30-year-old director was quoted as saying after the awards ceremony in France. “I am all the more happy to receive this award because I had no expectation that I’d win.”The 13-minute short is described as a grim portrait of a man addicted to g
FilmMay 27, 2013
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Popularity of evening admissions to palace causes headache
More people visited Gyeongbokgung Palace during the five-day night viewing period last week than in any previous year since the event was launched in 2010. But its popularity is a mixed blessing. It not only caused much inconvenience to visitors, but raised some serious public safety issues as well as concerns about how to preserve the cultural heritage site while still keeping it open to large crowds. On Sunday evening during the final hours of the Gyeongbokgung Palace night viewing, a large cr
CultureMay 27, 2013
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KF music festival to encompass world music
From Irish ethnic tunes to Jamaican ska, world music will fill the air of the Hanbit Park outdoor stage in central Seoul June 1-2 as part of “KF Festival 2013 ― The Music of the World.” The festival, hosted by the Korea Foundation, aims to bridge Korea and the world and will focus on showcasing all kinds of music and performances on the stage. The Banana Choir, composed of children from an Indian slum, will open the event on Saturday evening. Their performance is part of a fund-raising project t
CultureMay 27, 2013
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Slush fund probe spreads to CJ E&M vice chairperson
CJ Entertainment & Media vice chairperson Lee Mi-kyung has been added to the list of CJ Group executives under investigation for allegedly establishing slush funds overseas as well as committing acts of tax evasion and fraud. CJ E&M is the widely influential media content division of the food and media powerhouse, which is the country’s 14th-largest business conglomerate.The affiliate is one of the driving forces behind hallyu and it remains to be seen what impact the current probe will have on
FilmMay 27, 2013
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Explicit lesbian love epic wins Cannes top prize
CANNES, France (AFP) ― An audacious lesbian love story featuring hardcore sex, “Blue is the Warmest Colour” by French-Tunisian director Abdellatif Kechiche, won the top prize Sunday at the Cannes Film Festival in a watershed year for gay rights.An all-star jury at cinema’s top showcase led this year by Hollywood director Steven Spielberg crowned the graphically erotic coming-of-age story set in France and clocking in at an epic three hours.In an unusual step, Spielberg awarded the prize to Kechi
FilmMay 27, 2013
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Italian soccer fans boo Psy
Worldwide superstar Psy was booed throughout the performance of his mega-hit “Gangnam Style” during the pregame festivities for the Italian Cup final between AS Roma and SS Lazio Roma at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on Sunday. The event organizers responded to the unexpected crowd reaction by raising the volume of the music, but the audience kept disrupting the performance, shouting their own chants and lighting off small fireworks. Psy seemed embarrassed and shocked for a second but remained pr
PeopleMay 27, 2013
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Ex-KDB Gov. Chung dies
Chung Choon-taik, former governor of the Korea Development Bank, died of old age at Severance Hospital in Seoul on Sunday. He was 80. The Daegu native and Seoul National University graduate served as director-general in charge of foreign exchanges in the Ministry of Finance. In 1978, he became chief executive of Korea Exchange Bank. He then headed the Banking Supervisory Authority, the Korea Development Bank and the Securities Supervisory Board. He is the only two-time chairman of the Korea Fede
PeopleMay 27, 2013
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Hankook Cosmetics founder dies
Lim Kwang-chung, founder of Hankook Cosmetics Co. and Hanbul Cosmetics Co., died of natural causes Sunday at the age of 94.Born in Gaeseong, now in North Korea, in 1919, he started weaving and ginseng businesses after graduating from high school in 1936. During the Korean War (1950-1953) he fled to South Korea, and established Hankook Cosmetics in 1961. He is regarded as one of two first-generation leaders of the Korean cosmetics industry along with Amore Pacific Corp. founder Suh Sung-hwan, wh
PeopleMay 27, 2013
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Comedy show portrays ethnic Chinese Koreans as ‘swindlers’
KBS TV Gag Concert segment "Yellow Sea"A comedy program on the state-run KBS network featured an unflattering portrayal of ethnic Koreans in China, inviting critical comments from viewers. The segment in question is named “Yellow Sea,” which debuted on KBS’ “Gag Concert” Saturday. In the skit, actors play dirt-poor Chinese-Koreans attempting a voice phishing fraud on South Koreans in a satirical fashion. They used a half-baked standard Korean accent to deceive their counterparts, which seemed t
TelevisionMay 27, 2013
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SNL Korea regrets controversial skit on Korean nurses
“SNL Korea,” a weekly comedy show on a cable network, apologized to the Korean Nurses Association on Saturday regarding one of its segments called “The Third Hospital” aired a week earlier.“We feel sorry for what was aired last week,” said Ahn Young-mi and Choi Yil-gu, the two hosts of the show. “There were complaints from the Korean Nurses Association about the way we portrayed nurses in Korea,” added Choi. Ahn also apologized to “all of those who might have been offended by the show.”The contr
TelevisionMay 27, 2013
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Rapper PSY met with boos at Italian Cup final
South Korean rapper PSY has been met with boos and small firework explosions during his performance at the Stadio Olimpico ahead of the Italian Cup final and derby between Roma and Lazio.Organizers responded by raising the volume during PSY's performance of his hit, ''Gangnam Style.''The rapper appeared embarrassed but told fans afterward in Italian, ''I love Italy.''It was unclear if the boos were of a racist nature, although fans for both clubs have come under attack this season for racist cha
PerformanceMay 27, 2013
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'Blue is the Warmest Color' is Cannes' Palme d'Or
The tender, sensual lesbian romance “Blue is the Warmest Color: The Life of Adele” won the hearts of the 66th Cannes Film Festival, taking its top honor, the Palme d'Or.The jury, headed by Steven Spielberg, took the unusual move of awarding the Palme not just to Tunisian-born director Abdellatif Kechiche, but also to the film's two stars: Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux. The three clutched each other as they accepted the award, one of cinema's greatest honors.“The film had a beautiful French
FilmMay 27, 2013
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S. Korean director Moon wins short film award at Cannes
South Korean director Moon Byoung-gon won the top prize for short films for "Safe" at the 2013 Cannes International Film Festival on Sunday. It marks the first time that a Korean film has won an award for a short film at Cannes. "Safe," the winner of the Short Film Palme d'Or, draws a sad portrait of contemporary people through a female college student working part-time at an exchange booth in a gambling parlor and a gambling-addicted man."I'm bewildered and didn't know if I would win a prize. I
FilmMay 27, 2013
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Fragments of biblical treasure are up for sale
JERUSALEM (AP) ― Parts of the Dead Sea Scrolls are up for sale ― in tiny pieces. Nearly 70 years after the discovery of the world’s oldest biblical manuscripts, the Palestinian family who originally sold them to scholars and institutions is now quietly marketing the leftovers ― fragments the family says it has kept in a Swiss safe deposit box all these years.Most of these scraps are barely postage-stamp-sized, and some are blank. But in the last few years, evangelical Christian collectors and in
CultureMay 26, 2013
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Artists seek global audience at Hong Kong’s Art Basel
HONG KONG (AFP) ― Having taken five Volkswagen Beetles and compressed them into spheres, artist Ichwan Noor was always going to grab attention at the inaugural Hong Kong Art Basel.Noor is known in his native Indonesia but is hoping the glittering, champagne-soaked art fair will give him further recognition beyond his home borders.Such are the opportunities that await emerging and lesser-known artists at the fair, which aims to highlight Hong Kong’s growing role as a global arts hub.Soon after th
PerformanceMay 26, 2013
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Eight Korean traditional dance masters to perform together
Dance fans will have a rare opportunity to see masters of eight different forms of Korean traditional dance performing on the same nights at the same venue this week. “Palmujeon,” organized by the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation, will feature eight female dance masters, each with her own unique style specializing in different genres of traditional dance. The 2011 dance event hosted by the foundation, “Nammuyeoljeon,” featured only male dancers. During the two-hour event slated for May 30-31,
CultureMay 26, 2013
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Documentary on Khmer Rouge hell wins award at Cannes
CANNES, France (AFP) ― A documentary on relatives wiped out in the Khmer Rouge’s tyrannical grip on Cambodia in the 1970s earned Cambodian-French director Rithy Panh a major prize at the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday.Entitled “L’Image Manquante” ― “The Missing Picture” in English ― the 95-minute work earned the top award in the festival’s “Un Certain Regard” category, which showcases films by emerging directors.Panh, 49, has been previously singled out for praise for other documentaries on Ca
FilmMay 26, 2013
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KBS bans Lee Hyori’s ‘bad girl’ antics
State-run broadcaster KBS announced on Friday its decision to add Lee Hyori’s recently released “Bad Girl” music video to its list of banned content. Much like Psy’s “Gentleman” music video ― also banned by the station ― where the rapper was intentionally acting as a menace in keeping with the song’s “bad guy” concept, Lee’s video similarly showed the singer committing mischievous acts in portrayal of the single’s intended “bad girl” image. The K-pop singer’s original music video included scenes
PerformanceMay 26, 2013