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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Botero sculpture fetches $1.7m in New York
NEW YORK (AP) ― Fernando Botero’s monumental bronze “Dancers” has fetched more than $1.7 million at a New York auction, setting a new record for a sculpture by the renowned Colombian artist.The sculpture, which depicts a couple standing face to face, as if about to start a dance, was made in 2007 and bought directly from Botero.It was acquired at the first session of Christie’s Latin American Art sale on Tuesday, by a private European buyer whose identity was not revealed.The previous record for
PerformanceNov. 16, 2011
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Ai Weiwei: Feels like I just paid $1.3m ransom
BEIJING (AP) ― Outspoken Chinese artist Ai Weiwei said Wednesday he feels like he has paid a ransom, after depositing $1.3 million into a government account while he contests a huge tax bill months after being held in police detention.Chinese tax authorities say Ai’s design firm, Beijing Fake Cultural Development Ltd., owes 15 million yuan ($2.4 million) in back taxes and fines. Ai disputes the government’s tax-evasion allegations and says he does not even own the company involved.The guarantee
PerformanceNov. 16, 2011
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English-language guide to K-pop published
The Korean Culture and Information Service published “K-Pop: A New Force in Pop Music” this week amid growing K-pop fever overseas. The 93-page pocket book, the second volume in the K-Culture series, explains in detail the history of K-pop, how K-pop began to make a splash overseas, where the phenomenon might be headed and also introduces some of the most popular K-pop artists. Korean pop was strongly influenced by Western pop music, diversifying through many stages of copying, translation and i
BooksNov. 16, 2011
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‘Masters’ gathered at Opera Gallery Seoul
An exhibition of 40 masterpieces by some of the greatest artists of recent times kicks off on Thursday at Opera Gallery Seoul in Cheongdam-dong, southern Seoul. “The Masters” includes works by Claude Monet, Fernand Leger, Alexander Calder, Pablo Picasso, Joan Miro, Marc Chagall, Auguste Rodin, Georges Braque, Andy Warhol, Robert Indiana, Yves Klein, Keith Haring and Tom Wasselman. Opera Gallery is a leading gallery chain which first opened in Singapore in 1994. It has 11 branches all over the wo
PerformanceNov. 16, 2011
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Fantasy fuels hope: Vikas Swarup
‘Slumdog Millionaire’ author and Indian diplomat shares thoughts on writing, his country“Slumdog Millionaire,” the 2008 mega-hit adaptation of Vikas Swarup’s debut novel, is the ultimate feel-good movie. The film depicts how an orphan from an Indian slum with a painful past wins a fortune on a TV game show. High-flying Indian diplomat Vikas Swarup, whose 2005 debut novel “Q & A” later became the basis of the multiple Oscar-winning movie, admitted that the story may only be a fantasy. But althoug
BooksNov. 16, 2011
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Political campaigns a gold mine for late-night comedians
LOS ANGELES ― Earlier this political season, many comedians lamented the absence of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin in the 2012 presidential race, fearing they would never be able to tap an equally rich source of humor in the stable of button-down Republican candidates. Oh, ye of little faith.Perhaps, after Rick Perry’s already infamous debate gaffe of absent-mindedness, “The Daily Show’s” Jon Stewart put it best this week: “Many Republican faithful thought Perry would be the answer to their pray
TelevisionNov. 16, 2011
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K-pop wields influence in local stock market
YG, third entertainment agency to be listed on KOSDAQ,attracts 3.6 trillion won in IPOThe recent success of YG Entertainment and other listed Korean entertainment agencies in the stock market is an indicator of the growing influence of Korean pop music at home and abroad, analysts said Wednesday. YG Entertainment drew more than 3 trillion won in its initial public offering this week, receiving bids for 561 times the number of shares allocated to individual investors.The company, which produced p
TelevisionNov. 16, 2011
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Fabric made from milk folds like silk, washes like cotton
HANNOVER, Germany (AP) ― Wear Milk? Anke Domaske says why not.The 28-year-old German is the designer of an award-winning new textile made entirely from milk that’s environmentally friendly as well as soothing to people with skin allergies. Called “Qmilch,” it drapes and folds like silk, but can be washed and dried like cotton.The biochemist and fashion designer has so far only used the fabric to make dresses for her own MCC fashion line. But next year Domaske has plans to begin mass producing ―
Arts & DesignNov. 16, 2011
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Huge ‘Sun Drop’ diamond fetches $10.9 million at auction
GENEVA (AFP) ― A 110-carat yellow jewel called the Sun Drop Diamond, considered the biggest of its kind in the world, sold for 10 million Swiss francs ($10.9 million) at auction in Geneva, Sotheby’s announced Tuesday.“Ten million francs (10.91 million dollars) Sold!,”said Sotheby’s David Bennett before about 150 people gathered for the sale at a luxurious Geneva hotel.The sale price was slightly less than the estimations of experts who had valued the yellow diamond at between 11 and 15 million d
Arts & DesignNov. 16, 2011
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Pioneering British designer celebrates life’s work
LONDON (AFP) ― Legendary British designer Terence Conran, whose products and retailing style transformed the interior design industry, on Tuesday launched a London exhibition charting his 60-year career.Conran, 80, an artschool drop out, began making furniture in the 1940s and his modern and affordable home designs have been credited with bringing British homes out of post-war gloom.He became a household name in Britain after he founded revolutionary retailer Habitat in 1964.Habitat’s low-cost,
Arts & DesignNov. 16, 2011
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Michelin chefs cook up Korean ingredients
Michelin star chefs cooked up fusion dishes using Korean sauces such as doenjang (fermented soybean paste), ganjang (soy sauce) and gochujang (hot pepper paste) on Wednesday at the opening of the charity event “Taste of Star Chefs.” South Korean chef Edward Kwon, the host of the event, has invited six celebrity chefs to his restaurants in Seoul. The chefs will create special menus using Korean ingredients at LabXXIV in Cheongdam-dong from Nov. 17 to Dec. 16, and The Mixed One in Hannam-dong from
FoodNov. 16, 2011
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Court upholds suspended prison term for celebrity over enlistment delay
SEOUL, Nov. 16 (Yonhap) -- A Seoul court on Wednesday rejected a TV celebrity's appeal of his conviction for a deliberate enlistment delay and upheld a suspended jail term handed down earlier this year.Reading a summary of its decision, the appellate division of the Seoul Central District Court said
TelevisionNov. 16, 2011
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Giant yellow diamond auctioned for over $10.9M
GENEVA (AP) — The Sun-Drop Diamond of South Africa, a giant pear-shaped yellow gem weighing 110.3 carats, has sold for more than $10.9 million at auction Tuesday, beating previous records for a jewel of its type.Including commission the unidentified telephone bidder paid almost $12.4 million f
Arts & DesignNov. 16, 2011
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Chelsea Clinton hired by NBC News
NEW YORK (AP) ― Chelsea Clinton began work at NBC News on Monday, the second daughter of a former president at the network.NBC said it had hired the 31-year-old Clinton to work on projects for “NBC Nightly News” and Brian Williams’ newsmagazine, “Rock Center.” She will report stories for the feel-good “Making a Difference” series.The only child of former President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is pursuing a doctorate at Oxford and working for the Clinton Foundation a
PeopleNov. 15, 2011
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New generation of music central to Occupy protest
NEW YORK (AP) ― The sound of insistent drumming bounces off the sides of nearby office towers announcing the location of the Occupy Wall Street home base long before its inhabitants are otherwise seen or heard.Turn a corner in Zuccotti Park and you’re likely to run into a drum circle or find someone strumming a guitar. Maybe it’s an amateur trying to keep spirits up, or it could be the real deal ― recording artists such as David Crosby and Graham Nash.Music and musicians are woven into the fabri
PerformanceNov. 15, 2011
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Author Achebe turns down Nigeria honor ― again
LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) ― The author of the internationally acclaimed novel “Things Fall Apart” and other works examining the political failures and corruption of oil-rich Nigeria has rejected a national honor for a second time over what he says are the country’s failings.Chinua Achebe’s decision to turn down the ceremonial title that he would have received Monday brought a curt reaction from Nigeria’s government, which has long tried to portray the country as a properly developing democracy with a
BooksNov. 15, 2011
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‘Two different types of music will tell one story’
Simon Rattle anticipates intensity, depth in audiences during Berlin Phil’s Seoul performanceWhile preparing two very different symphonies by two very dissimilar composers, maestro Simon Rattle hoped to tell just one story; a story in which the audience and the orchestra become one and feel the same air. “On stage, you feel the atmosphere immediately. It is not the matter of sound, but the matter of the intensity of the audience,” Rattle, the star conductor of Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, said
CultureNov. 15, 2011
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Streep shows ‘Iron Lady’ style at film poster launch
LONDON (AFP) ― Meryl Streep showed her credentials for the role as former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher when the launch of the poster for her new biopic “The Iron Lady” went awry in London on Monday.The Oscar-winning actress was supposed to pull on a length of rope to unveil the poster on a mobile billboard atop a truck opposite the Houses of Parliament ― but she broke the rope clean off. Streep, however, in Thatcher-like style was unperturbed. With the help of director Phyllida Lloyd
FilmNov. 15, 2011
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Timberlake ‘stoked’ and moved at Marine Corps ball
WASHINGTON (AFP) ― Singer-turned-actor Justin Timberlake made good on his promise to accompany a female corporal to a U.S. Marine Corps ball after she invited him on YouTube and says he was “moved” by the experience.The Hollywoood star said on his website he was honored and “stoked to be there” with Corporal Kelsey DeSantis, a blonde martial arts competitor who asked Timberlake to Saturday’s event in Richmond, Virginia.“I knew I would have an evening that I wouldn’t forget ... Something I could
PeopleNov. 15, 2011
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Recounting Joseon’s expat scandals
The Royal Asiatic Society will take a walk on the wild side in its next lecture. Robert Neff will use Tuesday’s presentation to talk about the more sordid side of Korea’s first Western residents. His lecture will detail death threats and embezzlement due to gambling debts, alcoholic missionaries and loose women.The talk runs from 7:30-9 p.m. at the Residents’ Lounge in Somerset Palace near Anguk Station in Seoul. Admission is free for society members and 5,000 won for non-members.(paulkerry@hera
Expat LivingNov. 15, 2011