Rockefeller family promotes cultural exchange through art

The name Rockefeller resonates with wealth. In 2016, the oil-rich Rockefeller family ranked 23rd on the Forbes list of America’s richest families with a net worth of $11 billion.What is much less known about the Rockefeller’s is their philanthropic mission to pursue a cultural exchange between Asian and American artists. Wendy O’Neill, a fifth-generation Rockefeller, expressed her wishes to increase philanthropic support for Korean artists at a press briefing held in Namsan Art Center in Seoul,

Nov. 15, 2016

Yoo Duk-hyung receives Rockefeller Award

Yoo Duk-hyung, president of the Seoul Institute of the Arts, has won the John D. Rockefeller III Award for his significant contribution to international understanding of the Asian arts, the college said Sunday. Yoo, the first Korean to receive the award since its founding in 1986, was recognized for his efforts to transform a small theater school into the country’s most prestigious arts academy.  President of Seoul Institute of the Arts Yoo Duk-hyungThe award ceremony is to be held Monday at the

Nov. 13, 2016

[Eye Interview] Rinpoche sheds light on happiness in turbulent times

Frustration is now running deep in South Korea, with the scandal involving President Park Geun-hye and her longtime confidante Choi Soon-sil. Furthermore, uncertainties about the country’s diplomacy and economy are also rising after Republican Donald Trump’s upset win in the US presidential election. The unexpected developments at home and abroad are fueling public anxiety and discontent.However, for Tibetan monk Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, the biggest source of worry is less about the turbulent su

Nov. 11, 2016

Tibetan monk Rinpoche to visit Korea in November

Tibetan monk Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, widely known as “the happiest man in the world,” is scheduled to visit Korea next month after completing a four-year near-death retreat. Rinpoche, born in a small Nepalese village near Tibet, has gained worldwide reputation as a meditation teacher and best-selling author. He is holding several retreats in Seoul from Nov. 4 to Nov. 8 to shed light on how to find meaning in lives. On Nov. 11, Rinpoche plans to give a lecture in Busan to share his experiences i

Oct. 24, 2016

Bill Murray accepts humor prize after gentle roast

WASHINGTON (AP) - In an evening filled with jokes about Bill Murray's elusiveness and quirky personality, it was David Letterman who provided the most touching moment as Murray was honored with the nation’s top prize for comedy.Murray, 66, received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor on Sunday night at the Kennedy Center, joining several other "Saturday Night Live" alumni to win the annual award. After he was presented with a bust of Mark Twain, Murray handed it to a man in the first row of

Oct. 24, 2016

Bae Yong-joon, Park Soo-jin welcome first son

Actor Bae Yong-joon and his wife, singer-turned-actress Park Soo-jin, announced Monday they have welcomed a baby boy into their family.“Park gave birth to a baby boy at a maternity clinic in Gangnam,” Bae’s management agency Keyeast Co. said, referring to an uptown neighborhood in southern Seoul. “Both the mother and baby are healthy.”The two tied the knot in July last year and announced Park’s pregnancy in April. The 44-year-old Bae became one of the first and most successful Korean Wave stars

Oct. 24, 2016

Jeju plays host to Royal Salute Polo Cup

JEJU CITY, Jejudo -- Team Time led by David Ko won the fifth Royal Salute Polo Cup at KPCC on Jejudo on Friday.Team Time beat Team Royal, led by Malcolm Borwick, one of the top professional polo players in the world and former captain of the British national polo team, in a two-day match that ended with Team Time winning 12 to 10 against Team Royal. Ko received the MVP award. Polo is still a relatively unfamiliar sport for many Koreans -- the country’s first polo club opened only in 2010. Since

Sept. 25, 2016

[Contribution] What is Myeongri theory?

Myeongri theory is a philosophy that studies fortunetelling that has been passed down from ancient times in the East. Just as tarot card readings in the West, Myeongri theory in the East reads the combination of the Chinese sexagenary cycle and yin and yang with Five Elements. It teaches that the logos of the universe resides in the earth, that of earth in humans and that of humans in their bright mind. Therefore, since long ago, because humans and nature coexist in Eastern philosophy, people se

Sept. 8, 2016

In world of life coaching, Jen Sincero is the royal badass

NEW YORK (AP) – We’ve got a world of life coaches out there offering a world of inspirational and instructional ways to make our many and varied “journeys” meaningful through self-help.And then there’s Jen Sincero, the sassiest of them all.She curses, she quotes Kirk Cobain and her friend Cynthia (“I'm okay, I’m not okay”) along with lofty authors and philosophers, and she titles chapters of her hilarious, best-selling book “You are a Badass” with things like, “Self-Perception is a Zoo.”With a f

July 21, 2016

Veritas releases first album

Veritas, a Christian music group of Kwangshin University, has released its first full-length album “Psalm 95.” Famed veteran singer Yoon Bock-hee, who debuted in 1967 and was one of the first Korean singers to perform abroad in Vietnam and the U.S., has expressed her strong support for the album. Yoon praised the album, describing the tracks as “God’s will” and a “hymn of youth’s grace that will awaken all the spirits of Korea and the world.”“Psalm 95” contains 11 songs that depict each of the g

July 7, 2016

Winners of 2016 Young Architects Award unveiled

The Culture Ministry announced five winners of the 2016 Korean Young Architects Award on Wednesday. 　The winners were Kim Hyun-seok of June Architects and architect duos Shin Min-jae and Ahn Kee-hyun of AnLstudio as well as Lee Seung-taek and Lim Mi-jeong of STPMJ Architecture.  Lim Mi-jeong (left) and Lee Seung-taek of STPMJ Architecture (Korea Architects Institute) Shin Min-jae (left) and Ahn Kee-hyun of AnLstudio (Korea Architects Institute)　The prestigious architect award established in 2008

June 22, 2016

[Hallyu Power] What it takes to be a K-pop fan

Following four sexual assault claims last week against Park Yoo-chun of boy band JYJ, a group of his fans announced that they will stop supporting the once-beloved celebrity. 　The fans, who were members of a popular online community said in a statement that they felt “deep disappointment and outrage” toward Park, adding that he had “betrayed the trust of 13 years and devoted support.” 　“We will strictly boycott all content or activities related to him,” the statement added. The fans said they wo

June 21, 2016

Longoria asks film grads to use Rita Moreno as guiding light

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Eva Longoria has some advice for new graduates of the American Film Institute: Use Rita Moreno as a guiding light to use myriad points of view.Longoria presented the legendary stage and screen actress with an honorary doctorate of fine arts Wednesday in Los Angeles.“As you go on to write and direct and produce ... rise above caricature, as she does. Create complete and complicated characters, as she does,” Longoria told the audience of students and their family members -- inc

June 16, 2016

Actor Lee Min-ho wins in Weibo Movie Awards

Korean actor Lee Min-ho has been named the most influential Asian film industry figure at a movie awards ceremony hosted by Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter, his agency said Wednesday.Lee was chosen as the “Asian Cinema Pioneer” at the inaugural Weibo Movie Awards Ceremony held in Shanghai on Monday night, MYM Entertainment said.Winners were selected based on an online vote of 100 million Weibo subscribers who are film fans, according to the organizer. Lee Min-ho (Official website)Lee ca

June 15, 2016