Most Popular
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Blinken calls on China to press N. Korea to end its 'dangerous' behavior
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New celebrity-endorsed therapy for face contouring requires only a pair of rubber bands
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[Weekender] How DDP emerged as an icon of Seoul
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Tensions heighten ahead of first president-opposition chief meeting
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Doctor group's incoming head renews call for govt. to scrap medical school quota hike for dialogue
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Seoul to provide housing subsidy to married couples with newborns
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[Music in drama] An ode to childhood trauma
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'The Roundup: Punishment' becomes fastest 2024 film to top 2 mln admissions
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Rapper jailed after public street fight with another rapper
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New head of doctors' association vows war in case of disadvantage to medical professors
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Pope to meet former Korean sex slaves
Pope Francis is planning to meet with former Korean comfort women on Aug. 18, the last day of his visit to Korea, at a Mass for Peace and Reconciliation at Myeongdong Cathedral in Seoul.“Three of our former comfort women, referred to respectfully as ‘halmoni,’ along with a nurse and a social worker from House of Sharing, received an invitation,” said Ahn Shin-kwon, the director of House of Sharing. Located in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, House of Sharing is a museum and residence for former Korea
July 1, 2014
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Pyeongchang to launch winter classical music festival in 2016
Pyeongchang, the host city of the 2018 Winter Olympics, will launch a winter classical music festival from 2016, said organizers of an annual summer music festival there. Chung Myung-wha and Chung Kyung-wha, sisters and co-artistic directors of the Great Mountains International Music Festival & School, revealed the plan at a press conference in Seoul on Monday. “All I can share with you now is that it will start from 2016,” cellist Chung Myung-wha said. Chung Myung-wha (left) and Chung Kyung-wh
June 30, 2014
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[Weekender] Slow food movement catches on with Koreans
Some people say that dating and eating have one thing in common: They can be fully enjoyed when you take them slow.As far as eating is concerned, Koreans are beginning to discover the virtue of “slow food” ― sustainably produced foods that use regional ingredients adapted to the local environment. With this, locally produced foods are growing in popularity.Jung Sung-hoon, 27, is among those who recently started to take interest in foods that are produced with care and are made with local and sea
June 27, 2014
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[Weekender] Calendar
Dance“Don Quixote”: Following the Korean National Ballet’s staging of “Swan Lake” this past April, the company is gearing up to present it latest production, a resurrection of Marius Petipa’s classical tale of humor, “Don Quixote.” Based on the eponymous novel by Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes, the ballet version first made its premiere more than 260 years ago and has since become one of the ballet world’s most beloved comical productions. “Don Quixote” will run from June 26-29 at the Seoul
June 27, 2014
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Lost in translation?
The year 2011 was a great year for Korean literature abroad. Writer Shin Kyung-sook’s “Please Look After Mom,” originally published in Korean in 2009, achieved international acclaim, a first for a Korean literary work in translation. The following year, Shin received the prestigious 2011 Man Asian Literary Prize, the first Korean and the first woman to receive the prize, which recognizes the best work of fiction by an Asian writer in English or translated into English. After years of disappointm
June 26, 2014
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[Best Brand] JW Marriott Dongdaemun aims to become green hotel
The JW Marriott Dongdaemun overlooks Heunginjimun, one of Seoul’s historic and cultural landmarks.Hotel luxury (downtown) - JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square SeoulThe JW Marriott Dongdaemun is going green by implementing practices that reduce energy consumption, save unnecessary costs and improve air quality. The hotel’s pursuit of green strategies has earned it the LEED certification, an international recognition of the environmental-friendliness of a building. Opened in February, the hotel seeks
June 25, 2014
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[Best Brand] Somerset boasts luxury, location
View of the rooftop swimming pool at the Somerset Palace Seoul hotel in Gwanghwamun, central SeoulServiced residence (International Luxury Premier)- Somerset Palace SeoulLooking for more than just a standard hotel, but also an establishment that offers the comforts of home? Then the premier apartment suites of Somerset Palace Seoul may be just the answer. The hotel is managed by The Ascott Limited, a Singapore-based company that has grown to become the world’s largest internationally serviced re
June 25, 2014
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Diversity highlights musical festival
This year’s Daegu International Musical Festival is bringing shows from countries like Slovakia, Russia and China, reflecting the Korean audience’s growing taste for diversity. Opening this coming Saturday for a 17-day run, the festival will feature a total of 17 musicals, including four foreign works and two multinational (including Korea) ones. Four original Korean shows will get their premieres during the fair, which includes “Wedding Shoes,” a musical about comfort women, Korean women who we
June 25, 2014
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Priests right to speak out on political issues, Vatican bishop says
Catholic churches are entitled to speak out on political and social injustices, a high-ranking bishop from the Vatican said Monday. Speaking at a press conference in Seoul, Bishop Mario Toso, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, stressed that churchmen are obliged to work for the redemption of all mankind, with this redemption including relief from social and political injustices. “The more you love Christ, the harder you work for justice and peace in this world,” he added.
June 23, 2014
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Namhansanseong becomes Korea’s newest UNESCO treasure
The Western Gate. In 1636, after 47 days under siege, King Injo of Joseon walked through this gate to surrender to the Manchu invaders.For a long time, Namhansanseong has been one of Koreans’ favorite spots for hiking, driving and eating out. Nestled in scenic surroundings on the southern outskirts of Seoul and easily accessible by subway, the fortress has been a place to head to break away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Lesser known to its visitors, however, is that the large circular
June 22, 2014
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Korean fortress obtains World Heritage status
Namhansanseong is a mountain fortress on the southern outskirts of Seoul. (Yonhap News)Namhansanseong, a mountain fortress on the southern outskirts of Seoul, has become a UNESCO World Heritage site, joining the ranks of such natural and cultural wonders as Angkor Wat, Machu Picchu and the Galapagos Islands. Representatives of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, currently meeting in Qatar, voted Sunday to inscribe the Korean fortress on the much-coveted list for its “outstanding universal value
June 22, 2014
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Korean mountain fortress wins UNESCO heritage status
An ancient mountain fortress in South Korea made the UNESCO world heritage list, Seoul officials said Sunday.The 38th meeting of the World Heritage Committee that opened a week ago for a 10-day run in Doha, Qata, decided to give World Heritage status to the Namhansanseong mountain fortress in Gwangju, just southeast of Seoul, South Korea's Cultural Heritage Administration said.The inscription brought to 11 the number of South Korean items on the UNESCO list. If North Korea is included, the numbe
June 22, 2014
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[Weekender] Haenyeo up close and personal
Larger-than-life photographs of Jejudo Island’s iconic female divers in wetsuits hang on the walls of the second and basement floor spaces of POSCO Art Museum on Tehran-ro in southern Seoul, the women’s weathered faces bearing witness to a lifetime of struggles with the sea. The photographs are part of “Mother in the Sea, Haenyeo,” an exhibition of 165 works by celebrated photographer Joon Choi, running through July 3.Choi captures the faraway look in the eyes of an aged diver just out of the wa
June 20, 2014
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Lotte Hall to open in 2015 with Seoul Phil concert
Lotte Hall, a classical music hall currently under construction in Jamsil-dong, southern Seoul, will open on Sept. 3, 2015, with a concert by maestro Chung Myung-whun and the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, the chief executive of the hall said Wednesday.The opening will be followed by a four-month music festival, during which the hall will make some necessary adjustments in acoustics and other installations.“From March onward, the hall will be made available to rent for concerts,” Kim Eui-joon sai
June 18, 2014
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A musical treat in store this summer
Musicals of diverse genres, themes and origins await fans this summer, taking the stages of almost all major performing arts venues in Seoul. From a Broadway classic and an Australian drag show getting a Korean premiere to a suspensful thriller and a jukebox show, this season’s musical lineup has something for everyone. Here’s a look at some of the most anticipated shows this season. Broadway classics Andrew Lloyd Webber’s legendary musical “Cats” is back, with an international cast. As in many
June 17, 2014
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Inca trails, French cave vie for World Heritage status
DOHA (AFP) ― Inca trails spanning six countries and a French cave with some of the earliest known paintings are among the sites expected to get World Heritage status at a UNESCO meeting that started Sunday in Doha.Altogether at least 30 natural and cultural sites, including the Arbil Citadel in Iraq’s Kurdistan, are vying to get the United Nations cultural body’s prestigious distinction and add their names to an already 981-strong list.The June 15-25 World Heritage Committee gathering will also
June 16, 2014
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San Francisco ups campaign to win Lucas museum
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ― San Francisco politicians and property groups are rolling out the welcome mat for George Lucas’ collection of American art and movie memorabilia in an effort to keep the “Star Wars” creator from building his proposed museum in Chicago or Los Angeles. Mayor Ed Lee had banners reading “George Lucas, please build your museum in San Francisco for the world to enjoy” hung Friday at both City Hall and the waterfront parcel known as Seawall Lot 330 that the city hopes will be the f
June 15, 2014
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[Weekender] An unlikely love affair with Korean music
When time allows, Hilary Finchum-Sung travels to rural villages on Jindo Island, South Jeolla Province, interviewing elderly people and recording songs that they used to sing in kitchens, on farms or during special occasions like funerals. She is on a self-imposed mission to study and preserve a disappearing musical tradition in Korea which its people don’t seem to care much about. “It (the music) is real. It’s not something performed on stage for an audience,” she said, as she sat down for an i
June 13, 2014
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Calendar
Pop musicUltra Music Festival Korea: The annual Ultra Music Festival, one of the world’s largest outdoor electronica music fests, will be in full swing in Seoul once again. Last summer’s event drew more than 80,000 EDM fans. Like last year, this year’s lineup will include a handful of world famous DJ acts including Steve Aoki, Above & Beyond, Steve Angello and Paul van Dyk. The festival will host its final event as part of its two-day show on June 14 at Seoul Olympic Park’s Olympic Stadium Compl
June 13, 2014
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Big Bang’s Taeyang 112th on Billboard 200 with album “Rise”
Taeyang, a member of K-pop band Big Bang, landed on the Billboard 200 chart on Friday with his new album “Rise.” (YG Entertainment)“Rise” placed No. 112 on the chart, surpassing all the Korean male singers who have made it to the chart before him. Earlier, “Overdose” by the subunit of idol group EXO, EXO-K, was No. 129, the previous highest ranking for a Korean singer.Taeyang also placed first on both the Billboard World Albums Chart, which ranks albums in terms of sales in non-English speaking
June 13, 2014