Most Popular
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Jimin of BTS, actor Song Da-eun suspected to be dating, again
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What's next for the government's push in quota hike?
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Woman falls to death from acquaintance's home after exhibiting ‘unexplained' behaviors
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‘Malice should not undermine the system, social order,’ says Hybe's Bang
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N. Korea says it test-fired tactical ballistic missile with new guidance technology
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N. Korea fires short-range ballistic missiles toward East Sea: JCS
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[Weekender] Geeks have never been so chic in Korea
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Korean firms target EV charging market in US
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Seoul sees further jump in cost of dining out
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Human rights commission urges Korea to raise awareness of LGBTQ rights
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Bayreuth’s ‘Ring’ director pokes fun at audience
BAYREUTH, Germany (AFP) ― Frank Castorf, the controversial German theater director who staged Richard Wagner’s “Twilight of the Gods” at this year’s Bayreuth Festival, poked fun at audience for booing the premiere on Wednesday.When Castorf, the 61-year-old enfant terrible of German theater, took his curtain call at the end of the 6 1/2 evening, he was met with an deafening chorus of boos and whistling from the audience of nearly 2,000 people. Initially, he and his production team stood motionles
Aug. 1, 2013
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Milton Greene slides of Marilyn, others snag $1.8m
NEW YORK (AP) ― Tens of thousands of negatives of Marilyn Monroe and other stars by celebrity photographer Milton Greene have sold at auction for $1.8 million.The archive includes 3,700 negatives and slides of Marilyn Monroe. All the material was sold with copyright.Profiles in History auction house says the highlights included a collection of color transparencies of the Hollywood siren with Laurence Olivier from the movie “The Prince and the Showgirl.’’ It sold for $42,000.A group of transparen
Aug. 1, 2013
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Bringing reggae back
In the land of K-pop, one wouldn’t expect to find a strong following for reggae. However, reggae duo Skull and Haha, both 33, are striving to prove that perception wrong.The husky-voiced reggae artist Skull and funny “Running Man” co-host Haha released their new single “REGGAErilla” on June 27, their latest since the single “2013 First Melody” in January, and “Ya Man” EP in July 2012. They have built up a steady following, holding a guerilla concert in Hongdae, performing on music programs, appe
Aug. 1, 2013
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Boos for Kalashnikovs, crocodiles in Bayreuth’s ‘Siegfried’
BAYREUTH, Germany (AFP) ― Frank Castorf’s new production of “Siegfried,” the third part of Richard Wagner’s monumental “Ring” cycle, drew deafening boos at its premiere late Monday for featuring copulating crocodiles and Kalashnikov rifles.One audience member had to be carried out after collapsing when the opera’s eponymous hero shoots down his opponent Fafner with a machine gun in gang warfare.The program had carried a warning about the use of gunfire in the production, but insisted that specta
July 31, 2013
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‘Written on Skin’: Opera’s new masterpiece
LONDON (AP) ― If opera is a dead art form, somebody forgot to tell George Benjamin.The English composer’s new opera, “Written on Skin,’’ has taken the music world by storm, hailed by critics, embraced by audiences and sprouting up in performance seemingly everywhere.Since its premiere last summer in Aix-en-Provence, France, it’s been staged in London; Amsterdam; Toulouse, France; Vienna, and, most recently Munich, where a sell-out crowd cheered wildly after the last of three performances at the
July 31, 2013
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Korean modern print works on exhibit in Manila
An extensive collection of Korean print works that date from the 1950s to present is on view in Manila as part of Korea’s cultural promotional event taking place throughout Southeast Asia. The art exhibition, “Fifty Years of Korean Contemporary Printmaking,” showcases about 80 prints that illustrate both the artistic heritage and development of Korean printmaking spanning some 50 years at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila. “I am hopeful that the exhibition of ‘Fifty Years of Korean Contemporary
July 30, 2013
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Vienna Boys’ Choir facing serious money problems
VIENNA (AFP) ― The sailor-suited Vienna Boys’ Choir, one of Austria’s best-selling musical exports, is facing serious financial problems, its director warned in a newspaper interview Monday.“The Vienna Boys’ Choir is a well-run institution but financial resources are very scarce,” Walter Nettig told the Die Presse daily.The “Wiener Saengerknaben” and an attached school, with roots going back to the 13th century, is classified as a non-profit association. It relies on income from its many concert
July 30, 2013
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Wagner fest seeks new audiences with ‘pocket’ operas
BAYREUTH, Germany (AFP) ― Mini versions of Richard Wagner’s best-known works are on offer in Bayreuth this year for those who baulk at the prospect of sitting through operas lasting five hours and more.While Wagnerians from all over the world traipse up to Festspielhaus theater built to the composer’s own designs on the town’s Green Hill, children and opera novices can get a taste for his music in slimmed-down arrangements of two of his greatest masterpieces.The Bayreuth Festival’s highly succes
July 30, 2013
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59th Newport Jazz Fest stars Cole, Hancock
PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island (AP) ― Roger Lewis has hauled his baritone saxophone to gigs in far-flung places, from England to Japan to New Guinea. He’s played so many places he’s lost count of precisely where he’s been. But he’s never forgotten Newport.Lewis, a member of New Orleans’ Dirty Dozen Brass Band, returns to Rhode Island’s city-by-the-sea again this weekend for the Newport Jazz Festival, an event he calls “one of the greatest festivals in the world.’’“I remember listening to that Ray Char
July 30, 2013
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Kim Hyun-joong highlights Korean culture in ‘Unbreakable’
In the advent of the release of his third EP album, hallyu star Kim Hyun-joong not only unveiled a new look, but also introduced a new approach of infusing Korean traditional culture with his latest music video, “Unbreakable.” Kim, who became an international sensation thanks to his role in the smash hit Korean drama “Boy Over Flowers,” as well as being the leader of the popular K-pop idol group SS501, released his comeback album “Round 3” on July 22 after nearly two years. Widely known for his
July 30, 2013
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Jordan Matter, dancers combine the sublime with the mundane
Jordan Matter, a New York-based photographer, has been shooting dancers in everyday settings ― out in a park, on a pedestrian walk, in a subway and restaurant. The dancers’ bodies in motion against the mundane backdrops create images that people have never seen before: a man’s body drawn up in the air; a woman jumping a dozen times higher than the average woman does when her boyfriend proposes with an engagement ring. The photographs capture the thrill and adrenaline rush that people desire as t
July 29, 2013
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Troubled Bolshoi seeks to prove stature on London tour
MOSCOW (AFP) ― Russia’s legendary Bolshoi Ballet next week begins a tour to London seeking to show it remains one of the greatest dance companies in the world, despite a season plagued by scandal and the attack on its artistic director.Since the Bolshoi’s first tour to London at the height of the Cold War in 1956, visits to the British capital have been a major calling card and a showcase for its talents.“In Moscow, we are one of the theaterss that people visit. But in London, people have been w
July 29, 2013
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British rain conquers N.Y.
NEW YORK (AFP) ― New Yorkers have been queueing in droves ― sometimes in sweltering temperatures ― for the novel experience of walking through rain without getting wet.The chance comes courtesy of Rain Room, a novel installation by British art collective Random International, at the Museum of Modern Art.Sophisticated motion sensors in the the 460-square-meter space ensure the downpour stops only in the precise position where people are detected.The creators say the set-up affords visitors the se
July 29, 2013
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Ansan Valley Rock Festival goes out with a bang
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
July 29, 2013
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Classical music festival brings Nordic cool to Gangwon
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
July 28, 2013
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Russian conductor takes Bayreuth by storm
BAYREUTH, Germany (AFP) ―Russian conductor Kirill Petrenko received standing ovations at the end of the second installment of Frank Castorf’s new production of Richard Wagner’s “Ring” cycle at the world-famous Bayreuth Festival on Saturday.The 41-year-old maestro is making his debut in the legendary Festspielhaus theater on the town’s fabled Green Hill this season.And he seems already to have won the hearts of the ultra-critical Wagnerians after just two nights, with his alert, transparent and s
July 28, 2013
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Ansan rocks to The Cure, The xx
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
July 28, 2013
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Eyelike: Feel the energy in Xia Junsu‘s sophomore album
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
July 26, 2013
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Fatboy Slim, Porter Robinson to headline Global Gathering
The Global Gathering dance and electronica music event welcomes the scene’s most recognizable names every year. The first-round lineup of this year’s Korea concert, themed “Dance, Right Now,” will feature rave music superstar Fatboy Slim and American DJ and producer Porter Robinson. Fatboy Slim, aka Norman Cook, is a British DJ, rapper and music producer who has been a pioneer in the EDM scene since the ’80s. Cook first made a name for himself in the U.K. as the bassist for the rock band The Hou
July 26, 2013
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U.S. producer Jones partners with CJ E&M on K-pop
Prominent U.S. music producer Quincy Jones teamed up Thursday with a South Korean entertainment company to help promote Korea’s K-pop stars globally.“I feel like there is a very strong connection between Korea and the U.S.” Jones said after signing a deal with CJ E&M, one of South Korea’s biggest entertainment firms.The deal was signed between Jones, known for producing hit songs such as “We Are the World” and “Thriller” with legendary American singer Michael Jackson, and CJ E&M’s music division
July 26, 2013