Most Popular
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US girding for possibility of N. Korea taking most provocative military actions in decade near election: NBC
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Ottogi heir joins family business in US
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[Weekender] 'Blood doesn't make family, love does'
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Arrest warrant issued for embattled popera star Kim Ho-joong
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Austin to attend trilateral talks with South Korean, Japanese counterparts in Singapore: Pentagon
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Test finds kids' accessories from AliExpress, Shein to be tainted with toxic chemicals
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NewJeans' new album sells over 800,000 on release day
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S. Korea completes development of L-SAM defense system
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S. Korea, Japan, China to hold 1st summit in 4 1/2 years to discuss cooperation
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70% of part-timers positive toward robots at businesses
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Did Springsteen kick a hole in the Berlin Wall?
BERLIN (AFP) ― Twenty-five years ago this week, U.S. rock legend Bruce Springsteen played to an estimated 300,000 East Germans thirsting for freedom, a spectacular event that some now argue may have helped topple the Berlin Wall.The anniversary of the July 19, 1988 show in communist East Berlin has prompted a new book, a documentary, talk shows and wide media coverage looking back at what was by all accounts a magical summer night.The Boss arrived in a country where millions were already yearnin
July 15, 2013
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Korea and China aim for perfect harmony
The 110 members of KBS Symphony Orchestra and China National Symphony Orchestra will have a special joint concert this month in both countries. The first performance will be held in Beijing on July 20 at the National Centre for the Performing Arts, which will be followed by the Seoul concert on July 26 at the Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall. The Seoul concert will raise the curtain with Chinese composer Li Huanzhi’s “Spring Festival Overture” under the baton of Li Xin Qiao, principal director of
July 15, 2013
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Could rap lyrics shift after Wayne, Ross mishaps?
NEW YORK (AP) ― Since it began, rap has found ways to offend. Whether for political content, sexual imagery, misogyny, violence or coarse humor, rappers have found themselves having to defend their words on a regular basis, no matter how innocuous ― or extreme.Those defenses have typically been defiant. So it was a bit startling when both Lil Wayne and Rick Ross ― under intense fire over rhymes deemed offensive ― gave mea culpas for their words amid threats of boycotts and a loss of major endors
July 15, 2013
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Roy Kim apologizes for ‘careless remarks’ at concert
South Korean singer Roy Kim on Sunday apologized for remarks during a concert that fans claimed were disrespectful to Jang Bum-joon of band Busker Busker.“I apologize for acting carelessly and causing trouble... From now on, I will be more prudent with my words,” the 20-year-old singer said via Twitter. Kim claimed that he was also a fan of Jang, and that his words had “unintentionally” offended Jang’s fans.Kim held a concert at Yonsei University in Seoul on Saturday, during which he sang a wedd
July 15, 2013
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‘The Scarlet Pimpernel’ gets Korean premiere
Long before the emergence of El Zorro and Batman, there was Sir Percy Blakeney, a wealthy and at times silly Englishman who disguised himself as the elusive “Scarlet Pimpernel” to rescue French aristocrats from death in Revolutionary France.Hungarian-born British novelist Emma Orczy’s (1865-1947) 1905 novel “The Scarlet Pimpernel” is what created the “original hero with a secret identity,” that eventually inspired subsequent and famous literary hero characters such as Don Diego de la Vega, a nob
July 14, 2013
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N. Korean pianist’s quest for musical freedom
If music is a universal language North Korean pianist Kim Cheol-woong found perhaps one of its best uses.On Saturday, Kim illustrated his spoken account of his journey in pursuit of musical freedom with a mix of compositions at a concert at Haechi Hall in Seoul, organized by the Citizens’ Alliance for North Korean Human Rights (NKHR), for which Kim is a cultural ambassador.Kim, who comes from an elite North Korean family, entered the stage exuding modesty and a warm sense of humor.In between pla
July 14, 2013
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Guitarist Shin Joong-hyun to play at Hyundai ‘City Break’ festival
Korean rock legend Shin Joong-hyun will be joining the all-star line-up at this year’s Hyundai Card Super Concert 19 City Break festival in August. Going head-to-head with rival summer music festivals such as Ansan Valley and Incheon Pentaport Rock Festivals, the two-day City Break event will feature the 75-year-old guitarist alongside headliners Metallica, Muse, Iggy and The Stooges and Limp Bizkit. They will be joined by local acts including Jang Ki-ha and the Faces and Kwon Soon-kwan. Shin st
July 14, 2013
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Calendar
Dance“Onegin”: Korea’s Universal Ballet Company is presenting John Cranko’s three-act ballet using Tchaikovsky’s music in an arrangement by Kurt-Heins Stolze. It is based on Alexander Pushkin’s 19th-century novel “Eugune Onegin,” which features the tragic love story of a young, but selfish and arrogant man. Two American Ballet Theater dancers ― Korean-born Seo Hee and Roberto Bolle ― have been invited to perform the leads. Meanwhile, the show on Saturday will be the troupe’s long time principal
July 12, 2013
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Eyelike: Roy Kim’s 1st album showcases soothing vocals
Roy Kim’s 1st album showcases soothing vocals Roy Kim “Love Love Love”(CJ E&M)Roy Kim’s first album, “Love Love Love,” shows off his soft, calming vocals with a mix of gentle acoustic sounds and soft rock. The album includes a total of nine tracks, including “Spring Spring Spring,” which was released in the spring as a single. The title track “Love Love Love” is one of the more fast-paced songs on the album, starting with a simple guitar and voice melody that builds up to a five-instrument ensem
July 12, 2013
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Verdi’s ‘Othello’ makes triumphant Venice return
VENICE (AFP) ― St Mark’s Square in Venice on Wednesday was the spectacular backdrop to a tragic opera in the first open-air performance in 43 years by the famous La Fenice theater ― a new must on the global culture calendar.La Fenice is staging Italian maestro Giuseppe Verdi’s interpretation of Shakespeare’s “Othello, the Moor of Venice” ― with South Korea’s Chung Myung-whun conducting La Fenice’s orchestra and choir.The performance, which coincides with the 200th anniversary of Verdi’s birth, i
July 11, 2013
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Czech Alphonse Mucha’s paintings show modern art’s beginnings
The lavish and decorative paintings of Alphonse Mucha, the master of Art Nouveau, are on exhibit in Seoul for the first time, shedding light on the first era of modern art and its development in the late 19th century. The “Alphonse Mucha: Art Nouveau and Utopia” exhibition at Seoul Arts Center introduces 235 works of Mucha, one of the most celebrated artists in the Czech Republic, which are leading examples of the Art Nouveau style. “Mucha is regarded as an artist known for his decorative poster
July 11, 2013
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Son Seung-yeon: ‘I don’t want to be called only a ballad singer’
Son Seung-yeon, the winner of the debut season of the “Voice of Korea” reality audition program last year, captivated the public with her powerful and wide-ranging vocal skills. Son sang a revamped version of 2NE1’s popular hit “Go Away” during her blind audition, and landed herself a place on iconic singer Shin Seung-hun’s team where she flourished and eventually walked away with the first-place crown. In hindsight, it is almost shocking to imagine that the talented 19-year-old singer nearly th
July 11, 2013
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2 exciting premieres enliven New York ballet season
NEW YORK (AP) ― It may be sweltering summer out there, but the spring ballet season has just officially ended in New York, with the last frothy performances of “The Sleeping Beauty’’ at American Ballet Theater. And while dance fans often seek out the same classics, again and again, this season’s highlights included brand new productions by two of the most exciting choreographers working today: Alexei Ratmansky at ABT and soloist Justin Peck at NYCB. A look back at these and other standout moment
July 10, 2013
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House Concert to feature 65 performances
A nationwide “One Day Festival,” hosted by The House Concert, will hold 65 music performances at 65 venues on July 12. More than 290 big-name musicians will perform classical music, Korean traditional music, jazz, performance art and more. The House Concert is a music appreciation trend that was introduced in Korea when pianist Park Chang-soo, now president of The House Concert, held a recital in his living room on July 12, 2002. Since then Park has organized more than 350 concerts featuring som
July 10, 2013
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Vladimir Urin: Theater visionary with nerves of steel
MOSCOW (AFP) ― Vladimir Urin, the man who was appointed Tuesday as the new Bolshoi Theatre director, is a respected manager who turned a small obscure music theater called Stanislavsky into a must-stop venue for the art scene.The 66-year-old now faces an uphill battle after being placed at the helm of Russia’s historic theater and charged with rescuing its reputation following a string of scandals and infighting of the vast troupe.Urin won respect from colleagues by quietly revamping Moscow’s 90
July 10, 2013
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Like father, like son in art
More than 60 percent of Korean artists earn less than 1 million won ($878) per month, according to government figures. A 2009 Korea Culture and Tourism Institute report shows the average income of artists at 820,000 won and more than 30 percent reporting no income. All in all, pursuing art is a hard task without financial support from others ― more often than not, parents. This doesn’t change unless an artist hits the jackpot or sells works for record prices at auction. In the lifelong journey o
July 10, 2013
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National troupes unveil new programs
It’s been a year since the National Theater of Korea introduced its “repertoire season” system, where the state-run organization announces its troupes’ schedules ahead of the start of its yearly season.A total of seven troupes belong to the NTOK, including the National Theater Company of Korea, the Korea National Ballet, the Korea National Opera, the National Dance Company of Korea, the National Changgeuk Company of Korea, the National Orchestra Company of Korea, and the National Chorus of Korea
July 9, 2013
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Art exhibition pays tribute to baseball hero Park Chan-ho
Park Chan-ho, the first South Korean baseball player to play in Major League Baseball in the U.S., was hailed as a hero during the gloomy days of the Asian economic crisis in the late 1990s. Despite retiring last year, Park still remains a sensational figure in the history of Korean baseball, having won 124 games in the majors during his 19-year professional baseball career.A new art exhibition at Seoul Museum pays tribute to the baseball hero, displaying his game-winning baseballs, uniforms, gl
July 9, 2013
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Mariah Carey hospitalized with shoulder injury
NEW YORK (AP) ― Mariah Carey is in the hospital for a shoulder injury.The pop star’s representative says the singer went to the hospital in New York late Sunday after injuring her shoulder while filming a music video.Her rep adds Monday that “doctors reset her shoulder’’ and that “she is fine.’’Carey was filming a video for a remix version of her song “Beautiful’’ with rapper Young Jeezy. The video was being directed by her husband Nick Cannon.The singer will still perform Saturday with the New
July 9, 2013
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Rain finishes scandal-hit military service
K-pop superstar Rain, or Jung Ji-hoon, was officially discharged from his mandatory military duties on Wednesday after nearly two years of service. The entertainer entered the military in October 2011 and served as a PR officer for the Defense Media Agency. As a celebrity soldier, Rain was caught in a string of controversies during his service that raised the question of whether disciplinary actions would force the entertainment solider to be discharged later than originally scheduled. The milit
July 9, 2013