Six leading entertainers including music producer Lee Soo-man and veteran singer Ha Chun-hwa were awarded cultural medals by the Korean government on Monday in recognition of their contribution to Korean pop culture. Twenty-seven others received commendations by President Lee Myung-bak, the prime minister and culture minister during the award ceremony held at the Korean Pop Concert Hall at Seoul...

Regardless of ethical issues, blogging is not just about time-killing or communication these days. For some, blogs are an easy road to money. Earlier this month, seven “power bloggers” were fined by the Fair Trade Commission for promoting sales of certain products without informing consumers they were receiving commission from companies. Popular blogger Moon Sung-sil’s blog The term power blog...

A touch of sentimental Christmas Kim Dong-Ryul “kimdongrYULE” (Loen Entertainment) He’s finally back. After four years of silence -- which felt like forever for his faithful fans -- singer-songwriter Kim Dong-ryul has returned with a Christmas album that feels happy, sad, lonely and fulfilling all at the same time. Skillfully matching his English name with “Yule,” Kim has created his album w...

Heritage is not the past, but a resource of the future, and so maintaining continuity between the past and the present is important when it comes to urban development, a visiting UNESCO official said Thursday. “Continuity, here, means understanding the past,” Assistance Director-General for Culture of UNESCO Francesco Bandarin told The Korea Herald. “Changes are forced by history … but it is imp...

Kwak Young-jin President Lee Myung-bak named Kwak Young-jin, his former secretary for cultural affairs, as the new deputy minister of culture, sports and tourism Wednesday. Kwak, 54, formerly served as the director-general of the Arts Bureau and the Planning Bureau at the Culture Ministry. Born in Cheongdo, North Gyeongsang Province, Kwak graduated from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. (...

Cover of “K-Pop: A New Force in Pop Music” 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 m...

Girl band 2NE1 (Yonhap News) YG, third entertainment agency to be listed on KOSDAQ, attracts 3.6 trillion won in IPO The 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 publ...

Simon Rattle anticipates intensity, depth in audiences during Berlin Phil’s Seoul performance While 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 mat...

South Korea on Thursday named singer Park Jung-hyun and actor Jang Geun-seok honorary ambassadors for a nuclear security summit in Seoul next year, the Foreign Ministry said. Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan (left) and honorary ambassadors for the 2012 Nuclear Security Forum in Seoul, including singer Park Jung-hyun (right) pose for a photo after an appointment ceremony on Thursday. Foreign Minist...

A pro-North Korean Internet site closed by the government. (Yonhap News) Seoul intensifies watch on pro-North websites, voting of overseas residents Elated by former civic activist and lawyer Park Won-soon’s recent election as Seoul mayor, North Korea is gearing up its offensive to influence the upcoming high-profile elections in South Korea through IT technology and refined tactics, observers ...