Ven. Jinje (center) heads to the main sanctuary with other monks after being elected the new spiritual leader, or Jongjeong, of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism on Wednesday. (Yonhap News) Ven. Jinje was elected as the new spiritual leader of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, Wednesday. The 77-year-old succeeds Ven. Beobjeon and will serve for five years as the 13th Jogye Order spiritual ch...

Boy band releases travel book on Spanish city As drivers of K-pop fever abroad, SHINee had long regarded hotel room service as the “best foreign food.” That’s all they ever got a chance to eat overseas thanks to their tight touring schedules. After taking “a real trip” to Barcelona as travel authors and tasting the dishes on offer outside their hotel rooms, three of the group say they are now q...

Cover for “K-Drama: A New TV Genre with Global Appeal” The Korean Culture and Information Service published “K-Drama: A New TV Genre with Global Appeal” this week as its third publication in a series designed to help foreigners better understand Korean pop culture. The full-color book explains in detail the history of Korean dramas, how the shows began to receive attention overseas, how they st...

Founder of French culture society Paquet receives presidential citation In a world where communication and interaction are becoming very important, a country like Korea can be an excellent tool in making more people meet and more nations interact with one another, the founder of France-based Korean culture society “The Korean Connection,” said. “I have many goals in mind with the Korean Connect...

KTO lists mid-price hotels around country An affordable hotel room with a good view and prompt service is a must for many a traveler. “Benikea,” an abbreviation of “Best Night in Korea,” is a list of Korea Tourism Organization-affiliated hotels with branches in Seoul, Busan, the southern provinces of Jeolla and Gyeongsang, Jeju Island and more. KTO introduced the budget hotel brand with the go...

Grammy award-winner and UNESCO Artist for Peace Jo Sumi will perform for some 500 VIP guests at the Reach Out To Asia gala dinner in Qatar on Monday. The Korean soprano was to be accompanied by former U.S. President Bill Clinton, designers Pierre Cardin and Donna Karan, singers Cher and Bryan Adams in the 4th ROTA event, which also features a charity auction to help children and teenagers. Kore...

The issue 11 cover of “Batman.” (AP-Yonhap News) NEW YORK (AP) ― Comic book industry pioneer Jerry Robinson, who helped create Batman sidekick Robin the Boy Wonder and their arch-nemesis The Joker, has died at age 89. An editor and friend, Charles Kochman, said Robinson was different from most artists in the field because he worked on every kind of comic genre, from political cartoons to theate...

Actor Patton Oswalt attends the premiere of “Young Adult” at the Ziegfeld Theatre on Dec. 8 in New York. (AP-Yonhap News) NEW YORK (AP) ― Shooting a love scene with Charlize Theron would be a dream come true for many actors, but for Patton Oswalt, who co-stars with the Oscar-winning actress in the new movie “Young Adult,’’ the experience was “a nightmare.’’ “Why do I have to be in my underwear ...

Kazakhstan duo JAM performs an encore after winning the performance section grand prize during the 2011 K-pop World Festival on Wednesday. (Yonhap News) 21 teams from 16 countries compete in Changwon CHANGWON, South Gyeongsang ― A petite singer from the Philippines and a duo from Kazakhstan won the grand prizes at the 2011 K-pop World Festival Wednesday, where 10 teams from all over the world p...

A bookshelf located in Hainaim Publishing building, in Seogyodong, Seoul, which is widely-known and admired among book gluttons. (Hainaim Publishing Co. Ltd.) ‘Readers want a bit of extravagance — art, even’ Judging a book by its cover is not a behavior worthy of a wise person ― or so the old saying goes. But for the growing number of trendsetters out there, the way a book looks is just as impo...