Lee celebrates past, tries anew with 12th album

One of singer Lee Seung-chul’s greatest strengths is his ability to amplify emotion without straining his voice, and make a melody dynamic without using conspicuous technique.Those strengths are out in full force in his 12th album “Time Flies Like an Arrow,” timed to match the 30th anniversary of his debut. The album opens with “Ordeal,” a song about overcoming the hardships of life and growing stronger. The melody has a contemporary Christian music-style majesty to it, with a swelling instrumen

PerformanceMay 25, 2015

[Weekender] Check in to Hotel Korea

Hotels seem to be the best business in Korea to be in right now. Tourism is booming in Korea with a record number of visitors ― of which the Chinese take up nearly half. Last year’s historic milestone of 14 million foreign visitors looks set to be broken this year, as the travel-loving Chinese continue to throng Seoul streets.New hotels are rising in Seoul. Jejudo Island ― once a favorite destination for Korean newlyweds ― has turned into a giant resort development site, as Chinese vacationers s

CultureMay 22, 2015

[Weekender] Korean tradition meets Western hospitality in hanok hotels

In the heart of Jongno-gu, just east of Gyeongbokgung Palace, lies the quaint hillside neighborhood of Samcheong-dong, well-known for its abundance of chic cafes and small gift shops. From offering simple one-room hanok stays to the more sophisticated options of established hanok boutique hotels ― such as the Cheong Yeon Jae Hanok Hotel or the Haeinjung Boutique Hanok Hotel ― this area has been a magnet for tourists looking to regale in the out-of-the-box lodging experience and a taste of past-t

TravelMay 22, 2015

[Weekender] ‘VVIP’ hotel guests ― who stayed where?

When Paul McCartney was planning a visit to Korea for his first concert in Seoul on May 2, he requested his team to find a hotel with a room that comes with a balcony.In the overpopulated business district of Gangnam, a hotel room with a balcony is rare. When everyone was curious where the 72-year-old rock star stayed, his fans on a hunt to spot their star found out that McCartney was staying at the Ritz-Carlton, Seoul, located just 5 kilometers from the concert venue at Jamsil Sports Complex. L

TravelMay 22, 2015

[Weekender] Luxury hotels target local spenders with diverse events

At its core, the function of a hotel is to offer guests a place to stay the night. However, in Korea, luxury hotels are widely known for another function: hosting gatherings of various types and sizes. These events have become an important source of revenue for hotels, which are facing fierce competition from guest houses offering cheaper accommodations and rental services like AirBnB. “If you look at the sales figures, banquets such as conferences and weddings make more than rooms,” said Hannah

TravelMay 22, 2015

[Weekender] App offers cheap lodging, fast booking

Urban dwellers have, at least once, dreamed of taking a spontaneous trip with little or no planning.Kim Ka-young, cofounder of Bonbonlab, the developer of hotel booking application Hotel Now, was one of them.When Kim was in her senior year at a local university, she randomly took a train to Busan without planning what to do and where to stay. She then realized that there was no affordable accommodation available for her that night. She contacted some 20 hotels and hostels, but they demanded a su

TravelMay 22, 2015

Chloe Moretz to star in ‘We Got Married’

American actress Chloe Moretz will star in the Korean mock-marriage TV reality show “We Got Married” opposite Korean singer Eric Nam.“We Got Married” is a popular TV program that matches celebrities ― enacting married couples ― in entertaining scenarios both private and public. Moretz is the first foreign celebrity to take part in the long-running show.Moretz is also due to make an appearance on Korean variety TV program “Saturday Night Live Korea” during her four-day visit to Seoul.“Seoul, you

TelevisionMay 22, 2015

Eyelike: Jang Yi-jeong, Faith No More, Keith Jarrett

Jang Yi-jeong shines alone on History’s 4th EPBy Won Ho-jung History“Beyond the HISTORY”LOEN EntertainmentBoy band History continues the dark, melodramatic mood of their previous song “Psycho” on their 4th EP, “Beyond the HISTORY,” but the only standout voice is that of member Jang Yi-jeong.The album opens with loose vocals over a strong bass line in “Mind Game,” a groovy, medium-tempo song. The intensity shoots up with the title track “Might Just Die,” which wastes no time in bringing in the dr

PerformanceMay 22, 2015

Box Office

Spy (U.S.)Opened May 21Comedy. Directed by Paul FeigWhen a CIA agent falls off the grid, the agency needs to send another agent out into the field. They find a volunteer in an unlikely desk analyst named Susan Cooper (Melissa McCarthy) for an undercover track-and-report mission, but once she arrives on the scene Cooper throws herself into action to stop arms dealer Raina Boyanov (Rose Byrne). Hilarity ensues as Cooper proves that despite what others may think of her, she’s got enough fight in he

FilmMay 22, 2015

Travel Bits

‘Korea Night’ in LAThe Korea Tourism Organization will hold “Korea Night” at LA Dodgers Stadium on June 17 when the Dodgers and Texas Rangers face off in a Major League Baseball match.Korean players Ryu Hyun-jin, a starting pitcher for the LA Dodgers, and Choo Shin-soo, a Texas Rangers outfielder, will participate in the promotion of Korea to the some 50,000 spectators at the stadium, according to the KTO.K-pop girl group 2NE1’s CL will throw the first pitch of the game, and Korean rock singer Y

TravelMay 22, 2015

Around the Hotels

World-class chefs at JW Marriott Hotel SeoulJW Marriott Hotel Seoul will be hosting the Grand Gala Dinner, a collaboration among seven international star chefs, at 7 p.m. on May 28. The chefs are in Korea for this year’s Culinary Art event, a 12-day event running from May 18-30 at the JW Marriott. Professor Han Bok-jin, a master chef of traditional Korean cuisine, will begin the Grand Gala Dinner with a selection of appetizers made with premium ingredients such bamboo shoots and mullet roe. The

FoodMay 22, 2015

Age of transformation

This is the second in the two-part interview with Rem Koolhaas. ― Ed.MILAN ― In an architect’s work, the most important influences are the client and the site, according to Rem Koolhaas. “An architect is nothing without somebody wanting something. We are passive unless mobilized,” he had said at the previous day’s conference on May 2 during the press preview of Fondazione Prada’s new Milan venue which he designed.In the case of his firm’s long-standing relationship with the fashion house Prada,

Arts & DesignMay 21, 2015

N.Flying hopes to bring something new to idol bands

“What sets us apart from previous idol bands is our hip-hop element. We have a stronger beat.”Those were words from Lee Seung-hyub, the leader of FNC Entertainment’s new boy band N.Flying, short for “new flying.” Consisting of a vocalist/rapper front man (Lee Seung-hyub), guitarist (Cha Hun), bassist (Kwon Kwang-jin) and drummer (Kim Jae-hyun), N.Flying naturally invokes thoughts of FNC’s previous band successes FT ISLAND and CNBLUE ― an association that gives the rookie band a boost, but also p

PerformanceMay 21, 2015

[Newsmaker] Steve Yoo asks to be taken back

So, Steve Yoo wants to be taken back into Korea, the country he abandoned 13 years ago to avoid military service. In an interview in Hong Kong late Tuesday night, the ’90s pop star who performed as Yoo Seung-jun ― but is now better known here as a high-profile draft-dodger ― knelt down, shed tears and apologized for his “foolish” decision in 2002 to renounce his Korean citizenship and become a U.S. citizen.The move, made just three months before the scheduled conscription and despite his repeate

PeopleMay 20, 2015

‘Titus Andronicus’ as current as it is classic

Seoul Shakespeare Company will perform “Titus Andronicus” from this month as its annual full production, a play that bears striking echoes of modern issues, despite its age.The play ― chosen to contrast with last year’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” ― follows the cycle of revenge between Roman noble Titus Andronicus and Tamora, the queen of the Goths, in savage detail. One London production last year was so brutal that media reported audience members fainting.The gore was all a bit too “Game of Th

Expat LivingMay 20, 2015