Bringing Korean sounds to SXSW

K-pop is no longer limited to idol groups and their synchronized dance moves to upbeat music: The term has broadened to encompass all genres of music from Korea. “You will be surprised to know that Korean rock is very popular in the U.S.,” said Bernie Cho, president of DFSB Kollective, a pioneer in introducing Korean indie music to the United States, during an interview with The Korea Herald on April 6.Having just returned from the U.S. where he had introduced a team of Korean musicians to SXSW

PerformanceApril 10, 2015

Box Office

The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them (U.S.), Opened April 9Drama. Directed by Ned Benson. Conor Ludlow (James McAvoy) and Eleanor Rigby (Jessica Chastain) are a young couple living in New York. They fall in love, and it seems they have nothing to fear or want in the world until a life-changing event threatens to throw their relationship on the rocks. Divided into three films ― “Them,” “Him” and “Her” ― the same story is narrated from different perspectives to provide insight and depth into t

FilmApril 10, 2015

Eye Like: Darius Rucker, Mark Knopfler, Marcus Miller

Rucker shines on 4th country albumDarius Rucker / “Southern Style” / (Capitol Nashville)Darius Rucker’s second career as a country singer shows no signs of slowing down on his new album, “Southern Style.” The lead singer of the rock band Hootie & the Blowfish, Rucker has scored three chart-topping solo country albums, spawning six No.1 hits, including the Grammy-winning “Wagon Wheel,” one of the most popular country hits of recent years. “Southern Style” continues to emphasize upbeat, pop-influe

PerformanceApril 10, 2015

Where China meets Southeast Asia

XISHUANGBANNA, China ― Xishuangbanna is not “typical” China. Located at the very southern end of Yunnan province and dubbed China’s mini-Thailand, it strikes visitors as remarkably Southeast Asian. The region’s capital city, Jinghong, lies close to the border with Laos and Myanmar. The palm tree-lined streets, jungle-capped mountains and tropical climate are all proof that this is where China meets Southeast Asia. The lengthy name Xishuangbanna is lesser known to people ― even in China ― and nev

TravelApril 10, 2015

Travel Bits

Korea to launch ‘Spring Tourism Week’ in MayThe Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will launch its second Tourism Week program for the spring season nationwide next month.The program, in partnership with some 3,000 tourism companies and operators, will run in 17 regions from May 1-14.Companies such as resorts and hotels participating in the state-led tourism program will offer a variety of programs with discounts at tourist attractions, in accordance with the regions’ culture and landscape.

TravelApril 10, 2015

Around the Hotels

Cloudy Bay wine festival at Millennium Seoul HiltonMillennium Seoul Hilton Hotel is presenting New Zealand’s Cloudy Bay wines at Cafe 395 during April and May. Having produced its first wine in 1985, Cloudy Bay is a still young but rapidly rising winery that has brought acclaim to New Zealand’s Marlborough wine region. The wines offered are part of Cloudy Bay’s Rare Nature series, a collaborative endeavor with artist Flox (Hayley King) that celebrates the country’s natural environment and the st

FoodApril 10, 2015

LeTAO’s double fromage cake in Seoul

Many tourists who have traveled to Japan’s picturesque Hokkaido will have heard of the famous dessert brand LeTAO and most likely its headline dessert, the double fromage. This much-coveted cake, like its name, is a marriage of two layers of cheese ― an initial bottom layer of more conventional cheesecake topped by an ultra-light layer of near whipping cream-like cheese. Shaped like a round wheel of brie cheese, dusted in soft, fine crumbs of castella cake and cleverly packaged in a wooden chees

FoodApril 10, 2015

Asparagus with gochujang sauce

Here’s a quick and easy Korean side dish you can make with spring asparagus. Simply blanch the asparagus and dress with a sweet and vinegary gochujang (Korean red chili pepper paste) sauce, called cho-gochujang. Cho-gochujang is used in various dishes. It’s also popular as a dipping sauce for vegetables and seafood such as squid and raw fish (saengseon hoe). Everyone makes the sauce a little differently, but the key ingredients are gochujang, vinegar, and sugar. Adjust the amount of vinegar or s

FoodApril 10, 2015

‘Exciting India’ glitters with K-pop stars

Five young men get on a plane to an unfamiliar country, cameras in tow. At first glance “News Report Reality: Exciting India,” which aired its first episode Friday, may seem like just another travel reality show. However, the cast of K-pop megastars Kyuhyun (Super Junior) Minho (SHINee), Jonghyun (CNBLUE), Sunggyu (Infinite), and Suho (EXO) did not get to visit top tourist attractions in India or spend time comparing local culinary offerings. On the show, the five idol stars explore the country,

TelevisionApril 10, 2015

Korean abstract art, past and present

When 27-year-old young art dealer Park Myeong-ja opened her gallery in April 1970, the first response she received from people was how fast she would give up and close the shop. It was a time when even the word “gallery” was unfamiliar to most Koreans.  Exhibition view of the Korean abstract painting exhibition that marks the 45th annniversary of Gallery Hyundai. (Gallery Hyundai)“People didn’t know there was such a place where you could view and buy paintings,” Park recalled at a press viewing

PerformanceApril 9, 2015

Corporate sponsorship of arts win-win: Mecenat chief Park

Companies promoting their products and services through art sponsorships and cultural events are often frowned upon in Korea. But Park Sam-koo, chief of Kumho Asiana Group, has questioned why.Park, who has recently taken up the chairmanship of the Korea Mecenat Association, said it can be a “win-win situation for both enterprises and the artists,” during his first press conference in Seoul on Thursday as chief of the association, a local advocacy group for corporate sponsorship of the arts. Comp

CultureApril 9, 2015

Kim Soo-hyun to star in action flick

Actor Kim Soo-hyun will return to the silver screen in the second half of next year with the movie “Real,” his agency said Thursday. The movie, slated to start production in October, will be Kim’s first appearance on the big screen since 2013.With the exception of a cameo appearance in the 2014 comedy “Miss Granny,” Kim’s last major film role was that of a North Korean agent in “Secretly, Greatly,” which drew 7 million viewers in 2013.  Kim Soo-hyunThe upcoming movie is an action film that tells

April 9, 2015

Sandara Park to appear in Web drama

Girl group 2NE1’s Sandara Park is furthering her acting career, taking up a lead role in a new Web drama produced by CJ E&M, the Korean entertainment giant said Thursday. Based on a Webtoon of the same title, the drama, “We’re Separated,” will portray the country’s younger generation battling with their unclear future through the story of an unmarried young couple who are driven to live together even after they are separated, the company said. In the new series, Park will play No Wu-ri, a high-s

PerformanceApril 9, 2015

Folk legend looks back on 40 years in music

A little over four decades ago, folk singer Hahn Dae-soo invited listeners to come with him down a “Long Long Road” with his debut album. The singer, who was briefly banned for what the authoritarian regime at that time called “subversive anti-regime” lyrics, introduced the concept of singer-songwriter to the Korean music scene. His best songs, such as “Land of Happiness” and “Give Me Water” remain classics to this day. Now, 40 years after his first album, the folk music icon looks back on his m

PerformanceApril 9, 2015

‘Top Girls’ looks at women and success

Seoul Players is returning to the stage this month with a production of Caryl Churchill’s “Top Girls,” an unconventional look at womanhood and what it takes for women to succeed.The play was one of two chosen for Seoul Players’ spring season, with “Glengarry Glen Ross” featuring an all-male cast and “Top Girls” played by all women. Although quite different plays, the company says that they both explore overlapping themes, including lies, deception and what it takes to be successful as a man or w

Expat LivingApril 8, 2015

Sewol exhibition explores permanence, legacies

Almost a year has passed since the Sewol ferry sank off the coast of Korea, taking with it some 300 lives, most of them students on a school trip.An exhibition looking at the main figures involved in the media coverage of the sinking opened Wednesday to mark the anniversary of the disaster.The exhibition, “After Death, a Tiger’s Skin Remains; A Man Leaves Only His Name” ― the title coming from an eight-character traditional proverb ― features paintings of key figures in the incident. They are ma

Expat LivingApril 8, 2015