Girl group EXID wins first music award

K-pop girl group EXID, which shot to sudden stardom with the viral hit single “Up & Down,” won its first music award at Wednesday’s fourth Gaon Chart K-Pop Award.  “We are so thankful for such a great award. We will continue to work hard toward becoming a better team. Thank you so much,” the group wrote on its official Twitter handle, after receiving the local music chart’s “Hot Trend Award.”  K-pop girl group EXID. (Official Facebook)It is a particularly remarkable feat for the group, given tha

Jan. 29, 2015

Jazz greats Corea, Hancock to headline Seoul festival

Legendary American jazz pianists Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock will make their way to Korea in May to stage a joint performance at this year’s edition of Seoul Jazz Festival, organizers announced Thursday.The two legends will be performing a piano duet in Seoul as part of their world concert tour. It has been 37 years since Corea and Hancock last toured together ― the last time being back in 1978.“Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock are top-notch jazz artists. Their music has stood the test of time,

PerformanceJan. 29, 2015

A chupacabra in Japan? Depp says it came from his suitcase

TOKYO (AP) ― Johnny Depp has recovered from a cold. And a chupacabra attack.The 51-year-old actor was all smiles while joking Wednesday with journalists in Tokyo about why he was a no-show at a news conference a day earlier. Depp explained he had been ill but said that wasn’t the reason. U.S. actor Johnny Depp poses for photographs with fans as he arrives for the premiere of “Mortdecai” in Tokyo on Tuesday. (Yonhap)“I was attacked yesterday morning by a very rarely seen or experienced animal cal

FilmJan. 29, 2015

Treasure hunter who found a fortune in gold is captured

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) ― A treasure hunter accused of cheating his investors out of their share of one of the richest hauls in U.S. history ― $50 million in gold bars and coins from a 19th-century shipwreck ― was captured at an upscale Florida hotel after more than two years on the lam. Federal marshals tracked Tommy Thompson to a hotel in West Boca Raton and arrested him Tuesday. A warrant had been issued for him in 2012 in Columbus after he failed to show up for a hearing on a lawsuit brought by

PeopleJan. 29, 2015

CICI chief reveals 10 life principles in new book

The Ten Habits of Designing My Life, 10CBy Choi Jung-wha (HUINE)People often ask me how to be successful, says Choi Jung-wha, the president of Corea Image Communication Institute. But she admits that she doesn’t really like the term “success.”“Success is a result, not the end-goal itself,” says Choi in her new book, “The Ten Habits of Designing My Life, 10C.” She believes that many so-called successful people live by principles and habits in their lives. As the title suggests, the book is Choi’s

BooksJan. 29, 2015

Book tells of gang-related homicides in U.S. ghettos

Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America By Jill Leovy (Spiegel &Grau)The killings of unarmed black men by police in Missouri and New York have dominated recent headlines, but the slayings of black males by other blacks in the nation’s most violent ghettos still get barely a footnote.Americans have long been complacent about these anonymous murders, many of them gang-related, most of which go unsolved. The notion that such killings are not newsworthy is reflected in the label that used to b

BooksJan. 29, 2015

Zillow execs follow housing data to surprising conclusions

In less than a decade, Seattle-based Zillow has become the nation’s leading brand for homebuyer real-estate information. It’s become synonymous with looking up your home’s value ― or someone else’s.In a forthcoming book, “Zillow Talk: The New Rules of Real Estate,” Zillow CEO Spencer Rascoff and chief economist Stan Humphries offer some surprising answers ― backed by data ― to a range of housing questions. Among them:- Should Congress eliminate the current mortgage-interest tax deduction? (Yes)-

BooksJan. 29, 2015

Magical journey of ‘Etta and Otto’

When a Silver Alert is issued for a missing senior citizen, highway signs flash details about what I think of as the getaway car. I enjoy imagining an elderly gent or lady switching off Fox News, rising from the reclining chair, and making it clear that no one’s ready to go gently into that good night just yet.In real life, of course, such alerts help desperate families find missing seniors with Alzheimer’s disease, dementia and other age-related challenges. But the world of “Etta and Otto and R

BooksJan. 29, 2015

Reilly writes action-packed ‘Great Zoo of China’

The Great Zoo of ChinaBy Matthew Reilly (Gallery)Matthew Reilly takes elements from Michael Crichton’s classic “Jurassic Park” and gives them a high fantasy spin in his latest action masterpiece, “The Great Zoo of China.”Reptile expert Dr. Cassandra Jane “CJ” Cameron is asked to visit a zoo that is soon to open in the middle of China. Staff members at the site are extremely secretive and provide few answers to her questions until Cameron and the others witness what animals are being kept inside

BooksJan. 29, 2015

Sports guy Greenberg hits home run with latest novel

My Father’s WivesBy Mike Greenberg (William Morrow)Mike Greenberg knows sports. And talking about them. One-half of the long-running and ever-popular “Mike & Mike” national sports radio show, Greenberg (alongside co-host and former NFL player Mike Golic) spends the morning drive-time period touching on all the prevailing topics of the day in the world of sports. It’s not all that surprising that Greenberg has parlayed his on-air success into a thriving writing career.What is surprising, however,

BooksJan. 29, 2015

Choi reveals her 10 life principles in new book

 People often ask me how to be successful, says Choi Jung-wha, the president of Corea Image Communication Institute. But she admits that she doesn’t really like the term “success.”“Success is a result, not the end-goal itself,” says Choi in her new book “The Ten Habits of Designing My Life, 10C.” She believes that many so-called successful people live by principles and habits in their lives.  Choi Jung-wha(HUINE)As the title suggests, the book is Choi’s dose of wisdom, spanning over three decade

BooksJan. 29, 2015

Uee plays haughty swimming champion in new TV rom-com

(OSEN)In the new tvN miniseries “Hogoo’s Love,” girl group After School member Uee takes on the role of Do Do-hee, a beautiful but haughty it-girl and national swimming champion.　Known for her long legs and voluptuous body, Uee recently appeared in reality show “Law of the Jungle.” “Hogoo” is her first TV drama lead since 2013, when she played orphan Kim Baek-won in “Golden Rainbow.”　“I have never sworn this much before in my life,” she said on her role as the boisterous queen bee. “I’m so immer

TelevisionJan. 29, 2015

Expats shake up the makgeolli scene

With foreign brewers having helped propel a demand for quality craft beer in Korea, a growing number of expats are hoping to have a similar effect on Korea’s makgeolli scene. Not only are expats looking for craft makgeolli, but they are also learning to make their own.Susubori Academy, a brewing school run by professor Jo Hyo-jin of Kyunggi University, provides classes in both Korean and English from beginner to expert levels. The academy prides itself on being the only place where English speak

Expat LivingJan. 28, 2015

Trout fishing reigns supreme at Hwacheon festival

HWACHEON, Gangwon Province ― Every morning in January, a pilgrimage of cars and tourist buses traces the winding routes through the snowy mountains of Gangwon Province. An early morning start is the only way to secure a good spot at what is quickly becoming one of Korea’s premiere wintertime events ― Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Fishing Festival. A 2 1/2 hour coach ride from Seoul, Hwacheon has the appearance of a sleepy town inexplicably inundated with people. The faint hum of music is the only hint

TravelJan. 28, 2015

Fish supply is secret to festival’s success

Although the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival runs for 23 days in January, preparations are made virtually all year round, with nearby fish farms raising nearly 130 tons of sancheoneo fish. “There have been complaints about other ice fishing festivals not having enough fish. But we plan ahead and prepare enough fish for visitors,” Oh Se-bin, the festival planning director, told The Korea Herald.  Sancheoneo fishOrganizers make sure visitors get a bountiful catch by releasing 1 to 2 tons of fish

TravelJan. 28, 2015

YG confirms comeback of Big Bang

Big Bang. (YG Entertainment)K-pop hit idol group Big Bang will make a comeback in the coming months, almost two years since it released its album “Still Alive,” a local media outlet said Wednesday.Yang Hyun-seok, the CEO of YG Entertainment, confirmed in a recent interview that Big Bang is putting the finishing touches on its new album.Big Bang fans have been waiting for a new album since early 2014, when the five members had a concert tour of Japanese cities.YG chief also said confirmed the lau

PerformanceJan. 28, 2015