Clad in a beautiful, yellowish-green hanbok and her hair pulled back in a tight bun at the back of her neck, Kim Hae-sook looks like a living embodiment of Korean tradition. In fact, she would be nothing, if not for the pride of the tradition to which she has devoted her entire life and now officially represents.The 60-year-old is a master of the gayageum, a 12-stringed Korean zither; an authority in its academic studies and the president of the National Gugak Center, a state-run institute dedic

CultureJan. 11, 2015

New Age pianist and composer Steve Barakatt will present his largest production ― symphony “Ad Vitam Aeternam” ― to Seoul audiences at a concert in March.Written in 16 movements for piano and a full-sized orchestra, the Canadian artist’s first symphonic composition is a musical journey through different stages of life and various aspects of the human condition ― from the physiological to the psychological, emotional and spiritual. The upcoming concert will also feature “Lullaby,” which Barakatt

PerformanceJan. 11, 2015

NEW YORK (AFP) ― A dreamy video performance that explores Korean identity and an opera that dramatizes a disabled boy’s plight through puppets are premiering in New York as part of the latest Prototype festival.Prototype, launched in 2013 to showcase experimental opera and other new theater, opened Thursday with a star provocatrice ― grunge rock icon Courtney Love.The Hole singer, who has played in films for the past 30 years, made her theatrical debut in a production of Todd Almond’s “Kansas Ci

TelevisionJan. 11, 2015

Hollywood is holding its breath ahead of Sunday’s Golden Globes, with dark comedy “Birdman” leading the race for awards glory ahead of next month’s all-important Oscars.While an eve-of-show computer glitch appeared to suggest two other films could take the top prizes, “Birdman” is still in strong position, earning a string of accolades and other nominations leading up to the Globes.Unusually rainy weather looks set to dampen the arrival of A-listers on the red carpet in Beverly Hills for the Glo

FilmJan. 11, 2015

Riding the popularity of K-pop, the new Korean fashion brand Nonagon has landed in major multi-fashion stores in Asia and the fashion hub of Milan within six months of its launch in September last year.The huge early success is the result of a collaboration between YG Entertainment, which represents major K-pop stars including Big Bang and 2NE1, and the textile company Cheil Industries, an affiliate of Samsung Group. The two joined hands to create a line of bomber jackets, sweatshirts, minidress

Arts & DesignJan. 9, 2015

Mong-ryong uses his MacBook to study while talking to friends on a smartphone. Chun-hyang wears canvas shoes under her short pink dress. They first meet at a club. The state-run National Changgeuk Company of Korea’s production of “Different Chunhyang” (2014) by Andrei Serban was very different from any of the previous productions of the classical Korean love story ― between Mong-ryong, the son of a nobleman, and Chun-hyang, the daughter of a low-class retired female entertainer, during the Joseo

CultureJan. 9, 2015

2014 was a great year for Yim Jung-sik, executive chef of Jungsikdang in Seoul and its New York outpost Jungsik. The Seoul restaurant recently relocated to the posh neighborhood of Cheongdam-dong while his New York establishment kept its two Michelin stars for the second consecutive year.However, foremost on his mind on the day of this interview, Dec. 19, is his wedding set for Christmas Day. The wedding will be at the Hotel Shilla and he is not sure how many of his friends and colleagues will s

FoodJan. 9, 2015

Dance“Multiplicity, Forms of Silence and Emptiness”: Kicking off the 2015 ballet season, Universal Ballet Korea will be staging Nacho Duato’s “Multiplicity, Forms of Silence and Emptiness” as its season opener. The 1999 ballet is one of Duato’s best-known works and landed the choreographer the prestigious Benois de la Dance prize. As a homage to one of classical music’s greatest, Johann Sebastian Bach, the two-act ballet tells the story of Bach’s music by combining both baroque music and modern

CultureJan. 9, 2015

In the emotionally potent historical drama “Selma,” the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. leads a dangerous crusade to secure equal voting rights for black Americans. Oscar watchers expect the film to have as much impact as last year’s Best Picture winner, “12 Years a Slave.”David Oyelowo, a newcomer to leading roles, plays King as he faces endless challenges, from violent institutional opposition to painful domestic debates with his wife, Coretta. From left: Colman Domingo plays Ralph Abernathy, Davi

FilmJan. 9, 2015

Minaj’s ‘Pinkprint’ delivers grown-up complexityNicki Minaj“The Pinkprint”(Young Money/Cash Money/Republic Records)Maybe we knew -- even in 2010 -- when Nicki Minaj released her debut set that beneath the fluorescent wigs and zany accents, there resided a real-life grown-up. On some level, we surely understood that the now 32-year-old rapper had complex emotions and a past, and all the things that make stars more like regular people and less like characters.But not until now, with her third rele

PerformanceJan. 9, 2015

Gangnam 1970 (Korea)Opening Jan. 21Action, Drama. Directed by Yoo HaThe final installment of director Yoo Ha’s “street series” trilogy, the noir action flick is set against the backdrop on an exploding real estate market in Seoul‘s Gangnam district in the 1970s, a turbulent era under the dictatorship of military strongman Park Chung-hee. Two childhood friends, Kim Jong-dae (Lee Min-ho) and Baek Yong-ki (Kim Rae-won), find themselves forced to become enemies, mired with misunderstanding, revenge

FilmJan. 9, 2015

VERBANIA, Italy ― Serendipity and a chance encounter on my recent trip to this Mediterranean country led me to the very best lunch I’ve ever eaten ― anywhere.It began back in September as I sat exhausted on a stone garden bench at Villa Della Porta Bozzolo in Casalzuigno in Northern Italy.Eight days into a 10-day tour of Italian gardens and villas and all the travel had finally caught up to me. I took a break from my tour and sat outside with Anna Maria Massimi, who was guiding another group tra

TravelJan. 9, 2015

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ― Two men are roughly halfway through what has been called the hardest rock climb in the world: a free climb of an 900-meter section of exposed granite in California’s Yosemite National Park.Tom Evans, a climber and photographer, has been chronicling Kevin Jorgeson, 30, of Santa Rosa, California, and Tommy Caldwell, 36, of Estes Park, Colorado, as they scale the wall using only their hands and feet.El Capitan, the largest monolith of granite in the world, rises more than 900 m

TravelJan. 9, 2015

Strawberry buffet at Renaissance Seoul Hotel Renaissance Seoul Hotel’s Cafe Trevi Lounge is presenting the “Shall We Strawberry” dessert buffet in celebration of the strawberry season. An array of over 15 desserts ranging from strawberry cakes to doughnuts, cookies, pies and juice is provided along with fresh ripe strawberries. The buffet is available every day until March 31 from 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. during afternoon tea time. The price per person is 19,500 won (coffee or tea included). Freshly

FoodJan. 9, 2015