A Korean drama film that delves into the repercussions of the Korean War and the generation that fought through the period has taken the local box office by storm, amid political controversy surrounding the era. “Ode to My Father,” directed by Yoon Je-kyoon (“Haeundae”), topped the local box office for the third consecutive week, garnering over 8 million viewers, according to the official box office tracker, Korea Film Council. It is on pace to become the first film this year to reach the 10 mil

FilmJan. 6, 2015

More than 700 pieces of Korean art in possession of the Smithsonian Museum are now available to view online as the Washington-based museum released some 40,000 digitized images of ancient Asian art on its website (open.asia.si.edu). The Korean collection includes celadon of the Goryeo period (918-1392), Buddhist paintings, folding screen paintings, porcelain and a lacquered wood box inlaid with mother-of-pearls that date back to the Joseon period (1392-1910).  A Buddhist painting dating to the G

CultureJan. 6, 2015

TOKYO (AFP) ― Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami is to offer advice to troubled readers in an agony uncle column on his website, his publisher said Tuesday.The website, named “Murakami-san no tokoro” or “Mr. Murakami’s place,” will solicit problems from fans of the surrealist, whose novels are published in dozens of languages around the world.The publicity-shy writer will pen answers to queries, offering his opinions and advice on how to tackle all manner of difficulties, said Shinchosha Publishi

CultureJan. 6, 2015

HyunA of 4Minute. (Cube Entertainment)The music video of K-pop star HyunA’s hit single “Red” is the Rolling Stone’s No. 5 pick for the best music videos of 2014.Although the acclaimed magazine described the song itself as “a schizophrenic mess,” it gave an approving nod to the only K-pop video on its top 10 list, applauding the clip’s rapid scene shifts of monkey butts and giant red lips. “Some major Korean broadcasters thought the original video was too hot for TV, which means it might (be) jus

Jan. 6, 2015

“Nanta,” a nonverbal performance produced by Song Seung-hwan, has been seen by over 10 million people around the world, the show’s production company said. The show, which premiered in 1997, is Korea’s first performance to hit the mark. The milestone was set on Dec. 29 and the ticket sale tally stood at 10,085,010 as of Dec. 31, PMC Production said. Based on events in the kitchen of a Korean restaurant, “Nanta” is mainly carried by percussive rhythms created by cooks drumming and banging knives,

CultureJan. 6, 2015

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― Violence was everywhere for director J.C. Chandor. From the scripts he was getting to the very entryway of his daughter’s elementary school, it seemed he couldn’t escape guns and gratuitous gore. His latest feature, “A Most Violent Year,” might sound like just another gun-happy action pic, but the slow-burning drama was actually born out of a staunch reluctance to continue presenting violence as entertainment. And it might never have happened if Chandor hadn’t needed a job. “N

FilmJan. 5, 2015

With the positive New Year remarks by the leaders of North and South Korea setting up the possibility of a thaw in inter-Korean relations, South Koreans this year will be able to see more exhibitions with North Korean elements than ever before. The Seoul Museum of Art is preparing a North Korea-themed exhibit to mark the 70th year of the division of Korea. The exhibition, scheduled to open in July, is expected to present a broad range of contemporary North Korean art and offer interesting South

PerformanceJan. 5, 2015

Big BangA host of K-pop idol groups, both old and new, are gearing up to make a comeback, raising hopes of fresh energy in the K-pop scene early this year.One of the long-awaited acts is K-pop sensation EXO, which proved its elevated stature across Asia by nabbing several year-end music awards at home and abroad last year.The 10-member group plans to release a new album in the first half of this year, with the exact date yet to be confirmed.  EXOEXO’s return marks a fresh start as the boy band h

Jan. 5, 2015

Ballad singer Lee Seung-chul poses at a press conference for his upcoming TV documentary, “That Day,” at the Film Forum theater in Seoul on Monday. (Yonhap)After being denied entry to Japan last November as a well-known “Dokdo is Korea” advocate, iconic local ballad singer Lee Seung-chul is continuing his efforts for unification and establishing the islets as Korean territory with the upcoming release of a TV documentary, “The Day.” The documentary follows Lee’s efforts over the past 10 months w

TelevisionJan. 5, 2015

Pope Francis is expected to name as many as 12 new cardinals in the coming days, and a Korean cleric may make the list, Vatican observers say. The Wall Street Journal and some other foreign media outlets reported last week that in the appointments, Francis, the first pontiff born outside Europe in more than 1,000 years, may seek to reshape the Roman Catholic hierarchy to better reflect regions where the church is flourishing. The Philippines, as it boasts one of the largest Roman Catholic commun

CultureJan. 4, 2015

Last year may be remembered as an eventful year for the South Korean silver screen as a number of films rewrote box office history. The periodic action flick “Roaring Currents” drew 17.6 million viewers becoming the most-watched film of all time, while three other films joined the coveted 10 million viewer’s club, including “The Attorney,” “Frozen,” and “Interstellar.”This year is also marked with a stellar lineup of new films from local heavyweight directors to Hollywood blockbusters ― some sta

FilmJan. 4, 2015

Hit songs from the 1990s swept online music charts Sunday, after a popular TV show reignited nostalgia for a time before idol groups dominated the K-pop scene. Singer Kim Gun-mo’s 1995 hit “Mis-Encounter” topped the real-time music chart of Naver, the country’s No. 1 portal, at 1 p.m. Sunday, followed by Uhm Jung-hwa’s “Poison” (1998) and Jinusean’s “Tell Me” (1997). Of the chart’s top 10, nine were from the 90s, all featured in a special episode of MBC’s long-running reality show “Infinite Chal

TelevisionJan. 4, 2015

Veteran boy band TVXQ recorded the most annual album sales among non-Japanese artists on Oricon Chart in 2014.According to the chart, the Korean duo ― Changmin and Yunho ― ranked No. 13 in Annual Album Sales in 2014 with “Tree,” which was released in March.The soundtrack of popular Disney animation “Frozen” was the only foreign album which was ranked higher than “Tree,” bagging the second spot on the chart.Some other K-pop artists ― Girls’ Generation, Big Bang, 2PM, Daesung, Taeyang and SHINee ―

PerformanceJan. 4, 2015