Park Yu-chun snags rookie actor award

Singer-actor Park Yu-chun grabbed the Rookie Actor Award at the 34th Korean Association of Film Critics Awards for “Sea Fog” on Thursday. Park, 29, was recognized for his excellent acting skills in the film, in which he played the part of Dong-sik, an obedient young sailor on a Korean fishing ship. “Sea Fog” is better known by its official Korean title “Haemoo.” On the podium, the hallyu actor thanked the production crew and his fellow actors for their wonderful teamwork. “I gained a lot by simp

Nov. 14, 2014

53rd OSEAL Forum opens in Incheon

The 53rd Orient and South East Asian Lions Forum kicked off at the Songdo Convensia Convention Center in Incheon Free Economic Zone Friday. Some 30,000 members from 18 countries are participating in the four-day event. The OSEAL is a regional branch of the Lions Clubs International, a secular philanthropy group that engages in community-based humanitarian work in hospitals, retirement homes, schools and disaster-stuck sites around the world. Founded by American philanthropist Melvin Jones in 191

PeopleNov. 14, 2014

[Herald Interview] Creator touts real bond between horses and riders

Normand Latourelle, the producer and creator of “Cavalia,” describes his show as an ode to the millennia-old relationship between horses and human. “‘Cavalia’ is not a circus. It’s not a horse show. It is a show about horses and the bond between horses and human,” he said in an interview with The Korea Herald inside one of the tents that make up the White Big Top, a makeshift structure specially designed for the Canadian touring production. “The horses are not forced to do this. There is a genui

CultureNov. 13, 2014

[Herald Review] ‘Cavalia’ gallops into heart of Seoul

It was just a five-minute walk from Sports Complex Station to get out of the hustle and bustle of the capital city and into the surreal world of “Cavalia.”The cast of “Cavalia” — 50 beautiful horses and their 46 two-legged friends — delivered a magical mix of equestrian arts, acrobatics, multimedia and special effects on its opening night Wednesday, taking the audience on a fantastic twohour journey.The audience, in return, gave a rapturous standing ovation. In some parts, the show was poignantl

CultureNov. 13, 2014

Lee Min-ho’s ‘Faith’ tops among K-dramas in Japan

“Faith: The Great Doctor” was selected as the best Korean drama in Japan.The SBS drama starring Lee Min-ho broadcast two years ago received the first prize in the Korean drama section of “GAYO Entertainment Awards 2014” on Monday.The winner was selected based on the yearly sales of “GAYO store,” Japan’s largest video streaming site that takes up about 80 percent of the video clip service industry. Poster for SBS drama “Faith: The Great Doctor”The drama’s success was mainly due to the popularity

TelevisionNov. 13, 2014

Pitt: ‘Fury’ depicts horror of war

Hollywood actor Brad Pitt said Thursday that his new war flick, “Fury,” depicts the horrors and psychological pressure that soldiers had to face in a war zone. “This film for me speaks to the horrors of the war,” Pitt told a press conference in Seoul. “The film is about accumulative psyche and damaged psyche that these men and women (soldiers) had to go through.” “It is a ridiculous fact that you will be chopping each other (up) one year, and the next year, sitting down for a beer and for dinner

FilmNov. 13, 2014

Final volume of Hockney biography

David Hockney: The Biography, 1975-2012By Christopher Simon Sykes (Nan A. Talese/Doubleday) More than halfway through the second volume of his vivid, intimate biography of British artist David Hockney, Christopher Simon Sykes describes the moment in the 1980s when Hockney discovers the creative possibilities of the photocopy machine. A natural talent who drew from the moment he could pick up a pencil, Hockney falls deeply in love with the density of copier inks ― “the most beautiful black I had

BooksNov. 13, 2014

New thriller from Preston & Child

Blue LabyrinthBy Douglas Preston and/Lincoln Child (Grand Central Pulishing)A family secret over 100 years old comes back to haunt FBI Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast in Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child’s latest thriller, “Blue Labyrinth.” A knock on Pendergast’s door propels the story when it’s opened to reveal a tied-up corpse. The deceased is his estranged son. What’s found on the body leads Pendergast to an abandoned mine, and as he discovers deception and treachery, he also learns uncomf

BooksNov. 13, 2014

Denis Johnson explores dark side of Africa

The Laughing MonstersBy Denis Johnson (Farrar, Straus & Giroux)Denis Johnson, winner of the National Book Award for his Vietnam-era opus “Tree of Smoke,” has jumped genres again in “The Laughing Monsters,” a new thriller set in Africa. Johnson has done chameleon-like genre switches before, producing the noirish “Nobody Move” that evokes Elmore Leonard’s style and a Western of sorts, “Train Dreams,” that has a dash of Cormac McCarthy. Both books are solid works in their own right. “The Laughing M

BooksNov. 13, 2014

‘Some Luck’ takes on an epic scope

Sometimes, the characters in Jane Smiley’s latest novel resemble the Osage-orange hedge that separates the field from the back acreage of Walter Langdon’s Iowa farm: “horse-high, bull-strong, and hog-tight.” Meaning they’re tough. Meaning they take what life throws at them ― drought, freezes, economic catastrophe, death, war, progress ― and carry on. Meaning any sense of optimism is hard won and that good fortune is never taken for granted: “That was a piece of luck, Walter. But what would we do

BooksNov. 13, 2014

Michael Connelly’s Bosch back with a new partner, old political battles

The Burning RoomBy Michael Connelly (Little, Brown)Politics often seeps into police investigations, especially when a high-profile case has officials from the city to the state level jockeying for a piece of the action.LAPD detective Harry Bosch has seen enough of politics interfering with his investigations through the years. Now, as he supposedly enters the last year of his career, Harry is even more tired of this intrusion that erupts constantly in “The Burning Room,” the excellent 19th novel

BooksNov. 13, 2014

Bush wants Jeb to run for president

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) ― Former President George W. Bush said Tuesday that he believes his brother Jeb Bush should run for president but ultimately the former Florida governor must make a decision regardless of any pressure from the family. Bush said his father, former President George H.W. Bush, also thinks the ex-Florida governor should run in the 2016 White House race. “I can tell you I can speak for 41,” Bush said, referring to his father, the 41st president of the United States between

BooksNov. 13, 2014

Millennium Seoul Hilton’s general manager receives tourism prize

Eric Swanson (left), general manager of Millennium Seoul Hilton, receives the top tourism prize awarded by the Academy of Korea Hospitality and Tourism in Seoul on Nov. 1. (Millennium Seoul Hilton)Eric Swanson, general manager of Millennium Seoul Hilton, received the top tourism prize from the Academy of Korea Hospitality and Tourism on Nov. 1 for his corporate social responsibility initiatives.Under his management, the hotel has run an annual charity event, with its staff conducting regular vol

PeopleNov. 13, 2014

‘Misaeng’ syndrome grips the nation

Han Jeong-taek, a 30-year-old office worker, rushes home after work on Friday. He chooses to go home and watch a TV drama about the everyday lives of office workers rather than stay out with his friends. Sometimes he drinks with them after 9:30 p.m. when the drama ends. Han is not the only one who has never missed “Misaeng (Incomplete Life),” cable TV channel tvN’s television drama based on an eponymous webtoon about the office life of a fictional trading company, One International. “When I watc

TelevisionNov. 12, 2014

[Design Forum] Scrutiny of ‘homo mobilians’ key to designing mobile world

Like in the real world, there are rules in the mobile world of smartphones and tablets. The size of images, line spacing, location of buttons ― everything is carefully designed to help users find what they want more conveniently and efficiently.The IT industry is now awash with research and analysis on user interface and user experience.UI or UX designers design the mobile universe to enable users to easily find information on their 6-inch screens.Studying ‘homo mobilians’Understanding “homo mob

Arts & DesignNov. 12, 2014

[Design Forum] In-car IT logs driver’s habits, runs mobile devices

This is the fourth in a weekly series that examines the expanding role of design in the run-up to the Herald Design Forum 2014 on Nov. 26. ― Ed.The word “design” derives from the Latin word “designare,” which means “to mark out,” “to choose” or “to order.” In the past, most people recognized only the artistic aspect of design.Today, design blends with industries and expresses a product’s functions and a brand’s values and aims. Furthermore, even the development or achievement of technologies tha

Arts & DesignNov. 12, 2014

‘Movements Ignite’ delves into unspeakable expression

Exploring movement synchronized with multimedia effects, the Korea National Contemporary Dance company is preparing to present its latest modern dance production, “Movements Ignite.”The upcoming production consists of two pieces, “Hurt” and “KAYA-Unspeakable,” both of which delve into the meaning of life and the extent to which humans use the body as a tool rather than a means of expression. “Hurt” and “KAYA-Unspeakable” were choreographed by guest choreographers Noh Jung-sik and Kim Sung-yong,

PerformanceNov. 12, 2014