Startling novel urges Abe to apologize

With Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pushing agendas of nationalism and historical revisionism, Japan and South Korea’s ties are at their lowest ebb in decades with no immediate signs of a thaw. Kim Jung-hyun, author of the 1996 bestseller “The Father” that sold over 2 million copies, wrote a new historical fantasy, “Ahn Jung-geun Shot Abe,” in hopes of getting a strong message across to Japan. “I did not write this novel to warn Abe, but to give him a chance to examine himself and feel some

BooksAug. 7, 2014

Hallyu star Bae’s agency joins forces with China’s SOHU

Korean entertainment firm KEYEAST ― led by hallyu star Bae Yong-joon and home to high-profile actors including Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Hyun-joong ― has established a strategic business partnership with Chinese online services company SOHU.com Inc. to better carry out its activities in the Chinese market.“KEYEAST is forming a strategic partnership by signing a capital transfer agreement with SOHU to speed up its entry into the Chinese market,” the company said Wednesday.Fox Video, a wholly owned sub

Aug. 7, 2014

Using good music to change perceptions

This is the 11th in a series highlighting women and their accomplishments in the various facets of the Korean entertainment industry. ― Ed.Though she’s only been a professional DJ for two years, DJ Navi says she hopes that she and other female DJs can break down current perceptions of women in the DJ world. “I believe all those DJs and myself, we have to break those perceptions. Even my friends who are DJs, we get a lot of that. ‘Oh, they look pretty, but their music isn’t good enough,’” she sai

PerformanceAug. 7, 2014

Mariah Carey to hold solo concert in October

Globally recognized R&B diva Mariah Carey will return to Korea this fall to hold her first solo concert in Seoul in more than a decade, Yescom Entertainment said Wednesday. Carey is slated to perform on Oct. 8, however, according to officials at Yescom, the exact time and venue for the upcoming concert have not yet been decided. It has been reported that the fall concert will be Carey’s third time in Korea, after her first solo concert performance in 2003 and a short visit in 2009 to promote her

PerformanceAug. 7, 2014

‘Nixon Defense’ by John Dean takes a fresh look at Watergate

“My voice on the Nixon tapes is really very clear and very good,” says John Dean, adjusting the microphone recording him on a summer day. Aug. 9 marks the 40th anniversary of President Richard M. Nixon’s resignation from office, and Dean is publishing a new book, “The Nixon Defense: What He Knew and When He Knew It,” a day-by-day chronicle of the Watergate scandal.Although Watergate has been explored in books and film, some of the story has not yet been told, Dean says.“I knew enough to know tha

BooksAug. 7, 2014

Brando biography goes below the surface

Susan L. Mizruchi was 12 and living in upstate New York when she turned on the TV one day and watched Marlon Brando playing Fletcher Christian in the 1962 version of the seafaring tale “Mutiny on the Bounty.”She was as she described it “struck by the Brando lightning.”Even to this day, his performance affects her. “It’s still very powerful,” said the Boston University English professor, who has written a new biography, “Brando’s Smile: His Life, Thought, and Work” which was published by W.W. Nor

BooksAug. 7, 2014

‘The Magician’s Land’ an enchanting end to fantasy series

The Magician’s LandBy Lev Grossman (Viking)All lovers of Lev Grossman’s first two books of The Magicians trilogy: This is the end, beautiful friend. So remember which pocket the magic button’s in, and make sure you have your passport, because we have a lot of ground to cover. Several lands, in fact. From Hackensack to uncharted territory.We last saw our glum hero, Quentin Coldwater, getting booted out of the magical land of Fillory, learning the very hard lesson that being the hero doesn’t mean

BooksAug. 7, 2014

‘The String Diaries’ is a psychologically rich horror

The String DiariesBy Stephen Lloyd Jones (Mulholland Books)If there’s one thing I hate as a critic, it’s dancing around the possibility of giving too much away in a review. Spoilers are called that for a reason, and critics despise them every bit as much as readers do.Writers, though ― crafty little devils ― seem determined to concoct spoiler-bait books, titles that are just nigh on impossible to discuss. Which is precisely why this review is so short. Like recent favorites “Gone Girl” and “The

BooksAug. 7, 2014

Red Velvet debuts high on music charts

SM Entertainment’s rookie girl group Red Velvet is making a splash at home and abroad with its debut track “Happiness.” 　The tune debuted at No. 3 in Singapore, No. 4 in Malaysia, No. 5 in Thailand and No. 9 in Hong Kong. It also landed in the top 10 on iTunes singles chart after its release on Aug. 5. 　The quartet will launch their official debut with an onstage performance on the KBS’ “Music Bank” on Aug. 8, followed by SBS music program “Inkigayo” two days later. 　Red Velvet is SM Entertainme

Aug. 7, 2014

EXO Chanyeol unveils selfie for EXO-L

 K-pop idol group EXO’s Chanyeol released a selfie on Tuesday to mark the launch of EXO’s official fan club EXO-L. 　“Finally, EXO has its official fan club, named EXO-L! Isn’t the name so pretty?” he wrote on Instagram alongside his selfie. 　“It is finally the time for us to be one. WE ARE ONE!”　EXO-L, the band’s first-ever fan club, was launched on Tuesday and the number of those who joined the fan club surpassed the 300,000 mark in just a day, proving EXO’s ever-growing popularity.　Meanwhile,

Aug. 7, 2014

G-dragon refuses to be an actor despite YG’s suggestion

Yang Hyun-suk, CEO of YG Entertainment agency, has revealed that he had hoped G-dragon would go into acting.During the launch for YG’s new boy band WINNER on Wednesday, Yang was asked about his thoughts on the individual projects for artists in his agency.“Actually, I wanted G-dragon to start acting. However, he had a strong desire to stick to music. T.O.P and Seungri wanted to be actors, and I supported it,” Yang replied, talking about the members of Big Bang, another boy band in YG Entertainme

Aug. 7, 2014

Girls’ Generation photobook to be released

Girls’ Generation photobook will be released soon to celebrate their 7th anniversary. The photobook, titled “GIRLS’ GENERATION in Las Vegas,” is a collection of Girls’ Generation pictures taken in Las Vegas. The photobook includes pictures taken in the desert, night views and the girls enjoying their time in the city. By Cho Han-na, Intern reporter (hnncho@heraldcorp.com)(Photo credit: SM Entertainment)

Aug. 7, 2014

Top 7 Korean celebrities with best pregnancy photos

Showing off a pregnant belly is no longer an embarrassing thing in Korea. Capturing the beautiful moment has rather become a rising trend. Against this backdrop, The Korea Herald has listed the top 7 hallyu stars who took the most beautiful maternity photos. 1. Moon So-ri  (COSMOPOLITAN)Actress Moon So-ri elegantly mixed beauty as a mother and chicness as a celebrity. Her tight black dress highlighted her pregnant body line. While the overall style might have turned out simple due to the plain d

Aug. 7, 2014

EXO-L sparks envy from other SM stars

A slew of K-pop idols are green with envy of the immense popularity of EXO as the band’s first-ever fan club sees the number of members growing at a startling pace since its launch.A day after EXO-L, the band’s official fan club, was launched, Super Junior’s Kyuhyun took a screenshot of his real-time chat with fellow idols and posted it on his Twitter. 　On the Kakaotalk group chat, Kyhyun starts the conversation by saying, “Joonmyun (the real name of EXO’s Suho) pretends to be busy. He may be to

Aug. 7, 2014

Gong Hyo-jin still fabulous in ‘men’s sweater’

Actress Gong Hyo-jin showed off her fashion sense by wearing a men’s item of clothing in the SBS drama “It’s Ok, That’s Love.”The grey men’s sweater is from British clothing brand “All Saints.” Gong styled her outfit in a loose-fit, giving her a boyish and chic look.The actress also matched the sweater with black slacks, which is one of the most popular fashion items for both men and women in Korea.“The modifier ‘fashionistar’ is something that I do not want to lose. I want to show everything ab

Aug. 7, 2014

Girls’ Generation Jessica launches fashion brand BLANC

K-pop idol Jessica, who is also known for her great fashion sense, has launched her own fashion brand called BLANC. The Girls’ Generation singer tried to design chic items that wouldn’t be influenced by fast-changing trends.  A range of eyewear will be the first items to be released and each item hasits own style taken from major cities -- Seoul, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo, New York and Paris.Jessica is planning to release a fragrance as well as a new 2015 F/W collection. The singer added that s

Aug. 7, 2014

Taecyeon plays smartphone game with kids

(Taeyeon's Twitter)Taecyeon of K-pop boy band 2PM on Wednesday released a photo of himself playing with several children on Twitter.With the photo he wrote, “These kids are so into iPad games.”In the photo, the singer is playing a game on his iPhone with the child starlets of KBS 2TV drama “Wonderful Days.” The 50-episode drama, starring Lee Seo-jin, Kim Hee-sun and Taecyeon, will air its final episode on Aug. 10. (khnews@heraldcorp.com)

Aug. 7, 2014

A book forest for everyone

It is the first of its kind. The library is open 24 hours a day, carrying over 200,000 donated books. A wide selection of texts, ranging from literature, science, and arts to humanities welcomes people of all ages. Located in the heart of Paju Book City, a publishing community that creates, publishes and sells Korean books in Paju, north of Seoul, The Forest of Wisdom opened in June. Since then, thousands of visitors have visited the library.The Forest of Wisdom library in Paju, Gyeonggi Provinc

CultureAug. 6, 2014