Coreanos Kitchen heads to Itaewon

The folks at Coreanos Kitchen, a Mexican fusion restaurant in Seoul’s Apgujeong-dong, are headed to Itaewon. After setting down roots on Rodeo Drive last September, the spot quickly attracted a loyal patron base and a steady influx of customers, including quite a few celebrities, whose visits have been well-documented on the establishment’s Facebook page. Now, nearly 11 months later, co-owners James Kwon and Gene Cho are ready to launch their second eatery, near Gyeongnidan-gil, a short hike awa

FoodAug. 1, 2014

[Weekender] Around the hotel

Seasonal summer menu at Renaissance Seoul Hotel Renaissance Seoul Hotel’s Japanese restaurant Irodori is offering a summer seasonal food promotion until Aug. 31. Featured on the menu are the River Eel special and Spicy Croaker set, both priced at 120,000 won. The River Eel special includes broiled river eel with steamed rice, clear soup, river eel sushi and tomato soba noodles. The Spicy Croaker set, Irodori’s signature item, includes broiled eel, spicy croaker soup and steamed rice. The appetiz

FoodAug. 1, 2014

‘Roaring Currents’ sets box office record

The period blockbuster “Roaring Currents” drew a record number of viewers in just two days, surpassing the number of viewers who saw “Avatar” in the first week of its release. According to the Korean Film Council, the movie drew more than 1.4 million viewers in the first two days of its debut, the fastest record so far this year. The movie attracted 700,866 viewers on Thursday, making it the most-watched film on a single weekday in Korean cinema history. It also had a record opening with 680,000

FilmAug. 1, 2014

HyunA’s new song pulled after ‘homage’ controversy

K-pop starlet HyunA’s new single “From When Until When” was pulled from all music service websites on Friday, following controversies regarding a set of lyrics that supposedly “pay homage” to veteran K-pop quintet g.o.d.The song, included on the starlet’s latest EP “A Talk,” includes lyrics that are taken straight from g.o.d.’s single “The Reason Why Opposites Attract.”However, controversy arose after g.o.d.’s Kim Tae-woo revealed that the starlet did not gain prior consent to use the signature

Aug. 1, 2014

JYJ week is fun and enjoyable, Junsu says

K-pop boy band JYJ’s Junsu shared his feelings about its ongoing festival on his Twitter account on Thursday. “It has been a long time since I wore a suit. (Participating in ‘JYJ Membership Week’) has been fun and enjoyable with our members,” Junsu wrote alongside his selfie. In the photo, he is wearing a gray suit and has red hair. The popular idol band on Thursday kicked off the annual event “JYJ Membership Week” in Seoul for fans from home and abroad, following the release of its second studi

Aug. 1, 2014

EXO’s Kai, Sehun reveal chic look

EXO members Kai and Sehun revealed Friday their chic look in a photo shoot with GRAZIA. Themed “youth,” the photo shoot focused on the youthfulness of the members.  (GRAZIA)Full pictures and an interview are available in the magazine’s August issue.(khnews@heraldcorp.com)

Aug. 1, 2014

Park Shin-hye beams in Agatha Paris jewelry

Actress Park Shin-hye wowed fans as the new muse of the Agatha Paris 2014 F-W collection, flaunting elegant charm in the fashion pictorials. The photos show the actress completing her look with petite watches and thin metallic bracelets that boost her trademark graceful-and-lovely vibe. Park reportedly chose every piece of jewelry she wore for the pictorials.By Cho Han-na, Intern reporter (hnncho@heraldcorp.com)(Photo credit: Agatha Paris)

Aug. 1, 2014

K-pop idol group Boyfriend’s fashion pictorial

K-pop idol group Boyfriend’s fashion pictorial was released yesterday, July 31. The K-pop idols can be seen in variety of fashion styles, ranging from natural to chic and classic. The group recently made a successful comeback with its second album, “Obsession.” By Cho Han-na, Intern reporter (hnncho@heraldcorp.com)(Photo credit: bnt)

Aug. 1, 2014

U.S. ends effort to reclaim mummy mask for Egypt

ST. LOUIS (AP) ― A 3,200-year-old mummy mask at the center of a years-long custody fight will stay at the St. Louis Art Museum now that the U.S. government is giving up its fight to reclaim it for Egypt. U.S. Attorney Richard Callahan said Tuesday that the Department of Justice will take no further legal action to reclaim the funeral mask of Lady Ka-Nefer-Nefer, a noblewoman who died in B.C. 1186. The mask went missing from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo more than 40 years ago. The St. Louis Art M

CultureJuly 31, 2014

Animal-themed film festival to open in Suncheon Bay

A film festival to promote the coexistence of people and animals will be held at Suncheon Bay, South Jeolla Province, from Aug. 21-26. The “Animal Film Festival in Suncheon,” in its second year, will screen 50 animal-themed films from 20 countries. The movies will deal with the preservation of nature and interactions between humans and animals. Japanese film “7 Days of Himawari & Her Puppies” directed by Emiko Hiramatsu, will kick off the festival. The film is based on a true story and depicts a

FilmJuly 31, 2014

Inspiration in a moon jar

The pure simplicity of moon jars from the Joseon period (1392-1910) has inspired generations of Korean artists, including pioneer of abstract art Kim Whanki. Three exhibitions this summer highlight the beauty and value of white porcelain together with the modern artwork inspired by them. Gana Art Center displays seven of 20 remaining moon jars in the world. Moon jars are a type of white porcelain that is more than 40 centimeters tall, and made between the late 17th and 18th centuries. Their simp

PerformanceJuly 31, 2014

Clazziquai Project returns with second new single

Electro-pop trio Clazziquai Project is gearing up to make a grand return to the music scene by cranking out its 10th anniversary project.The three members of Clazziquai ― DJ Clazzi, Horan and Alex ― released their latest single “Madly” on Friday, following “Love Satellite” which was unveiled in July. Both singles are preparatory tracks signaling the coming of the group’s 10th anniversary studio album, scheduled to drop in late August.Clazziquai (Fluxus Music)Stylistically different from “Love Sa

July 31, 2014

Making music of her own

This is the 10th article in a series highlighting women and their accomplishments in the Korean entertainment industry. ― Ed.When composer Miho first started making music around 17 years ago, she said she was just one of a few women doing so. At times it was difficult. When she would go to a recording studio, no one truly saw her as a composer. But, she said, she didn’t let it get to her.“As a woman composer, it wasn’t difficult to do my job, but it was difficult because of other people. But bac

PerformanceJuly 31, 2014

Wonder Girls’ Yenny makes solo debut as HA:TFELT

Wonder Girls member Ye-eun, also known as Yenny, has stepped out of her girl group shell with the release of her first solo EP “Me?” on Monday. Debuting under the stage name “HA:TFELT,” Yenny’s new seven-track EP is a far cry from a Wonder Girls-type sound, edging more toward a rock approach than K-pop. Yenny stated that she actually fought with producer Park Jin-young, CEO of JYP Entertainment, over the concept of the album. “After listening to the songs, the producer (JYP) was concerned about

July 31, 2014

‘Excavation’ digs up memories of child-teacher affair

When she was just 13, Wendy Ortiz began to learn important lessons about love, honesty and human depravity. She was a precocious eighth-grader, and she was about to fall under the spell of her 28-year-old English teacher.“Jeff Ivers,” as the teacher is known in Ortiz’s new memoir (it’s not his real name), was at once charming and manipulative. Almost immediately, he seized on his student’s desire to be a writer ― she’d already produced a handwritten novel ― to get closer to her.“Mr. Ivers wants

BooksJuly 31, 2014

‘Land of Love, Drowning’ evokes Gabriel Garcia Marquez

“Nowadays people think historians are stuffy types, but history is a kind of magic I doing here.”So says Anette, the most compelling of the characters populating “Land of Love and Drowning” by Virgin Islands native Tiphanie Yanique. A multigenerational novel set in Yanique’s native land, “Love and Drowning” opens just before the U.S. arrives, after purchasing several of the islands from Denmark in 1917. It concludes in the 1970s.The coming of the Americans ― and the ensuing arrival of the touris

BooksJuly 31, 2014

Single mom, tech millionaire in trouble hit the road in ‘One Plus One’

One Plus OneBy Jojo Moyes (Pamela Dorman Books/Viking)If you are the sort of reader who talks derisively of “chick lit” in that superior tone ― you know which one I mean ― then you may not be swayed by the charms of Jojo Moyes’ latest novel. But the delightful, comic “One Plus One” is as likable a book as you will come across this summer, light and funny, with surprisingly subtle commentary on how the income gap separates people emotionally as well as financially.Also the author of the novels “M

BooksJuly 31, 2014

‘Among Friends’ tells Cold War tale

A Spy Among FriendsBy Ben Macintyre(Crown)A lot of spy novels would have you believe that espionage involves elite globe-trotting adventures laced with good booze and cool toys, and certainly there are elements of all those things in Ben Macintyre’s vivid and fascinating new “A Spy Among Friends: Kim Philby and the Great Betrayal.” But this nonfiction book’s most intense scene is prosaic ― two old friends, middle-aged English gentlemen who came up as spies through British intelligence, share a c

BooksJuly 31, 2014

Exo‘s Lay wanted by director Gao Xixi

Lay, a Chinese member of K-pop boy group EXO, received a love call from China’s popular film director, Gao Xixi.“Recently, I got to know about a talented and hard-working young man named Zhang Yixing (Lay’s Chinese name) who writes songs. My next two films will definitely have roles for him,” Gao wrote on his Weibo on Wednesday, expressing his desire to cast Lay in his future films.Gao started off as a director for television, producing well-loved drama series “Legend of Chu and Han” and “Three

July 31, 2014