Super Junior Donghae and TVXQ U-Know pictured together

 Donghae of K-pop idol group Super Junior revealed a photo on his Instagram Friday taken with his label mate, U-Know Yunho of TVXQ, late at night. The photo, titled “Quick date in the moonlight. SJ & TVXQ,” shows the close relationship of the two idols. Meanwhile, Super Junior-M, a subunit of Super Junior that Donghae belongs, took part in this year’s Hong Kong Dome Festival on July 1.(laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)(Photo credit: Instagram)

July 11, 2014

EXO Chanyeol and Seo Kang-joon show off friendship

K-pop idol group EXO‘s Chanyeol posted a photo on his Instagram on Thursday that he took with Seo Kang-joon. (Instagram)“Kangyeol (a combination of the two’s names Kang-joon and Chanyeol) tour company, which puts customers first, is coming soon. Stay tuned for the upcoming episode of ‘Roommate.’ Kang-joon, you are so handsome,” the 21-year-old idol wrote in the caption alongside the photo.In the photo, they are smiling with their arms crossed. The heartthrobs are currently starring together in t

July 11, 2014

KBS board picks Cho as new president

The KBS board of directors on Thursday recommended former vice president Cho Dae-hyun as its new CEO, who will be appointed by President Park Geun-hye. The board selected Cho out of six candidates in a vote held Wednesday evening. The nominee won by an absolute majority, the board said. Cho, if appointed, will lead the nation’s largest public broadcaster until November 2015, filling the top post vacated by Gil Hwan-young.  Cho Dae-hyunGil was dismissed last month by the board after a high-profil

TelevisionJuly 10, 2014

Glimpse into China’s business culture

To know China, you must know “guanxi.” Lexically, it is a relationship or connection, but it means more than that. It contains important cultural implications that no single English word can explain.In China, guanxi is the key to success, be it in business, politics or any field that requires people-to-people relationships. The Chinese understand guanxi as the art of networking in their own fashion. To them, guanxi is exchanging favors for a common interest. “If you scratch my back, maybe I will

BooksJuly 10, 2014

Social worker runs afoul of survivalist in ‘Fourth of July Creek’

Fourth of July CreekBy Smith Henderson (Ecco)Reading the first pages of Smith Henderson’s astonishing new novel, you can sense the trouble rising like thunderheads over the plains. A cop waits outside a ramshackle house. You know the place: “Peeling paint, a porch swing dangling from one rusting chain, a missing windowpane taped over with torn cardboard.” A social worker arrives. A mother and son sit handcuffed behind the screen door, subdued.These two, says the cop, “are full idiots.” The socia

BooksJuly 10, 2014

World of collectors of rare 78 rpm records

Midway through her thoughtful, entertaining history of obsessed music collectors and their quest for rare early 78 rpm records, writer Amanda Petrusich has a revelation. Focusing on one particular seeker and his knack for finding obscure titles others have missed, she describes him strategizing his search by “pursuing his prey with the kind of vehemence typically employed by a PI stalking a client’s ex-wife, or a cop chasing a kingpin. It felt calculated and thorough.”The difference? Unlike thos

BooksJuly 10, 2014

U.S. workers encountered man left in cell for days

SAN DIEGO (AP) ― Four U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration employees saw or heard a handcuffed San Diego student locked in a cell for five days without food or water, but did nothing because they assumed someone else was responsible, investigators said Tuesday.The U.S. Justice Department’s inspector general faulted several DEA employees for their handling of the April 2012 incident that left Daniel Chong in grave physical health, cost the agency a $4.1 million settlement and led to nationwide ch

PeopleJuly 10, 2014

Rise of IPTV changes film experience

Chae Yoon-seok is an office worker with a 5- and 2-year-old. When Disney’s animated film “Frozen” hit local theaters in January, his daughters became part of the craze, wanting to watch it over and over again. Instead of taking them to the cinema every time, he decided to pay 9,000 won to buy the Internet protocol television (IPTV) version of the movie. Since May, his girls have watched it well over 20 times. “The perk is that the kids can watch it whenever and as many times as they wish at home

FilmJuly 10, 2014

K-Ballet looks to cater to all tastes

Inspired to create a dance festival under the premise of showcasing “ballet for all to enjoy,” the Korea Ballet Association is returning with the annual “K-Ballet World” two-week-long ballet extravaganza. The upcoming festival will be held on select days from Aug. 22 to Sept. 5 and will showcase various short dance programs performed by both renowned principal dancers and young, novices. It will also include productions from Korea’s top ballet companies ― Universal Ballet and the Korean National

PerformanceJuly 10, 2014

Cork: It’s not just for wine and bulletin boards

NEW YORK (AP) ― Cork. It’s not just for wine stoppers and bulletin boards anymore. Embraced by some progressive furniture makers decades ago and a staple in housewares, cork has found a larger place among shoes, handbags, jewelry and other fashion accessories. Designer Elaine Turner is a proponent of cork, which is renewable, feather light and water-resistant. So is Ingrid Heinkel, who imports cork accessories ranging from men’s wallets to a woman’s backpack in a tiger stripe design.  Tiger Beng

Arts & DesignJuly 10, 2014

Crashing through stereotypes

This is the eighth in a series highlighting women and their accomplishments in the various facets of the Korean entertainment industry. ― Ed.Velvet Geena was never a trained musician. In fact, before she started rockabilly band the RockTigers in 2001, she was a writer for a music cable channel and event organizer. The only experience she had was a short stint as a vocalist in a punk band as a student.She said she had just simply wondered what it would be like to be on stage.“Some people have the

PerformanceJuly 10, 2014

Super Sonic 2014 reduced to 1-day music festival

This year’s edition of the Super Sonic music festival, slated to bring legendary English rock band Queen and other renowned acts to South Korea next month, has been reduced to a one-day event, according to organizers. Super Sonic 2014 will now take place on Aug. 14 at the Auxiliary Stadium at Jamsil Sports Complex. The festival had originally been scheduled to take place from Aug. 14-15 at Olympic Park.“We moved the festival’s location to Jamsil Sports Complex to acquire a larger stage and space

PerformanceJuly 10, 2014

2PM’s Junho tops Oricon charts with new EP ‘Feel’

Junho, a member of K-pop boy group 2PM, topped Japan’s equivalent of the Billboard charts, Oricon charts, with his second EP “Feel,” released on Wednesday.According to the music charts, “Feel” saw sales of 27,939 on the day it was released, safely sitting on top of the daily charts.The singer’s second solo EP shows his talents as a true musician. His self-produced album consists of five tracks including the lead track “Feel,” “Dangerous” and “Next To You.”In addition, Junho is to hold a tour aro

July 10, 2014

Korea’s top emcee donates W10m for comfort women

(House of Sharing)Yoo Jae-suk, a member of variety show program “Infinite Challenge” and famous comedian, made a donation of 10 million won ($9,873) on Wednesday to the House of Sharing, the organization said on Thursday.House of Sharing is a shelter where comfort women, victims of Japan’s sexual enslavement of Asian women during World War II, live together. (MBC)“Yoo Jae-suk promised to show continued interest in victims of Japan’s sexual enslavement and support the comfort women,” an official

July 10, 2014

Rapper Jang Woo-hyuk dating Japanese actress Fueki Yuko: report

South Korean rapper Jang Woo-hyuk and Japanese actress Fueki Yuko, also known as Yoo Min, have been dating for years, a local news outlet reported Thursday. The news broke after a source close to Jang revealed that the couple had long been an item and met up on a regular basis. They recently went on a trip together to Guam, the largest resort island in Micronesia, according to the source.  (Instagram)To back up the claims, the news outlet unveiled photos seemingly taken on holiday that Jang and

July 10, 2014

Rainbow member reveals top secret for perfect skin

Most women spend a tremendous amount of time and money on their skin. They all wish to keep their face young and moisturized. According to Jeakyung, a member of Korean girl group Rainbow, keeping perfect skin actually does not have to cost much. It just needs a little bit of diligence and time. (OSEN)Jaekyung, who is famous for her knowledge of cosmetics and skincare, revealed her secret for perfect skin: Make your own natural cosmetics. She makes her own aloe moisturizer, which helps control fa

July 10, 2014

Seo In-guk’s 12 face expressions revealed

Pictures of actor Seo In-guk making various facial expressions were released on Thursday.In the tvN drama “High School King of Savvy,” Seo plays Lee Min-suk, a high school student who pretends to be a manager of a big firm for his brother.The pictures showed Seo looking cute, energetic, serious and charismatic. Seo is gaining attention from viewers for his acting, being a corporate manager and a high school student at the same time. His romance in the drama with Lee Hanna is also attracting many

July 10, 2014

Nichkhun becomes ‘invincible’ in China

Nichkhun of popular idol group 2PM has becom a star in China with his drama “One and a Half Summer.”In the drama, Nichkhun portrays a Chinese-American man who visits China to find his first love, whom he met while traveling.Nichkhun’s drama was broadcasted on Dragon TV from June 23 to July 2, and has 27 episodes. It was also released in China’s main online video sites, gaining more than 400 million viewers.The drama has proven to be immensely popular, topping the entertainment section of China’s

July 10, 2014

Miss A’s Suzy reveals photos with bunny girl

Suzy of Miss A revealed two pictures on her Twitter account on Wednesday, cheerfully posing with two foreign women in costumes.The Korean girl group member added the comment “Chu” with the photos.  Suzy of Miss A (Suzy’s Twitter)(khnews@heraldcorp.com)

July 10, 2014