Zhang Lu to return with romantic comedy ‘Gyeongju’

Renowned filmmaker Zhang Lu is making a comeback with a romance film starring Korean top stars Park Hae-il and Shin Min-a. The third-generation Korean-Chinese filmmaker, who was born and raised in China’s Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, has been living and working in Korea since 2012. In December he showcased his first documentary, “The Scenery,” which explores the lives of migrant workers in Korea.A scene from Zhang Lu’s latest film “Gyeongju.” (Invent Stone)The upcoming comedy, titled “G

FilmMay 14, 2014

Cannes poised for world’s biggest film extravaganza

CANNES, France (AFP) ― Giant portraits of movie stars beamed down on passersby in Cannes on Tuesday as Hollywood heavyweights and first-time directors prepared to pour into the French Riviera resort for the world’s biggest film festival.Hugh Jackman, French actress Lea Seydoux and Natalie Portman were just some of the celebrities whose faces adorned buildings in the city center, as if the lure of real-life stars making their way to the 67th Cannes Film Festival was not enough. Ryan Gosling, Davi

FilmMay 14, 2014

Art at German envoy’s residence augurs hope for inter-Korean ties

German Ambassador Rolf Mafael poses for a photo during an interview with The Korea Herald at his home in Seongbuk-dong in Seoul. (Park Hae-mook/The Korea Herald)This is the first in a series of articles in which foreign envoys to Korea show the art of their countries displayed in their homes. ― Ed.The hilltop garden at the residence of the German ambassador on Mount Bugaksan commands a panoramic view of the elegant homes peppering the landscape of the exclusive Seongbuk-dong neighborhood below.

CultureMay 14, 2014

[Herald Interview] Florist Audrey Oh on haute world of flowers

In her newly minted shop in Seoul’s Cheongdam-dong, florist Audrey Oh starts arranging marigolds, blue delphiniums, shepherd’s purse and stonecrop into a vibrant, spring-appropriate bouquet.The veteran floral designer’s swift movements make it look deceptively easy, yet the marriage of near-violet blue with ruffled golden orange, the carefully spaced exclamations of yellow-green, are portrait-worthy, serving as a testimony to her years of experience.“I like natural and simple designs,” said Oh,

Arts & DesignMay 14, 2014

Jun Ji-hyun’s face is prettier on the left: “My Love From the Star” director

Actress Jun Ji-hyun’s “good side” is on the left, said Lee Gil-bok, the director of SBS drama “My Love from the Star,” in an episode of reality show “Magic Eye” that aired on May 13. The comment came after show host Kim Gu-ra asked him which side of Jun’s face looks better. The director said the “left side.”“The number of right-handed people is generally higher than left-handed people… I think about 70 percent (of right-handed people) look better on the left side of the face,” said Lee, who has

May 14, 2014

‘K-pop Star’ contestants Sam Kim, Kwon Jin-ah sign with Antenna

“K-pop Star 3” contestants Sam Kim and Kwon Jin-ah, who finished second and third on the show, respectively, have both signed with Antenna Music, the agency announced Tuesday. Sam Kim (SBS)Kim and Kwon have become the first “K-pop Star” contestants to sign with the agency, home to alternative artists Lucid Fall and the Peppertones. The agency is run by CEO You Hee-yeol who was a judge on the SBS audition program for the first time this year.“We think that Kwon Jin-ah is a musician that has her o

May 14, 2014

CNBLUE’s Jung Yong-hwa to sing national anthem at Dodger Stadium

Jung Yong-hwa, the main vocalist from the popular K-pop band CNBLUE, will head to Los Angeles this month to sing the South Korean national anthem at the Dodger Stadium.Jung is slated to deliver the national anthem as part of the “Korea Night” event, organized by the Korea Tourism Organization, during a baseball game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Cincinnati Reds on May 27.Jung Yong-hwa of CNBlue (FNC Entertainment)The event will be attended by Park Chan-ho, South Korea’s first-ever U.S.

May 14, 2014

BoA to launch first Japan tour in 4 years

 After the local release of her first Hollywood film, “Make Your Move,” and her latest Japanese EP, “Shout It Out,” iconic K-pop star BoA looks to continue ramping up her hallyu status with the launch of her first tour in Japan in more than four years, according to an announcement made by the singer’s Japanese label Avex Trax. The 14-year veteran K-pop star will kick off her tour in September with two shows at the Tokyo NHK Hall before performing in Aichi, Osaka and Fukuoka. “It’s been a long ti

May 14, 2014

Kim Woo-bin split with model girlfriend: agency

Model-turned-actor Kim Woo-bin broke up with his model girlfriend Yu Ji-an four months ago, Kim’s agency confirmed on Wednesday. Their busy schedules drew the actor-model couple apart emotionally, leading to a casual split, a local sports media reports.  Actor Kim Woo-bin and model Yu Ji-an (osen)Kim and Yu began dating in 2011 when working together as models. In September 2013, Kim made it public that he had been dating model Yu Ji-an for two years.Kim’s past comment about girl group f(x) membe

May 14, 2014

2NE1’s Park Bom’s beauty secrets on ‘Roommate’ go viral

On SBS’ “Roommate” episode aired on Sunday, Park Bom revealed her beauty secrets: using a particular brand of thermal water spray frequently and sticking “meridian stickers” on her ears.Meridian stickers are known to help the circulation of blood by stimulating acupuncture spots with sharp points attached to the sticker.“Spraying this helps you get a smaller face,” Park said on the show, referring to the water spray. “Many of my actor and actress friends use this.”Later, Park was spotted sharing

May 14, 2014

Yoo In-na, Ji Hyun-woo split: YG Entertainment

Actress Yoo In-na and actor Ji Hyun-woo have broken up after a two-year relationship, their agencies confirmed on Wednesday. Yoo’s agency, YG Entertainment, did not disclose the reason and the exact date of the breakup.  Yoo In-na and Ji Hyun-woo (tvN)“(Despite the breakup), they decided to support each other’s careers,” a spokesperson of Ji’s agency was quoted as saying. The two K-drama stars had initially announced their romantic relationship upon finishing the recording of the final episode o

May 14, 2014

AKMU secretly donates $290,000 to charities

AKMU, the winner of SBS’ audition program “K-pop Star 2,” was found to have donated 300 million won ($290,000) to several charities.According to YG Entertainment, the brother-sister duo donated all the prize money they won on “K-pop Star 2,” including 100 million won ($97,000) they received from a record production support fund. (YG Entertainment)“As far as I know, AKMU gladly agreed to their parents’ suggestion to ‘return it to society’ when they received the prize money,” a YG official was quo

May 14, 2014

2PM postpones June comeback, GOT7 fills in instead

JYP Entertainment on Wednesday postponed the comeback date of boy band 2PM to either July or later this year, citing that GOT7 will take over and stage second comeback activities in mid-June.“2PM will return in July or later in the second half. … We have not decided on further details, but there will be no June comeback as planned,” a JYP spokesperson told a local sports tabloid. This is the second time for the talent agency to push back 2PM’s comeback schedule. The boy band had originally annou

May 14, 2014

[Herald Review] ‘A Girl at My Door’ powerful, resonating study of the alienated

Bae Doo-na (left) and Kim Sae-ron pose during a press conference promoting “A Girl at My Door” in Seoul on Monday. (Yonhap)In a quiet, seemingly uneventful Korean port town, Young-nam (Bae Doo-na), a young woman with a pale face, arrives as the head of its police substation ― after being demoted from Seoul. All of her subordinates in the station are men, most of whom are older than she. On her way to her new house in the village, she runs into Yong-ha (Song Sae-byeok), “the man who runs the econ

FilmMay 13, 2014

Italian contemporary art on view in Seoul

Installation view of the exhibition of Italian contemporary art at SongEun Art Space in Seoul (SongEun Art Space)Besides the rich artistic history of the Renaissance, Italian art, especially contemporary art, has been rarely introduced to the Korean audience in depth. This month, an exhibition of 22 Italian artists offers a chance for Koreans to understand Italian contemporary art. The event is part of the project by SongEun Art Space that introduces contemporary art from various countries that

PerformanceMay 13, 2014

EXO’s ‘Overdose’ surpasses 10 million views on YouTube

EXOThe official music videos for EXO-K and EXO-M’s chart-topping new hit single “Overdose” have now surpassed a combined 10 million views on YouTube. As of Tuesday morning, the music video for EXO-K’s Korean version had been viewed more than 7.3 million times on YouTube in less than a week, while its counterpart EXO-M’s Mandarin version had drawn more 3.2 million views, for a combined total of over 10.5 million hits.“Overdose,” the lead track from the group’s latest EP of the same name, topped a

May 13, 2014