Bernard Park wins ‘K-pop Star,’ signs with JYP

Korean-American Bernard Park has been crowned the winner of popular singing competition program “Survival Audition K-pop Star 3.”The soulful ballad singer sealed the deal with his performance of Yoo Jae-ha’s 1980s ballad hit “Because I Loved You” and R. Kelly’s “I Believe I can Fly” in the season finale on Sunday. He beat out fellow Korean-American competitor Sam Kim, who performed a self-rendition of Big Bang’s “Liar” and Sting’s “Englishman in New York.” Along with a cash prize of 300 million

April 14, 2014

2000 Won makes debut with EP

2000 Won, a male duo who competed on “K-pop Star 2,” has formally debuted in the local music scene with its first EP “2000 Won 1st Mini Album,” featuring strong vocals and rapping.The up-and-coming Kim Hyo-bin and Kim Il-do kicked off their first live performance with the lead single “Don’t Like Seoul Anymore” in a showcase at KT Olleh Square in Seoul on Friday.The song is a sentimental track that portrays the overwhelming sense of emptiness felt after a breakup. 2,000 won passionately sings abo

April 14, 2014

Loen Entertainment rolls out virtual signing event on 1theK facebook

Loen Entertainment has launched a creative signing event for K-pop stars on its 1theK Facebook account, the agency said Monday.Upon clicking “like” for the “Wonderful Fan Signing Event” at www.facebook.com/1theK, each user can choose between a video clip of K-pop singer IU or boy band B.A.P. In each video clip, the K-pop artists hold up the user’s Facebook profile picture and have a “mini concert.” At the end, the singers sign autographs with the user’s name and profile picture automatically pri

April 14, 2014

[Herald Interview] Composer with crossover appeal sees future in gugak

The music of composer Ryu Hyeong-sun has an appeal that crosses strikingly different genres and attracts a diverse range of fans. To young or expecting moms, he is best known for a series of pregnancy music, lullabies and children’s songs. Christians know him as a gospel musician. Among fans of gugak or traditional Korean classical music, he is regarded as one of the country’s most promising gugak composers. Characterizing Ryu or his music by genre makes little difference to him, though. Music m

PerformanceApril 13, 2014

Director Raoul Peck shoots new quake film in Haiti

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) ― Haiti’s most respected filmmaker began production on a new film in Haiti this week, making perhaps the first feature to dramatize how people faced the topsy-turvy days and weeks after the 2010 earthquake. France-based Raoul Peck’s latest film, “Murder in Pacot,” uses a traditional stranger-comes-to-town plot line to examine how the quake upended Haiti’s strongly divided class system. The movie focuses on a well-to-do family whose house is almost completely destroyed.

FilmApril 13, 2014

[Band Uprising] Cold Cherry combines frigid and sweet lyrics with acoustic sounds

As the Korean music market begins to receive more international recognition, the local band scene is looking to rise up and represent the next generation of Korean music. This is the seventh installment in a series of interviews with Korean rock, acoustic and alternative bands. ― Ed.The mild and melancholic acoustic pop trio Cold Cherry, comprised of Kim Bbal-gang, Yu Hyun-jin and Lee Yu-han, got its start in the Hongdae music scene playing at any venue that was willing to have them. With so man

April 13, 2014

Outkast reunite, headline Coachella music festival

Outkast reunited onstage after a near decade-long hiatus with a jam-packed set at the Coachella music festival, their first of many performances planned this year. The rap duo headlined the first night of the music festival Friday in Indio, California, performing well-known hits such as “Hey Ya!” “Ms. Jackson,” “The Way You Move,” “Elevators (Me & You)” and “So Fresh, So Clean.” The Grammy winners performed two dozen tracks ― seen via its livestream on YouTube ― as they celebrated 20 years in mu

PerformanceApril 13, 2014

[Weekender] Time to dance!

From ballet to b-boy, dance is seeing a resurgence in Korea. TV shows feature dancers to grab viewers’ attention, ballet companies enjoy unprecedented ticket sales and an increasing number of fitness clubs offer dance workout programs: All because more Koreans are rediscovering dance as a source of rejuvenation in today’s stressful society. “Koreans’ interest in dance was never this high before,” said Jang Seung-heon, a longtime dance producer and general director of Dancers’ Career Development

CultureApril 11, 2014

[Weekender] Burn calories, build muscle without being stuck in the gym

Many 9-to-5ers find it impossible to regularly work out at the gym, although they do want to shed some kilos and stay in shape. They may be too exhausted from work, or may have health conditions that prevent them from doing weight lifting or sprinting. But in most cases, it is boredom that causes people to avoid regular workouts ― even celebrities such as singer Son Dam-bi and actress Ko Jun-hee publically complain that “gym workouts are ‘boring.’” The good news is that many forms of dance have

CultureApril 11, 2014

[Weekender] Dancing like K-pop stars

A quick search on YouTube will bring up hundreds of videos of K-pop “cover dances.” All over the world and here in Korea, fans of K-pop are fascinated by the dance moves of idol stars and hope to imitate them.That desire to learn K-pop dance moves has led to a boom in classes that offer the chance to learn both cover dance and the general style of K-pop dance.Renowned choreographer Hong Young-joo, most famous for choreographing for singers Wax and Baek Ji-young, said she first started teaching i

PerformanceApril 11, 2014

[Weekender] Korean b-boying breaks new ground

The distinctive and dynamic style of break dancing was first introduced to the world by young street dancers in New York City in the early 1970s. B-boying eventually made its way to Korea about a decade later after being introduced by American soldiers. However, for decades, break dancing was far from being a mainstream style of dance as it enjoyed only a small following among young, amateur dancers. “When I first started getting into the b-boy scene in the late ’90s, b-boying itself didn’t have

PerformanceApril 11, 2014

Following the beat of his own drum

Artee Pedicab president Lee In-jae’s resume bears witness to the storied life the young man has had in his 28 years so far.A graduate of Cushing Academy in Massachusetts, Lee went on to study history at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, a private liberal arts college in the United States. After completing his freshman year, Lee, a Korean national, returned to the country to fulfill his mandatory military service.For six months in 2006, Lee did a tour of Iraq, serving in the 11th Brigade in Erb

CultureApril 11, 2014

Calendar

Theater“Ophelia”: Local musical “Ophelia,” an interpretation of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” is being staged in Seoul in May. Ophelia is a fictional character who appears in “Hamlet.” She’s a young noblewoman whose father is killed by her love interest, Hamlet, and eventually goes mad. The upcoming musical is centered around Ophelia, rather than Hamlet ― the protagonist in the original Shakespeare play. Composer Choi Woo-jeong, screenwriter and former Culture Minister Kim Myung-gon, and contemporary

CultureApril 11, 2014

‘Draft Day’ plays like a late-round pick

“Draft Day” is a “ticking clock” thriller built around the NFL draft, a movie that counts down to the fateful decision that one embattled general manager (Kevin Costner) makes with his team’s first round pick.It’s a reasonably interesting ― to NFL fans, anyway ― peek behind the curtains at the wheeling, dealing and over-thinking that goes on as teams and managers and coaches try to avoid looking as if they don’t know what they’re doing. They’re nagged into making hasty or ill-advised decisions b

FilmApril 11, 2014

Box Office: Innocent Thing, My Father’s Emails, Son of God

Innocent Thing (Korea)Opened April 10Thriller. Directed by Kim Tae-gyun.Former athlete and school teacher Joon-gi (Jang Hyuk) is married to his dutiful, pregnant wife, Yoo-jin (Sun Woo-sun). He doesn’t have much interest in teaching and would rather be a rugby coach, but this would not guarantee a stable income. He eventually falls for one of his students at an all-girls high school, who is seductive and at times too mature for her age. My Father’s Emails (Korea)Opening April 24Documentary. Dire

FilmApril 11, 2014

Eyelike: Akdong Musician impressive on debut album

Akdong Musician impressive on debut albumAkdong Musician“PLAY”(KT Music)Akdong Musician, a teenage duo from Mongolia that won the audition show “K-Pop Star 2” last year, has made its much-anticipated debut with the studio album “PLAY.”The 11-track album features the siblings’ unique interpretations of everyday experiences that anyone can relate to. Despite their young age, their compositions demonstrate musical maturity and are marked by relaxing melodies and acoustic colors. The male singer-son

PerformanceApril 11, 2014

Following Gwangju’s Old Road

While gazing at a signboard at the base of Mount Mudeungsan, a young park ranger approached me and offered to recommend an itinerary. “Interesting in learn English,” he said with an earnest smile. Asked what was special about the national park, he answered, “Jusangjeolli,” which means “columnar joints.”The park ranger, who goes by the English name Michael, was referring to Seoseokdae and Ipseokdae, clusters of naturally formed colonnades that can set a geologist’s heart aflutter, but can also be

TravelApril 11, 2014

Provence and French Riviera’s diverse charms

The traditional vacation destinations in the French Riviera and Provence regions boast natural beauty, rich architectural heritage, great food and good wine. The diverse charms of the region enables travelers to plan themed tours according to their tastes. “People should know what they want to see and experience in the region. If you are a wine lover, you can visit different wineries and try a variety of wines. Think about whether you want to enjoy its natural beauty, appreciate paintings of Van

TravelApril 11, 2014