Calendar

Dance“Vortex”: The National Dance Company of Korea, which has been solely focusing on Korean traditional dance, is collaborating with a foreign choreographer for the first time since its inception in 1962. Their upcoming performance, “Vortex,” is choreographed by Finnish artist Tero Saarinen. Participating dancers include Kim Mi-ae, the troupe’s principal dancer, and Park Hye-ji, an apprentice who was surprisingly selected by Saarinen to play one of the leading characters in the piece. “Vortex”

CultureApril 4, 2014

Eyelike: NS Yoon-G brings back sexy on ‘Yasisi’

NS Yoon-G brings back sexy on ‘Yasisi’NS Yoon-G“Yasisi”(LOEN Entertainment)Solo female K-pop singer NS Yoon-G has returned to the local music scene with the new EP “Yasisi” and a lead single with the same title that is shamelessly sexy.“Yasisi,” which roughly translates to “sexually alluring,” speaks for itself. The music video features NS Yoon-G dancing seductively while dressed in revealing clothes. She teases and smiles at the men, who are startled by her presence.The lyrics are also quite fl

PerformanceApril 4, 2014

Box Office: Son of God, August: Osage County, Han Gong-ju

Son of God (the U.S.) Opening April 10 Drama. Directed by Christopher Spencer.This epic biblical drama film features the life of Jesus Christ, the central figure of Christianity. It follows the life of Jesus from his miraculous birth, his visit to Galilee, as well as his first encounter with well-known followers, including Peter, James, John and Matthew. The film also highlights most of the miracles Jesus performed, including multiplying the loaves and fishes, walking on water, and raising Lazar

FilmApril 4, 2014

‘Divergent’ is ‘Hunger Games’ without the arrows

“Divergent,” the latest outcast-teen-battles-The System thriller, is similar enough to “The Hunger Games” that hardcore Katniss fans may dismiss it.But it’s a more streamlined film, with a love story with genuine heat and deaths with genuine pathos.And director Neil Burger (“The Illusionist,” “Limitless”) inserts us into this world with a lack of fuss that the stiff, exposition-stuffed “Games” films have never managed.So let’s skip past any suggestions of novelist Veronica Roth knocking off the

FilmApril 4, 2014

Rock climbers and herb gatherers

Clouds drift past and reveal a stone wall that juts forward then curls back and forth, like an eel until it reaches the minor summit of Wonhyobong. Beyond the peak a new section of the wall is revealed, then another, until it begins to seem that the Mount Geumjeongsan fortress in north Busan has an inexhaustible supply of striking views. Eventually, though, one comes full circle. At 18 kilometers in length, it is the longest such wall in Korea, and like Namhansanseong Fortress south of Seoul, it

TravelApril 4, 2014

Spring bibimbap with tuna

Bibimbap is a versatile dish. We make bibimbap with just about anything ― leftover side dishes, kimchi, wild mountain vegetables, etc. This recipe is a simple version made with fresh spring vegetables and canned tuna. You can substitute any of the vegetables with your favorites. For other variations, try salmon or tofu instead of tuna. A gochujang (red chili pepper paste) sauce is usually used in traditional bibimbap, but a soy sauce-based sauce works wonderfully with this dish. Enjoy this quick

FoodApril 4, 2014

Around the Hotels

Seasonal Korean caviar at Millennium Seoul HiltonMillennium Seoul Hilton’s French restaurant Seasons is offering a special promotional menu that features seasonal Korean caviar for the month of April. Caviar refers to salted roe of sturgeon or other varieties of fish usually found in the Caspian and Black Seas. South Korea is one of the top producers of quality caviar, made with imported sturgeon from Russia. The restaurant’s special menu will celebrate this gourmet dish. The caviar tasting menu

TravelApril 4, 2014

‘Britain’s Got Talent’ child star Connie Talbot returning to Korea

Connie Talbot, who first came into the public eye after competing in the popular TV talent competition program “Britain’s Got Talent” when she was only 6 years old, will be holding her first performance in Korea since nearly six years ago. The now 13-year-old Talbot will be performing live at the Osan Culture & Arts Center in Gyeonggi Province on April 23 and at the Blue Square theater in Hannam-dong, Seoul, on April 27. In her first “Britain’s Got Talent” audition in 2007, the youngster sang an

PerformanceApril 4, 2014

World DJ Festival to return in May

The eighth World DJ Festival, an annual outdoor electronic music festival, will take place at the Yangpyeong Gangsang Sports Park, Gyeonggi Province, next month.The festival will be held May 4 and 5. Each day it will begin at 2 p.m. and continue all night until 5 a.m. the next day. This year, the event falls on a long weekend that includes the national holidays of Children’s Day (May 5) and Buddha’s Birthday (May 6).DJs from both Korea and abroad will play mostly electronic dance music, with hip

PerformanceApril 4, 2014

Tiffany, Nichkhun confirmed dating

Tiffany, a Korean-American member of Girls’ Generation, is in a romantic relationship with Nichkhun Buck Horvejkul, a Thai-American member of K-pop group 2PM, their respective entertainment agencies confirmed on Friday.“Tiffany and Nichkhun have been in a relationship for four months,” a spokesperson for SM Entertainment, Girls’ Generation’s agency, told a sports daily.Rumors of their romantic relationship surfaced on March 11 after Nichkhun, 25, and Tiffany, 24, were seen on a date at a fusion

April 4, 2014

Jesus Christ returns to the big screen

Many local Christians may be delighted to learn that Christopher Spencer’s “Son of God,” a biopic about their leader, is getting a Korean release this month. A number of prominent local pastors, including Kim Ji-cheol of Somang Church and Im Sung-bin from Korea Presbyterian University and Theological Seminary, have already praised the movie ― they were invited to special screenings prior to the upcoming release ― for its “touching” depiction of their savior. The film, adapted from the TV miniser

FilmApril 3, 2014

Stolen Gauguin on Sicily kitchen wall for 40 years

ROME (AP) ― A Paul Gauguin still life stolen from a wealthy collector’s home in Britain decades ago has been recovered after hanging for 40 years in a Sicilian autoworker’s kitchen. The worker bought the painting along with one of lesser value by another French artist, Pierre Bonnard, for about $100 at a 1975 Italian state railway auction of unclaimed lost items, said Maj. Massimiliano Quagliarella of the paramilitary Carabinieri art theft squad. Italian authorities on Wednesday estimated the st

PerformanceApril 3, 2014

Society portrayed in media art

Some 40 Chinese workers stride into a pond, form a line in the middle dividing it into two parts, then shortly after disperse, walking freely in the water. This odd performance is found in a scene from a 1997 video by Zhang Huan of China. His video is among the diverse media artwork by 24 international artists currently on view at the Total Museum of Contemporary Art. The exhibits satirically, critically or sometimes humorously depict today’s political and social problems. Zhang intends to “rais

PerformanceApril 3, 2014

Jazz legend Wayne Shorter to perform with quartet April 12

Wayne Shorter, one of the greatest saxophonists in the history of jazz and a 10-time Grammy winner, will stage his second live concert with the Wayne Shorter Quartet at the LG Arts Center in Seoul on April 12.The Wayne Shorter Quartet’s first performance in Korea in 2010 was entirely impromptu, with the pure improvisation dazzling local audiences at the time.The veteran ensemble will return to Seoul once again next week, with new jazz sounds, fresh interpretations and innovative compositions.The

PerformanceApril 3, 2014

Queen, Adam Lambert join Super Sonic lineup

Brian May and Roger Taylor of the legendary English rock band Queen ― behind all-time classic hits such as “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “We Are the Champions” and “We Will Rock You” ― will be making their way to Korea this summer as part of the Super Sonic 2014 festival first lineup. Popular “American Idol” eighth season runner-up Adam Lambert will be joining the iconic rock stars on stage, taking the mic as Queen’s honorary leading vocalist, which he has done on and off over the past few years.  May an

PerformanceApril 3, 2014

McCartney to hold concert in Seoul in May

Paul McCartney, a former member of the legendary British band The Beatles, will hold his first-ever concert in South Korea next month, organizers said Thursday.The show is part of his “Out There” world tour that began in Brazil last year and has taken him to 23 big cities around the world. During the Seoul concert, scheduled for May 28 at Seoul’s Jamsil Stadium, McCartney will perform tracks on “New,” his new album released last year as well as songs from his career with The Beatles and as a sol

PerformanceApril 3, 2014