One of the most talked-about movies of last year’s Busan International Film Festival, featuring a tragic, real-life story about a Samsung employee, is getting a theater release next month. The film, funded solely by donations and crowd funding from more than 7,000 individuals, recounts the life of Hwang Yu-mi, a factory worker who died of leukemia at age 23 in 2007 after working for four years at a Samsung memory chip factory. Titled “Another Promise” (previously “Another Family,” equivalent to

FilmJan. 23, 2014

This year’s Seoul Jazz Festival, will be held at Olympic Park in Seoul on May 17 and 18.The first lineup of musicians will be unveiled on Feb. 6 and tickets for two-day passes will go on sale from Feb. 4 on Interpark.Just 1,000 “blind tickets” for two-day passes will be released for purchase on Feb. 4, at 12 p.m., two days before the announcement of the first artist lineup. The “blind tickets” will be sold for 125,000 won, a 35-percent discount.A limited number of “super early bird tickets,” als

PerformanceJan. 23, 2014

Director Bong Joon-ho’s sci-fi thriller “Snowpiercer” on Wednesday claimed the best film and the best director awards given by local movie reporters for 2013.The English-language debut by Bong was the top winner at the fifth “Film of the Year Awards” ceremony held at the Korea Press Center in Seoul, beating out the latest box-office sensation, “The Attorney,” and director Lee Jun-ik’s drama “Hope.” Bong also received the best director award for “Snowpiercer.”The Korea Film Reporters Association,

FilmJan. 23, 2014

The memoir “12 Years a Slave” was published in 1853, a year after Harriet Beecher Stowe’s classic, “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.”Now Solomon Northup’s personal narrative is a bestseller ― 161 years after it first came out ― through a tie-in to the celebrated movie version of his memoir. And it is likely to get a big boost from the many Oscar nominations the film has received.The antebellum drama is one of several films this year that have given their namesake books a second life.For years the slim volume

BooksJan. 23, 2014

In this reflection on six great alcoholic American writers ― John Cheever, Raymond Carver, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, John Berryman and Tennessee Williams ― Olivia Laing emerges as a kind of British Susan Orlean, combining nonfiction narrative, travel writing, literary criticism and a touch of memoir in a personable style. While it’s rare to quote blurbs in a book review (with good reason), Hilary Mantel, of “Wolf Hall” fame, says something on the book’s back cover that is worth repe

BooksJan. 23, 2014

In the BloodBy Lisa Unger(Touchstone) Each of Lisa Unger’s visits to The Hollows delves deeper into the myriad residents of this quiet town about 160 kilometers from New York City. Here, in this idyllic-sounding town, there is a menace that latches onto those who live here and seeps into their lives.Unger continues her dark psychological approach in this third visit to The Hollows. The only recurring characters in Unger’s The Hollows novels are Jones Cooper, a detective, and his psychologist wif

BooksJan. 23, 2014

My Age of Anxiety: Fear, Hope, Dread, and the Search for Peace of MindBy Scott Stossel(Alfred A. Knopf)“No sharp-witted judge knows how to interrogate, to examine the accused as anxiety does, which never lets him escape, neither by diversion nor by noise, neither at work nor at play, neither by day nor by night,” the philosopher Søren Kierkegaard observed. Many of you will know exactly what he means. (Trust me, I do: I’m a freelancer.) Some 40 million Americans suffer from the gnawing unease of

BooksJan. 23, 2014

The Korean chapter of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s alumni association will present “proud alumni” awards to three graduates in a ceremony at a Seoul hotel on Saturday.The recipients are former Minister of Strategy and Finance Yoon Jeung-hyun, Inha University’s department of mathematics chair professor Kang Hyeon-bae and Virginia Tech.’s assistant professor of mechanical engineering Dennis Hong.Yoon was recognized for his contribution to stabilizing the finance market while serving as Fi

PeopleJan. 23, 2014

K-pop fans have their eyes on whether K-pop sensation EXO could win a top prize in the upcoming Seoul Music Awards to be held on Thursday night. If the boy band makes it to the top, it would be the fourth straight victory for the idol group.EXO, a South Korean-Chinese boy band consisting of 12 members, has gained explosive popularity at home and in China since making an official debut in early 2012.　Their first full-length album has sold more than 1.4 million by far, according to the Gaon chart,

PerformanceJan. 23, 2014

A 39-year-old housewife surnamed Shin recently decided to apply for a visa to Canada for herself and her children. She plans to stay for up to two years so her kids can go to local schools. She will also have to take on the “father role” as her husband will be staying in Korea to financially support them. “I am taking my kids to Canada for my children to get an English education. I plan to stay in Canada just long enough for my children to master English,” she told The Korea Herald by phone. Stu

CultureJan. 22, 2014

Filmmaker Park Moon-chil was alone with his mother in a car in 2006 when she broke the shocking news to him: His unmarried sister was pregnant.“My mother said something like, ‘It looks like you are going to be an uncle soon,’” Park told The Korea Herald during an interview in Seoul on Tuesday. “I literally did not understand at first. I thought she was talking about a relative having a baby or something.”Park’s latest documentary, “My Place,” is a deeply personal account of his own family, espec

FilmJan. 22, 2014

The number of foreign cruise tourists to Korea has increased over the last six years, emerging as a welcome boost in the inbound travel market. Korea saw the number of foreign cruise passengers stopping at Korean ports grow tenfold from 70,000 in 2008 to 700,000 last year. Last year saw a two-fold increase from the previous year and the number is expected to reach about 900,000 this year, according to the Korea Tourism Organization. “We expect the number of cruise tourists to Korea to continue t

TravelJan. 22, 2014

The former president of the Louvre Museum and Cho Yang-ho, the chairman and CEO of Korean Air, will head up a joint organizing commission to prepare for the 130th anniversary of Korean-French diplomatic relations in 2015 and 2016.Henri Loyrette, former president and general director of the Louvre Museum, announced his appointment as he wrapped up a week-long visit to South Korea with a press briefing at the French Embassy, Tuesday. Cho is well-known as an avid supporter of the arts here and abro

CultureJan. 22, 2014

Oakwood Premier Coex Center is offering a winter accommodation package to guests who wish to relax with family members during the Lunar New Year holidays next week. The package, available from Jan. 24 to Feb. 2, consists of a one-night stay, two movie tickets for Megabox and two Coex Aquarium passes. Rates range from 165,000-235,000 won ($154-220) depending on the room type. The Studio Deluxe is available at 165,000 won, the One Bed Deluxe at 195,000 won and the Two Bed Deluxe at 235,000 won. Fo

TravelJan. 22, 2014

Korea’s signature rock band YB is gearing up for its official debut in the United Kingdom and Unites States after signing with Doug Goldstein, the former manager of American hard rock legends Guns N’ Roses, YB’s management agency announced on Tuesday. YB is slated to release its first English single with Goldstein in February and introduce itself overseas through various radio gigs and music magazines in the West. The PR firm Lesley Z Media, which successfully promoted popular acts including Sto

PerformanceJan. 22, 2014

NEW YORK (AP) ― The Super Bowl will have a touch of the classical this year: Opera star Renee Fleming will sing the national anthem. The four-time Grammy winner will perform before the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks play at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., on Feb 2. Fleming is the first opera star to sing the national anthem at the Super Bowl. In recent years, it has been performed mainly by a mix of pop and country stars. Known as “The People’s Diva,” the soprano is closely id

PerformanceJan. 22, 2014

PARIS (AP) ― “I’m just trying to change the world, one sequin at a time,” Lady Gaga once said. And the fashion-inspired singer reigned supreme at the opening of Paris’ luxuriant haute couture shows. Monday marked the first full day of the spring-summer 2014 displays in Paris, including collections from Christian Dior Couture, Giambattista Valli and Schiaparelli.Here are some key moments and tidbits from the day.Lady Gaga at VersaceShe may not yet have changed the world, but Lady Gaga almost upst

Arts & DesignJan. 22, 2014