New Year’s party at J.J. Mahoney’sGrand Hyatt Seoul’s J.J. Mahoney’s is holding year-end party “6IX SNOW NIGHTS AT JJ’S” the last week of December. The party will invite guests to the club hall decorated with a winter theme to enjoy a variety of events, including live performances by J.J.’s house band Storm and a guest DJ, and a dance contest. A lucky draw will be held during the party, offering coupons to use facilities at Grand Hyatt Seoul. On Dec. 31, guests will get to countdown to 2014 on t

FoodDec. 20, 2013

Variations of sesame crunch are eaten all over the world. Korean sesame crunch is called kkaegangjeong. It’s a sweet treat that’s served during traditional holidays in Korea. Kkaegangjeong also makes a great Christmas gift. Add some nuts to create different textures and flavors. You can use any of your favorite nuts (peanuts, walnuts, pistachios, etc.). I used a combination of pumpkin seeds and pine nuts in this recipe. You’ll be very surprised how quick and easy it is to make. It’s nutty, crunc

FoodDec. 20, 2013

Near Seoul’s famed Garak Market in Songpa-gu, the newly-minted Salmone Kitchen serves up house-cured gravlax, cold-smoked salmon and raw slices of the popular fish in a pristine two-story space. With its manor-like white brick exterior and chandelier-encrusted interior, the fledgling restaurant, which opened last month, channels a posh, pricey vibe that is potentially misleading.The generous 25,000 platter of gravlax, smoked salmon and sashimi for two and the 5,000 won price tag per glass of dry

FoodDec. 20, 2013

Veteran singer Cho Yong-pil has been selected as the best singer of 2013, according to a survey by polling company Gallup Korea. Gallup conducted the survey from July to November, asking a total of 4,263 people from ages 13 to 59 to name up to three singers they thought were the most impressive this year. Cho received the most votes; a total of 17.6 percent of those who participated named him as the best singer of 2013.The 63-year-old, dubbed “the king of singers” in Korea, in April released “He

PerformanceDec. 20, 2013

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― An Andy Warhol portrait of Farrah Fawcett belongs to actor Ryan O’Neal, a jury determined Thursday.The ownership of the artwork has been fiercely contested during a three-week trial in which Fawcett’s final wishes and her relationship with O’Neal were dissected.The verdict will allow O’Neal to keep the portrait in his beachside home, where he has said it remains a powerful reminder of his decades-long relationship with Fawcett.The “Charlie’s Angels’’ star died in June 2009 and

PeopleDec. 20, 2013

A film inspired by former President Roh Moo-hyun has topped the local box office in just the first two days since its release, according to data released by the Korean Film Council on Friday.The data showed that “The Attorney” drew some 372,256 viewers on Wednesday and Thursday. The fictional film also accounted for 34.6 percent of movie reservations for this weekend, followed by Hollywood blockbuster film “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” which only took 15.4 percent of reservations.The fil

FilmDec. 20, 2013

It was like meeting “the one” you want to marry ― when you know, you just know.Famed ballerina Kang Sue-jin said that’s exactly how she felt when she was asked to be the next artistic director of the Korean National Ballet.“I’ve received the same offer a number of times in the past,” the Korean-born, Germany-based dancer said during a press conference in Seoul, Wednesday. She accepted the offer this time, and her three-year tenure starts in February. “But I never really felt I was ready until no

PerformanceDec. 19, 2013

Intensity filled the auction room as bidding for the 1987 “Farm” painting by modern artist Lee Dae-won climbed higher and higher at the second auction for the seized art collection of former President Chun Doo-hwan at Seoul Auction on Wednesday. In seconds, the bids soared from the 250 million won starting price to 640 million in a heated competition over the flamboyant painting that had hung in Chun’s living room. The bidding soon rose to 660 million won, which was followed by a pause. “No Regr

PerformanceDec. 19, 2013

WASHINGTON (AP) ― Just in time for a new movie about the making of “Mary Poppins,” the 1964 Disney classic starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke has been selected for preservation at the Library of Congress so future generations of Americans can see it.On Wednesday, the library inducted 25 films into the National Film Registry to be preserved for their cultural, historical or cinematic significance. This year’s selections include Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction,” the space race film “The Ri

FilmDec. 19, 2013

NEW YORK (AFP) ― The Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards hits 70 Wednesday with another tour on the horizon, and probably a smirk for everyone who would not have bet he would make it this far in a life of excess.The unmatched guitar legend isn’t just hitting 70 ― like Mick Jagger did in August. He is also celebrating his 30th wedding anniversary with former model Patti Hanson, with whom he has two daughters. He also has three children with the Italian actress Anita Pallenberg.With his trademark banda

PerformanceDec. 19, 2013

The four-member R&B ensemble Brown Eyed Soul released a digital EP, “Thank Your Soul,” on Thursday, marking the 10th anniversary of their debut. The album consisting of three songs, “You Are So Beautiful,” “Philly Love Song,” and “Neoreul (You),” ranges from ’70s-style soul and disco to romantic R&B ballads. An electronic-remix of “Philly Love Song” is also on the album. All the songs will be included in the group’s fourth regular album due next April. Male supermodel Kim Young-kwang and rising

PerformanceDec. 19, 2013

As the world’s most wired nation, Korea is hard-pressed to adapt itself under the ever-so-rapidly progressing merger of the online and offline worlds. With one of the highest numbers of smartphone users and where online game rooms are on almost every corner, Korea has become one of the leading forces in global technology. Valerie Veatch, an American director, writer, editor and producer, came to Korea for the first time in 2012 for the sole purpose of attempting to capture the extent of technolo

FilmDec. 19, 2013

Conjure the image of John Brown in your head and you see the fearsome emancipator, a righteous prophet who gave his life to fight slavery with the Harpers Ferry raid of 1859. The Union turned his death into a rallying cry with the anthem “John Brown’s Body.” His soul is marching on.Brown’s story might have moved from history to legend, but it still contains some truth. It’s also ripe for mischievous revision, which is exactly what James McBride provides in his National Book Award-winning novel “

BooksDec. 19, 2013

Servants: A Downstairs History of Britain from the Nineteenth Century to Modern TimesBy Lucy Lethbridge(W.W. Norton & Company)Fictional Downton Abbey is supposed to be one of the grandest houses in England, inhabited by the distinguished Crawley family; but on this smash television hit, it’s the servants who steal the show. From Mr. Carson, the butler with the bushy eyebrows that practically dare you to defy him, to the earthy Mrs. Patmore, who rules over the kitchen with a stern hand, the staff

BooksDec. 19, 2013

Going DarkBy James W. Hall(Minotaur)Fatherhood has not come easily to Thorn, the taciturn hero making his 13th appearance in James W. Hall’s series.Still, it’s easy to cut the Key Largo loner a break. Thorn only recently discovered he even had a grown son and while he can never make up for lost time, he wants to at least hope for a future. But Hall isn’t after a touchy-feely father-and-son reunion between Thorn and Miami actor Flynn Moss, especially considering how their first meeting in 2011’s

BooksDec. 19, 2013