Calendar

Dance “The Nutcracker by Nowon Leewonkook Ballet”: A 14-year-old ballerina is making her debut as Marie in Nowon Leewonkook Ballet’s upcoming run of “The Nutcracker.” Loosely based on French ballet choreographer Marius Petita’s version, Nowon Leewonkook Ballet offers a unique rendition of the world’s favorite Christmas ballet, directed by celebrated dancer and choreographer Lee Won-kook. Lee, who was with the Korea National Ballet and Universal Ballet Company for 20 years, founded his own troupe

PerformanceDec. 13, 2013

Box Office: The Hobbit, Way Back Home, The Fake

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Opened Dec. 12 Adventure. Drama. Fantasy. Directed by Peter JacksonHobbit Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) and the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen) join 13 dwarves led by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) to travel into the Kingdom of Erebor. The group is on a mission to defeat the fierce and greedy dragon Smaug in order to reclaim the dwarves’ homeland, Erebor. The dwarves were once prosperous and lived with great wealth but their kingdom was sacked by Smaug,

FilmDec. 13, 2013

Stately ‘Mandela’ humanizes an African icon

As Nelson Mandela, Idris Elba towers over the rest of the cast in “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.” That’s literally true and perfectly accurate. Mandela was tall, as is Elba (of the “Thor” movies and “Takers”). And Elba manages both the voice and a hint of the presence of the great man.He tends to tower over the movie, as well, in this comprehensive but generally dry account of one man’s journey from upwardly mobile attorney to activist to revolutionary to statesman. There are no “name” actors a

FilmDec. 13, 2013

Eyelike: EXO shows diversity on new EP

EXO shows diversity on new EP EXO “Miracles in December” (KT Music)Boy group EXO has taken the K-pop world by storm, garnering a fandom that allowed them to nab the title of Best Korean Act at the 2013 MTV Europe Music Awards. The band’s most famous single, “Growl,” is a fast-paced track with a strong beat, but “Miracles in December” has a very different sound, featuring a more laid-back R&B vibe. The six-track EP shows the band has a diverse sound and despite the Christmas titles, the songs are

PerformanceDec. 13, 2013

The essence of Indonesia

YOGYAKARTA/BALI, INDONESIA ― For many travelers, Indonesia still remains one of the favorite destinations for a vacation, honeymoon or recreational holiday, mainly because of the burgeoning resort industry in Bali. The world’s fourth-most populous country, with over 238 million and an archipelago comprising about 17,508 islands, however, has recently begun promoting its cultural and historical legacy to travelers coming from around the world. If you are planning on spending a winter vacation in

TravelDec. 13, 2013

Luxury resorts still key in boosting Bali’s reputation

BALI, INDONESIA ― Bali has long been one of the favorite honeymoon destinations, not only for Koreans, but also for other newlyweds around the world. The secret behind its reputation as a haven for honeymooners is that it has hundreds of luxurious, modern and private villas and resorts across the island at relatively reasonable prices ― when compared to other highly sought-after locations such as the Maldives and Hawaii. Ayana Resort and Spa, located on Bali’s southwest coast, is one of the lead

TravelDec. 13, 2013

Seolleongtang (beef bone soup)

Seolleongtang is a milky beef bone soup that’s made by boiling beef leg bones for several hours until the broth becomes rich and creamy white. Yes, it takes time, but most of it is stove time. You can do other things around the house while this is boiling away in the kitchen. The results are totally rewarding! A couple of kilograms of beef bones make lots of rich and nourishing soup. Legend has it that this soup was created because King Seongjong of the Joseon Dynasty wanted to feed a large numb

FoodDec. 13, 2013

Sweet and simple at Cafe 8

To bill Cafe 8 as a run-of-the-mill coffee shop would be inaccurate. Sure, the massive 80-seat spot in Seoul’s Sinsa-dong is called a cafe, but it does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that the name is more-or-less a surface-level introduction to an eclectic eatery-bakery that dabbles in flowers, wine and grub. To understand the fusion of flower shop, wine cellar, bakery, restaurant and coffeehouse that is Cafe 8, it is perhaps easiest to start at the beginning, when eight friends teame

FoodDec. 13, 2013

Around the Hotels

Dinner concert at Ritz-Carlton Seoul The Ritz-Carlton Seoul will host a lively dinner concert featuring Latin music to celebrate the end of the year. “Viva 2014” on Dec. 31 will feature a performance from acclaimed countertenor Lee Dong-gyu. The dinner will begin with a six-course meal featuring dishes such as halibut with lemon balsamic dressing, herb ricotta cannelloni with beef steak, and much more. The performance will begin at 8 p.m. featuring popular remakes of Michael Buble, such as “Sway

FoodDec. 13, 2013

Korean musical kicks off its Japanese run

Korea’s homespun musical “Moon Embracing the Sun” kicked off its Japanese run at the Aoyama Theatre in Tokyo on Thursday, starring Lina from the girl group The Grace and Sung-je from the dance group Supernova. Based on MBC’s enormously successful 2012 drama series of the same name, the musical tells the moving love story of Hwon, a cynical but attractive fictional Joseon king, and Yeon-woo, a beautiful female shaman. The musical also deals with the court intrigues of those vying for political po

PerformanceDec. 13, 2013

Teenage LPGA star Lydia Ko signs with IMG

CLEVELAND (AP) ― Lydia Ko, who earned an exemption to join the LPGA Tour in October as a 16-year-old, has signed with management company IMG.Born in South Korea and raised in New Zealand, Ko is already No. 4 in the rankings and won the Swinging Skirts World Ladies Masters last week in Taiwan in her second start as a professional.She won the Women’s Canadian Open at 15 last year to become the youngest winner in tour history and defended the title this year.Paula Creamer and Michelle Wie are among

PerformanceDec. 13, 2013

Ex-NBA star Rodman in N.K. next week for ‘hoops not nukes’ training

LONDON (AFP) ― Former NBA star Dennis Rodman, who has struck up a friendship with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, will visit the reclusive state next week to train its basketball team, sponsors said Thursday.The eccentric former Chicago Bulls star is organizing a friendship exhibition game between North Korea and a team of mainly ex-NBA players on Jan. 8, Kim’s birthday.Sponsors Paddy Power said the Dec. 19-23 training sessions and match will be unaffected by the turbulent political events in N

PeopleDec. 13, 2013

Pyeongtaek Univ. president awarded for Korea-Japan ties

Cho Ki-hung, the president of Pyeongtaek University, received the Prince Takamado Award from the Prince Takamado Memorial Foundation for Japan-Korea Exchange, Monday, for his years of work in building ties between the two countries.Cho, 81, was awarded for organizing various student exchange programs between the two countries for more than 40 years. Princess Hisako, the widow of Prince Takamado, handed the award to Cho at the fifth award ceremony held in Tokyo, the foundation said.The foundatio

PeopleDec. 13, 2013

Hanjin donates 3 billion won to charity fund

Hanjin Group donated 3 billion won ($2.8 million) to the Community Chest of Korea on Friday. The donation ceremony at the nationwide charity fund-raiser in Seoul was attended by Korean Air president Ji Chang-hoon, Community Chest of Korea chairman Lee Dong-kurn and others. Hanjin Group assists impoverished teenagers who support their parents and siblings, provides foods to seniors living alone in poverty, donates books to rural villages and makes other social contributions.By Chun Sung-woo (swch

PeopleDec. 13, 2013

Documentary filmmaker dies of cancer at age 50

Documentary filmmaker Lee Seong-gyou, who is best known for his 2010 film “My Barefoot Friend,” died on Friday. He was 50.He started shooting “My Barefoot Friend,” a film documenting the life of a 50-something rickshaw operator named Shalim living in Calcutta, India, in 1999. It took him more than 10 years to complete the film, which became the first Asian feature-length documentary to be nominated in the competition lineup of the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam in 2010.Lee was

FilmDec. 13, 2013