China begins work on Ahn Jung-geun monument

BEIJING (Yonhap News) ― China has started work to set up a monument honoring a revered Korean independence fighter who assassinated a prominent Japanese colonial leader in 1909, a diplomatic source said Sunday. Ahn Jung-geun shot to death the Korean Peninsula’s first Japanese governor-general, Hirobumi Ito, in Harbin, China, in October 1909. A year later, he was executed at a Japanese prison in the northern Chinese city of Ryojun, now called Lushun.South Korea and China have been working to set

PeopleNov. 25, 2013

Han Ye-seul and Teddy in a relationship

 South Korean actress Han Ye-seul and YG Entertainment’s music producer Teddy admitted on Monday that they are in a relationship.“Teddy and Han Ye-seul have been dating for about six months,” YG Entertainment acknowledged. It said those who are close to the two celebrities already knew about their relationship before the news broke out, including Yang Hyun-suk, the CEO of YG Entertainment, and K-pop group Big Bang.Both of them lived in the United States, a factor that is said to have helped acce

Nov. 25, 2013

Cultural heritage management to get thorough review

Following Prime Minister Chung Hong-won’s call for a special audit of the management of cultural heritage on Friday, the Culture Ministry and the affiliated Cultural Heritage Administration, both responsible for the inquiry, were still unclear Sunday about how the audit would be conducted. The Culture Ministry said it was not aware of how the audit will be conducted since its affiliate, the Cultural Heritage Administration, would be in charge of carrying out the inquiry. According to a Culture M

CultureNov. 24, 2013

The Space building to be purchased by social fund

The Space building, an early modern work of architecture that was on the auction block last week after the building owner filed for bankruptcy, may be purchased by the Kim Swoo Geun Foundation, as 1 billion won ($942,000) was raised in five days via a social funding initiative. The social funding initiative was launched Nov. 18 as an attempt to save the historic building and register it as a cultural heritage site. “We plan to purchase the building through social funding and begin the process of

CultureNov. 24, 2013

‘Wish’ snags three wins at Blue Dragon Film Awards

The 34th annual Blue Dragon Film Awards on Friday night recognized some of the film industry’s best including the top winner this year, the intensely dramatic “Wish.” Directed by Lee Joon-ik and starring Sol Kyung-gu and Uhm Ji-won, the film is based on the true story of an 8-year-old rape victim known to the public as “Na-young.” Although “Wish” caused controversy when it was released earlier last month because the story revolves around real-life events, the film took home the Best Film award a

FilmNov. 24, 2013

G-Dragon dominates 2013 Mnet Asia Music Awards

The leader of K-pop idol group Big Bang won big at the fifth annual Mnet Asia Music Awards ceremony held in Hong Kong on Friday. The K-pop superstar was nominated in four categories this year and took home the crown in every one: Artist of the Year, Male Artist of the Year, Best Male Solo Performance for his single “Crooked,” and finally the Best Music Video award for “Coup d’etat.” G-Dragon swept all the major music charts with the release of his second studio album “Coup d’etat” on Sept. 2. Th

PerformanceNov. 24, 2013

Rapper hopes to be Korean legend

This is the 16th in a series on producers, MCs, DJs and artists working in the Korean underground hip-hop scene. ― Ed.For rapper Double K, there was a clear and poignant moment when he decided to do Korean hip-hop.He was in his first year at Ohio State University in 2001, and had entered a rap battle. He was up against 50 other contestants for a $500 prize with what seemed like the entire school watching. But Double K was confident.Until disaster struck, that is.“So, it was my time to battle and

PerformanceNov. 24, 2013

Home alone

The Roman emperor Augustus prohibited unmarried women between the ages of 20 and 50 from inheriting property because dying without legitimate children left properties heirless. Living alone in Ancient Rome was frowned upon by both state and citizenry.After 2,000 years, prospects for those living alone have changed, although of course, not entirely for the better. The modern day independent soul is sometimes known as a “singleton,” a one-person householder who voluntarily or involuntarily chooses

PeopleNov. 22, 2013

Me, myself and I: The freedom of traveling stag

Solo, single, alone, stag, unaccompanied, companionless: When it comes to travel, these terms may cause many to have second thoughts about going on vacation without someone by their side. But breaking free from these societal chains and taking the plunge to face the world “mano y mano” is no better realization of the phrase “carpe diem.”Waiting for the perfect travel buddy can mean many missed opportunities and precious moments wasted. With countless exhilarating adventures just a couple of mous

CultureNov. 22, 2013

Internet links people with food, friendship

On Friday evening at Greek Joy, a Greek restaurant in Seoul’s Hongdae, six women and a man got together.They had never met each other before. But it didn’t take long for them to gossip, giggle and converse pleasantly.Red, white and rose wines were served with vegetable soup. Meat skewers were paired well with a strong red. They had gathered through online community Zipbob (homemade meal), which arranges social wining and dining events for those who don’t want to eat alone. Zipbob’s tagline state

CultureNov. 22, 2013

Seamster to the stars

Hanbok designer Kim Young Seok has developed an emotional attachment to discarded old objects in his childhood home. In elementary school, he started taking out dust-covered household objects from storage and has picked up things on his trips to the provinces since he was in elementary school. “How many are there in my collection? I don’t know. I never tried to count. I know I have some 1,000 pillows,” said Kim in an interview with The Korea Herald at his hanbok shop in Seoul last week. “I have

Arts & DesignNov. 22, 2013

Calendar

Pop music“Sensation: Wicked Wonderland”: “Sensation” is a live music and performance event that was first developed in Amsterdam 13 years ago. Over the years the event, which has been referred to as “the biggest club on earth,” grew in popularity and has been brought all over the world to more than 30 countries and seen by millions. This year’s Sensation with the theme of “Wicked Wonderland” will be held on Nov. 30 at KINTEX in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province, from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. Tickets can be purc

PerformanceNov. 22, 2013

Eyelike: Lim Kim impressive on ‘Goodbye 20’

Lim Kim impressive on ‘Goodbye 20’Lim Kim“Goodbye 20”(CJ E&M)“Goodbye 20” is not your average K-pop affair. The album showcases the unique tone of Lim Kim’s voice without unnecessary synthetic electronic sounds. Seven tracks of the 14-track album were previously released in her EP “Her Voice” in September. New or previously released, the tracks put together an album that is pleasant to listen to. Title track “Goodbye 20” is a fun, light number about a young woman who looks back on her 20th year

PerformanceNov. 22, 2013

Box Office: Hunger Games, The Counselor, Friend 2

Hunger GamesOpened Nov. 21Fantasy. Action. Directed by Francis Lawrence. Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) inspired an uprising among the people of post-apocalyptic Panem against the oppressive rule of the Capitol when they broke rules and both emerged as winners of the annual Hunger Games. To quell the rebellious movements churning in the nation, the Capitol forces Katniss and Peeta to participate in a special edition of the Hunger Games. The strongest vic

FilmNov. 22, 2013

Critic’s choice: Holiday films to look forward to

As a film writer I get to see a lot of movies before they hit theaters ― not all, or I’d have no life. Despite having seen nearly a dozen on our holiday list, there are a number of films I’m still greatly looking forward to seeing over the next six weeks.The Thanksgiving period brings Disney’s charming and eye-popping animated 3-D musical “Frozen,” which has one guaranteed showstopper, “Let It Go,” sung by “Wicked’s” Idina Menzel. The studio also has the sweet comedy “Delivery Man” starring Vinc

FilmNov. 22, 2013

Slopes’ changing demographics: More senior skiers

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) ― If you’ve walked into a ski lodge the past few years, likely as not you’ve seen tables filled with gray-haired skiers wearing sweaters so old they’re back in style.That’s because the number of skiers on the far side of 50 ― some on the very far side ― has been creeping up each year, according to the National Ski Areas Association.Credit advances in artificial hips and knees that make it possible for skiers to continue enjoying the sport; shaped skis, along with b

TravelNov. 22, 2013

1 year down: American walking from Africa to Chile

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) ― In Paul Salopek’s first year of his trek across the globe, the reporter walked alongside his camels for days in Ethiopia without seeing glass or bricks or any other signs of modern humanity, ate a hamburger on a U.S. military base and was shadowed by minders in the Saudi desert. He has only 32,000 kilometers to go.Salopek is walking from Ethiopia to Chile, a seven-year journey that aims to reproduce man’s global migration. Beauty and difficulty filled his first year, which

TravelNov. 22, 2013