This summer, a new it-dessert landed: the Dojima roll. Shaped like a minimalist Swiss roll cake, this cream-filled, golden sponge from Japan attracted crowds the moment it arrived at Shinsegae’s Gangnam store and Hyundai’s Apgujeong-dong store this August. “After the outlet opened, lines of around 100 kept forming and everything would be sold out by 4 p.m.,” said Hyundai Department Store buyer Hwang Hye-jung. The same goes for the Shinsegae shop, which, according to a PR representative, is selli

FoodNov. 22, 2013

Romantic Christmas packages at Imperial Palace Seoul Imperial Palace Seoul presents two packages on Dec. 24 for couples who want to enjoy a romantic Christmas. The Romantic Lavender Package includes pecan pie and blueberry cheesecake from Deli Amador, and a Royal Nature cosmetics set. Guests can choose to stay in the Deluxe Room, Club Deluxe room, loft-style suite or corner suite. Prices start from 295,000 won. The Romantic Evening package includes two tickets to a Christmas party held at lobby

FoodNov. 22, 2013

Korean radishes taste best in the late fall. Take advantage of the radish season, and make some kkakdugi. It’s an easy and quick kimchi to make. Unlike baechu (napa cabbage) kimchi, it doesn’t require hours and hours of salting. The radishes are first cubed and salted for a short time and then mixed with the seasonings. Although you can start eating it at any time, kkakdugi needs about two weeks in the fridge to adequately develop its flavors. It only gets better with more time. We Koreans enjoy

FoodNov. 22, 2013

Hip-hop fans can end the year with a dose of their favorite music at “More than Feel” at Sejong University on Dec. 28. The lineup for the concert includes hip-hop artists Verbal Jint, Bumkey, San E and Outsider. “Concert-goers will not only be able to see solo performances by their favorite artists, but also feel their synergy on stage,” a concert organizer stated. Veteran artist Verbal Jint made his debut in 1999 and became one of the most popular mainstream hip-hop artists in Korea. His hits i

PerformanceNov. 22, 2013

Seven Cannes and Berlinale winners have been included in the lineup of the upcoming 2013 Cinecube Premiere Festival, the event’s organizers announced this week. The festival, hosted by Cinecube, one of the best known art house theaters in Seoul, offers moviegoers a chance to enjoy the Korean premiere of critically acclaimed works scheduled to be released in local theaters in December or early next year.A total of 15 films will be screened throughout the festival. Five Cannes winners will be scre

FilmNov. 22, 2013

The Korean Society of Olympic Flame presented its 2013 sports awards in Seoul Olympic Parktel on Friday. The society is a group of athletes-turned-professors, established in 1996 to suggest policies and support for elite sports. Its current president is Choi Kwan-yong of Korea National Sport University. The society gave an achievement award to Herald Corp. CEO and publisher Lee Young-man. Athletic awards went to the men’s 400-meter relay team of Oh Gyoung-su, Cho Gyu-won, Yu Min-wu and Kim Guk-y

PeopleNov. 22, 2013

South Korean actress Lee Young-ae, who is also popular in other Asian countries for her lead role in the smash-hit epic series “Daejanggeum,” threw a traditional Korean food dinner for foreign diplomats in Seoul, a local TV network said Friday.The event was taped Wednesday for “Lee Young-ae’s Dinner,” a SBS documentary hosted by the actress and set to air on New Year’s Day on the lunar calendar, SBS said.Couples of foreign diplomats in Korea, officials of the American Chamber of Commerce in Kore

Nov. 22, 2013

Singer Kim Jang-hoon raised the curtain on Dokdo Art Show at a gallery in SoHo, New York City, on Thursday.The exhibition directed by Kim, displays photos and a model of the Dokdo islets as well as a three-dimensional video of the islets. About 40 New York students created the model.Dokdo is the name of Korea’s easternmost islets, which are called Takeshima by Japan, which also claims sovereignty over them. They are located in the East Sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.“Many people bega

PeopleNov. 22, 2013

North KoreaNov. 21, 2013

An ad featuring North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has appeared in Manhattan, New York.The Daily Mail, a British newspaper, used him in an ad for its website, Mail Online.com. The ad is hung on a wall at a large subway station in Times Square.The ad puts Kim side by side with Kim Kardashian, an American TV personality, with the tagline “The Kims. They’re on the same page.”First published in 1896, the tabloid daily has gained a reputation for reporting gossip and sensational news. In 2012, it had 52

PeopleNov. 21, 2013

NEW YORK (AFP) ― Media mogul Rupert Murdoch and his estranged third wife Wendi Deng have agreed on an “amicable” divorce settlement, the couple announced in New York Wednesday.Murdoch, 82, and Deng, 44, issued the statement after attending a brief hearing before New York judge Ellen Gesmer.The couple, who were married in 1999, made no comment after the 10-minute hearing, and the terms of the settlement were not disclosed.“We are pleased to announce that we have reached an amicable settlement of

PeopleNov. 21, 2013

Environmental engineer Lee Yoon-jin was included in the 2014 edition of the Marquis Who’s Who in the World, making it into the international biographical publication for the fifth consecutive year. Lee, a professor at Konyang University in South Chungcheong Province, has been included in the publication since the 2010 edition.A leading water management researcher, Lee has had her work published in a number of local and international journals. Some of her more recent research subjects include con

PeopleNov. 21, 2013

Slim, poised and soft-spoken, Koh Young-hee has the posture of a dancer. The North Korean defector, who fled her country in June 2012, effortlessly shows her distinctive arm movements -- the movements she learned from her mother and her mother’s teacher, the legendary Choi Seung-hee (1911-1969).Koh, 55, is the daughter of North Korean choreographer Bae Geum-ee, who was one of the original members of North Korea’s first dance troupe, founded by Choi in the 1940s in Pyongyang. One of Bae’s many st

PerformanceNov. 21, 2013

Craftsmen and their works are increasingly at the vanguard of the promotion of Korean culture, with an exhibition in Saudi Arabia being the latest example.According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the month-long “Hidden Match ― An Exhibition of Korean Craft” kicked off on Thursday at the Saudi National Museum with 34 artists featuring 106 sets of items. This is the first time a handicraft exhibition is being held in the Gulf state. Featuring a wide range of handicrafts ― includin

CultureNov. 21, 2013

NEW YORK (AP) ― James McBride’s “The Good Lord Bird,” the comic and terrifying adventures of a disguised black child caught up in John Brown’s abolitionist crusade, was the winner Wednesday night of the National Book Award for fiction.George Packer’s brutal examination of the modern class wars, “The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America,” won for nonfiction during a dinner ceremony at Cipriani Wall Street in downtown Manhattan. Cynthia Kadohata’s “The Thing About Luck” won for young peo

BooksNov. 21, 2013