Suh Do Ho wins Red Dot design award

Installation artist Suh Do Ho won the prestigious Red Dot design award for his video installation “Who Am We,” according to his studio on Wednesday. Suh won the Best of the Best Award in the category of TV, film, cinema and animation at the Red Dot Awards in July, as well as the IDEA bronze award and the gold award at the Busan International Advertising Festival this year for the same work. The interactive video installation features hundreds of portraits of employees at Hyundai Motor Group, who

PeopleNov. 13, 2013

Lydia Ko on Time list of influential teenagers

Lydia Ko, a New Zealand golfer born in South Korea, made Time magazine’s list of the world’s 16 most influential teenagers of 2013.The online edition of Time mentioned her second after fellow New Zealander, 17-year-old singer-songwriter Lorde. However, the magazine did not say whether it listed the teens in order of influence.The 16-year-old Ko has multiple LPGA wins, turning pro this year after the LPGA waived the age requirement for her.She is already fifth in the women’s world rankings after

PeopleNov. 13, 2013

Ban Ki-moon to be first U.N. chief to visit Auschwitz

UNITED NATIONS (AP) ― A spokesman says Ban Ki-moon plans to make the first-ever visit by a United Nations secretary-general to the Auschwitz death camp in Poland. The camp remains the most vivid symbol of the cruelty of Nazi Germany’s genocide of World War II. U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky announced Tuesday that Ban will visit the camp on Monday “to pay tribute to the victims of the Holocaust and to stress the importance of the U.N.’s work for genocide prevention, tolerance and peace.”More than

PeopleNov. 13, 2013

Kim Jae-joong to meet Japanese fans at solo concert

Kim Jae-joong, a member of boy group JYJ, will kick off his solo concert in Yokohama, Japan, on Friday. The concert is part of the “2013 Kim Jae Joong 1st Album Asia Tour,” which started in Seoul on Nov. 2 after he released his first full-length album “WWW: Who, When, Why” on Oct. 29. As soon as the album was unveiled, it ranked first on Japanese music charts including Japan Tower Records’ daily chart and iTunes charts in Japan.  “The album is gaining more popularity than we expected as it cons

PerformanceNov. 13, 2013

Financial firms contribute to society abroad

A number of financial firms in Korea are establishing various support and resource centers overseas as part of their efforts to participate in volunteer work and raise global brand awareness, sources said. Shinhan Financial Group recently opened a vocational training center in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, for the youth of low-income families, the company announced last week.Shinhan Financial will support the training center with 800 million won ($746,600) over the span of three years and hopes to

Expat LivingNov. 12, 2013

‘The Foursome’ brings friendship to the fore

Growing up and losing touch with people you were once close to is par for the course for many, but one group of expats is seeking to explore the value of old friendships with a performance of Norm Foster’s “The Foursome” in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province.The play follows four old friends around an 18-hole golf course, with a scene at each tee and one at the clubhouse. Having not seen each other for a long time, the four each come with their own problems ―- from alcoholism to ennui ―- and by

Expat LivingNov. 12, 2013

Time to Date for Daegu expats

Lonely expats in Daegu will get a chance to meet someone special and help kids at the same time at a special dating event this weekend.Daegu’s Time to Give, a nonprofit organization that helps disadvantaged children in the city, is running a speed dating night on Nov. 16.Daegu’s Time to Date is part of events to raise money to fund its activities, giving three minutes each with potential matches. The group works with local government offices and other city contacts to provide volunteer services,

Expat LivingNov. 12, 2013

Korea promoter presents 10 things people should know about Korea

Seo Kyoung-duk, a professor of General Education at Sungshin Women’s University, well-known for his efforts for promoting Korea’s position on sovereignty over the Dokdo Islets, and has recently published a book titled, “Do you Know? 10 Things you Must Know About Korea.” Seo, who is known for his efforts to promote Korean culture, has selected a wide range of issues, historical moments and cultural aspects that he feels must be known about the peninsula including: the Dokdo Islets (listed as the

CultureNov. 12, 2013

Portrait master takes on new styles

Artist Kang Hyung-koo is best known for hyper realistic portraits of iconic figures such as Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Van Gogh and Andy Warhol. The celebrity images have grown so popular overseas that Kang has set several auction records: his “Vincent Van Gogh in Blue” sold for $587,240, eight times the lowest estimated sales price, at Christie’s Hong Kong sale in 2007. His “Monroe in Green” was auctioned for three times the lowest estimate in May this year. In the upcoming Christie’s Hong

PerformanceNov. 12, 2013

American pianist Ronn Branton talks Seoul jazz scene

When American jazz musician Ronn Branton was a young boy, he heard his neighbor’s father playing Chopin and Liszt on the piano. At that moment he said to himself, “I want to write music like that.” After instantly falling in love with the sound of the piano, he desperately tried to learn how to write music, practicing six hours a day to the point where even his own mother would ask him to quit playing. However, the young artist’s love of music never died and Branton ended up studying music throu

PerformanceNov. 12, 2013

Lansbury: Mistake to recycle ‘Murder, She Wrote’

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― Angela Lansbury says “it’s a mistake” for NBC to call a new series “Murder, She Wrote.”The network recently announced plans to reboot the show with Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer as its star. Spencer acknowledged her new TV project on Twitter last month.Lansbury, who will accept an honorary Academy Award later this week, said “Murder, She Wrote” was her “greatest doorway to the world.”“I suddenly became a worldwide-known character as Jessica Fletcher and really built an enormous

TelevisionNov. 12, 2013

Gangnam tourist center offers hands-on hallyu experience

Gangnam Tourist Information Center is not your average information center with a bored employee behind a desk with free pamphlets. The multi-dimensional center, created by the Gangnam-gu local government, is not only staffed by highly-qualified employees, but also facilities such as a medical tourism and hallyu experience zone. Since its opening in June, an average of 200 people have visited the center each day. Due to its convenient location in the vicinity of Apgujeong subway station near Hyun

Nov. 12, 2013

Leessang to go on Asia-wide tour

Hip-hop duo Leessang will embark on their tour, “LEESSANG 1ST ASIA SHOWCASE,” through five Asian countries, starting with Singapore on Nov. 30. Members of the duo, Kang Gary and Gil, gained substantial fandom around Asia due to their appearance in SBS program “Running Man” and MBC program “Infinite Challenge.” “We are honored that many people are recognizing Leessang’s music, and we want to show the audience our own style,” the artists said in a statement. Unlike many other performances by young

Nov. 12, 2013

CNBLUE documentary slated for January

Popular boy band CNBLUE is to release a documentary titled “The Story of CNBLUE/ Never Stop” in Japan.The group is scheduled to attend the Tokyo premiere of the documentary on Dec. 16., but the documentary will be officially released on Jan. 17 in theaters across Japan.The film captures the band’s life before stardom when they were just an indie band in Japan and after they became popular with performances in Korea. The film features the daily life of the band, largely revolving around their act

Nov. 12, 2013