Yoo In-na joins ‘Man from the Stars’ cast

Actress Yoo In-na has joined the cast of SBS television series “Man from the Stars” alongside A-list actors Kim Soo-hyun and Jun Ji-hyun. The series portrays a good-looking alien, Do Min-joon (Kim Soo-hyun), who has been living in Korea since the Joseon era. Four centuries later, he falls in love with top hallyu actress Chun Song-yi, played by Jun Ji-hyun. Yoo plays the role of her best friend since childhood, Yoon Se-mi, who is torn between being Song-yi’s best friend and being jealous of her s

Oct. 29, 2013

AOA to perform at ‘Sundown Festival 2013’

Upcoming new girl group AOA is set to represent Korea at Singapore’s “Sundown Festival 2013” on Nov. 16. AOA, which stands for Ace of Angels, consists of eight members: Choa, Jimin, Yuna, Youkyung, Hyejeong, Mina, Seolhyun, and Chanmi. The group also includes a sub-unit, AOA Black, where five of the eight members play instruments instead of focusing solely on dance performances. “Sundown Festival 2013” is a music fest that features performances by rock and pop musicians from all over Asia. Aside

Oct. 29, 2013

Korean immigrant wins X Factor Australia

Im Dami, a Korean-born contestant, was crowned the winner of “X Factor Australia 2013,” a television reality music competition.According to Australian news media, the 24-year-old piano teacher outlasted Jai Waetford then Taylor Henderson to be named the winner in the season finale. She has become the first Asian-Australian immigrant to win the singing audition.“I don’t believe that I won. I want to win this for people like me who are dags and inspire them to dream big!” Dami said.Born in Seoul,

PeopleOct. 29, 2013

Nobel-winning chemist hails power of computing

Arieh Warshel, co-winner of this year’s Nobel Prize in chemistry, hailed the power of computing in revolutionizing science and opening a new horizon for human knowledge.“When I first started using computer simulations (during the 1960s), there was no such computer program so I to design one,” Arieh Warshel, professor of chemistry at University of Southern California, said in a news conference in Seoul on Monday.Warshel is often referred as the “man who took chemistry into cyberspace” as he laid

PeopleOct. 28, 2013

Aung San Suu Kyi collects Rome honorary citizenship

ROME (AFP) ― Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi finally became an honorary citizen of Rome Sunday, 19 years after the honour was awarded to her.The Nobel peace laureate was given the citizenship in 1994 but spent most of the past two decades under house arrest in Myanmar which meant she was unable to collect her award.Rome mayor Ignazio Marino said on his Twitter account that the city could “finally award it to a free woman.”At a ceremony at the town hall, a modest Suu Kyi denied that sh

PeopleOct. 28, 2013

Belgium’s shy king finds favor after 100 days on throne: polls

BRUSSELS (AFP) ― Belgium’s King Philippe, whose shy ways as crown prince worried the kingdom for many years, is winning over the public after 100 days on the throne, surveys showed this weekend.As Philippe prepares to mark his first 100 days as monarch on Monday, a survey saw him gain popularity even in Dutch-speaking Flanders in the north where sentiment is cooler towards the royal family than in the French-speaking south.A total 59 percent of Flemish people expressed confidence in the 53-year-

PeopleOct. 28, 2013

Portraits of change

The Seoul Photo Festival unveils a rare compilation of portraits of Seoul citizens that date back to 1883 as 2013 marks the 130th year since photography was first introduced in Korea. The photo exhibition that opens this Friday will feature more than 600 portraits showing behind the scenes of major historical and social events in Seoul from the Japanese colonial era (1910-1945), the Korean War (1950-1953), rapid economic development (1960-1980) and diverse social aspects of today such as the shi

PerformanceOct. 28, 2013

Kimchi-making explained in English book

An English book on “kimjang,” the kimchi-making process for the winter, was released on Monday to mark the Korean tradition likely to be designated UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, according to the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation. The 192-page “Kimjang: Making and Sharing Kimchi” explains the origin, history and people behind kimchi, possibly the most popular Korean food. “Kimchi, along with rice, is one of the two things that people in this country cannot live without. It is fine to make

CultureOct. 28, 2013

iPad art gains recognition in new David Hockney exhibit

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ― Happily hunched over his iPad, Britain’s most celebrated living artist David Hockney is pioneering in the art world again, turning his index finger into a paintbrush that he uses to swipe across a touch screen to create vibrant landscapes, colorful forests and richly layered scenes.“It’s a very new medium,”said Hockney. So new, in fact, he wasn’t sure what he was creating until he began printing his digital images a few years ago. “I was pretty amazed by them actually,” he s

PerformanceOct. 28, 2013

Crayon Pop to hold first solo concert for free

Crayon Pop, the group that turned jumping up and down into a nationwide craze, will be holding its first solo concert titled “1st POPCON IN SEOUL” at Nuridream Square in Sangam-dong, Seoul, on Wednesday. The event is free and open to the public. Since their debut last year, the ladies had made little to no impact with the release of their first EP album in July featuring singles “Saturday Night” and “Bing Bing.” Months later, Crayon Pop attempted to capture audiences once again by releasing the

PerformanceOct. 28, 2013

‘Nine’ slated for American television

“Nine,” a hit television series on cable channel tvN, is set to be remade into an American series led by Fake Empire Productions, known for producing major television series including “Gossip Girl,” “Carrie Diaries” and “The O.C.” Over the years, U.S. production companies have purchased drama formats largely from Europe, but recently companies have been looking all over the world for potential hits. “Homeland” is a drama-thriller series based on the popular Israeli series “Hatufim” and currently

Oct. 28, 2013

Stallone shows off arty side in Russia

ST. PETERSBURG (AFP) ― Art lovers lined up Sunday at the world’s biggest museum of Russian art in Saint Petersburg, where U.S. film star Sylvester Stallone unveiled a retrospective of his abstract paintings.Work by the Hollywood action man won praise from the curators at the State Russian Museum although some critics denounced Stallone for his anti-Russia character “Rambo” and said such art had no place in the venerable institution.Stallone was all smiles as he unveiled the exhibition, entitled

PerformanceOct. 28, 2013

[Photo News] Trouble Maker releases new album, music video

K-pop duo Trouble Maker on Monday revealed their new mini album online, along with the music video for its title song “There Is No Tomorrow.”Trouble Maker, consisting of Hyuna from 4minute and Hyunseung from Beast, began online sales of songs from their new album “Chemistry,” which is slated to hit stores Thursday. As of Monday morning, “There Is No Tomorrow” topped major online music charts including Bugs, Naver, Mnet, Soribada and Melon.The music video for the title track, however, was what tr

PerformanceOct. 28, 2013

Lou Reed, iconic punk-poet, dead at 71

Lou Reed, the punk poet of rock ` n' roll who profoundly influenced generations of musicians as leader of the Velvet Underground and remained a vital solo performer for decades after, died Sunday at age 71.Reed died in Southampton, New York, of an ailment related to his recent liver transplant, according to his literary agent, Andrew Wylie, who added that Reed had been in frail health for months. Reed shared a home in Southampton with his wife and fellow musician, Laurie Anderson, whom he marrie

PeopleOct. 28, 2013