Peace concert held near DMZ

A pop concert to mark six decades since fighting stopped in the Korean War was held near the demilitarized zone on Saturday. Gyeonggi Province hosted the DMZ World Peace Concert on an outdoor stage specially built for the event at Imjingak, about 54 kilometers northwest of Seoul. The concert was broadcast live through YouTube. Kim Jang-hoon, a pop singer well known for holding concerts to promote Korea, directed the gig. BEAST, f(x), Girl’s Day, Ailee, K. Hunter and LUV took the stage. Actors Ah

PeopleAug. 4, 2013

Animated film showcases the power of manual drawings

 Anime director Makoto Shinkai, known for his “5 Centimeters Per Second,” is set to unveil his new animated film “The Garden Of Words,” a coming-of-age story that draws upon the sentimental love between a young high-school boy and an older woman.Takao Akizuki, a 15-year-old boy who wishes to be a shoe designer, finds no motivation in life and struggles to pursue his dream. One rainy day, he encounters a mysterious woman at a Japanese garden. The spark in their first encounter lures them to retur

FilmAug. 4, 2013

Sci-fi film 'Snowpiercer' draws 2.5 mln viewers in 4 days

South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho's box office hit "Snowpiercer" drew more than 2.5 million viewers in the first four days of its opening, a market tracker said Sunday.   The film, starring top Korean actor Song Kang-ho alongside Hollywood thespians Chris Evans, Ed Harris and Tilda Swinton, attracted more than 840,000 viewers on Saturday, bringing the accumulated total to 2,506,969, according to the Korean Film Council.   The number of local cinemas showing the movie also increased from 848 t

FilmAug. 4, 2013

Healing in the woods

YANGPYEONG, Gyeonggi Province ― Habitually bombarded by stress, feeling pressure from work or school, being trapped in a sea of traffic and constantly blitzed by the chaotic noise of the city are simply some of the unavoidable daily obstacles that the average urbanite experiences in any large metropolitan area. However, with two-thirds of Korea made up of forests, it seems only natural for locals to want to break away from city life and revert back to the laws of nature, seeking out a new life b

TravelAug. 2, 2013

Korea to open foreigner-friendly recreational forest in capital area

As the number of foreign nationals in Korea ― including Asian workers, tourists and multicultural families ― soars to some 1.5 million, the Korea Forest Service, the nation’s forest policy maker, is preparing to open the first foreigner-friendly national recreational forest in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, next year as part of its forest-based welfare policy for citizens, a senior KFS official said.“The first-of-its-kind national recreational forest, to be named ‘ASEAN Recreational Forest,’ will of

CultureAug. 2, 2013

Hiking trail, viewing sunrise at Mount Jungmisan

Life in Seoul can be draining, even for the most dedicated urbanites. Sooner or later it takes its toll on city dwellers. When that happens, one solution is a weekend getaway to relax and appreciate nature, yet not too much of a headache to reach. Jungmisan Natural Recreational Forest fulfills these conditions.Acclaimed for its hiking trails, scenery and serene view of the sunrise, Jungmisan Mountain is located in Yangpyeong-gun, Gyeonggi Province, and is 46 kilometers from East Seoul Bus Termin

CultureAug. 2, 2013

Taking a relaxing stroll through botanical gardens at Mount Yumyeongsan

For busy city dwellers, even thinking of wasting several hours in a car, train or bus during a short summer vacation is stressful. But just one hour’s drive east from Seoul is a marvelous driving course along Cheongpyeong Lake and through Cheongpyeong Dam. The road from Seorak-myeon all the way to Yumyeongsan National Recreational Forest immerses travelers in the lush greenery of the countryside. For those who enjoy hiking, the trail of flat and steep slopes along with the valley and rocky outcr

CultureAug. 2, 2013

Summer beauty tips

New sunscreen products are on store shelves every summer, confusing shoppers about what to pick for their vacations. Sunscreens come in various forms: lotion, spray, balm and stick. To protect every area of your skin from the sizzling sun, more than one type of sunscreen is needed. If you plan to hit the beach, sunscreen spray is useful in applying to areas that you find hard to reach such as the back; stick type for curvy areas; and balm as it provides full coverage on areas that may go unprote

Arts & DesignAug. 2, 2013

Summer essentials

As soon as the rainy season ends, sweltering heat blankets the nation, prompting those who haven’t gone on vacation to head to the beaches, go camping or enjoy the quiet, empty city. August is the best time for summer shopping as some summer essential items go on sale. Before getting ready for the long-awaited vacation, some trends are worth keeping in mind. They may help you score some items that will make your holiday a blast. Exotic prints for beach-goersBold prints are in style for this seas

Arts & DesignAug. 2, 2013

Calendar

Pop music“2013 Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival”: The Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival is an annual three-day music festival that features some of the hottest acts in the international and local music scene. Since its inauguration year in 2006, the festival has been responsible for bringing in top acts such as Muse, The Black Eyed Peas, The Strokes, Korn, Hoobastank and many others. This year’s festival will be held at the Incheon Songdo 23 Geunrin Park from Aug. 2 to 4 and will feature headlining

CultureAug. 2, 2013

Eyelike: Brown Eyed Girls 5th album is solid

Brown Eyed Girls 5th album is solidBrown Eyed Girls“Black Box”(LOEN Entertainment)As veterans in the K-pop arena, Brown Eyed Girls has come back with a solid nine-track album.Unlike “Sixth Sense,” their last album from 2011, “Black Box” is a rather safe album with no standouts and sticks to a rather basic pop sound, making for a good summer listen. Although the music video is stunning in terms of style, inspired by the movie “Kill Bill,” the title track itself is your average, catchy pop tune wi

PerformanceAug. 2, 2013

Box Office: The Place Beyond, The Terror Live, Snowpiercer

The Place Beyond the PinesCrime. Drama. Directed by Derek CianfranceOpened Aug. 1Motorcycle stunt rider Luke Glanton (Ryan Gosling) works in a traveling act for state fairs, barely makes ends meet. During the fair in New York, Glanton gets a visit from his ex-lover Romina (Eva Mendes) who recently gave birth to his son. Glanton quits his job as a stuntman to stay in town to provide for his family, but turns to robbing banks. This puts him on a collision course with ambitious rookie cop Avery Cro

FilmAug. 2, 2013

‘Fruitvale Station,’ last day for a promising life

“Fruitvale Station” is a tragedy as fresh as today’s headlines, as moving as losing someone close to you. A re-telling of the last day in the life of Oscar Grant, a young black man gunned down by a transit cop in front of scores of witnesses in Oakland on New Year’s Day in 2009, Ryan Coogler’s often wrenching film begins with that death ― captured on cell phone video ― and takes us back through a life of hot-tempered blunders but compassionate potential, an ex-con who might have turned the corne

FilmAug. 2, 2013

Simple luxury at The Shilla Seoul, After seven-month renovation, hotel unveils new plush, swanky look

The Shilla Seoul reopened on Thursday after seven months of renovation. The highly anticipated reopening of the capital’s upscale hotel revealed facilities that the hotel claims to be “the best in the world.” “The core concept of the renovation was making our hotel a place where every day becomes a luxury,” Choi Tae-young, general manager of The Shilla Seoul, told reporters at Wednesday’s press conference ahead of the official reopening. “Whether it’s business, rest, dining or leisure, The Shill

TravelAug. 2, 2013

Around the Hotels

Restaurant 8 wins wine list award two years in a rowHyatt Regency Incheon’s Restaurant 8 has received an Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator’s 2013 Restaurant Wine List Award for two consecutive years. The magazine chooses winners every year by evaluating a restaurant’s wine list in regards to wine information, and the pairing of wine and food. This year, around 3,800 restaurants were awarded the title. Restaurant 8 at Hyatt Regency Incheon has built its reputation by having various wine pro

FoodAug. 2, 2013

Gaji namul (steamed eggplant side dish)

Gaji namul is a popular summer side dish that is made with steamed eggplants. The traditional way of making this dish is to steam the eggplants and then tear them into small strips. It’s very easy to overcook eggplants, resulting in mushy vegetables that fall apart during the tearing process. You can avoid this by cutting the eggplants into bite sized pieces before steaming them quickly. The key is to steam the eggplants until they are tender but still slightly firm. Eggplants are in peak season

FoodAug. 2, 2013