The annual artist-of-the-year exhibition at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea presents artwork that explores key social issues in Korean society, such as the generation gap, anxiety and crisis. The 2013 Korea Artist Prize has nominated four artists ― Jo Hae-jun, Ham Yang-ah, Kong Sung-hun and Shin Mee-kyoung ― whose artworks are on display at the 2013 Korea Artist Prize exhibition from Friday to Oct. 20 at the MMCA Gwacheon. For 15 years, the prestigious prize has recogni

PerformanceJuly 18, 2013

Two of the country’s influential singer-songwriters, Lee Seung-hwan and Yoon Jong-shin, are holding a joint concert for the first time in 10 years, concert organizer Mystic89 announced on Wednesday. A number of other singers including Jung In, Lim Kim and Cho Moon-geun will also perform at the concert on Aug. 3 at UNIQLO AX in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul.“This unexpected line-up will present a totally new experience,” said Mystic89. Lee shot to stardom with his debut album “...B.C 603” in 1989. Since the

PerformanceJuly 18, 2013

Korean director Hong Sang-soo’s latest work has been invited to Locarno International Film Festival’s international competition section, the film’s local promoters said.The film, titled “Our Sunhi,” tells the story of a young film student named Sun-hi (played by actress Jeong Yoo-mi) who is about to leave Korea to study overseas. Before moving abroad, she visits two of her ex-boyfriends (played by Lee Sun-kyun and Jung Jae-young) and her professor named Choi (played by Kim Sang-jung). “Our Sunhi

FilmJuly 18, 2013

Many fell in love with Hwon, the cynical but attractive fictional Joseon king in MBC’s enormously successful TV drama series “The Moon Embracing the Sun” last year. Its fans now have the opportunity to revisit the series, this time onstage. The TV series’ theater adaptation is currently being staged at Seoul Arts Center, featuring local musical star Kim Da-hyeon in the lead.Based on the novel of the same title by author Jung Eun-gwol, the TV series and the musical tell the moving love story betw

PerformanceJuly 18, 2013

Mystery GirlBy David Gordon (Thomas & Mercer/New Harvest) The main character in David Gordon’s 2010 debut thriller, “The Serialist,” was a novelist hired to write a serial killer’s memoirs. Now, in “Mystery Girl,” he introduces a new protagonist, a failed experimental novelist named Sam Kornberg who finds work as an assistant to a private detective.Gordon writes about writers because one of the things his books are about is the nature of storytelling itself.“Does your life work like that?” Sam s

BooksJuly 18, 2013

Massacre PondBy Paul Doiron (Minotaur)Elizabeth Morse, who made her fortune selling worthless herbal remedies to the gullible, is buying up huge parcels of timberland in Eastern Maine with the hope of persuading the federal government to turn it into a national park.The locals don’t like it one bit. She’s put land they’ve fished and hunted for generations off-limits. Worse, she’s killing forestry industry jobs.So trouble is sure to come to the backwater of lakes and forests patrolled by Maine ga

BooksJuly 18, 2013

In the July-August issue of the Atlantic, Joseph Epstein uses the release of Saul Friedlander’s book “Franz Kafka: The Poet of Shame and Guilt” to pose the larger question of whether Kafka is still relevant.“Great writers are impressed by the mysteries of life; poor Franz Kafka was crushed by them,” he observes, noting that “Kafka’s small body of work, which includes three uncompleted novels, some two dozen substantial short stories, an assemblage of parables and fragment-like shorter works, dia

BooksJuly 18, 2013

Leo Hollis should have had me at the title. His book “Cities Are Good for You: The Genius of the Metropolis” seeks to articulate something I take as an article of faith: Cities are the only place to live.And yet, even the title highlights some of the problems with this uneven inquiry into urban life. It might have been radical to champion the city 30 years ago, when crime rates were high and the middle-class exodus to the suburbs remained in full swing. We live, however, in a different era, when

BooksJuly 18, 2013

WASHINGTON (Yonhap News) ― More than 200 Korean Americans gathered on Capitol Hill Wednesday for an event designed by Republican lawmakers to expand support from the ever-growing minority group nationwide.“I have the honor of representing one of the largest Korean-American communities in the country,” Rep. Ed Royce (R-Fullerton, California) said at the Korean American Meetup held at the Cannon House Office Building.“Today’s event is an exciting opportunity to open a dialogue between members of C

PeopleJuly 18, 2013

JOHANNESBURG (AP) ― Nelson Mandela has made “dramatic progress,” and may be going home “anytime soon,” said his daughter Zindzi on the eve of his 95th birthday. “I visited him yesterday and he was watching television with headphones,” said Zindzi Mandela in an interview with Britain’s Sky TV. “He gave us a huge smile and raised his hand ... He responds with his eyes and his hands.” Mandela is gaining “energy and strength,” said his daughter. “I should think he will be going home anytime soon.” T

PeopleJuly 18, 2013

Two Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins, dubbed “Jedori” and “Chunsami,” returned to the sea near Kimnyoung on Jeju Island, Thursday, from an offshore pen where they had been training to adapt to the wild. Jedori and Chunsami were illegally captured near the coasts of Seogwipo and Jeju City in May and June 2009, respectively. It took Jedori 1,540 days and Chunsami 1,487 days to return to the wild.The ceremony to set them free was attended by officials from Seoul City, Jeju Province, Jeju Special Se

PeopleJuly 18, 2013

Ensemble Ditto has announced that it will hold two additional performances on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1 in response to the popularity of last month’s seventh “Ditto Festival.” Tickets for the “Ditto Festival,” which was held at numerous locations nationwide, sold out in a matter of days. The group wanted to thank its fans for their support and give them another chance to enjoy their performance this summer. “BACH for SOLO” will take place on Aug. 31 and “Code Name: BACH” the following day. Both concer

PerformanceJuly 17, 2013