'Parasite' picks up 2 titles at Critics' Choice Awards

Bong Joon-ho's black comedy thriller "Parasite" has clinched two titles at this year's Critics' Choice Awards, continuing its rally during the US awards season.At the ceremony held by the Broadcast Film Critics Association in Santa Monica, California, on Sunday (US time), director Bong tied with Sam Mendes of "1917," the top winner of this year's Golden Globe Awards, for best director, while his seventh feature film also won best foreign-language film.In the best direction se

FilmJan. 13, 2020

Korean American included in NASA's future Moon, Mars exploration program

LOS ANGELES -- A Korean American doctor has been included in the list of 11 new astronauts who will take part in the upcoming Moon and Mars exploration program, according to the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration Sunday.Jonny Kim will be joining the Artemis project, which aims to send people to the Moon by 2024. The program will use the knowhow and experience learned to place astronauts on Mars by the mid-2020s to 2030, according to the agency. Born in Los Angeles, Kim is a highly

PeopleJan. 13, 2020

[Newsmaker] Hacking of top celebrities prompts rumors, warnings

Several South Korean celebrities whose phones were recently hacked are struggling to prevent the spread of their photos and rumors on the internet and messenger apps. Some have issued warnings of legal action. Earlier on Thursday, the police said they had launched a probe into a case where about 10 celebrities, including famous actors and members of K-pop groups, allegedly had their phones hacked. The police said the hacker blackmailed the victims by threatening to leak their personal data.

FilmJan. 12, 2020

[Feature] Private museums face difficulties in managing national treasures

Baik In-san, chief curator of the Kansong Art and Culture Foundation, felt a sense of relief when the organization decided to build a new storage facility with government funds worth 4.4 billion won ($3.78 million) for its artifacts, including 12 national treasures. However, concerns lingered about how the private museum could preserve the artifacts well. “The government funds were like rain in a drought because we had some financial difficulties with artifacts management,” Baik said

CultureJan. 12, 2020

KCDF appoints head of Korea exhibition for Milan Design Week

The Korea Craft & Design Foundation has appointed Kang Jae-young of Mangrove Artworks as the artistic director of the Korea exhibition that will be showcased at Milan Design Week 2020 in April. Kang, an expert in craft exhibition, was formerly a curator at Whanki Museum and the Korea Ceramic Foundation. While directing multiple exhibitions -- including the 25th anniversary exhibition of Kim Whan-ki in 1999 -- she also served as a co-curator for the Nanjing Triennale in China. During Mil

Arts & DesignJan. 12, 2020

BTS' 'Idol' becomes 6th music video to top 600m YouTube views

The music video of BTS' song "Idol" reached 600 million YouTube views Sunday, becoming the band's sixth video to accomplish the milestone.The music video of "Idol," the lead track of BTS' repackaged album "Love Yourself: Answer" released in 2018, achieved the feat early Sunday morning, according to the band's management agency, Big Hit Entertainment. The music video, which won the Music Video of 2018 at the E! People's Choice Awards, grabs the eyes with its impressi

PerformanceJan. 12, 2020

Pengsoo fans irked by stricter YouTube rules

Fans of Pengsoo have reacted angrily after comments were blocked on YouTube videos starring the EBS penguin character, after the streaming sites enforcement of stricter children’s content rules starting Tuesday. The strengthened regulations came into effect after the US’ Federal Trade Commission last September announced that it was fining Google $170 million for violating children’s privacy law in the US. “We do understand that fans are upset about not being able to leave

CultureJan. 10, 2020

Bong Joon-ho's interpreter wows US film industry amid award-winning rally of 'Parasite'

South Korean director Bong Joon-ho of "Parasite" might be the busiest man in the ongoing US winter awards season, hoisting numerous trophies and delivering acceptance speeches onstage.As the director has been increasingly doing media interviews and making it onto talk shows, moreover, the person next to the eclectic auteur has also come into spotlight: Sharon Choi.She has been with Bong as an interpreter since May, when his black comedy thriller won the highest prize of Palme d'Or at t

FilmJan. 10, 2020

BTS unveils teaser video for new album

K-pop boy band BTS on Friday released the first teaser video for its new album slated for Feb. 21.The group uploaded "Interlude: Shadow," the first trailer of its fourth full-length album "Map of the Soul: 7" on its YouTube channel at 12 a.m. Friday.In the three-minute video, member Suga walks listeners through his ambitions and fears involving his band's globally acclaimed music career, carrying on the album series' Carl Jung-inspired theme of exploring the ego. The video em

PerformanceJan. 10, 2020

BTS' 'DNA' music video tops 900m YouTube views

The music video of BTS' 2017 hit song, "DNA," topped 900 million YouTube views Friday, the band's first music video to surpass that milestone. "DNA," the lead track of BTS' 2017 album, "Love Yourself: Her," achieved the feat Friday morning, according to the band's management agency, Big Hit Entertainment.  Released in September 2017, the song stayed on Billboard's Hot 100 chart for four consecutive weeks, and in February the following year, it was certified &qu

PerformanceJan. 10, 2020

Sweet brews at Under Pressure

There is a reason why Under Pressure cafe team manager Park Yong-jin points to its Latte 60 as a star player in this roaster-cafe’s lineup of brews. One sip of this latte, featuring Under Pressure’s Brooklyn Comfort blend, unleashes a striking balance of acidity, sweetness and depth, mellowed and softened by dairy. The tart sweetness of dried berries peeks through all that velvety microfoam, followed by aromas of dried plums and dark chocolate for an elegant and complex brew. Wh

FoodJan. 10, 2020

[Eye Plus] Exhibition highlights Gaya relics

An exhibit in Seoul until March 1 guides you through 2,000-year-old artifacts, ranging from iron armors and swords to pottery and accessories like gold crowns.The National Museum is holding an exhibition on Gaya, an ancient confederacy of small city-states in the central-southern region of the Korean Peninsula from AD 42-562.Under the title of “Gaya Spirit -- Iron and Tune,” the exhibition displays some 2,600 artifacts from 31 institutions here and abroad, including the Tokyo Nationa

Arts & DesignJan. 10, 2020

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Dolittle(US)Opened Jan. 8Adventure, Comedy, FamilyDirected by Stephen GaghanDr. John Dolittle (Robert Downey Jr.) lives in solitude behind the walls of his manor in 19th-century England. His only companions are exotic animals that he speaks to on a daily basis. But when young Queen Victoria (Jessie Buckley) becomes gravely ill, the eccentric doctor and his furry friends, including the doctor’s loyal dog Jip (Tom Holland), embark on an epic adventure to a mythical island to find a cure.Star

FilmJan. 10, 2020

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and Packages

Winter Wonderland Afternoon Tea at Millennium Hilton Seoul　Millennium Hilton Seoul’s Cilantro Deli, located in the main lobby of the hotel, presents afternoon tea with a winter theme. The tea set includes open sandwiches, scones, a gingerbread man and treats shaped like snowmen, Christmas trees and mittens. The deli’s signature Noel Cake, consisting of a red velvet roll, a green tea roll, a chocolate roll and a mocha roll, will be available for sale, along with fruit sponge cake, cho

FoodJan. 10, 2020

[Travel Bits] Festivals and sights across Korea

E-World Starlight Festival (1) The E-World Starlight Festival in Daegu features 10 million lights in a large area around E-World and 83 Tower. Hot air balloons, illuminated roses and mask light decorations are all part of this carnival-like festival. Large trees are decorated along the 200-meter Light Road, as well as the Umbrella Road, Carnival Road and a photo zone with 1,000 lights. Some 10,000 light-emitting diode roses cover the “proposal stairs.”The festival runs until March 1.

TravelJan. 10, 2020

Luxury hotels become battlefield of strawberries

January is here, which means luxury hotels in Korea are duking it out for social media publicity with photogenic strawberry buffets. It might seem as if spring has already arrived to some tourists, as Korea’s strawberry season starts not in late spring but midwinter. Right after Christmas and New Year’s, hotels move into strawberry buffet-mode, seizing the opportunity for some winter color by creating eye-catching, mouthwatering desserts.  Buffet stations typically have cakes, t

FoodJan. 10, 2020

HBO to produce 'Parasite' miniseries

NEW YORK (AFP) -- HBO has secured the rights to adapt South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho's critical smash hit "Parasite" into a miniseries, the US cable channel said Thursday.Television companies vying to adapt the movie include Netflix, which produced Bong's 2017 hit "Okja," entertainment website Deadline Hollywood reported. A dark satire about the relationship between two families, "Parasite" has earned $130 million worldwide, picking up the coveted Palme d'Or at

FilmJan. 10, 2020

MMCA confident about holding largest-ever Paik Nam-june exhibition, despite nagging issues

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art is preparing to host an archival exhibition this year dedicated to South Korea’s pioneering media artist Paik Nam-june. The show, set to be the largest of its kind, will coincide with the start of a three-year project to restore the artist’s monumental media work “The More the Better.” “We almost have set up the archival exhibition of Paik Nam-june, but some complicated issues with the owner of Paik’s col

Arts & DesignJan. 9, 2020

Animal rights in Korean entertainment industry

The Korean entertainment industry is beginning to take animal rights issues more seriously as criticisms arise from related organizations.The producer of tvN variety show “The Meow is Fake” issued an official apology for violating animal rights after its first episode aired Sunday.The producer apologized for not providing sufficient information required during the adoption process to nonprofit organization Nabiya. The organization is currently asking for the return of the adopted cat

TelevisionJan. 9, 2020

BTS scores 3 awards at Gaon Chart Music Awards

K-pop boy band BTS has scored three major prizes at the 2020 Gaon Chart Music Awards, adding to its winning streak at local and overseas music awards. The septet picked up the "Artist of the Year" award in the physical album category for the second quarter of 2019 as well as the "Social Hot Star of the Year" and "Retail Album of the Year" awards at the 9th Gaon Chart Music Awards held at Seoul Sports Complex Wednesday evening.  The annual music awards are hoste

PerformanceJan. 9, 2020