‘Tazza: One Eyed Jack’ to cap off gambling trilogy with poker

The “Tazza” trilogy, a movie adaptation of the popular gambling comic book series of the same name, will conclude next month with the opening of its third film, “Tazza: One Eyed Jack.”Director Kwon Oh-Kwang and the cast took part in a press conference to promote the film in Seoul on Thursday. Unlike the first two films, which dabbled in the Asian card game hwatu, the third is about poker. The “one-eyed jack” in the title can refer either to the jack of spades

FilmAug. 8, 2019

Eating my way through Sokcho

SOKCHO, Gangwon Province -- A bustling port city on the east coast with Seoraksan in the backdrop, Sokcho, a three-hour drive from Seoul, is a much-favored summer destination for South Koreans.Defined by its lively beaches, abundant seafood and vibrant city atmosphere, the city is packed with vacationers in summer. Its recent rise as a surfing destination has led to even more visitors. Though Gangwon Province does not have a thriving culinary scene, Sokcho is still home to various delicacies cre

FoodAug. 8, 2019

Grand Hilton Seoul preps for Oktoberfest

Grand Hilton Seoul is gearing up for Oktoberfest. The 14th Grand Hilton Seoul Oktoberfest will be held Sept. 7 at the hotel’s Convention Center, ahead of Oktoberfest, the famed beer festival held in Munich, Germany.General Manager Bernhard Brender, who is from Germany, has hosted the hotel’s event since 2007, inviting more than 1,000 guests each year.  The festival features a German buffet, including homemade sausages, schweinshaxe -- roasted pork knuckle -- and pretzels. This y

CultureAug. 8, 2019

SHINee, EXO, NCT 127 members to come together in one boy band in Oct.

In collaboration with an affiliate of American entertainment giant Universal Music Group, South Korea's biggest music label SM Entertainment will unveil a new boy band in Oct. that will bring together highly accomplished artists under its wing.Under the joint project with the US-based Capitol Music Group (CMG), home for such famous music acts as Katy Perry and the Beatles, SM will globally launch the seven-member band SuperM, SM said in a press release.  The dream team's lineup is made up o

PerformanceAug. 8, 2019

Asia's biggest K-pop awards MAMA reconsiders Japan, Hong Kong as event venues

The Mnet Asian Music Awards, or MAMA, the biggest annual K-pop awards series held outside of South Korea, is reconsidering Japan and Hong Kong as its destinations for this year's event, according to the event's organizer.Having been among the biggest consumers of K-pop outside of Korea, Japan and Hong Kong have hosted the high-profile K-pop event for the past two years, welcoming in an army of A-list K-pop artists to their cities, including BTS, Wanna One and actors Park Bo-gum and Song Joong-ki

PerformanceAug. 8, 2019

More Koreans visit Dokdo as summer getaway amid boycott of Japan travel

The Dokdo islets are drawing more attention as a summer getaway for South Koreans, while diplomatic and economic conflicts between Korea and Japan show no signs of abating. The number of visitors to Dokdo is on the rise, while the number of outbound travelers to Japan is plummeting since the Abe administration slapped retaliatory measures against Korea.  A total of 172,516 people have made the trip to Dokdo this year, up 29.7 percent from the same period last year, according to data from Ul

TravelAug. 7, 2019

Comedic talents team up for ‘Cheer Up, Mr. Lee’

Cha seung-won is a rather peculiar presence in the Korean cinema scene. Standing 188-centimeters tall without a hair out of place, his model-turned-actor looks like a slick James Bond villain, but he has left a lasting mark as a funnyman in early to late 2000s.The actor will appear in his first comedy film since 2007 as an overgrown man-child in the upcoming “Cheer Up, Mr. Lee.” He plays the protagonist Cheol-su, who comes face-to-face with a daughter he never knew existed.“I&r

FilmAug. 7, 2019

Ministry plans campaign to boost local tourism

Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Park Yang-woo said Wednesday that the ministry is planning a special campaign to promote local tourism around the Liberation Day holiday Aug. 15, as more South Koreans boycott travel to Japan in response to Tokyo’s recent decision to impose retaliatory export restrictions.“If we could turn the falling demand for overseas travel into domestic travel, it would greatly help stimulate regional economies and boost domestic demand,” Park said d

TravelAug. 7, 2019

Novus String Quartet to go on tour with Prague-inspired music

The Novus String Quartet is to embark on a nationwide tour, highlighting composers from the Czech Republic.The tour, slated to take place Aug. 27 to Sept. 1, kicks off in Gwangju and will move on to Seoul, Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang Province before a final concert in Seoul. Titled “Slavic,” the program includes Dvorak String Quartet No. 7 in A minor, Janacek String Quartet No. 1 “The Kreutzer Sonata” and Smetana String Quartet No. 1

PerformanceAug. 7, 2019

Nobel laureate Toni Morrison dead at 88

NEW YORK (AP) -- Nobel laureate Toni Morrison, a pioneer and reigning giant of modern literature whose imaginative power in "Beloved,'' "Sula'' and other works transformed American letters by dramatizing the pursuit of freedom within the boundaries of race, has died at age 88.Publisher Alfred A. Knopf announced that Morrison died Monday night at Montefiore Medical Center in New York after a brief illness."Toni Morrison passed away peacefully last night surrounded by family an

PeopleAug. 7, 2019

Rihanna to host ‘Fenty Beauty’ makeup show in Seoul

Pop superstar Rihanna will be visiting Seoul in September to host the second makeup masterclass of her beauty brand Fenty, local promoters said Tuesday.The 31-year-old founder of Fenty will hold the “Fenty Artistry & Beauty Talk with Rihanna” at Lotte World Tower in Songpa-gu, southern Seoul, on Sept. 17. Rihanna held the first such event in Dubai last year. Makeup artist Priscilla Ono and Hector Espinal will join her to showcase the pop star’s makeup techniques and know-ho

Arts & DesignAug. 6, 2019

National Theater Company of Korea cancels performance of play by pro-Japanese playwright

The National Theater Company of Korea has canceled scheduled performances of a play by pro-Japanese playwright Lim Sun-kyu, amid growing economic and political tensions between Korea and Japan. The work was scheduled to be staged Sept. 27-Oct. 13 at Baek Sung-hee & Jang Min-ho Theater in Seoul. “Binghwa” (1940) is a late Japanese colonial period play carrying pro-Japanese elements that was submitted to a drama contest organized by Japan as part of its cultural policy.Lim&rsq

PerformanceAug. 6, 2019

Kim Hee-chul, Twice’s Momo deny dating reports

Kim Hee-chul of Super Junior and Momo of Twice have denied rumors that they are dating.  A local media outlet reported Tuesday that Kim and Momo have been in a relationship for two years after first meeting through a TV entertainment show in 2017.However, both sides quickly sent out official statements refuting the claim.Kim’s agency S.M. Entertainment said, “The two are close only as co-workers in the industry,” while Twice’s label JYP Entertainment called the rumor

PerformanceAug. 6, 2019

BTS' 'Bring The Soul: The Movie' poised for strong showing at S. Korean box office

As South Korean K-pop sensation BTS is returning to the silver screen with its documentary film "Bring The Soul: The Movie," people are waiting to see whether the boy band can join other local movies to break the monthslong Disney dominance at the local box office."Bring The Soul" is its third documentary film about their behind-the-scenes lives during their "Love Yourself" world tour, aimed at promoting their "Love Yourself" album series last year, as wel

PerformanceAug. 6, 2019

Angelina Jolie’s eldest son to study at Yonsei University

Actress Angelina Jolie’s eldest son Maddox will study at Yonsei University’s Underwood International College starting fall this year.Maddox is slated to begin his first semester as a life science and biotechnology major early next month at the school’s international campus in Songdo, Incheon. According to several local news outlets, the 18-year-old chose to attend a South Korean college because of his interest in K-pop and Korean culture. In November, the Hollywood actress

FilmAug. 6, 2019

Arario Gallery highlights Berlin-based artists from different cultures

On the gallery walls hang paintings of facades that show entrances to different houses the artist found during her trip to Venezuela’s Los Roques archipelago. These paintings, which portray doors and windows in a colorful yet simple manner, are lined up so as to remind viewers of an alley lined with houses.The paintings by Sol Calero are part of the latest exhibition at Arario Gallery in the Samcheong-dong area of Seoul.  The exhibition, titled “A Shiver in Search of a Spine,&rd

Arts & DesignAug. 5, 2019

K-pop festival in Busan to hold audition for wannabe-stars

The annual Busan One Asia Festival will hold an audition for future K-pop stars, the city officials said Monday.According to Busan Metropolitan Government, this year’s festival will feature “Music Label on BOF,” an event that will provide a stage for the next generation of entertainers in the music industry. It is being co-hosted and co-organized with Cube Entertainment.Those wishing to participate can apply from Aug. 5 to Sept. 24 after downloading the form at the festival hom

PerformanceAug. 5, 2019

Cellist Yang Sung-won’s trio to go on Korean tour

Trio Owon, consisting of cellist Yang Sung-won, pianist Emmanuel Strosser and violinist Olivier Charlier, will embark on a nationwide tour in November in celebration of its 10th anniversary.The tour will kick off in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, on Nov. 15, followed by performances in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, on Nov. 16; at the Changwon International Chamber Music Festival in Seoul on Nov. 18; and Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, on Nov. 22. The final concert will be held Nov. 24 i

PerformanceAug. 5, 2019

Kang Daniel, Jihyo of Twice dating, agencies confirm

K-pop singers Kang Daniel and Jihyo of girl group Twice are in a romantic relationship, their respective agencies confirmed Monday. “It has been confirmed that the two are dating with good feelings toward each other,” Kang’s Konnect Entertainment and Twice’s JYP Entertainment said.  Earlier in the day local media outlet Dispatch broke the news, saying the two K-pop stars had started dating earlier this year. The publication also revealed photos of Jihyo arriving at K

PerformanceAug. 5, 2019

YouTubers caught recommending illegal camping

Wilderness camping spots have been an increasingly popular item for Korean YouTubers, but unlike in other parts of the world, camping out in the wild is illegal in Korea.According to a report by Korean broadcaster SBS on Sunday, some South Korean YouTubers trespassed into off-limits areas and even encouraged their viewers to do the same. In one of the videos shown in the report, the YouTuber makes his camping spot on a rock next to a pool of water below the waterfall and then heads straight into

TelevisionAug. 5, 2019