Lee Hyo-ri to pre-release 'Seoul' this week

K-pop diva Lee Hyo-ri will pre-release a new song from her upcoming comeback album this week, her agency said Monday.A teaser image for Lee Hyo-ri`s new song "Seoul" (Yonhap)Kiwi Media Group, which represents the former girl group FIN.K.L member, announced on its social media that Lee will pre-release "Seoul" on Wednesday. The rest of the album is scheduled to come out July 4.A teaser image shows Lee's face covered by a turtle neck sweater with the song's title.The former sexy dance icon collabo

PerformanceJune 26, 2017

KAIST unveils global vision on Embassy Day

The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology showcased its academic excellence in front of foreign diplomats Friday in a bid to strengthen global partnerships.“KAIST is gearing up for another round of innovative initiatives in education, convergence research, technology commercialization, future strategies and globalization,” said KAIST President Shin Sung-chul. At the first Embassy Day at Grand Hyatt Seoul, the university presented some of its finest research, including the developmen

PeopleJune 25, 2017

Apink drops teaser video, concept image before new release

Just a day before the release of “Pink Up,” Apink on Sunday offered a peek at what its concept and the music video would be for its upcoming EP.Its agency Plan A Entertainment uploaded the concept image with Park Cho-rong, Yoon Bo-mi, Jung Eun-ji, Son Na-eun, Kim Nam-joo and Oh Ha-young on the band’s official fan page and social media pages at midnight Saturday. It followed up by revealing a teaser video of the song at noon, Sunday. The clip, an excerpt from Apink’s new music video, revealed par

PerformanceJune 25, 2017

Hilarity of ‘Spamalot’ kicks off DIMF

The 11th Daegu International Musical Festival commenced Friday with a bang and thunderous laughter, as UK-produced musical comedy “Spamalot” kicked off the annual event.“Spamalot,” based very loosely on the King Arthur legend, was adapted from the 1975 cult classic “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.” It follows a reimagined version of the famous figure and his “Kinghts of the Round Table” as their adventure jumps in and out of fantasy and reality, shattering the fourth wall to a million pieces of

CultureJune 25, 2017

Black Pink’s new song makes it to Apple Music list

Black Pink’s new single “As If It’s Your Last” is getting attention from home and abroad, with Apple Music Pop putting it on its “Best of the Week” list.The list compiles popular songs across the globe, selected by Apple Music’s editors. The songs on the latest list include rock legend Radiohead’s “Man of War” and rapper Drake’s “Signs.”“As If It’s Your Last” was released last week, garnering immediate popularity.  Black Pink (YG Entertainment)According to YG Entertainment, the music video for B

PerformanceJune 25, 2017

Underdog status pays off for Korean novelist

A chronic inability to talk to attractive women can eventually reap rewards. That was the takeaway message from author Cheon Myeong-kwan as he addressed the Seoul Literary Society at the Swedish Ambassador’s residence in Seongbuk last week.Thirty years ago, the now critically acclaimed novelist lived a markedly less glamorous life. The only gig he could find was selling golf clubs, and he had to mooch off friends just to get by. Chronically miserable, his only source of joy was riding the bus an

BooksJune 23, 2017

Grilling? Don’t hold the mayo!

This is the season of outdoor parties and cookouts, as those of us self-professed grill masters and weekend warriors deftly show off our live-fire cooking skills in front of family and friends. That is, until the grill flares up and those beautiful steaks are reduced to charcoal and we’re peeling them off the grill through a cloud of smoke.It’s an all-too-common tragedy played out in backyards everywhere. What if there was an easier way?My challenge was always fish, which would glue itself to th

FoodJune 23, 2017

Fresh veggie dinner perfect for a hot summer night

Combine fresh sauteed vegetables with fresh fettuccine for this quick, vegetarian dinner. You can use the vegetables in this recipe, or mix and match any type you have on hand. Use the recipe as a blueprint for the amounts needed.The recipe calls for fresh fettuccine, which can be found in most supermarkets. Dried can be used. Follow the package instructions for cooking time.Helpful Hints:-- Linguine or spaghetti can be used instead of fettuccine.-- Use tongs to easily toss vegetables with pasta

FoodJune 23, 2017

[Travel Bits] Sights, festivals around Korea

Cultural Night Walk in Jeonju “Cultural Night Walk in Jeonju,” a program selected by the Cultural Heritage Administration in a competition offers visitors the chance to walk through hundreds of hanok in the Jeonju Hanok Village under the moonlight.Programs include a moonlight photography competition, traditional music night, Jeonju traditional opera, shadow orchestra and night views of Jeonju.The event is held until Sept.13. For more information, visit www.jeonju-night.kr for information in Kore

TravelJune 23, 2017

Maestro Chung Myung-whun cleared of charges

Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday dismissed charges against Chung Myun-whun, former music director of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. (Yonhap)The move came after a 10-month-long investigation into allegations of dereliction of duty and embezzlement made against Chung. The case arose from complaints filed by several civic organizations in February 2015. Police sent the case to Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office in August 2016.In a statement issued through his legal re

PeopleJune 23, 2017

Stolen Buddhist painting exhibited to public after discovery in US

A South Korean temple on Friday opened an 18th-century Korean Buddhist painting, stolen about 50 years ago, to the general public after its American owner and a US art museum let it be repatriated to South Korea last year.The painting, called "Obuldo" in Korean, a depiction of the Five Buddhas, was stolen from Songgwang Temple in Suncheon, 415 kilometers southwest of Seoul, in the early 1970s. Obuldo, made by Uigyeom, a Buddhist monk and painter in the 1392-1910 Joseon Dynasty, was one painting

PerformanceJune 23, 2017

Black Pink’s new release tops charts

Black Pink’s latest release “As If It‘s Your Last” is sweeping local charts as of Friday. The single has topped major music charts Genie, Bus Music, Naver Music, Olleh Music, Soribada and Monkey 3, and ranked second on Mnet and Melon behind girl group Mamamoo’s “Yes I Am.”(YG Entertainment)(YG Entertainment)(YG Entertainment)(YG Entertainment)“As If It’s Your Last” also scored first place on the iTunes global singles chart and second on iTunes Japan. The music video for the track surpassed 13 mi

PerformanceJune 23, 2017

[Herald Review] Hong Sang-soo pokes fun at love affair in ‘Day After’

A love affair with a sort of ironic passion, drunken pseudo-philosophical conversations poking fun at the clueless male lead, and a timid but keen female character -- these are the ingredients for Hong Sang-soo’s 21st feature, “The Day After.” The film had its local press screening on Thursday after competing at the Cannes Film Festival in May, one of two films by Hong -- the other, “Claire’s Camera” -- which screened at Cannes this year. 　While few events propel Hong Sang-soo films, which cente

FilmJune 23, 2017

Son Ye-jin, Hyun Bin begin shooting new police thriller

Son Ye-jin and Hyun Bin have started shooting the new police thriller “Negotiation” (unofficial translation) last Saturday, the film’s producer JK Film announced Friday.　The film is about Chae-yoon, a cop at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency played by Son ye-jin, attempting a dangerous negotiation with a kidnapper who has taken her boss Tae-gu, played by Hyun Bin, hostage.　The first shoot was completed on a set in Paju, Gyeonggi-do Province, JK Film said.　 Son Ye-jin (left) and Hyun Bin on se

PerformanceJune 23, 2017

[Movie Review] ‘Transformers: The Last Knight’ is Michael Bay’s robot-orgy swan song

Michael Bay’s previous film was a cranked-up, little-seen dramatization of the 2012 Benghazi tragedy called “13 Hours.” By sheer coincidence — or, for all I know, by diabolical design — that title also sums up how long it would take you to watch all five of Bay’s “Transformers” movies back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back, not counting the occasional break to use the bathroom, pop another Advil or hurl yourself off the nearest cliff.Don’t worry. Having just endured “Transformers: The Last Knight,

FilmJune 23, 2017

[Movie Review] Sophia Coppola’s ‘Beguiled’ pales compared to original

Director Don Siegel created in “The Beguiled,” back in 1971, an emotional tension as thick and muggy as the air in summer. The only thing more stifling and heated in this story set during the Civil War was the sexual tension created by a wounded Union soldier (Clint Eastwood) being given sanctuary at a girls boarding school. The film, based on the novel by Thomas Cullinan, mixed passion and betrayal in such dark quantities that at times it played more like a psychological thriller or horror movi

FilmJune 23, 2017

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Transformers: The Last Knight (US)Opened June 21Action, science fiction. Directed by Michael BayTwo worlds collide as humans go to war with the robot Transformers. Optimus Prime, the leader of the transforming species of synthetic intelligence, no longer sides with humans. To re-establish Cybertron, the home of the Transformers, on Earth, Optimus Prime embarks on a search for ancient relics on earth, which results in an inescapable conflict with the human race. The key to saving the future of ma

FilmJune 23, 2017

AOA's Choa announces departure, FNC says matter being discussed

Choa, lead singer of K-pop girl AOA, said Thursday she was leaving her team, citing long term insomnia and depression as the reasons."I've taken medication and have reduced my schedule for two years to treat my insomnia and depression. But I came to cease all activities, as the problem wasn't due to fatigue," the singer wrote on her Instagram."Following talks with my agency, I plan to leave AOA effective today and cheer on my fellow members," the 28-year-old said. (Yonhap)FNC Entertainment stopp

PerformanceJune 23, 2017

[Herald Interview] ‘Creative industries spur cycle of innovation’

The National Theatre of Great Britain in London -- one of the United Kingdom’s most prominent, publicly funded performing arts venues -- is a seedbed of artistic expression and commercial innovation producing world-class plays.Established in 1963 as the National Theatre Company, the organization has thrust Britain’s cultural prowess onto the world stage with imaginative interpretation of classical and contemporary performances. Some of its finest productions have been played in London’s West End

CultureJune 22, 2017

Up-close with rare animals at cafes in Seoul

In recent years, a host of cafes with furry creatures rarely seen in the city have popped up around Seoul.　Most of the cafes are owned by enthusiasts who began raising the animals at home as pets, but decided to open a shop when their numbers got out of hand. 　Dozens of local visitors and foreign tourists were spotted in such cafes, concentrated in the Hongdae area, on a Tuesday afternoon. Some cuddled the animals, while others observed with curiosity. There were also those who just sat and sipp

CultureJune 22, 2017