Actor Lee Dong-gun dating fellow drama star Cho Youn-hee

South Korean actor Lee Dong-gun and actress Cho Youn-hee, who played a fictional couple in a recent TV series, are dating in real life, according to Lee's management agency Tuesday."The two have formed a good relationship while filming and have developed into a couple recently," Lee's agency FNC Entertainment said. (Herald DB)According to KINGKONG Entertainment, which represents Cho, the two are "about a week into their relationship."The 37-year-old Lee and the 35-year old Cho appeared as a coup

TelevisionFeb. 28, 2017

Lee Jong-suk meets Thai fans, wraps up Asia tour

Lee Jong-suk met with thousands of fans in Thailand over the weekend, wrapping up a five-nation Asia tour, his agency said Monday.The actor’s meet-and-greet event with some 3,000 Thai fans, titled “Variety,” was held at the Thunder Dome in Bangkok on Sunday, according to YG Entertainment. (YG Entertainment)During the meeting, fans were invited by Lee to the stage and together re-enacted famous scenes from “W,” his hit TV drama aired last year. The star later gifted perfumes and candies. “I thank

PerformanceFeb. 27, 2017

‘Moonlight’ wins best picture as Oscars ends in chaos

Barry Jenkins’s coming-of-age drama “Moonlight” won the coveted best picture statuette at Sunday’s Oscars -- but the evening ended in chaos as “La La Land” was mistakenly handed the award.Hollywood legends Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway, stars of 1967 crime classic “Bonnie and Clyde,” were meant to give the evening’s top prize to Jenkins’s film, but she mistakenly called it for Damien Chazelle‘s musical. From left: Best supporting actor Mahershala Ali, for "Moonlight," best actress Emma Stone fo

FilmFeb. 27, 2017

New images for ‘Sense 8’ revealed, starring Bae Doona

Netflix released new images from the upcoming second season of its science-fiction drama series “Sense8,” starring Korean actress Bae Doona, on Monday.Bae will return as Sun Bak, the daughter of a powerful businessman in Seoul and a rising star in the underground kickboxing scene, in the series created by Lana and Lilly Wachowski -- the renowned makers of “The Matrix” series -- and J. Michael Straczynski. The images feature the show’s multinational ensemble in various scenes. Bae’s character is

TelevisionFeb. 27, 2017

'Moonlight' wins best picture at Academy Awards

“Moonlight” won the best picture trophy at the Academy Awards in a historic Oscar upset that followed Warren Beatty at first reading the wrong winner. Shock and chaos spread through the Dolby Theatre when producers of “La La Land” were stopped in the middle of their acceptance speeches to be informed that Beatty had incorrectly read “La La Land” as the winner. “I wasn't trying to be funny,” Beatty explained, saying he had seen the name Emma Stone from “La La Land” when he opened his envelope.Hos

CultureFeb. 27, 2017

High style and politics on Oscars red carpet

For Hollywood’s A-list, Oscars night is the biggest fashion moment of the year. And Tinseltown’s top actresses did not disappoint on Sunday, with winter white gowns among the key trends.Here are some highlights from the Academy Awards red carpet:Visions in white  Sofia Carson arrives for the 89th annual Academy Awards ceremony Sunday. (EPA-Yonhap)White, cream and champagne quickly emerged as a red carpet favorite.Best actress nominee Isabelle Huppert, already a Golden Globe winner for edgy rape-

Arts & DesignFeb. 27, 2017

Jerusalem art show turns ‘home’ inside out

A giant kitchen grater with menacing blades, an ironing board festooned with penises and Marcel Duchamp‘s repurposed urinal greet visitors to the Israel Museum’s new show “No Place Like Home.”The exhibition focuses on the reinterpretation of household objects in art, and takes Duchamp‘s jokey 1917 “Fountain” as its starting point.The 120 quirky and sometimes creepy exhibits are laid out in stark white spaces, identified as rooms of a home and labelled as entrance, living room, bathroom and other

PerformanceFeb. 27, 2017

GFriend drops teaser for 'Fingertip' music video

South Korean girl group GFriend on Monday unveiled a teaser for the music video of its upcoming song "Fingertip." (Source Music) "Fingertip" is the title track of the group's upcoming EP album "The Awakening" slated to come out March 6, according to Source Music, the group's agency. The album is the first in eight months following its full-length album "LOL." In the brief clip uploaded to YouTube, the me

PerformanceFeb. 27, 2017

London film screening backs Oscar boycott director Farhadi

Thousands of film fans gathered in London’s Trafalgar Square Sunday for a screening of “The Salesman” by Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, who is boycotting the Oscars over US President Donald Trump’s policies.　Just hours before the Oscars ceremony in Los Angeles, where the film is vying for the Best Foreign Language Film award, the London landmark was transformed into a giant open-air cinema. 　”Despite our different religions, nationalities and cultures, we are all citizens of the world. I’m ver

CultureFeb. 27, 2017

2PM's weekend concert suspended after stage accident

A concert by South Korean boy band 2PM was abruptly halted over the weekend after member Jun. K was injured while performing, the group's agency said Monday. (Yonhap)The concert held at Seoul Olympic Park on Sunday was canceled after Jun. K fell off a moving vehicle while singing, JYP Entertainment said.Jun. K was immediately hospitalized and was later found out to have fractured his right elbow and right ring finger. Concert attendees will receive refunds for the canceled show, according to JYP

PerformanceFeb. 27, 2017

'Split' tops weekend box office with about 700,000 views

US psychological thriller "Split" packed moviegoers in at the local box office last weekend, opening in first place with a robust 698,900 in attendance, data showed Monday. (Universal Pictures International Korea)Helmed by director M. Night Shyamalan, the film follows a man with 23 different personalities who kidnaps three girls.It was followed by three homegrown films on the chart.The courtroom drama "New Trial," which topped the box office the previous weekend, is the runner-up with 439,586 in

FilmFeb. 27, 2017

Lee Byung-hun, Park Bo-gum consider roles in ‘Ansi Fortress’

Lee Byung-hun and Park Bo-gum have been offered lead roles in the upcoming film “Ansi Fortress.” Lee Byung-hun (left) and Park Bo-gum (right) (The Korea Herald)“Lee Byung-hun received an offer to star in the film, but nothing has been confirmed yet,” said Lee’s agency BH Entertainment on Saturday. Blossom Entertainment, which represents Park, also said on the same day that the actor was asked to star in “Ansi Fortress,” but has yet to make a decision.Kim Kwang-sik will direct “Ansi Fortress,” a

Feb. 26, 2017

Taeyeon, Suzy and more -- K-pop female acts return

From chart-topping solo singers to rising female bands, the K-pop scene will be rife with returning female acts this week. K-pop group Lovelyz dropped its second album “R U Ready?” on Sunday with the title track “WoW!” Lovelyz (Woolim Entertainment)Power vocalist Ailee, whose original sound track for “Guardian: The Great And Lonely God,” “I Will go to You Like the First Snow” is enjoying popularity here, is set to return Monday with a new track titled “Old Longing” (unofficial translation). Gugu

PerformanceFeb. 26, 2017

[Herald Interview] Ahn So-hee observes, listens and empathizes

Soft-spoken Ahn So-hee seemed to put a great amount of thought into her answers before vocalizing them. One of her hobbies is simply to “observe people” as she herself isn’t “very outgoing or talkative,” Ahn said at an interview Wednesday at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Seoul.“People say that observing others, (and) seeing and feeling lots of things will help me even more in my future acting,” said the budding actress, who stars in the recent film “A Single Rider” alongside Lee Byung-hun and Gong H

FilmFeb. 26, 2017

‘Moonlight’ sweeps Spirit Awards

Sunday might have been dominated by “La La Land,” but Saturday belonged to “Moonlight.”Barry Jenkins’ luminous coming-of-age tale swept Saturday’s Film Independent Spirit Awards, taking home six awards including best feature. “Moonlight” won every award it was nominated for at the 32nd annual indie awards, the dressed-down, beachside ceremony held the day before the Academy Awards. “Moonlight” won for its directing, screenplay, cinematography and editing. It was also honored for its ensemble cas

FilmFeb. 26, 2017

Milan designers feature ‘empowering women’ theme

Models present creations for fashion house Missoni during the women’s fall-winter 2017 fashion week in Milan, Saturday. (AFP-Yonhap)Milan Fashion Week took a formal turn on the fourth day of previews for next fall and winter. Mindful of the price point, designers were not churning out looks that could be tossed into a suitcase for a fanciful journey, but rather pieces that could hang in the closet for years to come, even left alone for a period only to re-emerge as relevant as the day they were

Arts & DesignFeb. 26, 2017

IS stashed treasures in trenches, smashed walls to shock

For the roomful of archaeologists, scholars and Iraqi cultural officials Friday, each neighborhood conquered in Mosul brought them one step closer to learning the fate of the ancient sites and artifacts seized by the Islamic State group. At a two-day UNESCO conference, Iraqi officials are asking for money and expertise to reclaim the cultural heritage that is on the verge of complete destruction. At sites wrenched back from Islamic State group, soldiers have found trenches filled with historical

CultureFeb. 26, 2017