Singer-turned-actress Sulli on Thursday once again updated her Instagram with suggestive photos, stoking controversy.Once known for her sweet, innocent image, the now 22-year-old Sulli has been filling her social media feed with provocative images of herself recently.(Sulli's Instagram)She often takes photos in revealing clothing or suggestive poses. Some claim she seems mentally unstable. Others accuse her of encouraging Lolita fantasies.Those in her defense say she has a right to express herse

Jan. 12, 2017

Winners of the 2017 Korea Image Award ceremony, an event annually organized by the Corea Image Communications Institute, pose at the InterContinental Seoul Coex on Wednesday. (Corea Image Communications Institute)Winners of the 2017 Korea Image Award ceremony, an event annually organized by the Corea Image Communications Institute, pose at the InterContinental Seoul Coex on Wednesday. Since 2005, the venue has honored individuals who have promoted Korea worldwide, supported by Korea’s Ministry o

CultureJan. 11, 2017

Jun Joon-hyuk will join Britain's Royal Ballet in August, becoming the first Korean ballerino to become a member of the prestigious group of dancers, he said Wednesday."I officially got the offer from Kevin O'Hare, director of the ballet company on Tuesday afternoon (British local time)," the 19-year-old ballerino told Yonhap News Agency by telephone. "I'm still thrilled because it's something that I have dreamed of for a long time."He will join in late August, about a month after he graduates f

PerformanceJan. 11, 2017

As paperbacks move over to make room for e-books, what’s become popular to readers in Korea is the serialized romance novels published online.Last year’s hit TV drama “Moonlight Drawn by Clouds” was first a weekly web novel before it was made into a TV show.Celebrity actor Park Bo-gum aside, it was clear to industry insiders from the beginning the show would be a success, based on the staggering 50 million accumulated views the original novel had garnered. An illustration for the original "Moonl

CultureJan. 11, 2017

US magazine “Playboy” will start issuing a Korean version from June, a South Korean magazine publisher said Tuesday.Playboy Enterprises, the owner of the magazine, has signed a contract with Korea’s Kaya Media Corp. to publish the 63-year-old magazine here. Kaya Media also publishes fashion magazines Marie Claire and Esquire.The Korean edition will cover a wide range of topics including celebrities, social and political issues as well as lifestyle. The US magazine was launched in December 1953 b

BooksJan. 11, 2017

PARIS (AFP) -- France has deemed a newfound Leonardo da Vinci sketch to be a national treasure and now has 30 months to raise 15 million euros ($15.8 million) to purchase it, an auction house said Tuesday.The Renaissance master’s dreamily sensual sketch of Saint Sebastian was classified as a French national treasure on Dec. 29, Tajan auctioneers in Paris said during an unveiling of the work to the press.The French government has a “right of pre-emption” under which it has 30 months to purchase i

PerformanceJan. 11, 2017

NEW YORK (AP) -- More than a decade before Philip Johnson designed his iconic Glass House, French designer and architect Pierre Chareau designed the Maison de Verre in 1932 in Paris. It featured one of the world’s first glass-brick exterior walls -- three stories high. Chareau’s work straddles industrial aesthetics and traditional fine craftsmanship, clean spare lines and playful 1920s whimsy. He made futuristic gadgets like folding staircases, a pivoting bidet and sliding walls. His furniture,

PerformanceJan. 11, 2017

Director Hong Sang-soo’s upcoming film “On the Beach at Night Alone” has been invited to be screened in the competition category at the 67th Berlin International Film Festival, scheduled for Feb. 9-18, the film’s international distributor Finecut said Tuesday.The invitation marks director Hong’s third foray to Berlin, after “Night and Day” (2008) and “Nobody’s Daughter Haewon” (2013), which both screened in the competition section. Actress Kim Min-hee stars in “On the Beach at Night Alone.” (Fin

FilmJan. 11, 2017

“Confidential Assignment” offers the staple formula of one mission and two cops -- with a twist: one is from South Korea while the other hails from the neighbor to the north.The film starts out in North Korea as Lim Cheol-ryeong (Hyun Bin), an investigator from the North Korean special forces, witnesses his superior Cha Ki-seong (Kim Joo-hyuk) murder his wife and fellow team members. Cha, tired of the North Korean system of unquestioning obedience, dreams of “eternal freedom” and defects to the

FilmJan. 11, 2017

CJ E&M is launching the first overseas television channel to exclusively air Korean movies, the media and entertainment company announced Wednesday. The company plans to kick off the channel, tvN Movies, first in Singapore in January and expand to Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia this year. CJ E&M will air some 200 films -- including over 20 recent releases -- encompassing all genres. The Korean media giant has signed a contract with StarHub, Singapore’s largest telecom service provider a

TelevisionJan. 11, 2017

Poet Ko Un will receive an award from Italy-based Fondazione Roma, Changbi Publishers said Wednesday.According to the publisher, the poet was chosen as the recipient of the annual award presented to an international poet at the foundation’s “Ritratti di Poesia” international poetry festival.  Ko Un (Changbi Publishers)Previous laureates include Carol Ann Duffy of the UK, Jacobo Cortines of Spain and Adam Zagajewski of Poland. Ko will receive the award at a ceremony to be held Feb. 3. The poetry

BooksJan. 11, 2017

Move over Big Bang, Suzy is about to drop a bomb.The singer unveiled Wednesday the list of tracks for her upcoming album “Yes? No?” which will be the first solo album for MissA’s youngest member. The album, to be released on Jan. 24, will feature six songs, including the main track “Yes No Maybe.”  Suzy’s official Facebook pageAccording to Suzy’s agency JYP Entertainment, the song was inspired by a personal conversation between the 23-year-old and Park Jin-young, the singer-producer CEO of JYP E

PerformanceJan. 11, 2017

At a press screening of “Confidential Agreement” in Seoul on Tuesday, the lead actors said they concentrated on working out and perfecting their action sequences in preparation for filming.Directed by Kim Sung-hoon, “Confidential Agreement” tells the story of a South Korean cop burdened by the pressures of work and family, played by Yoo Hae-jin, and a duty-bound investigator from the North Korean special forces, played by Hyun Bin. When North Korean criminal gang members defect to the South, the

FilmJan. 10, 2017