DreamWorks exhibition inspires visitors to be creative, tech savvy

The long spotted legs of the goofy giraffe from Madagascar -- Melman Mankiewicz -- stand as the gateway to the “DreamWorks Animation Special Exhibition” at Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA), where children and adults alike can revel in the creative genius of DreamWorks animation.Consisting of three sections -- character, story and world - the show highlights the process of creating a DreamWorks film from the initial hand-drawn sketches all the way to the final screening. Models, posters and other parap

PerformanceJuly 20, 2016

‘Train to Busan’ sets new pre-sale record

Starring actors Gong Yoo, Kim Soo-an, Jung Yu-mi and Ma Dong-seok, “Train to Busan” has set a new pre-sale record for Korean blockbusters.Over 320,000 people reserved tickets for the movie in advance of its Wednesday release with an estimated ticket sales of over 2.6 billion won, according to the Korean Film Council data as of Wednesday morning.Although it is difficult to predict how many people “Train to Busan” will draw following its July 20 opening, the Korean crime film “A Violent Prosecutor

FilmJuly 20, 2016

K-pop groups dominate Billboard World Albums Chart

As of Wednesday morning, four K-pop groups have earned their places on the weekly Billboard World Albums Chart.Just a week after releasing their first mini-album, all-male group NCT 127 ranked No. 2 on the list, trailing British rock band Mumford & Sons’ “Johannesburg.” The seven-member multinational boy band, which debuted earlier this month, already boasts a strong global following, topping the iTunes charts in six different countries, including the Philippines, Peru, Thailand, Singapore and V

PerformanceJuly 20, 2016

Bucheon fantastic film fest to thrill moviegoers

Fantasy, horror, cult and thriller. Whatever the genre, it's all there in the line-up of the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival if you're a big fan of genre flicks.A mecca of the country's comics and animation industry, the city of Bucheon, located just west of Seoul, is about to become an even more entertaining place when the 20th BIFAN opens Thursday for an 11-day run under the theme "love, fantasy and adventure." (Yonhap)A total of 302 films from 49 countries will make up Korea's l

FilmJuly 20, 2016

The Beatles' Ringo Starr to stage first Korea concert in Nov.

Ringo Starr, the drummer of world-famous British rock band the Beatles, will hold his first-ever concert in Korea in November, a local concert planner said on Wednesday. The British songwriter's concert was ultimately set for Nov. 5 at 8 p.m. at Jamsil Stadium in southeastern Seoul, according to World Show Market, a local concert and event planner for international artists. This would be his first event in Korea in his 54-year music career. (Yonhap)"The concert will be a once-in-a-lifetime chanc

PerformanceJuly 20, 2016

Anyang project to explore role of public art in city

Short-lived art festivals and biennales abound in Korean cities, but the city of Anyang located 20 kilometers from the capital city of Seoul seeks to create art that can have a long-lasting impact on residents’ lives. “We are interested in interacting with Anyang and the public. We have worked together with artists to find out what the parameter of the public space is, what can define public art and how we can meet the public through artworks and production,” said Joo Eun-gie, the art director o

PerformanceJuly 19, 2016

[Hallyu Power] Making it in the home of pop

The next big breakthrough for K-pop -- and global pop music in general -- will be born from a collaboration between the newfangled genre and traditional British pop, believes Shin Jae-hong, a composer-turned-enterpreneur.While most major K-pop agencies, such as S.M., YG and most recently FNC Entertainment, are looking toward China for expansion, Shin decided to turn his attention to the U.K., the “homeland of global pop music” that yielded icons like the Beatles, Oasis and the Spice Girls, he to

PerformanceJuly 19, 2016

'Running Man' cast to meet fans in China

The entire cast of the popular Korean variety show "Running Man" will meet with their fans in China this fall, the program's broadcaster said Tuesday.SBS will organize the fan meetings in five or six cities across China between September and November, the first time the broadcaster has done so since the program launched in the country. (Yonhap)"We organized this fan meeting tour because 'Running Man' has been steadily popular in China," an SBS official said. "We're currently in the process of ch

TelevisionJuly 19, 2016

Two worlds collide in MBC mini-series ‘W’

From romance to comedy to suspense, it is difficult to categorize MBC’s upcoming 16-episode drama “W.” Featuring model-turned-actor Lee Jong-suk and actress Han Hyo-joo, “W” follows the romance that develops between a man and a woman living in two different dimensions, unknowingly “helping each other discover life’s purpose,” according to director Jung Dae-yoon at the press conference held at MBC headquarters in Sangam-dong, Seoul, Monday.Riddled with doubts about her competence, the female prot

TelevisionJuly 19, 2016

Treasures of Versailles to go on display in Australia

SYDNEY (AFP) - Riches from the Palace of Versailles including a harp belonging to Marie Antoinette will travel to Australia, the country‘s national gallery said Monday, as part of a display never seen outside France.More than 130 paintings, tapestries, pieces of furniture, statues and other objects from Versailles, one of France’s grand museums, will be on display in the Australian capital Canberra from December.“The Palace of Versailles has never before lent a collection like this, drawn from a

CultureJuly 19, 2016

Iraq marshlands named UNESCO world heritage site

BAGHDAD (AFP) - UNESCO has named Iraqi marshlands once ravaged by dictator Saddam Hussein as a World Heritage Site, a bright spot for a country where jihadists have repeatedly sought to wipe out history.The area named “is made up of seven sites: three archaeological sites and four wetland marsh areas in southern Iraq,” UNESCO said.“The archaeological cities of Uruk and Ur and the Tell Eridu archaeological site form part of the remains of the Sumerian cities and settlements that developed in sout

CultureJuly 19, 2016

'Uncontrollably Fond' debuts at No. 1 on CPI chart

A new romance featuring two of Korea's heartthrobs opened at the top of a TV popularity chart earlier this month, data showed Tuesday.The KBS TV series "Uncontrollably Fond" tells the love story of an arrogant top star (Kim Woo-bin) and a shameless documentary producer (Bae Suzy) who meet again after surviving various trials in their personal lives. They thought they'd put their painful past behind them, but find themselves falling for each other again.The drama, which premiered on July 6, score

TelevisionJuly 19, 2016

Must-visit summer festivals of 2016

For those adventure-seekers looking to combat the summer time humidity by basking in all its heat-sinking glory, look no further because the next few weeks will see some of the country’s most famed annual summer festivals. Undoubtedly high on the charts as one of Korea’s most highly anticipated summer outdoor fests, the Boryeong Mud Festival kicked off its mud-flinging-fun festivities on Friday. Attracting the largest number of international visitors of all the country’s top festivals, tens of t

CultureJuly 18, 2016

HyunA returns as solo artist

HyunA of the recently disbanded K-pop girl group 4Minute made her debut as a solo artist at Viral Fest Asia 2016 in Bali, Indonesia, last Saturday. The one-day international music festival brought together more than 30 groups from 12 countries, with HyunA, hip-hop artiste MC Mong and singer-songwriter Suran representing Korea. “To be honest, I was very nervous,” she told a local media outlet regarding her first performance as a solo musician. “I’m performing alone, joined by singers from all acr

PerformanceJuly 18, 2016