An Italian owner chef of a Michelin-starred restaurant won a Korean cooking contest in Milan promoting the cuisine's globalization, the government here said Tuesday.Fabrizio Ferrari, the owner of Michelin one-star restaurant Al Porticciolo 84 in Lecco, north of Milan, won the "Global Taste of Korea Contest," according to the General Consul of South Korea to Milan, the event organizer. (Yonhap)The Italian star chef topped the contest with the Korean traditional dish "godeungeo gui," or roasted ma

EntertainmentJuly 5, 2016

The new group exhibition of young artists at Kukje Gallery asks a question that the youth of today can easily relate to -- to what extent do we need to try to be successful and famous? “There is desperation in today’s young generation to be successful and well-known. But, at the same time, they often see and fear that some fast-earned fame may be ephemeral,” said Kim Sung-won, an art professor and critic who curated the exhibition, at the press preview of the exhibition last week. “This exhibiti

PerformanceJuly 4, 2016

A premier animation festival will open in Seoul this week that will highlight the latest developments in the world's cartoon, webtoon and animation sectors, the Seoul city government said Monday.The Cartoon Animation Week event that starts Tuesday and runs through Sunday at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in eastern Seoul is expected to attract hundreds of industry people from all over the world and fuel growth in the sector, the municipal authorities who organized the event said. (Yonhap) "The festival

EntertainmentJuly 4, 2016

An association of indie record shop owners and their supporters protested in Hannam-dong on Sunday, accusing a new large music store of price dumping, monopolizing music tastes and hurting the livelihood of small businesses.The target of the protest was Vinyl & Plastic, a massive two-story establishment which opened on June 10. The store has over 4,000 vinyl records and 8,000 CDs on sale, and turntables on which customers can listen to music. It is run by Hyundai Card, a credit card company that

PerformanceJuly 4, 2016

PARIS (AFP) -- Rebel brand Vetements sent fashion into a spin Sunday with an haute couture show that broke all the rules, appropriating clothes and shoes from 17 other brands and recutting them in its own irreverent neo-Soviet street style.The most talked about brand in fashion had been invited to show as a guest in the elite, uniquely Parisian events, seen as the pinnacle of exclusive made-to-measure clothing.But instead of bowing to couture’s near century-long tradition of handmade artistry, V

Arts & DesignJuly 4, 2016

The Culture Ministry revealed “Creative Korea” as a new slogan for branding the nation on Monday. “The new brand slogan promotes the value that the Republic of Korea upholds and an image that the country wants to promote abroad,” said Kim Jong-deok, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, at a news conference announcing the brand slogan and logo design on Monday.  The new slogan and logo were created following nationwide polls the government conducted among citizens who were asked about keyword

CultureJuly 4, 2016

Someday Festival 2016 revealed Jang Beom-june, lead singer of Korean indie band Busker Busker, as the last in the second round of the festival’s lineup Saturday.   The organizers announced all but one musician from the festival’s second-round lineup on June 27, creating buzz as to who the final artist might be. The third-round lineup will be released shortly via Someday Festival 2016’s official social media accounts, and fans can expect to see Korea’s top singer-songwriters on the upcoming list,

PerformanceJuly 4, 2016

The South Korean mega-hit drama "Descendants of the Sun" has been credited for driving up paid membership of a Chinese video streaming site, a report showed.The Beijing office of the Korea Creative Content Agency said that the TV series was the biggest force behind the jump in the number of paid users of iQiyi, the Chinese broadcasting and video sharing platform, citing the report titled "White Paper on Individual Consumption of Online Videos." (KBS)The series was aired in South Korea and China

TelevisionJuly 4, 2016

Korean singer Se7en will release a new rhythm and blues tune titled “I’m Good” on Thursday, announced his management agency Eleven9 Entertainment on Monday.To gear up for his return after a 3-year hiatus, Eleven9 Entertainment released teaser images via Se7en’s official social media accounts Monday morning.  Written and composed by Se7en, “I’m Good” is the musician‘s first release in Korea since his 2013 hit “Thank U.” Through the new single, the artist hopes to relay a message of deep appreciat

PerformanceJuly 4, 2016

AMSTERDAM (AFP) - Almost four centuries after Dutch master Rembrandt painted a young married couple, their two portraits are back home in the Netherlands thanks to a unique joint 160 million euro ($178 million) purchase with France.Dating from 1634, the portraits show wealthy Dutchman Marten Soolmans, 21, and his new wife Oopjen Coppit, 23, both wearing black with white lace as they mark a year of marriage.“It’s the first time that they are in public hands, and can be seen” by millions of people

PerformanceJuly 4, 2016

The cast of the upcoming musical “Peste” pose at a press conference held at the Di Nozze Convention center in Seoul on Thursday. (Yonhap)　A musical based on the tragic tale of French author Albert Camus’ “The Plague” combined with the sounds of legendary K-pop icon Seo Tai-ji, new local musical “Peste” is gearing up to hit the stage later this month. 　To this day, Seo is widely considered an unparalleled iconic musician for his controversial and politically defiant lyrics that pushed the envelop

PerformanceJuly 3, 2016

Exhibitions “Wellknown Unknown”: Kukje Gallery is holding a group exhibition featuring seven young artists whose works cover a wide range of genres in contemporary art. Curated by Kim Sung-won, an independent curator, critic and art professor, the exhibition introduces seven artists and teams, including Kim Hee-cheon, Nam Hwa-yeon, Oh Min, Kim Young-na, Yi Yun-yi, EH and VERYTHINGS. They explore different and opposite sides of contemporary society such as appearance and disappearance, emergence

EntertainmentJuly 1, 2016

Familyhood(Korea)Opened June 29Comedy, Drama. Directed by Kim Tae-gonSelf-absorbed diva Ju-yeon (Kim Hye-soo) has so far in life pursued fame, money and handsome young men. Now that she has entered her 40s, Ju-yeon realizes what she needs in life is a baby. The Hunt(Korea)Opened June 29Action, Thriller. Directed by Lee Woo-cheolDong-geun (Cho Jin-woong) ventures deep into the mountains when he hears gold has been discovered in a collapsed coal mining site. There, he meets Ki-seong (Ahn Sung-ki),

FilmJuly 1, 2016

From the metallic shell of the 1996 smash “Independence Day,” director Roland Emmerich has pulled a seriously lousy sequel, dripping with alien goo and incoherence.I take no pleasure in reporting this news, folks. I’ve been a lonely, half-mad defender of some of Emmerich’s cheesiest cheese, including “10,000 B.C.” But “Independence Day: Resurgence” is the Emmerich movie his fiercest detractors always said he could manage, if he put his mindlessness to it.Will Smith, star of the original, passed

FilmJuly 1, 2016

Buyeo Seodong Lotus FestivalThe annual Buyeo Seodong Lotus Festival is a celebration of all thing lotus flowers, while also highlighting the importance of preserving wild flowers. As part of the festival celebrations, the event features a variety of programs such as lotus paper origami and flower soap making. This year’s festivities will run from July 8 to 17 at Buyeo’s Seodong Park. Although nowhere near as popular with tourists as Seoul and Busan, Buyeo continues to strengthen its image as a t

TravelJuly 1, 2016

Breakfast is a big part of Korean life, the family gathering for a proper sit-down breakfast that would set you off right for the day. Or that used to be the case.These days, such scenes seem to happen only on television. Many students and working people skip breakfast entirely or grab something to eat on the go as they rush out the door. In fact, for most people, a full breakfast is a luxury savored only on the weekends, if at all.Out to change this unhealthy lifestyle is Cho Sung-woo, CEO of B

FoodJuly 1, 2016