Box Office

The Treacherous (Korea)Opening May 21Historical drama. Directed by Min Kyu-dongIn the reign of the tyrant Joseon king Yeonsangun (Kim Kang-woo), the throne is surrounded by treacherous advisers such as Im Sung-jae (Ju Ji-hoon) who feign loyalty while seeking to grab influence for themselves. When Yeonsangun orders that 10,000 beautiful women be brought for his pleasure, his subjects see an opportunity to wield true power. In this historical drama, Korea’s most beautiful women become trained pawn

FilmMay 15, 2015

Travel Bits

Hadong Wild Tea FestivalHadong County in South Gyeongsang Province will host the 19th Hadong Wild Tea Cultural Festival from May 22-25.The festival will include programs to educate about Hadong’s unique tea history that dates back to the Unified Silla era.It will also have programs where visitors can hand-pick wild tea leaves from the gardens, and make teas, with demonstrations on tea-drinking etiquette for the young.Hadong officials said the festival will hold sideline events such as singing co

TravelMay 15, 2015

Historic charm meets modernism in Thuringia

THURINGIA, Germany ― Thuringia, one of Germany’s 16 states, may not be familiar to non-Europeans. But this small state of 2.3 million, located in central Germany, holds a special place in the country’s cultural and intellectual history: Great thinkers and artists like Luther, Bach, Goethe and Schiller all lived here for many years. Vestiges of their homes and working places are scattered around the state, most of them still in use as museums, churches or meeting places.As the capital city of Thu

TravelMay 15, 2015

Around the Hotels

Early summer getaway at Hilton Namhae Golf and Spa ResortHilton Namhae Golf and Spa Resort is offering the “Early Summer Package” for those planning a cooler, less-crowded early getaway for the upcoming summer season. The all-inclusive package includes a one-night stay in a suite room, breakfast buffet and dinner set. Also provided are a 60-minute spa program featuring a milk bath, foot bath, exfoliation and massage for the discounted price of 99,000 won, and a gift set of basic skin care, face

FoodMay 15, 2015

New York-style pies at Pizza Iconic

There is something deeply satisfying and humbling about tucking into the New York-style pies at Pizza Iconic. It seems so simple ― hand-tossed dough, tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese ― but when done the way it is done at this new pizzeria, it is good in a subtle, unassuming way that kind of creeps up, compelling one to go back for more whenever one gets an itch for gooey cheese, crisp crust and salty pepperoni. Perhaps it is those crisp, slightly greasy, small rounds of pepperoni laid on so thick

FoodMay 15, 2015

Drama ‘Orange Marmalade’ looks to break vampire mold

In a world of bloodthirsty vampires, a young human boy and a vampire girl end up as unlikely lovers in the new KBS drama “Orange Marmalade.”The show, an adaptation of the eponymous Web cartoon, premiered on Friday with a strong hallyu cast featuring Yeo Jin-goo, AOA’s Seolhyun and CNBLUE’s Lee Jong-hyun as the leads.“It wasn’t an easy decision to take the role,” Yeo admitted during a press event at the GLAD Hotel in Yeongdeungpo-gu on Tuesday. He plays Jung Jae-min, a smart, handsome and athleti

TelevisionMay 15, 2015

Actor Bae Yong-joon to marry actress, 13 years his junior

South Korean actor Bae Yong-joon, the star of the hugely popular TV drama "Winter Sonata," will marry Park Soo-jin, a singer-turned-actress, later this year, their management agency said Thursday."The two had known each other before and began a serious relationship in February," KeyEast said in a release posted on its website. "The two received approval from their parents and plan to tie the knot this fall."Korean actors Bae Yong-joon (left) and Park Soo-jin. (Yonhap)The agency said the specific

May 15, 2015

Gwangju Universiade to offer cultural festivals

The 2015 Summer Universiade in Gwangju between July 3 and 14 will not just be about college athletes and teams from around the world completing for shiny medals.The sports gala will also hold festivals, music events and art exhibitions that best represent the host city.The Gwangju Universiade Organizing Committee said the “Cultureversiade” would be held on the sidelines of the games in line with the University Games’ concept of “Eco-friendliness, Peace, IT and Culture,” or “EPIC.”In partnership

CultureMay 14, 2015

Film director Im hopes to spur interest in working women

Im Heung-soon, winner of the Silver Lion Award at this year’s Venice Biennale, hopes his work “Factory Complex” spurs interest in the lives of working women in Korea and around Asia. “In the 60s, 70s, and 80s women worked physically demanding jobs. After the 80s, they became focused in service and emotional labor. I thought about what happened to all of those laborers, and realized that they were our mothers, our sisters, people around us,” said Im at a press conference held at the Art Nine thea

PerformanceMay 14, 2015

Shakespeare’s ‘Pericles’ gets modernist twist

Royal incest, life or death riddles and hard to swallow forgiveness ― nothing is off limits in Seoul Arts Center’s latest production of Shakespearean play “Pericles.”Cramming the original five-hour tale into two hours, director Yang Jung-ung takes a modernist approach to Shakespeare’s highly criticized comedic tale of moral taboos. Set in the ancient Kingdom of Antioch, the Jacobean play tells the riveting tale of King Antiochus and his secret incestuous relationship with his daughter following

PerformanceMay 14, 2015

Korean artworks on show on Google

Major works of Korean art are now available for online viewing in ultrahigh definition on Google’s cultural content platform. The Google Cultural Institute, a nonprofit affiliate of Google devoted to digitization and online publication of cultural content around the world, announced Thursday new additions to its online collection following partnerships with 10 Korean museums, including the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, Horim Museum, Modern Design Museum and Ewha Womans U

PerformanceMay 14, 2015

Farming challenge awaits ‘Three Meals’ stars

Celebrity producer Na Young-seok’s new-concept reality show “Three Meals a Day” was a sensational hit when it aired last year. Based on a simple premise of making your own meal from scratch, two urban men, who happen to be an A-list TV actor and a K-pop idol, struggled with rural life in the middle of nowhere.Following on the huge success of its inaugural season and a spin-off, the show returns Friday with the original cast ― actor Lee Seo-jin and singer Ok Taec-yeon ― joined by a third member,

TelevisionMay 14, 2015

The Korean inside Lee Chang-rae

Two decades ago, Lee Chang-rae’s “Native Speaker” addressed issues of identity, assimilation and language that immigrants faced while settling in a foreign country.In the book, Lelia says to Henry Park, “You look like someone listening to himself. You pay attention to what you’re doing. If I had to guess, you’re not a native speaker.”The Seoul-born, Korean-American novelist has often said the same of his own experience growing up in the U.S. ― that he felt very conscious of his surroundings, tha

BooksMay 14, 2015

Daegu musical straight from ‘Madhouse’

Daegu is set to see some crazed singing this weekend, as two expat theater groups present their original production “Madhouse: The Musical.”The plot of the musical, written by the cast and Daegu expat Joshua Vise, centers on the testing of a new drug, Sopranozol, by Dr. Moss.Sopranozol lowers patients’ inhibitions and increases cognitive awareness. There’s just one notable side effect: It makes them sing.“Dr. Moss and her assistant, Dr. Dreyfuss, are supposed to be observing and recording the ef

Expat LivingMay 13, 2015