Skyscrapers, cutting-edge public transportation and rows of shopping malls ― scenes that define Seoul’s cityscape today ― were unimaginable half a century ago. It wasn’t until the 1980s that every citizen had access to tap water and toilets in their homes. In the 1960s, and ’70s, citizens in Cheongnyangni had to buy tickets for a bucket of water at a public water station. For daily ablutions, residents of Changsin-dong had to leave their house to use a public toilet located at the center of the

PerformanceMarch 4, 2015

With spring looming, major hotels in Seoul are greeting the new season with flavorful Asian cuisine prepared by some of the top chefs from Japan, Hong Kong and India. The Westin Chosun Seoul has invited Japanese chef Hideki Ishikawa, owner-chef of the Michelin three-starred restaurant Ishikawa in Tokyo, who will present his nine-course kaiseki cuisine made with fresh seasonal ingredients on March 20 and 21 at the hotel’s Japanese restaurant Sushi Cho. “The hotel is presenting the new food promot

FoodMarch 4, 2015

“The Caucasian Chalk Circle,” a play written by German playwright Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956), will be told through the soul-piercing sounds of “pansori” in an upcoming theatrical production in Seoul. Korean-Japanese playwright and stage director Jung Eui-shin speaks at a news conference at the National Theater of Korea in Seoul on Monday. (National Theater of Korea)A National Changgeuk Company of Korea production, the experimental work will be directed by Korean-Japanese playwright and stage dir

CultureMarch 3, 2015

Friday night, one ticket, 10 live music clubs and 30 indie bands covering genres from alternative rock to acoustic, electronic and jazzy soul: This is what the newly launched music festival “Live Club Day” entails. On the last Friday of every month, the purchase of one 20,000 won ($18) ticket will allow entry into 10 live music clubs and concert halls in the Hongdae area. Crowds fill Hongdae’s Sangsang Madang concert hall at the first “Live Club Day” event on Friday. (Yonhap)As the promotion kic

PerformanceMarch 3, 2015

Alongside some of the global music world’s biggest names such as Lady Gaga, Beyonce and Pharell Williams, K-pop megastars 2NE1 and Big Bang solidified their place as two of YouTube’s top artists by being selected for the 2015 YouTube Music Awards. This year the world’s largest video sharing site has recognized 50 music artists from across the world who showed the most significant growth in YouTube views, subscribers and engagement over the past six months. Collectively, all 50 artists including

March 3, 2015

Do you want to display a work of art in your home but feel discouraged by the price tag? Don’t be. Even if you’re on a tight budget, there is a way to have art on your wall. The Art Edition, an emerging art fair that specializes in prints and photography, will present affordable print editions of artworks during its second edition from March 13-16 in the Asian art hub of Hong Kong.  Visitors look at artworks on display during last year’s Art Edition fair at Marco Polo Hong Kong Hotel & Harbour C

PerformanceMarch 2, 2015

What are dreams made of?Dreams show what we desire, sometimes in the strangest ways, says Lee Kwang-kuk. “Dreams are like a list of wishes we have,” he said. “Wishes often transform and manifest themselves (into dreams). When we look deeply into them, we might be able to approach something that we desire deep inside, even without sensing it.” Director Lee Kwang-kuk poses before an interview with The Korea Herald at a cafe in Seoul on Wednesday. (Yoon Byung-chan/The Korea Herald)The 40-year-old i

FilmMarch 2, 2015

MC Mong has brushed off his past public controversies to reclaim his place at the top of the charts with his newest EP, “Song For You.” MC Mong. (Wellmade Yedang)MC Mong’s newest album dropped on Monday and the lead track “Love Jumble” immediately began to climb the real-time Top 10 music charts and reached the No. 1 spot on six charts including Mnet, Melon and Olleh. The EP comes just four months after the release of MC Mong’s comeback album “Miss Me or Diss Me,” his sixth studio album, which d

March 2, 2015

K-pop starlet Gain, the youngest and arguably most popular member of girl group Brown Eyed Girls, will be dropping her solo album “Hawwah” this month. Gain. (APOP)According to Fortune Entertainment on Monday, Gain’s new album is scheduled to be released on March 12 and will feature two lead singles by famed producer Jo Young-chul.The agency also unveiled a teaser image of the starlet with an edgy new persona, sporting short messy blue hair. The album’s title “Hawwah” is Hebrew for the biblical c

March 2, 2015

Jang Deok-ho’s movie night out started way before sunset. The 74-year-old walked two hours to Hollywood Silver Cinema, a small, old-fashioned cinema in Seoul’s Jung-gu district, where his choice of movie was up for a 6:20 p.m. showing.  “I like walking and I like watching movies,” Jang said casually, glancing at the poster for the night’s film -- the 1961 American classic “The Hustler” In the waiting area sat an elderly couple, clasping their hands tightly. A gray-haired woman purchased her tick

FilmMarch 1, 2015

Noted actor and film director Ha Jung-woo is showcasing another talent of his ― painting.The 36-year-old, whose artworks have been presented at multiple exhibitions in Seoul, New York and Hong Kong, is holding his first solo exhibition in Los Angeles. “Pause” opened on Saturday at Pyo Gallery LA. He is introducing 30 latest art works, including portraits inspired by characters in his movies and his face.It’s the second time his works are being showcased in LA. They were first exhibited during th

PerformanceMarch 1, 2015

If the mark of a good con artist is that he or she makes you think you know exactly what’s going on ― when of course you haven’t a clue ― that’s also the mark of a good con-artist movie, isn’t it? To make you feel like you totally get what’s about to happen ― “Oh yeah, I’ve seen this in tons of movies,” you think ― and then, boom. That’s not what happens at all. See, you lost your focus for a second. “It’s about distraction,” explains Nicky, the con artist played by Will Smith in “Focus,” the co

FilmFeb. 27, 2015

Imagine Dragons Imagine Dragons“Smoke + Mirrors”(Interscope)Imagine Dragons’ second studio album, “Smoke + Mirrors,” is certainly one of the more technically ambitious releases of this young year. It’s a boisterous but hit-and-miss effort from the alt-rock band still swooning in international acclaim from its 2012 debut, “Night Visions,” which launched the Grammy-winning hit “Radioactive.”There’s a lot of everything here. Too much at times, as it can feel like instrumental overload. Songs like “

PerformanceFeb. 27, 2015

BROWN BLUFF, Antarctica ― Go ahead. Tell people you’re traveling to Antarctica and wait for the responses: “Wait, what? Did you say Antarctica?” “Be sure to get a selfie with a polar bear, OK?” “You’re gonna freeze your (you-know-what) off!” And, perhaps most frequently, “Why?”I did say Antarctica. It was penguins, not polar bears, we would see aplenty. We didn’t freeze our you-know-whats off; it was chilly, but I’ve felt colder skiing in Mammoth.That left only the question of why, and before th

TravelFeb. 27, 2015

This velvety smooth sweet red bean porridge is a great snack or dessert on a cold winter day. To make the porridge, the beans are cooked down until very soft. Then, the cooks traditionally mash the beans through a strainer to remove the skins to achieve a velvety texture. This process can be grueling, so you can use a shortcut. Puree the beans as fine as possible in a blender. It’s much easier, still results in a very smooth porridge and you don’t waste the nutritious bean skins. This porridge i

FoodFeb. 27, 2015

Hong Kong cuisine at Sheraton Incheon HotelSheraton Incheon Hotel’s traditional Chinese restaurant YUE is presenting authentic Hong Kong cuisine from March 13 to 22. Two chefs have been invited from Jockey Club, one of the most prestigious social clubs in Hong Kong, for this special promotion. Chef Lap Sun Chan is currently associated with Cook-Po Chun Kitchen and won the silver award in the vegetable category of the 2011 Best of the Best Culinary Awards. Chef Kam Ho Lee is a highly renowned mas

CultureFeb. 27, 2015

At Panisse, a new sandwich-centric shop in Seoul’s Seorae Village that opened a little over three months ago, the bread takes center stage. Slightly blistered on top, craggly and still warm from its stint in the oven, the flatbread acts as the ideal foundation for Panisse’s sandwiches. “We make 3 kilos of bread a day,” owner Ryu Mi-jin said, explaining how a limited amount of bread is made from scratch.  Inspired by oven-baked flatbread sandwiches she tasted while studying in France for five yea

FoodFeb. 27, 2015

Long loved in Korea for gentle tunes such as “Rainbow Bridge” and “Day by Day,” composer and pianist Steve Barakatt has returned this time with an epic symphony that he hopes will “wow” fans.Barakatt will be showcasing, for the first time in Korea, his symphonic work “Ad Vitam Aeternam” ― “for eternity” in Latin ― alongside conductor Kim Bong-mee and Herald Philharmonic Orchestra. Written in 16 short movements, the symphony travels through different stages in the human experience.“We all have qu

PerformanceFeb. 26, 2015