N.E.X.T to hold memorial concert for late leader

The revived legendary ’90s rock band N.E.X.T will put on a special memorial concert performance next month in honor of the late leading man Shin Hae-chul, KCA Entertainment officials said in a statement.The original members of N.E.X.T are tentatively scheduled to perform at Korea University’s Hwajung Gymnasium on New Year’s Eve and is slated to play both the band’s and Shin’s past hits as well as one or two never-before-heard singles that the fallen singer was working on before he passed.  Rocke

PerformanceNov. 10, 2014

Seohyun to star in musical ‘Gone with the Wind’

Girl’s Generation’s Seohyun has joined the Korean cast of the French musical “Gone with the Wind,” slated to open at Seoul Arts Center in January. She will star as Scarlett O‘Hara, opposite actor Joo Jin-mo as Rhett Butler. “I wanted this role so much. I read the book, watched and studied the film several times and am now taking classical vocal training,” the starlet said at a press conference in Seoul on Monday. “The other members of Girl‘s Generation were so happy when I got this role. They en

PerformanceNov. 10, 2014

Gladwell: Key to success lies in ‘character traits’

Finding the recipe for success is a task that has stumped a countless number of people, but best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell said the key to success lies in one’s character traits. The Canadian writer and journalist said the key to accomplishing wonders has little to do with people’s skills and has more to do with their family background and character.“Revolution begins not by the smartest or the people who are the most powerful, but by the people who have courage, imagination and a sense of

PeopleNov. 9, 2014

Linda McCartney’s photos show glimpses of family life

Linda McCartney was the first woman photographer whose photos were featured in Rolling Stone magazine. She made a name for herself by taking pictures of famous rock stars in the 1960s and ’70s such as The Rolling Stones, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and The Beatles.She’s also well known as the first wife of Paul McCartney, a Beatle. Of her four children, Mary is a photographer, too, and Stella a fashion designer.Daelim Museum in Seoul is holding Linda McCartney’s first exhibition in Kor

PerformanceNov. 9, 2014

[Herald Interview] ‘I will give my all to Africa’

With retirement weighing heavily on her mind, Kim Chung-ja, a mezzo-soprano and music professor of Korea National University of Arts, took a sabbatical from work in 2005. She spent a few months traveling Europe, then a couple of months more in the U.S., but still had no clue as to what her post-retirement life would be like, despite reaching 60. Then a short trip to Africa changed it all. “I believe it was God’s calling,” she said in an interview in Seoul last month, describing a series of event

CultureNov. 9, 2014

Wonder mixes politics, music in tour opener

NEW YORK (AP) ― Stevie Wonder has always blended his musical genius with social activism, and as he launched his new tour, he stayed true to form, advocating gun control, pleading for an end to racism and promoting equality for those with disabilities. “I challenge America, I challenge the world, to let hatred go, to let racism go,” Wonder told the sold-out audience at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night. “That is the only way we will win as a nation and the world.” Wonder’s “Songs in the Ke

PerformanceNov. 9, 2014

‘Infinite Challenge’ host quits TV after DUI bust

Comedian and TV show host No Hong-chul on Saturday apologized for driving under the influence of alcohol and offered to leave two popular TV reality shows he is now appearing in to take time to reflect on himself.The move came after he was booked without detention Friday night for drunken driving in southern Seoul. Police said they took a blood sample and sent it to the National Forensic Service for assessment as he refused to take a sobriety test. The test result has yet to be released. Comedia

Nov. 9, 2014

‘Interstellar’ takes Korean box office by storm

The much-anticipated space epic “Interstellar” nabbed the top spot on Korea’s weekend box office chart in its opening week. Christopher Nolan’s film garnered more than 1.25 million viewers in the four days after its release on Thursday and dominated 1,310 of the 2,599 screens nationwide, according to the state-run Korea Film Council. The film, starring Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway, is an end-of-days sci-fi flick, which takes place at a time when humanity is facing extinction as a result

FilmNov. 9, 2014

Kolon's honorary chairman dies at 92

 Lee Dong-chan, honorary chairman of Kolon Group, a major textile manufacturer that began producing nylon for the first time in South Korea, died of a long illness, the company said. He was 92.Born in Yeongil, North Gyeongbuk Province, Lee established Kolon in 1957 after graduating from Japan's Waseda University in 1944.He has since played a key role in the development of South Korea's textile industry in the 1960s and 1970s.Lee served as head of the Korea Employers Federation in the 1990s. He f

PeopleNov. 8, 2014

TV celebrity quits major programs after being booked for drunken driving

Comedian and TV show host No Hong-chul on Saturday apologized for driving under the influence of alcohol and offered to leave two popular TV reality shows he is now appearing in to take time to reflect on himself.The move came after he was booked without detention Friday night for drunken driving in southern Seoul. Police said they took a blood sample and sent it to the National Forensic Service for assessment as he refused to take a sobriety test. The test result has yet to be released."I since

TelevisionNov. 8, 2014

[Weekender] Designs for life

Nearly a decade after Seoul City’s urban beautification campaign, design has become an essential part of urban planning in Korea. In Seoul, flashy new buildings continue to pop up, creating some noticeable spots in its repetitive sprawl of cookie-cutter structures. Some even resemble a tsunami (the new Seoul City Hall) or a spaceship (the Dongdaemun Design Plaza). Although not as noticeable as the new edifices, traffic signs, bus stops and advertisements are being given a designer touch. Rooftop

Arts & DesignNov. 7, 2014

[Weekender] Swanky food trucks rejuvenating neighborhoods

Vibrant food trucks are popping up in neighborhoods around the globe, serving up cleverly prepared and succulent on-the-go grub. Whether it is Korean fusion kimchi tacos, finger lickin’ good barbecue or one-of-a-kind gourmet sandwiches, food trucks have been slowly taking over the streets of major cities across the U.S. and other parts of the world. Some are even calling the States ― where the evolution of food vendors seems to be the most profound ― the “food truck nation.” With a no-limits att

CultureNov. 7, 2014

[Weekender] Urban renewal starts in the alleys

For the past decade, major urban projects in Seoul have centered on creating landmarks to achieve the ambition of making it the design capital of Asia. Old buildings and neighborhoods have been transformed into high-end locales designed by famous architects. While the Korean capital has gradually turned into an ultramodern city, the streets and alleys behind the landmarks have been left with indistinct buildings that still comprise much of the landscape.Recently, city planners and architects hav

Arts & DesignNov. 7, 2014

Life on a rollercoaster

On a late Monday afternoon, Daniel Tudor and I walk up and down the steep Gyeongnidan-gil in search of a quiet place for our interview. We met up at The Booth, a pizza and beer joint off Gyeongnidan-gil, where he is a partner, but decide to move somewhere quieter. At 4 p.m., the place was already crowded with an eclectic mix of customers ― soldiers in uniform, Korean hipsters and a few tables taken up by young foreigners.It’s been a few months since Tudor has been in the neighborhood ― things, i

CultureNov. 7, 2014

Calendar

ExhibitionsLinda McCartney Retrospective: Daelim Museum in Seoul is holding a retrospective on photographer Linda McCartney until April 26, 2015. The first retrospective here of the celebrated photographer shows McCartney’s earlier works, including portraits of popular musicians such as Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix, family photos depicting her happy life with Paul McCartney and their children, and later works that capture the beauty of daily life and nature. Admission is 5,000 won for adults. T

CultureNov. 7, 2014

‘Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies’ more of a head trip than a war

Judging strictly from the title, it might seem safe to assume that “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies,” the concluding installment in Peter Jackson’s latest trilogy of films based on the writing of J.R.R. Tolkien, would arrive as something of a war film, Middle-earth style.But Jackson insists that the blockbuster fantasy, which opens in theaters Dec. 17, is far more interested in charting the descent of proud dwarf Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) into a crippling madness than it is

FilmNov. 7, 2014