Harvard, Ewha students show snippets of Korea in documentaries

Six short weeks after the 2014 cohort of the Ewha-Harvard Summer School program set foot on the campus of Ewha Womans University, the students wrapped up documenting snippets of Korean society on camera.Hours of hard work culminated in a documentary film festival Friday, where the students’ documentaries highlighting their perspectives on key issues in modern Korea were screened and applauded. The summer course, titled “Cinema Korea: Documenting Korean Society through Film,” did not only help st

Expat LivingAug. 5, 2014

Chasing the K-pop dream

“Time to get up girls!” The call comes at 6 a.m. as it does every morning, pulling Ray from her bunk bed at the start of another 16-hour day in search of stardom.Ray and the five other young women sharing a small Seoul apartment make up the K-pop band Billion ― which at times can feel like the number of miles they are from achieving their goal.K-pop glamour has conquered much of Asia and beyond, but for every headlining boy and girl band, there are many more like Billion struggling for a break o

PerformanceAug. 5, 2014

Forum draws 16 cultural bigwigs

The Corea Image Communication Institute will host its annual Culture Communication Forum this summer, inviting 16 cultural leaders to participate.The institute holds the forum, in its fifth edition this year, to boost the understanding and knowledge of the nation’s culture and image worldwide.The delegates, representing 15 G20 foreign countries along with the host, are from France, Russia, Canada, the U.S., Germany, Korea, Australia, the U.K., India, Indonesia, China, Italy, Turkey, Mexico, Japa

CultureAug. 5, 2014

Pope’s Mass to draw 1 million

The highlight of Pope Francis’ much-anticipated visit to Korea next week is arguably the beatification Mass to be held on Aug. 16 in streets of Gwanghwamun Square. As many as 1 million people are expected to gather in the area to see the head of the Roman Catholic Church beatify 124 Korean martyrs, although the likelihood of a close encounter is very slim. Officials at the Korean Catholic Church unveiled Tuesday more details about the ceremony, while asking for understanding and cooperation of c

CultureAug. 5, 2014

Rock band Buzz to return after 8 years

Veteran rock-ballad band Buzz will add itself to the string of regrouped veteran music groups, such as g.o.d. and Fly to the Sky, who have recently made major comebacks, with the release of a new single this week.Buzz, whose original members have united for the first time in eight years, on Monday revealed a teaser music video heralding their return, slated for Friday.The video shows comic clips of various people who all end up singing a classic Buzz single at a “noraebang,” or karaoke room.  Bu

Aug. 5, 2014

Palmer to be Broadway’s first black Cinderella

NEW YORK (AP) ― Like many girls, actress and singer Keke Palmer grew up dreaming of meeting a prince who would whisk her away to a life of love and happiness. In her case, it’s going to happen ― eight shows a week on Broadway. Palmer said she’ll be stepping into the title role in “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella” starting Sept. 9 at the Broadway Theatre. She will become the first African-American to play the part on the Great White Way. “It’s honestly one of those things that I can’t believe

PerformanceAug. 5, 2014

Crayon Pop to release first full album next month

The quirky and bubbly girl group Crayon Pop, one K-pop’s most unexpected success stories, is finally getting ready, jumping into preparations for the group’s first full album release. The ladies’ yet-to-be-titled first full-length studio album is dropping more than two years after the group made its debut. It is expected to be unveiled to the public sometime next month, according to an announcement made by Chrome Entertainment on Tuesday.  Crayon Pop. (Chrome Entertainment)“Our goal is to make a

Aug. 5, 2014

Girls’ Generation rewrites history of Oricon chart

K-pop idol group Girls’ Generation has rewrote K-pop history in Japan, topping the Japanese weekly album chart for the second consecutive week after its album release for the third time. 　The group’s first compilation album “The Best,” released on July 23 in Japan, climbed to the top of Japan’s Oricon charts and maintained the No.1 slot on the weekly and daily album charts for 14 and 12 days, respectively. (SM Entertainment)It marks the third time for the band to rank at the top following its fi

Aug. 5, 2014

Apink to debut in Japan

South Korean girl group Apink will debut in the Japanese market in October with their 2013 hit single "NoNoNo," the group's management agency said Tuesday.Universal Music will release Apink's Japanese-language version of the song on Oct. 22, A-Cube Entertainment said.Prior to the release, the six-member group held an event in Tokyo on Monday to showcase the song for music industry figures, journalists and some 2,000 randomly chosen fans, it added.The Korean-language version, released in July, is

Aug. 5, 2014

‘It’s Okay, That’s Love’ tops K-dramas on Tudou, Youku

Actor Jo In-sung and D.O. of EXO appear on SBS rom-com "IT's Okay, That's Love." (SBS)SBS’s rom-com series “It’s Okay, That’s Love” is the most popular Korean drama on Chinese video portals Todou and Youku, the broadcaster said Tuesday. Starring Gong and actor Jo In-sung, “It’s Okay, That’s Love” portrays the love story between a crime novelist and a cold, chic psychiatrist. The Korean drama has been aired simultaneously in Korea and China since July 23.As of 3 p.m. on July 24, the drama had abo

Aug. 5, 2014

EXO-L website crashed due to heavy traffic

The website of K-pop idol band EXO’s official fan club EXO-L crashed on Tuesday shortly after its launch due to the surge in the number of fans, proving EXO’s ever-growing popularity.　EXO’s label SM Entertainment opened the website (https://exo-l.smtown.com/) and mobile application at noon on Tuesday to recruit members for EXO’s first-ever official fan club EXO-L. 　But EXO-L’s website as well as EXO’s shut down as of 1:00 pm that day because of heavy traffic.　Those seeking to gain membership to

Aug. 5, 2014

Park Shin-hye’s beauty haunts China

Actress Park Shin-hye proved her popularity in China during her fan meeting tour.　From Aug. 2-3, Park visited Chongqing and Shenzhen of China to participate in an Asian tour of fan meetings named “2014 Story of Angel.”During her stay, Park received various letters and gifts from fans and an extreme welcome from the crowd.During the fan meeting, Park sang five songs including “Lovely Day,” from the original soundtrack of her drama “You’re Beautiful.”According to local reports, when Park sang her

Aug. 5, 2014

Lee Hyori reveals yoga photos

K-pop diva Lee Hyori posted a few photos of her practicing yoga on her blog Monday. “I have first tried ashtanga mysore. I am still confused about the order, but it is good that I am not following the class but doing it at my own pace,” she wrote on her blog alongside the pictures.　In the photos, Lee is holding two different poses from ashtanga yoga, one of the best-known styles of meditation. 　“It has been eight months since I started doing yoga every day. I want to keep it up,” she said, encou

Aug. 5, 2014

Song Hye-kyo’s jewelry shoot revealed

Hallyu Star Song Hye-kyo’s photo shoot with jewelry brand J.ESTINA was revealed Tuesday. (J.ESTINA)With only simple makeup, hair and dresses, Song showed off the jewelry with elegance and grace. (khnews@heraldcorp.com)

Aug. 5, 2014

‘The Night Watchman’ enjoys smooth kick-off

Actor Choi Won-young plays King Haejong, the father of Prince Yi Lin, in the fantasy historical television series “The Night Watchman.” (MBC)MBC’s “The Night Watchman” opened with a smooth two-digit start, topping its rival Monday-Tuesday dramas in the audience viewer shares. The first episode of the fantasy historical, aired on Tuesday, gaining a 10.9 percent audience share, edging out KBS’s “Trot Lovers” and SBS’s “Temptation” that rated 9.1 percent and 8.3 percent, respectively. “The Night Wa

Aug. 5, 2014

G-dragon’s ‘swag look’ draws attention

An outgoing fashion style called “swag look” is gaining popularity among many fashion stars. Among those, G-dragon’s style is gaining the most attention.(G-dragon Instagram)G-dragon often wears “destroyed jeans,” which are considered one of the most stylish items nowadays. The jeans have a vintage and unique look, and go well with various items like sleeveless shirts and light jackets. Along with the jeans, G-dragon wears heavy combat boots to add a boyish and chic look.(G-dragon's Instagram)G-d

Aug. 5, 2014

Super Junior’s Choi Siwon sports dandy fashion

K-pop idol and actor Choi Siwon collaborated with fashion brand Helianthus for a photo shoot in various dandy outfits. Choi managed to look great in both unique casual styles and suits. By Cho Han-na, Intern reporter (hnncho@heraldcorp.com)(Photo credit: Helianthus)

Aug. 5, 2014

‘Roaring Currents’ tops 5m viewers for six days

A scene from “Roaring Currents”A homegrown action film about a 16th-century Korean naval hero’s astonishing victory against Japan surpassed the 5 million viewer mark on Monday, the movie’s investor-distributor said.“Roaring Currents” exceeded the milestone at about 9:30 a.m. Monday, the sixth day since opening, CJ Entertainment said.This was four days faster than a record shared by “Snowpiercer” (2013), “The Face Reader” (2013), “Iron Man 3” (2013) and “The Thieves” (2012).Released on Wednesday,

FilmAug. 4, 2014

[Herald Interview] Opera singers’ life on stage and off

Soprano Cathleen Kim refrains from talking before performing.Sparing the vocal cords helps not only vocally, given that she has to pull off stratospheric coloratura arias on stage. It also helps her stay focused on the character she has to become. Then as she walks on stage, she feels that something inside her flips the switch that turns her stage persona on. “From the very first step onto the stage, I become a different person. I become the character,” Kim said. The process is very different fo

PerformanceAug. 4, 2014