Dulwich College Seoul to send gnomes to England

A woodland in England will be getting some surprise visitors from Seoul this summer.Year-six students of Dulwich College Seoul have been busy crafting gnomes as part of an art project, and a breakaway group ― the “Dulwich Dozen” ― have been chosen to make an expedition all the way to England.The 12 brave gnomes will spend their summer exchange trip at the Gnome Reserve in Devon, a woodland with more than 2,000 miniature men run by artist and gnome enthusiast Ann Atkins. Dulwich College Seoul hea

Expat LivingJune 3, 2014

Mediterranean food to order ― Ynot?

Those fed up with the usual choice between Korean-style Chinese and pizzas splattered with an unusual array of sauces and purees might breathe a sigh of relief at the news of a new takeout option in Seoul.Ynot-Takeout.com is offering types of food that have not been available for delivery before, focusing on international food. Options vary from the conventional Mexican, Chinese and Indian options to West African and Moroccan cuisine.The venture grew from the founders’ frustration with the lack

Expat LivingJune 3, 2014

GIC Tour to visit Sorokdo, island beach

Gwangju International Center will be running a GIC Culture tour beyond the southern tip of the peninsula on June 25, with a trip to two islands.The first, Sorokdo Island, is infamous for its connection to the abuse of patients with Hansen’s disease, also known as leprosy. The disease is generally not very contagious and treatable, but patients have been long stigmatized. In Korea they were forced to live in colonies like the one on the island. Recently some patients have won compensation for the

Expat LivingJune 3, 2014

Camarata to stage ‘Alice in Wonderland’

The Camarata Music Company will be performing a musical version of Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland” this month.Directed by Susan Morgan, who also directed last year’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas” musical, and produced by CMC director Ryan Goessl, the show is designed to be accessible to all ages and will be an hour long. The performances will be at Haechi Hall in Seoul Center for Culture and Tourism on the fifth floor of M-Plaza in Myeong-dong.The show will run at 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. o

Expat LivingJune 3, 2014

Three decades at the top

Soprano Hong Hei-kyung vividly remembers the night she debuted at the New York Metropolitan Opera. It was ten years after she flew to the U.S. all by herself at the tender age of 15 to study at the Juilliard School. “It was December of 1984. My (first) daughter was just a little baby,” she recalled. “I remember the dress, the hair and everything of that evening. I remember the stage ... how I sang an aria at one corner, moved to another and did the recitative there.” Playing the role of Servilia

PerformanceJune 3, 2014

Girls’ Generation makes TIME’s Best 25 Songs of 2014

“Mr. Mr.,” the latest single by K-pop group Girls’ Generation, has been chosen as one of TIME’s best 25 songs of this year, according to the U.S. weekly news magazine.Girls’ Generation was the only Asian artist on the list released by the magazine on Monday in New York.TIME described “Mr. Mr.” as a “dance-friendly” track with “a scratchy electronic base line” and “a hint of darkness.” Girls’ Generation“Fans of K-pop juggernaut Girls’ Generation won’t be disappointed by their latest dance-friendl

PerformanceJune 3, 2014

Papercraft workshops for children

Poster for “Paper Playground,” a paper craft workshop for kids to be held at Topgol Museum. (Topgol Museum)Used paper boxes will be recycled into playthings in a papercraft workshop for kids at Topgol Museum in Seoul. The museum holds the workshop entitled “Paper Playground” from June 10-July 13. The museum is located on the first floor of Seoul Senior Welfare Center in Jongno. Children will make lamps, frames, chairs and other pieces of furniture with used paper boxes in different classes. Othe

PerformanceJune 3, 2014

Hollywood hosts China’s Huading Film Awards

HOLLYWOOD (AFP) ― China’s Huading Film Award ceremony was held for the first time in the United States on Sunday, with Hollywood celebrities like Halle Berry and Orlando Bloom receiving honors. While the Chinese awards are little known in the United States, western film celebrities understand the importance of the burgeoning Chinese market and many were present at the event.The bilingual show, hosted by Chinese TV personality Olivia Xu and Chinese-American actress Lucy Liu, was held in the city’

FilmJune 3, 2014

Overseas tourism shrinks after Sewol: travel agent

The number of South Korean overseas tourists appears to have fallen steadily since the Sewol ferry sank in April, killing 288 passengers with 16 still missing.About 142,000 people traveled abroad in May through Hana Tour, South Korea’s largest travel company, the company said. The figure is down 5.7 percent from the same month last year. So far 107,000 have booked to go abroad in June, down 12.1 percent from a year earlier.  Travelers stand in line at Gimpo International Airport on Tuesday, a da

TravelJune 3, 2014

MBLAQ’s G.O emerging as musical star

G.O, a member of K-pop band MBLAQ, has expanded his career into musical theater, appearing in a series of musicals and getting both public and critical nods for his performances. The 26-year-old singer, the main vocalist of the male quintet, was chosen as the “Best Male Rookie Actor” at the 8th Musical Awards, it was announced Monday. He was recognized for his role in the Korean musical “Seopyeonje.” He played Dong-ho, the male lead, who resists his father in order to go searching for his own vo

June 3, 2014

Big Bang’s Taeyang on rise with second solo album

Pop-locking dance machine and R&B vocalist Taeyang from leading K-pop boy band Big Bang has made his solo return with the unveiling of his second full studio solo album “Rise” on Tuesday. Coming nearly four years since the release of debut studio album “Solar,” Taeyang’s new album features nine tracks that were composed in collaboration with YG Entertainment’s go-to producers Teddy and DEE.P, as well as fellow label mates G-Dragon and Tablo of Epik High. Taeyang himself also took part in the alb

June 3, 2014

Jazz pianist Corea, vibraphonist Burton to stage live concerts

Legendary American jazz pianist Chick Corea and renowned vibraphonist Gary Burton will together make their way to Korea to stage two live concerts next week. The jazz musicians will perform at the Suseong Artpia Yongji Hall in Daegu on June 13 and at the Blue Square Samsung Card Hall in Seoul on June 14. The upcoming concerts will mark the duo’s first visit to Korea since 2007.Chick Corea, 73, is considered one of the greatest living jazz pianists, alongside some of the biggest names in the fiel

PerformanceJune 3, 2014

K-pop fans' gift-giving culture evolves

As K-pop’s popularity surged at home and abroad in past years, a unique fan culture of buying luxurious gifts for favored stars took root. The culture, however, is now evolving into helping society, rather than just the stars.Not so long ago, it was traditionally the norm for K-pop fans to shower stars with expensive gifts, but the trend is often frowned upon when it goes to the extreme. Avid fans of K-pop boy band Super Junior, for example, were not afraid to spend $100,000 (about 100 million w

June 3, 2014

K-pop celebrities to cast their first vote in local elections

On the eve of Wednesday’s local elections, attention is turning to K-pop stars who may cast their first ever vote in the upcoming polls.Those eligible to vote must have been born before June 5, 1995, as South Korea’s legal voting age has dropped to 19.Miss A’s Suzy, f(x)’s Sulli and Krystal, 2NE1’s Minzy, Girls’ Day’s Hyeri, A pink’s Naeun and Namjoo, Tiny-G’s Dohee, AOA’s Seolhyun and former member of KARA Kang Ji-young are just a few of the K-pop singers who will have a chance to vote for the

June 3, 2014

JYP Entertainment to hold ‘family tour’ in 3 countries

JYP Entertainment, one of the largest K-pop management companies, announced its plan to hold a third “JYP Nation” concert, to be called “One Mic.”“JYP Nation” features all the artists under the management giant.“Following our 2010 JYP Nation ‘Teamplay’ concert and second of its kind in 2012, we will hold ‘2014 JYP Nation – One Mic’ to showcase our artists,” the agency announced.This upcoming concert will start off in Seoul on Aug. 9. Following the first performance, the group of K-pop stars will

June 3, 2014

SNSD ‘Mr.Mr.’ named among TIME’s top 25 songs of 2014

“Mr. Mr.” by K-pop girl group Girls’ Generation was picked as one of the 25 best songs of the year, the only one by an Asian group to make the list, the TIME magazine said Tuesday. It is only halfway through the year, but “it‘s never too early to start rounding up the strongest tracks of 2014,” the magazine noted.“Fans of K-pop juggernaut Girls‘ Generation won’t be disappointed by their latest dance-friendly single, and the addition of a scratchy electronic bass line and a hint of darkness shoul

June 3, 2014

Shin Min-ah boasts floral look

Actress Shin Min-ah boasted a floral look at a film preview event for her movie “Gyeongju.” (Yonhap)The two-piece had fancy decorations of various colors, stressing a feminine look. She minimized all other accessories to emphasize the outfit.  (Yonhap)The two-piece is reportedly from the Dolce & Gabbana Spring Summer 2014 collection. “Gyeongju,” a comedy-melodrama directed by Jang Ryul, tells the story of a man looking for a woman he met seven years ago in the city of Gyeongju.The film stars Shi

June 3, 2014

Female celebrities’ opening pitch delivery highlighted in baseball season

Pitching styles of Korean female celebrities on the baseball field are drawing more and more attention not only from baseball fans but also ordinary citizens.In an effort to bolster fan service, baseball teams are eager to invite mainly female celebrities to throw an opening pitch.The invited female stars have exercised their pitching forms before taking the mound, astonishing baseball fans with various styles and fashion. This year, female idol group Crayon Pop became the pitchers for the game

June 3, 2014