[Newsmaker] Yeom to become Korea’s third cardinal

Seoul Archbishop Yeom Soo-jung will be the third Korean to become a cardinal ― the second-most senior position in the Roman Catholic Church after the pope. Yet, he will be the only representative of Korea in the case of a conclave, a convention of cardinals younger than 80 for electing a new pope.Korea’s first cardinal, Stephen Kim Sou-hwan, died in 2009, and its second Cardinal Nicolas Cheong Jin-suk is over 80, the canonical retirement age. “We believe that (Yeom’s appointment) is a blessing f

PeopleJan. 13, 2014

Hollywood sets up Herculean box-office clash

LOS ANGELES (AFP) ― Hollywood is powering up for a clash of the titans this year, with two films about legendary demigod Hercules ― one starring teen heartthrob Kellan Lutz, and a more mature version later in the year.The superhero standoff ― Tinseltown seems prone to doing movies in pairs, after two adaptations of the Snow White tale last year ― comes 16 years after the last Hercules movie by Disney in 1997.The first new one to do battle opens Friday in North America, with Lutz in his first maj

FilmJan. 13, 2014

‘Attorney’ set to break 10m viewer mark

“The Attorney,” a local film inspired by the early years of late President Roh Moo-hyun, drew more than 9 million viewers in the 25 days after its release, its distributor NEW announced. It has topped the local box office chart for four consecutive weeks, and is expected to break the 10 million viewer mark this weekend. According to the Korean Film Council, the directorial debut by webtoon artist Yang Woo-seok was watched by 9.26 million people as of Sunday, far outnumbering “The Suspect” and “T

FilmJan. 13, 2014

‘Anti-Semitic’ comedian drops show in France

PARIS (AFP) ― French comedian Dieudonne sought Saturday to circumvent a ban imposed on his controversial show over its “anti-Semitic” slant, replacing it with a new performance complete with “a few tai-chi moves.”Earlier in the day he had announced his intention to go ahead with four performances in Paris, despite the Friday-to-Wednesday ban on the show titled “The Wall.”Dieudonne M’Bala M’Bala will instead present an alternate performance called “Asu Zoa” on a “different theme,” his lawyer Jacq

TelevisionJan. 13, 2014

Psy to represent hallyu at World Economic Forum

Korean rap star Psy has been selected as the goodwill ambassador with the initiatives of promoting hallyu and YouTube as tools for “creative economy” at the upcoming 44th World Economic Forum, which was to be held from Jan. 22 to 25 in Davos, Switzerland. The World Economic Forum attracts some of the world’s most influential international business leaders. About 2,800 figures are slated to attend this year, including around 30 Korean business leaders such as Hur Chang-soo, chairman of the Federa

PerformanceJan. 13, 2014

[Photo News] First chief justice

PeopleJan. 13, 2014

Is Clara turning into a Korean sex symbol?

Before she appeared at a baseball park in May last year, Clara was just a run-of-the-mill entertainer. But her ceremonial pitch to start off a professional baseball game rocketed her to the stardom overnight.　Clara, 28, whose real name is Lee Seong-min, appeared wearing formfitting leggings that revealed her coke-bottle-shaped bodyline. The photo of her throwing a baseball immediately became a viral sensation, with netizens hailing her as a sex symbol. 　Since the dramatic pitch, her comments on

TelevisionJan. 13, 2014

G-dragon in mop-headed wig

G-dragon disclosed a selfie of himself wearing a Korean traditional costume with multiple stripes and a mop-headed wig, which was posted on photo-sharing service Instagram on Jan. 10.By Ock Hyun-ju, Intern reporter(laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)　

PerformanceJan. 13, 2014

JYP GOT7 releases first music teaser video

GOT7 unveiled a teaser video for their upcoming album’s title track “Girls Girls Girls” on Monday. The video features the seven members skating through the city on “Wheelman,” a unique foot bike suited to their carefree concept. The boy band members range in nationalities, including non-Koreans. The group is also planning a simultaneous overseas debut after rising to the attention of famous international record labels. The new boy group specializes in martial arts performances called “tricking,”

PerformanceJan. 13, 2014

[Photo News] Little Choo goes swimming with her father

In the episode of variety TV show “Superman is Back” aired on Sunday, the infant starlet Choo Sa-rang, daughter of former Korean-Japanese K1 fighter Choo Sung-hoon, swims with her father during their trip to Osaka. Capture from KBS 2 TV(khnews@heraldcorp.com)

TelevisionJan. 13, 2014

[Graphic News] K-pop fans around the world

The number of K-pop fans around the world surpassed 9 million last year, according to a recent report by the Korea Foundation. The number stood at 9.28 million, up 2.58 million from 2012. Fan clubs came in at 987, up 204 from a year ago. By region, the Asia-Pacific had the greatest number of K-pop-loving fans at 6.8 million, while Africa and the Middle East together reported the most significant surge. The combined number of fans in Africa and the Middle East tripled to 60,000, with countries li

Jan. 12, 2014

Exhibition shows men’s bags’ evolution from practical carryalls to style items

Men’s bags have become more than a practical means of carrying belongings. They are now much more like accessories, fashion statements or reflections of a man’s identity. In step with changing perceptions about the nature of men’s bags, the Simone Handbag Museum on the trendy Garosu-gil in Seoul recently opened a small exhibition to examine the relationships between men and bags. “Bags have become a style accessory, no longer a practical carrier. I think bags are one of the fashion items with wh

Arts & DesignJan. 12, 2014

Cologne Phil to present rarely performed ‘Alpine Symphony’

Richard Strauss’ “Alpine Symphony” is rarely performed because of the demands it makes on an orchestra ― for starters, it requires 125 players. So far, no foreign orchestra has played the grandiose 50-minute piece here. That is why so many Korean music fans are thrilled about the upcoming concert by the Cologne Philharmonic Orchestra.The Germany-based orchestra will hold its first concert in Korea on Feb. 15 at Seoul Arts Center, with the program consisting of the “Alpine Symphony” and Mozart’s

CultureJan. 12, 2014

Kick Kennedy calls her stage debut ‘magical’

NEW YORK (AP) ― The storied Kennedy family has produced a president, ambassadors, an attorney general, senators and plenty of congressmen. But not a professional actor. Kathleen “Kick” Kennedy hopes to change that. The 25-year-old granddaughter of Robert F. Kennedy is making her professional stage debut off-Broadway this month in, of all things, a Greek tragedy. Kennedy plays the title role in “Antigone,” the Sophocles play about a young woman willing to die in order to defend her family’s honor

PerformanceJan. 12, 2014

Spike Lee’s ‘Oldboy’ gets Korean release this week

The American remake of famed Korean auteur Park Chan-wook’s iconic 2003 film “Oldboy” is finally arriving in Korean theaters, after suffering a box office disappointment in the U.S.Directed by Spike Lee, whose works include “Do the Right Thing” (1989) and “You’re Nobody Till Somebody Kills You” (2011), the film stars Josh Brolin as Joe Doucett, the American version of Park’s Oh Dae-soo (played by Choi Min-sik back in 2003), who becomes imprisoned in a hotel room for 20 years without even knowing

FilmJan. 12, 2014