SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) ― Pop star Katy Perry has overtaken Justin Bieber as the most followed person on Twitter.The latest figures Monday showed 46,534,966 followers for the singer best known for hit songs such as “Teenage Dream,” “California Gurls,” and “I Kissed a Girl.”That overtook the number of followers of the Canadian teen star, at 46,510,838.Shea Bennett of the “All Twitter” news blog noticed the change at the top on Sunday and said Perry was now likely to be the first to get to 50 million.

PeopleNov. 5, 2013

A total of 49 pieces showing the current trends in Nigerian art are on display at the Total Museum of Contemporary Art in Seoul through Sunday. Jointly organized by the culture ministries of Korea and Nigeria, the event, “A Friendship over Decades,” highlights oil paintings, traditional masks and other works of art by African artists owned by the Nigerian National Gallery of Arts. Also, 20 works by Korean contemporary artists are on display at the exhibition. “Nigeria is artistically rich and he

PerformanceNov. 4, 2013

Following Festival du film Coreen a Paris, a film festival exclusively featuring Korean cinema which kicked off Oct. 29, screenings of Korean films are taking place in three other European countries.In Spain, Centro Cultural Coreano en Espana (Korean Cultural Center Spain) is hosting the sixth annual Spain Korean Film Festival in Madrid, from Nov. 11 to 29. The festival is a retrospective of famed director Lee Chang-dong, who also served as Korea’s Culture Minister from 2003 to 2004. Viewers wil

FilmNov. 4, 2013

Despite coming across every possible stumbling block, the passionate vocalists of Mahogany King, say nothing can keep them down. The indie outfit ― composed of Lee Mal-C, Aarah and MoonDeuk ― made its debut in 2011 with the album “Lee Mal-C Aarah MoonDeuk.” The album was released as an alternative jazz pop record, but now that they have a foot in the door, the band mates have made a return to indie-rock, picking up additional member J.shin along the way. With the completion of the band’s second

PerformanceNov. 4, 2013

Kim Bok-deuk, Korea’s oldest surviving former “comfort woman,” donated 20 million won ($18,800) Monday to a civic group’s project to set up a comfort women history hall.The 95-year-old gave the money she has saved from contributions by the local government and people from all walks of life to an advocacy group seeking to build the hall.Kim is one of about 200,000 women taken by Japan to provide sex to its soldiers during World War II, when Korea was its colony.The donation ceremony took place at

PeopleNov. 4, 2013

A local government has set up a monument to confirm its jurisdiction of the Dokdo islets.The office of Ulleung County in North Gyeongsang Province unveiled the monument commemorating Korean Imperial Order No. 41 on Monday, which placed the easternmost Korean islets under its jurisdiction. Japan disputes Korean sovereignty over Dokdo, claiming the islets in the East Sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan as its territory.The unveiling took place on at the county office on Ulleungdo Island nea

PeopleNov. 4, 2013

PARIS (AFP) ― Argentine tennis player Juan Martin Del Potro has revealed that he was robbed at a Paris railway station with thieves making off with a cherished rosary blessed by Pope Francis.Del Potro was checking in at Gare de Nord in the French capital when he stopped to sign an autograph.As he placed his bag on the floor, the thieves made off with his possessions which also included his passport and cash.“I was doing the check-in to ride on the train and then I was asked for an autograph. I t

PeopleNov. 4, 2013

In 1994, there were no smartphones linking people 24 hours a day, no flashy Starbucks with fashionable lounge music and no “League of Legends” to blow gamers’ minds away.Instead, people queued in front of public pay phones to page their friends, make confessions of love or mumble after binge drinking. Trendy boys and girls in baggy jeans would flock to Kentucky Fried Chicken for biscuits and move to “rock cafes” to hook up; listen to Seo Tai-ji, the so-called president of teenagers, for fresh an

CultureNov. 3, 2013

In an ongoing online project to change the English name of the Tripitaka Koreana, two suggested names ― Goryeo Daejanggyeong and Palman Daejanggyeong ― are in a close race. The Organizing Committee of the 2013 Tripitaka Koreana Festival launched an online appeal to rename the UNESCO Memory of the World Register as pronounced in Korean on Oct. 14 and is gathering comments on the new names until Dec. 31.  The appeal asks visitors to choose or comment on one of two suggested English names, Goryeo D

PeopleNov. 3, 2013

Park Dae-sung is one of the few artists in Korea that draws on the principles and spirit of traditional Korean paintings. His delicate, sometimes energetic portrayal of Korean landscapes and cultural assets have received acclaim overseas, including his September exhibition in Turkey and several other showcases in China and Taiwan. When most contemporary painters practicing ink-and-wash painting have been seeking to bring modernity to their paintings, Park has been in pursuit of mastering his bru

PerformanceNov. 3, 2013

This year the global hit “Wicked” celebrates its 10th anniversary, a milestone achieved by only 10 other Broadway musicals in history. In Seoul, the milestone is being celebrated by the premiere of its Korean production, performed in Korean by an all-Korean cast. The upcoming run, opening at the Charlotte Theater in Seoul on Nov. 22, is the fifth foreign-language production of the Broadway show. “I think people respond to Wicked globally because they all have a bit of Elphaba and a bit of Glinda

PerformanceNov. 3, 2013

Director Han Jae-rim’s period drama “The Face Reader” swept six awards at this year’s Grand Bell Awards on Friday, including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Director and Best Supporting Actor.The film tells the story of a man who can tell one’s personality and future by looking at their face, and gets involved in a coup d’etat led by the Grand Prince Suyang, who later became king Sejo, in 1450s Joseon. The drama was a huge commercial success, drawing more than 9 million viewers.Song Kang-ho, who

FilmNov. 3, 2013