Yoon Eun-hye back in rom-com fantasy

After a brief hiatus from the rom-com with MBC’s soap operatic “Missing You,” “Coffee Prince” star Yoon Eun-hye is back to the lighthearted genre with KBS’ upcoming “Marry Him If You Dare.” In regards to her return to the genre that propelled her to fame six years ago, Yoon acknowledged the melodramatic slant of “Missing You.” “The previous series was very emotional and did have a lot of sob scenes in it,” she said at the drama’s press conference in Seoul on Thursday.The 29-year-old actress then

TelevisionOct. 10, 2013

Grammy Award-winning producer searches for local talent at MU:CON

“I don’t think of music as having genres and borders; I just look at music as being good or not so good,” said five-time Grammy Award winning producer Steve Lillywhite at the opening lecture for this year’s second annual MU:CON global music conference. Lillywhite ― who has produced for some of the music industry’s most notable acts including U2, The Rolling Stones, The Killers, Dave Matthews and many others ― was one of the keynote speakers at the three-day MU:CON event, which features a number

PerformanceOct. 10, 2013

Large development projects cause ‘counterattack of space’

It is more difficult to draw an image clearly on another image than to do so on blank paper. Likewise, once a space or region has been ill-developed, it is more difficult to turn it back to a well developed space than to develop a space from ground zero.　It is a “counterattack of space,” says Professor Lim Hyung-baek of Sungkyul University in his recent book, “The Formation and Change of Spatial Structure of Land in Korea” (Hanul Publishing Co.).　The author, who is on the editorial staff of the

BooksOct. 10, 2013

Everything you ever wanted to know about ‘Return of the Jedi’

Now concluding his own trilogy, J.W. Rinzler provides the definitive history at the chronologically last movie in the “Star Wars” saga in “The Making of ‘Star Wars’: Return of the Jedi.”While “Jedi” is the final chapter in the six movies that make up “Star Wars,” it was actually released third, back in 1983, behind “Star Wars” and “The Empire Strikes Back.”“The Making of” shows that even getting it produced wasn’t a sure thing. Creator George Lucas and his team discussed making “Jedi” as they we

BooksOct. 10, 2013

Somali hostage ordeal recalled in ‘A House in the Sky’

A House in the SkyBy Amanda Lindhout and Sara Corbett (Scribner)“Somalia was hardly a starter war zone,” concedes Amanda Lindhout, but that didn’t stop the freelance journalist from flying into this anarchic East African country in August 2008. Accompanying the 27-year-old Canadian novice ― who planned to file dispatches for the Red Deer Advocate, circulation 13,000 ― was a 37-year-old photographer from Australia, Nigel Brennan.“I’d like to say that I hesitated before heading into Somalia, but I

BooksOct. 10, 2013

Terry McMillan returns with ‘Who Asked You?’

She has had an enjoyable string of best-sellers. Remember “Getting to Happy,” “Waiting to Exhale” and “How Stella Got Her Groove Back”? Remember “Mama”? Well, you won’t likely forget Terry McMillan’s “Who Asked You?” either.In its 383 pages, McMillan introduces us to Betty Jean Butler, the rock of an African-American family weighed down by race, gender issues, economic challenges and, yes, family secrets.Recently, she took some questions:Q: It’s been three years since your last book. Why did you

BooksOct. 10, 2013

Kim Jang-hoon gives out Hangeul T-shirts in New York

Pop singer Kim Jang-hoon promoted Hangeul in the United States with an event giving out T-shirts emblazed with the Korea alphabet in New York, Wednesday.The event was to celebrate Hangeul Day, which falls on Oct. 9 each year.Kim and Korean students at New York University handed out 600 white T-shirts in Washington Square Park.The T-shirts had two variations ― one lettered with “nanum,” a word meaning sharing, and the other with Hangeul, both written in Korean.“All 600 T-shirts were handed out in

PeopleOct. 10, 2013

S-Oil donates fuel to food banks

S-Oil donated 200 million won ($185,700) worth of fuel coupons to the Korea National Council on Social Welfare on Thursday, the company said.The fuel will go to 100 food banks ― non-profit organizations that distribute excess food to those in need ― in farming and fishing villages to help operate the vehicles used in delivery.“As fuel is what S-Oil can support best as an oil refiner, I’m pleased to help food banks in farming and fishing villages where they have difficulty in delivering food as t

PeopleOct. 10, 2013

No creativity without accident: de Castelbajac

Jean-Charles de Castelbajac finds inspiration from objects nearby ― commercial logos for Lucky Strike, Shell, Disney characters, teddy bears and Lego ― and incorporates them into his world of creation. The accidental and unexpected mixes have created humor and sensation in fashion for 40 years.“There’s no creativity, if there’s no accident,” said de Castelbajac at the lecture given during the Herald Design Talk held as part of Herald Design Week 2013 in Seoul. Throughout his long fashion career,

Arts & DesignOct. 9, 2013

Industry leaders speak to aspiring designers

About 500 people filled the LG Convention Hall of Ewha Womans University in Seoul on Wednesday, excited to see British designer Gary Card and French designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac.The two designers met and spoke with young aspiring artists and designers, many of them university students majoring in fashion, as part of Herald Design Week, which kicked off on Monday. The venue was completely packed by the time the event’s host Julia Kang, the editor-in-chief of fashion magazine Elle’s Korean

Arts & DesignOct. 9, 2013

Future trends on display at Herald Design Market

Leather laptop mats, skull candles, decorative foldable lampshades and even dachshund-shaped desk lights, the four-day Herald Design Market is a one-stop shop for inspiring avant-garde items stemming from the farthest reaches of the imagination. A selection of around 80 young, up-and-coming designers have been given the opportunity to showcase their products, which range from quirky to practical to inspirational. The market is currently being held in a three-story complex located next to the Blu

Arts & DesignOct. 9, 2013

Designers are solvers of problems: Card

A designer is a problem solver, British designer and illustrator Gary Card said at Wednesday’s Herald Design Talk in Seoul. Defining himself as a designer, one with a highly diverse portfolio that ranges from t-shirt prints and retail shops to fashion editorials and sculptures, Card said that designers are distinguished from artists by the fact that they are given problems to work out. “Designers are problem solvers. They are given a problem, and to solve that problem in the most vivid and excit

CultureOct. 9, 2013

National troupes to perform signature dances in October

Fall is rolling in fast in Seoul and Korea’s national dance troupes are presenting some of the most poignant love stories this month.The Korean National Ballet and the National Dance Company of Korea are presenting the romantic ballet “Giselle” and traditional Korean dance “Chum, Chunhyang” at the National Theater of Korea from Oct. 17 to 23.It is the first time that the two dances will be performed at the same venue on alternate days. This means the National Theater of Korea staff will be switc

PerformanceOct. 9, 2013

Internet giants targeted ahead of world’s biggest book fair

FRANKFURT (AFP) ― Organizers of the world’s biggest book fair warned Tuesday against the domination of Internet giants as the publishing world grapples to blend old and new forms of reading.American giants Amazon, Apple and Google ― whose entry into the world of online sales and digital books is threatening the traditional publishing industry ― are “logistics magicians but are not publishers,” said Juergen Boos, director of the Frankfurt Book Fair.“There’s no passion there,” he told reporters as

BooksOct. 9, 2013

Sungnyemun paint seen coming off five months after restoration

Some of the colorful paint on the newly restored Sungnyemun Gate in central Seoul has come off just five months after the gate’s opening to the public, allegedly due to poor execution of the traditional method of painting. According to the Cultural Heritage Administration on Tuesday, about 20 sections of dancheong painting on the gate are visibly damaged. Most of the damaged parts face the south and were extensively exposed to sunlight. The CHA opened the upper portion of the gate to the press o

CultureOct. 9, 2013

IU de-thrones Busker Busker with ‘Modern Times’

Twenty-year-old K-pop starlet IU has swept the charts with her latest studio album “Modern Times,” knocking off Busker Busker, which had been dominating the local real-time music charts since the release of its second album on Sept. 25. The single “The Red Shoes,” the lead track from IU’s third album, topped more than nine major online music charts including Melon, Naver, Mnet and Daum, upon its release on Tuesday. Similar to Busker Busker’s explosive follow-up album comeback, many other songs f

PerformanceOct. 9, 2013

2NE1 appointed as KBEE 2013 honorary ambassadors

The four K-pop divas of 2NE1 have officially been appointed the honorary ambassadors for this year’s “Korea Brand and Entertainment Expo” in London. The KBEE ― sponsored by the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy and the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism ― is an annual event held overseas with the purposes of creating the largest hallyu trade fair as well as promoting Korean culture and products while seeking international business opportunities in the creative industries. As one of t

PerformanceOct. 9, 2013

Psy and G-Dragon rumored to attend Bieber’s concert

Early last month, Canadian teen pop sensation Justin Bieber tweeted, “Excited to get to Korea to perform on October 10th. Maybe u will see my guys @psy_oppa and @IBGDRGN. Get the bbq ready.” The tweet sparked rumors online that his label-mate Psy and Big Bang leader G-Dragon could be joining the pop star on stage at his upcoming Seoul concert.Bieber and talent manager Scooter Braun arrived in Seoul on Tuesday and photos of Bieber together with Psy and G-Dragon were tweeted by manager Braun, caus

PerformanceOct. 9, 2013

Asian filmmakers revisit classic Westerns

BUSAN (AFP) ― Two major Asian adaptations of classic Westerns have hit screens at the Busan International Film Festival, in a revival of a genre that drew some of its early inspiration from the cinema of the East. Japanese-Korean director Lee Sang-il’s “Unforgiven” is a remake of the 1992 Clint Eastwood classic of the same name, starring the Oscar-nominated Ken Watanabe. “Once Upon a Time In Vietnam,” directed by Vietnamese-American director Dustin Nguyen takes its inspiration from Sergio Leone’

FilmOct. 9, 2013