Around the Hotels

Wine and beer fair at Sheraton Grande WalkerhillSheraton Grande Walkerhill is launching a promotional fair where guests will be able to experience more than 300 kinds of wines and 100 different beers from Asia and Europe at a reasonable price. Special events will be held throughout the fair, including wine tasting, wine and beer raffles, and more. The wine fair will run from Oct. 12-13, while the beer fair will happen on Oct. 19-20. Both fairs will be held from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., with an entranc

FoodOct. 4, 2013

Mu saengchae (spicy radish salad)

Saengchae is a general term for salad-like dishes that are made with uncooked vegetables. Mu Saengchae is made with Korean radish (mu), which is a variety of white radish (commonly known as daikon). It has a firm, crisp flesh and tastes slightly sweet and peppery. For mu saengchae, I like to salt the radish first to draw out some water, which gives the radish an extra crunch. This spicy and crunchy radish salad has the flavor of fresh kimchi, so it can also be a quick substitute for kimchi. It’s

FoodOct. 4, 2013

Pork Central at Sehrimnir

The only thing remotely complicated about high-profile chef Raymon Kim’s new restaurant is its name. Christened “Sehrimnir; Days in Midgard,” the eatery opened its doors early last month near Seoul’s Garosu-gil, about two blocks away from the main street and on the fourth floor of a rather tall and narrow building. Those who make the effort to walk up the long flight of stairs to the small, 28-seat space will discover that the restaurant’s lengthy name is a potentially misleading introduction to

FoodOct. 4, 2013

From Kanye to Pharrell, rap stars embrace Cyrus

NEW YORK (AP) ― While Miley Cyrus has a batch of critics, there is a group rallying behind her and praising her as a vital talent: rappers.Pharrell produced several songs on Cyrus’ new album. She has been featured on the latest albums from Snoop Lion and will.i.am. Big Sean requested her as the star of his “Fire” music video. And to top it off, Kanye West invited her to appear on the remix to “Black Skinhead,” his anti-racism rant from his eerie and dark “Yeezus” album. Cyrus’ album “Bangerz,” o

PerformanceOct. 4, 2013

Director Im unveils plan for 102nd film at BIFF

Filmmaker Im Kwon-taek announced Friday that his 102nd movie would be a film adaption of author Kim Hoon’s 2004 award-winning short story “Hwajang.” Actor Ahn Sung-ki, who previously starred in a total of six films by Im, has been cast in the leading role. Kim’s short story, which won the prestigious Yi Sang Literary Award in 2004, is about a middle-aged man who spends most of his life working for a cosmetics company, and his wife, who is dying of cancer. The devoted and patient husband also has

FilmOct. 4, 2013

ASEAN-Korea Center holds festival in Andong, Jeonju

ASEAN-Korea Center is holding the ASEAN Culture and Tourism Fair 2013, an annual festival of Southeast Asian traditional performances and culture, in two provincial cities, from Oct. 3-6. Launched in 2009, this year’s event includes performances by about 80 performers from 10 member nations of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province and Jeonju, North Jeolla Province. Its participation in the local festivals was sponsored by the Korean ministries of foreign

PeopleOct. 4, 2013

Late president Choi KH’s house opened to public

A house where the late President Choi Kyu-hah resided before his death will be opened to the public.The Seoul city government said that the house registered as Cultural Asset No. 413 will open its doors to the public starting Saturday as a site for history education.The two-story house built in 1972 was the residence of Choi from 1973, when he was appointed prime minister, to 1976, and then he spent his later years there from 1980 to 2006, when he passed away.The house has about 500 items used b

PeopleOct. 4, 2013

Seoul Arts College holds charity bazaar

Seoul Arts College held a charity bazaar for sports and entertainment celebrities at Hyundai Department Store at COEX in Seoul on Friday.Sponsors who contributed their favorite items to the event included retired major league pitcher Park Chan-ho, PSV Eindhoven midfielder Park Ji-sung, actors Ahn Sung-ki and Shin Ha-gyun, singer BoA, boy group Infinite, female band Sistar and male group 2AM.Some of the school’s professors also chipped in. All proceeds from the bazaar will benefit the socially un

PeopleOct. 4, 2013

[Photo News] Actresses grace red carpet at BIFF

South Korea’s top actors and celebrities on Thursday attended the 18th annual Busan International Film Festival, one of the major film festivals in Asia, attracting media coverage. In particular, actresses were flooded by camera flashes when they walked the red carpet to enter the opening ceremony. A growing number of female celebrities are going for bold, revealing outfits to steal the spotlight at film festivals. BIFF will run through Oct. 12 in Busan Cinema Center.By Im Woo-jung, Intern r

FilmOct. 4, 2013

Bhutanese film on Indian traditional dance opens BIFF

BUSAN― A Bhutanese film directed by a Buddhist monk, featuring India’s traditional dance and its spirituality, opened the 18th Busan International Film Festival in Busan on Thursday.Cohosted by veteran Korean actress Kang Soo-yeon and Hong Kong singer and actor Aaron Kwok, the festival’s opening ceremony was attended by some 4,000 guests, including renowned cineastes from home and abroad such as Japanese filmmaker Shinji Aoyama, French film critic and historian Charles Tesson, and Korean filmmak

FilmOct. 3, 2013

Junk reborn as art

This is the seventh installment in an eight-part series that examines the social role of design beyond its aesthetic aspect. The weekly series is a precursor to Herald Design Week 2013, Oct. 7-11, which is organized under the theme “Re-imagine the World.” — Ed.From a biodegradable meal tray to sculptures made of tires, design products and artwork from recyclable materials are becoming part of everyday life around the world.The movement has also become active here in recent years, as an increasi

Arts & DesignOct. 3, 2013

The democracy of design

The Korea Herald is publishing an interview series on some of the world’s most creative minds who have been invited to Korea to share their design philosophies and vision during Herald Design Week 2013, Oct. 7-11. ― Ed.World-renowned architect and industrial designer Stefano Giovannoni has designed some of the most successful products in the world. His clients have included Alessi, Magis, Siemens and 3M, to name a few. Viewing the economy as the engine for cultural growth, Giovannoni has called

Arts & DesignOct. 3, 2013

Designers on mission to save the earth through art

It all started with one simple belief: Design can change the world. In 2006, a small group of industrial designers in Incheon launched a green design campaign presenting rubbish turned into art ― from chandeliers made of empty bottles to an umbrella stand made out of stairs. Giving new life to landfill-bound items, they slowly inspired fellow artists and the general public to join the endeavor for an eco-conscious life.“We started to redesign recyclable materials to brand new artwork or design p

Arts & DesignOct. 3, 2013

Japan’s exhibition of possible Joseon royal belongings causes a stir

Concerns are mounting over two items on exhibition at the Tokyo National Museum that are suspected of having been smuggled out of Korea during the Japanese colonial era (1910-1945). Experts on the repatriation of cultural artifacts are urging the museum to investigate the nature of their acquisition, citing an international treaty of museums. The International Council of Museums’ code of ethics prohibits looted or illegally acquired items from being publicly exhibited. Some are suggesting a move

CultureOct. 3, 2013

Best-selling author Tom Clancy has died at age 66

NEW YORK (AP) ― Tom Clancy, whose high-tech, Cold War thrillers such as “The Hunt for Red October” and “Patriot Games” made him the most widely read and influential military novelist of his time, has died. He was 66.Penguin Group (USA) announced that Clancy had died Tuesday in Baltimore. The publisher did not provide a cause of death.Tall and thin, with round, sunken eyes that were often hidden by sunglasses, Clancy had said his dream had been simply to publish a book, hopefully a good one, so t

BooksOct. 3, 2013

Asia Song Festival unveils full lineup including 2PM, Crayon Pop

The 10th annual Asia Song Festival is getting ready to kick off its music-filled festivities with a night of energetic K-pop performances as well as a sprinkling of international flavor by a number of popular trending acts from other parts of Asia. This year’s Asia Song Festival, to be held at the Jamsil Olympic Main Stadium on Oct. 9, will partner with the annual global music conference MU:CON to highlight a number of international acts including Japanese pop singer Aoyama Thelma; girl group 7i

PerformanceOct. 3, 2013

Pulitzer-winning Jhumpa Lahiri on ‘The Lowland’ and her upbringing

Jhumpa Lahiri, who at 46 has already won a Pulitzer Prize (for her first book, the 1999 story collection “Interpreter of Maladies”), and was recently shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize (for her new novel, “The Lowland”), does a number of things obviously well: Not one for literary gymnastics, she is a precisionist, a realist, not an ironist. She does not bend genre, slum among dystopias or gauge the state of the nation. A stern admirer of Thomas Hardy, Alice Munro and Mavis Gallant ― all of wh

BooksOct. 3, 2013