'Goodness and humor' celebrated as 'Sesame Street' turns 50

NEW YORK (AP) -- Fifty years ago, beloved entertainer Carol Burnett appeared on the very first broadcast of a quirky TV program that featured a bunch of furry puppets. Blink and you might miss it, but Burnett followed a cartoon about a witch called Wanda, which was loaded with words beginning with the letter w. "Wow, Wanda the Witch is weird," Burnett commented. And then -- poof -- she was gone. That show was "Sesame Street" and Burnett, like a lot of kids, was inst

TelevisionNov. 6, 2019

19th century Korean Buddhist painting returns home

A 19th century Korean Buddhist painting has returned home after being lost more than half a century ago. On Tuesday, the Jogye Order, South Korea’s largest Buddhist sect, displayed the painting at the Memorial Hall of Korean Buddhist History and Culture. The large-sized 1891 painting by Joseon-era Buddhist monk-painter the Ven. Minkyu, titled “Guardian Deities of Beomeosa Temple,” depicts multiple guardian deities. The piece, originally owned by Beomeosa, a Buddhist temple

CultureNov. 5, 2019

Seoul indie film festival stresses growing role of female creators

The 45th Seoul Independent Film Festival touted “shift” as the slogan for this year’s event, stressing important changes in the film scene, such as the growing contributions of female filmmakers.“Since last year, the working environments of female filmmakers have improved greatly, as did the demand for their work. I expect such changes to affect the Korean film industry as a whole,” said festival director Kim Dong-hyun, during a press conference Tuesday. She noted t

FilmNov. 5, 2019

[Herald Review] Let your hair down with ‘La Fresque’

Contemporary ballet “La Fresque” is surreal and dreamy, featuring barefooted dancers carrying out explosive and exuberant movements.Led by legendary French choreographer Angelin Preljocaj, Ballet Preljocaj is touring Korea with “La Fresque.” It performed at the LG Arts Center in southern Seoul over the weekend.The performance began in complete darkness. The soundtrack created by Nicolas Godin -- half of the groundbreaking French electronic music duo Air -- evoked a myster

PerformanceNov. 5, 2019

Horim Museum’s 10th anniversary show taps highlights from exhibitions held in past decade

A lotus-shape museum stands majestically holding ancient Korean artifacts among luxury brand flagship stores and hip restaurants in Gangnam’s Sinsa-dong -- one of the quickly changing areas in Seoul. Horim Museum -- one of three private museums in Korea best known for holding national treasures, along with Leeum (Samsung Museum of Art) and Gansong Art Museum -- opened the new branch in Sinsa-dong in 2009. Celebrating the 10th anniversary of the new branch, “A Decade’s Record an

Arts & DesignNov. 5, 2019

SM Entertainment joins hands with US entertainment agency

South Korea's biggest music label SM Entertainment has joined hands with a US entertainment giant to support its artists' global activities, the Korean company said Tuesday.SM Entertainment, home to NCT 127, SuperM and EXO, said it signed a deal with the US-based Creative Artists Agency, or CAA, in Los Angeles on Oct. 17 (US time).CAA is the biggest sports and entertainment agency in the United States, representing Beyonce, Ariana Grande and Mariah Carey. Under the partnership, CAA and SM Entert

PerformanceNov. 5, 2019

Cannes-winning 'Parasite' on a roll at US box office

South Korean auteur Bong Joon-ho's family satire "Parasite" has maintained its strong theatrical presence at the US box office, industry data showed Tuesday.The Korean-language film, released stateside on Oct. 11, added $2.6 million to its US gross from Friday to Sunday, according to data from Box Office Mojo.Its total reached $7.5 million, far outnumbering Bong's previous English-language science fiction movie "Snowpiercer" (2013), which garnered $4.6 million in 2013. 

FilmNov. 5, 2019

Poet once at forefront of #MeToo movement publishes collection in English

Poet Choi Young-mi, one of the leading voices in the #MeToo movement in Korea’s literary scene last year, has published her first collection of poems in English, “The Party Was Over.” The collection includes the poem “Monster” (2017), which Choi described as being based on her experience of sexual harassment. The revelation fueled the #MeToo movement in Korea, which shook up the country in early 2018 after a female prosecutor accused her superiors of sexual harassme

BooksNov. 5, 2019

Bong Joon-ho wins at Hollywood Film Awards

South Korean director Bong Joon-ho won the award for best filmmaker at the 23rd Hollywood Film Awards on Sunday.During the annual event in Beverly Hills, California, Bong was commended for his recent film “Parasite,” for which he won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival this year.  This year’s Hollywood winners also include Charlize Theron, who took home the career achievement award; Antonio Banderas and Renee Zellweger, chosen as best actor and actress; and Al

FilmNov. 4, 2019

Daesan Literary Awards announces four winners

The Daesan Foundation announced the four winners of the 27th annual Daesan Literary Awards on Monday. Poet Oh Eun won for his book of poetry titled “I Have a Name” (translated); Cho Hae-jin for her novel “Simple Sincerity” (translated); and Yun Sun-young and Philipp Haas for their joint German translation of “Nana im Morgengrauen” written by Park Hyoung-su. The Daesan Foundation decided not to make an award in the drama category after a long discussion, saying

BooksNov. 4, 2019

Local public art project rethinks urban redevelopment and sustainability

Sitting at the center of Pyeongchon Central Park in the city of Anyang, Gyeonggi Province, is Daan Roosegaarde’s giant outdoor purifier “Smog Free Tower.” Roosegaarde’s seven-meter tall outdoor air purifier is designed to filter about 30,000 cubic meters of air per hour using little electricity. The tower at the park will capture particulate matter and release clean air for the next two years.The Dutch artist’s large-scale air purifier has been installed as part of

Arts & DesignNov. 4, 2019

[ASEAN-Korea summit] From BTS to Netflix and beyond, culture offers key to future in Asia

Technology may spearhead the progress of mankind, but with so many around the world mesmerized by Walt Disney, who can underestimate the power of the mouse? The ASEAN-ROK Culture Innovation Summit, a forum to discuss and celebrate cultural contents as a driving force for growth, are set to be held later this month on the sidelines of the ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit in Busan.The host nation of South Korea and the participating Association of Southeast Asian Nations members will talk about how

CultureNov. 4, 2019

Lee Young-ae returns to big screen with ‘Bring Me Home’

Lee Young-ae is not the most prolific of actresses, but she has left lasting impressions with memorable characters in her few works, such as “Sympathy for Lady Vengeance” (2005), “One Fine Spring Day” (2001) and “Joint Security Area” (2000)“I expect and want this (film) to be a turning point (in my career) as much as ‘Sympathy for Lady Vengeance’ had been,” Lee said at a press conference for upcoming mystery thriller “Bring Me Hom

FilmNov. 4, 2019

[ASEAN-Korea summit] Concert to promote South Korea-ASEAN ties through music

Ahead of the ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit, a celebratory concert will be held in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province. As culture is a valuable asset that helps nations build bridges, various cultural events are set to take place before the summit such as a fashion show, a K-beauty festival and food demonstrations. One of these events is the music festival “ASEAN Fantasia,” which will be held Nov. 24 in Changwon. The aim of the concert is to promote harmony between South Korea

PerformanceNov. 4, 2019

BTS’ Jungkook involved in car crash after traffic violation

Jeon Jung-kook, better known as Jungkook of K-pop boy band BTS, was involved in a car accident Saturday.Big Hit Entertainment issued an official statement Monday, saying, “As the case has not been closed yet, further details cannot be revealed, but Jeon was involved in a car accident due to his mistake. Both Jeon and the victim (other driver) did not suffer a major injury.” “After the accident, Jeon immediately admitted that he violated the traffic law, made his statement

PeopleNov. 4, 2019

BTS captures two prizes at MTV Europe Music Awards for 2nd year in a row

South Korean boy group BTS has won three trophies at this year's MTV Europe Music Awards, the group's agency said Monday.The seven-member band received the Best Group, Best Live and Biggest Fans awards during the ceremony held in Seville, Spain, on Sunday (local time), Big Hit Entertainment said. But BTS did not attend the awards ceremony.Last year, BTS took the two titles of Best Group and Biggest Fans.Founded in 1994, the MTV Europe Music Awards honor the most popular pop songs and music video

PerformanceNov. 4, 2019

BTS' 'Boy With Luv' hits 600m YouTube views

The music video of K-pop super band BTS' "Boy With Luv" has surpassed 600 million YouTube views.The video of the band's main song on the "Map of the Soul: Persona" album released in April, achieved the feat Sunday evening, about seven months after it went on sale, according to the band's agency Big Hit Entertainment. It is the fourth music video of BTS with over 600 million YouTube hits, following "DNA," "Fire" and "Fake Love."Its music vide

PerformanceNov. 4, 2019

Machine Visions: Trevor Paglen’s exhibition querying how machine sees the world

The recent rise of machine and computer vision systems not just allow machines to actually see things, but also automatically and seamlessly collects and interprets images for various purposes. An upcoming Seoul exhibition will delve into such technologies and the potential they may hold in understanding today’s world.“Throughout history, images have needed somebody to look at and interpret them. But, that’s changing now. With things like computer visions, we can now build mach

Arts & DesignNov. 3, 2019

TIMF announces 2019 pianist winners

The Tongyeong International Music Foundation announced the winners of the 2019 Isang Yun Competition on Saturday, with pianist Lim Yun-chan taking the top honors.The annual competition, held in homage to the late contemporary music composer Yun I-sang, alternates annually among cello, piano and violin. This year’s competition was for pianists, with violinists slated to compete next year. After a final round in the competition Saturday, Lim was announced as the first prize winner, foll

PerformanceNov. 3, 2019

CNBLUE's Jung Yong-hwa discharged from military

Jung Yong-hwa, a member of K-pop boy band CNBLUE, was discharged from the military Sunday after fulfilling nearly two years of mandatory service. He thanked his fans and expressed hope that he would return to his job as early as possible during a special fan event at a community service center in Hwacheon, Gangwon Province. Some 1,000 Korean and foreign fans from various Asian countries like China, Japan and the Philippines gathered to greet the singer. "I feel both relieved and sad,"

PerformanceNov. 3, 2019