‘Conversation between Chopin’s nocturnes and I has begun’

Following recitals of Beethoven’s piano sonatas in 2017, pianist Paik Kun-woo has taken up a new challenge this year -- studying the world of Chopin through his nocturnes. On Tuesday, Paik released a complete recording of Chopin’s 21 nocturnes, under the Deutsche Grammophon label.“The nocturnes all suddenly seemed so new to me,” Paik said during a press conference at Mapo Art Center in western Seoul on Tuesday.  Pianist Paik Kun-woo speaks during a press conference at Mapo Art Center on Tuesday.

PerformanceMarch 5, 2019

Red Velvet's Yeri to drop solo debut song next week

Yeri of popular girl group Red Velvet will release her first solo single, "Dear Diary," next week, her management agency said Tuesday."Dear Diary" will hit various music sites at 6 p.m. on March 14, SM Entertainment said. It is the eighth song to be released as part of the third season of SM's digital music project "Station." (SM Entertainment)Yeri unveiled part of the self-composed song in a reality show on JTBC4 last year. The 20-year-old singer joined the five-member group in March 2015 durin

PerformanceMarch 5, 2019

Actor Hyun Bin to meet fans in 3 Asian cities

South Korean heartthrob Hyun Bin will hold fan meetings in three Asian cities next month, his star agency said Tuesday.The actor will begin the tour in Seoul on April 13 and visit Taipei and Hong Kong later in the month, VAST Entertainment said, adding it will be his first Asian tour in six years.(Yonhap)Detailed schedules of the fan meeting tour will become available on the talent agency's website and SNS accounts.Hyun Bin most recently appeared in the cable channel tvN's weekly drama series "M

TelevisionMarch 5, 2019

[Herald Review] Phantasmagoric staging of Haydn’s ‘Creation’ pleases eyes, ears

Spanish theater troupe La Fura dels Baus’ innovative production of Haydn’s oratorio “The Creation,” which ran at Art Center Incheon on Friday and Saturday, was a feast for the eyes and ears.The iconic oratorio work from 1798 depicts the biblical story of creation. While the original composition, intended for a religious presentation, does not include interactions between characters, the experimental theater troupe adapted the work by adding visual art installations. Friday’s production highlight

PerformanceMarch 4, 2019

Netflix shares still photos of 'Kingdom' Season 2

Netflix on Monday unveiled still photos of the second season of its first original Korean drama series, "Kingdom," ahead of its expected release later this year.The photos show a herd of zombies who never fall asleep although the sky is getting brighter with sunshine and the drama's hero, Prince Lee Chang (played by Ju Ji-hoon), drawing his sword in the darkness. (Netflix)Premiered in January, the television series has drawn big attention at home and in other Asian countries for being Netflix's

TelevisionMarch 4, 2019

'Captain Marvel' advance ticket sales top 240,000 in S. Korea

"Captain Marvel" has already sold 240,000 tickets two days ahead of its theatrical release in South Korea, data showed Monday.The advance ticket sales of the Marvel superhero film recorded 245,880 as of 7 a.m. Monday, topping the ticket presale chart for the ninth consecutive day, the data from the Korean Film Council showed. (Image captured from Marvel`s website)This exceeded the number of advance tickets sold for other Marvel solo superhero films: "Black Panther" (180,000), "Doctor Strange" (1

FilmMarch 4, 2019

Robert Motherwell’s ‘Elegy’ series to be shown in Seoul

Barakat Contemporary, Seoul-based Barakat Gallery’s modern and contemporary art venue, is introducing works by artist Robert Motherwell.The exhibition kicking off Wednesday will feature 23 artworks that Motherwell produced between 1958 and 1985, including those from his iconic painting series “Elegy to the Spanish Republic,” largely characterized by ovoids and vertical beams. “Elegy to the Spanish Republic No. 110C” (1968) by Robert Motherwell (Barakat Seoul) “Elegy to the Spanish Republic No. 1

Arts & DesignMarch 3, 2019

BTS to add five shows to sold-out world tour

K-pop boy band BTS plans to offer additional concerts on its upcoming tour of five cities in the United States and Europe, as tickets have sold out, its official website showed Sunday.(Yonhap)The five additional shows will be held at Rose Bowl Stadium in Los Angeles on May 5, at Soldier Field in Chicago on May 12, at Metlife Stadium in New Jersey on May 19, at Wembley Stadium in London on June 2 and at Stade de France in Paris on June 8.The announcement came a day after the sale all tickets sold

PerformanceMarch 3, 2019

BLACKPINK becomes first Korean cover girls for Billboard

A pink-hued photo image of K-pop girl group BLACKPINK hit the cover of the Billboard magazine's March edition, making the quartet the first Korean female music group representing the American pop magazine.The cover image of Billboard's March edition was released on its official website on Thursday (US time), showing the four BLACKPINK members, clad in colorful dresses, lying on their backs and staring up at the camera. (Alexandra Gavillet=Billboard)"After years training for US domination, K-pop'

PerformanceMarch 1, 2019

More pets travel in, out of Korea

With the idea of traveling with pets (companion animals) is becoming the norm, travel-related industries are welcoming pet owners and their pets by launching related services.The number of service animals on flights has been increasing significantly in recent years. (123rf)According to the Ministry of Land and Transportation, in 2017, 41,343 pets were carried on planes, marking a 46.7 percent increase from 28,182 of 2015. Compared with 33,437 of 2016, it is a 23.6 percent increase. Reflecting th

CultureMarch 1, 2019

Ultra Korea announces lineup for this year’s festival

Ultra Korea, the Korean leg of the worldwide Ultra Music Festival, has announced a new batch of artists that will participate in this year’s event.Martin Garrix, Skrillex, Porter Robinson’s new alias Virtual Self, Jamie Jones, Josh Wink, Eats Everything and Art Department have been added to the previously-announced lineup. Garrix, a Dutch DJ and record producer, was ranked No.1 on DJ Mag’s Top 100 DJs list for three consecutive years from 2016 to 2018. In addition to his own work, he has collabo

PerformanceMarch 1, 2019

Seogwipo to hold annual canola walking festival

Seogwipo, on the south coast of Jeju Island, will host an annual walking festival that takes place alongside its famous canola flower fields.According to Seogwipo Tourism Council, which organizes the event, the 21st Seogwipo Yuchae (Canola) Flower International Walking Festival will be held March 23-24 across the seaside city. It is co-hosted by Seogwipo metropolitan government and Korea Athletic Promotion Association.As Jeju is one of the biggest tourism spots in the country, hundreds of partic

TravelMarch 1, 2019

[Eye Plus] Remembering Yu Gwan-sun, icon of Korea’s March 1 Independence Movement

As Korea celebrates the 100th anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement of 1919 on Friday, an iconic figure of the tumultuous period returns to the spotlight: Yu Gwan-sun.Yu, who was 16 years old at the time, was an active participant and martyr of the independence movement. She is remembered as a brave, young patriot who inspired others to join Korea’s resistance against Japan’s colonial rule.Yu was born in 1902 to Christian parents in the small town of Byeongcheon near Cheonan, South Ch

Social AffairsFeb. 28, 2019

Embarking on ‘Organ Odyssey’ with organist Park Joon-ho

Many of us have played the piano, the violin or the flute at some point in our lives. But how many of us have played the organ? The organ is an exquisite instrument, one that not many people get a chance to experience. As grand as a house, its complex structure puts it beyond comparisons with other musical instruments. As of now, there is only one functional grand pipe organ for classical music in Korea -- at the Lotte Concert Hall. A second, at the Sejong Art Center, is currently under repair.

PerformanceFeb. 28, 2019

[Around the Hotels] Packages and promotions

Welcoming spring at Park Hyatt SeoulPark Hyatt Seoul’s restaurant The Lounge is welcoming spring with a new set menu. The four-course meal features spring vegetables in every dish, starting with soup followed by steamed fish, grilled beef, bibimbap and dessert. 　It is available from March 6 to April 19 from 5:30 to 9 p.m. It costs 90,000 won per person and can be paired with two glasses of wine for an additional charge of 30,000 won.For more information, call The Lounge at (02) 2016-1205.Celebra

FoodFeb. 28, 2019

[Weekender] Tracing footsteps of March 1 Movement

Gwanghwamun, Jongno, Deoksugung, Changgyeonggung and Seoul Station: These are all places in central Seoul, frequented by thousands of locals and foreigners every day.Some of them are destinations, others fall on the way to their final destination. Nonetheless, they are some of the busiest spots in the city, always packed with people. Exactly 100 years ago on this day, these streets were also busy. On March 1 1919, the places mentioned above were swarming with crowds. Though the people were in di

CultureFeb. 28, 2019

[Weekender] Notorious colonial-era prison commemorates sacrifices of March 1

The Seodaemun Prison History Museum, a grotesque shrine dedicated to fallen patriots who fought Japan’s 1910-45 colonization of the Korean Peninsula, is holding an exhibition of artifacts related to their struggle and the March 1 Independence Movement of 1919.The ongoing exhibition “100 Years of History Preserved in Cultural Heritage,” which runs until April 21, is divided into three sections. The first focuses on preparations for the March 1, 1919, protest and the simultaneous Proclamation of K

CultureFeb. 28, 2019

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Uljin Snow Crab Festival The Uljin Snow Crab Festival celebrates Uljin’s famous local specialty, snow crabs. Visitors can taste fresh seafood caught from Uljin’s Hupo Port and participate in a variety of crab-related events, including a snow crab eating competition and fishing for snow crabs. The festival is open to visitors of all ages. The ongoing event continues through Sunday.For more information in Korean, English, Japanese and Chinese, call the travel hotline at 1330. The homepage -- www.u

TravelFeb. 28, 2019

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

A Resistance(Korea)Opened Feb. 27Drama, HistoryDirected by Jo Min-hoAfter the iconic March 1 Independence Movement of 1919, one of its leading figures, Yu Gwan-sun (Go Ah-sung), is sentenced to three years in prison and sent to the infamous Keijo Prison, now known as Seodaemun Prison. But being confined to a tiny cell with dozens of inmates does not hold back Yu, her unconquerable spirit seeping out from behind the locked doors.Savaha: The Sixth Finger(Korea)Opened Feb. 20Mystery, Horror Directe

FilmFeb. 28, 2019

BIGBANG's Seungri denies drug, sex-for-favors allegations in police questioning

Seungri of the popular boy group BIGBANG denied drug use and sex-for-favors allegations during a questioning, police said Thursday.An investigation team of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency sent him back home after grilling him overnight.The 29-year-old singer, during the questioning, denied all suspicions surrounding him ranging from narcotics use to attempting to buy sex services for potential foreign investors. (Yonhap)He, in particular, stated that he never exchanged the text messages dis

PerformanceFeb. 28, 2019