Mentor and mentee reunite for duo recital

Violinist Chung Kyung-wha and pianist Cho Seong-jin will hold a duo concert at the Seoul Arts Center on Wednesday, part of a nationwide tour that started Sept. 1.The tour marks the first time in six years that the two classical music virtuosos have performed together. The last time, in 2012, Cho was a high school senior. Violinist Chung Kyung-wha and pianist Cho Seong-jin speak during a press conference at Seoul Arts Center on Monday. (Yonhap)“I remember it was in Jinju around six years ago, whe

PerformanceSept. 10, 2018

Wassup Man offers rare glimpse of JYP, S.M. headquarters

Popular YouTuber Wassup Man offered a rare glimpse of the headquarters of major entertainment agencies JYP Entertainment and S.M. Entertainment in a recent video.The video featuring the Korean-American YouTuber’s visit to JYP and S.M.’s headquarters had been watched over 3 million times as of Monday afternoon. (Wassup Man's YouTube)The rapper and YouTuber, whose name is Park Joon-hyung, first headed to JYP’s new headquarters in Seoul. The agency is behind successful K-pop groups like Twice and G

TelevisionSept. 10, 2018

G-Dragon’s ‘Who You?’ tops 100m views

G-Dragon hit another milestone with the music video for “Who You?” as it topped 100 million views on YouTube on Monday. (YG Entertainment)The leader of Big Bang released his second solo EP’s title track in September 2013. The music video was considered special, as more than 1,000 fans participated in its filming by recording G-Dragon performing inside a large glass box and themselves watching the performance from outside. The video showed G-Dragon and the fans from different angles, as multiple

PerformanceSept. 10, 2018

Big Bang’s Seungri stars in Netflix sitcom ‘YG FSO’

Major talent agency YG Entertainment and streaming service Netflix announced Monday their co-produced sitcom series “YG Future Strategy Office” is to be released on Oct. 5. The eight-episode series will center on Seungri of Big Bang, who has been in the spotlight alone since all of his bandmates enlisted in the military earlier this year. He has appeared on many entertainment shows lately. “YG Future Strategy Office” (YG Entertainment)Seungri will star as the head of YG’s future strategy office,

TelevisionSept. 10, 2018

Art flows along Han River

The sun beams, river flows and wind blows at an art gallery with neither wall nor ceiling. Hangang Art Park, situated at the Han riverside parks of Ichon and Yeouido, opened Aug. 25 with the aim of bringing art into the everyday.Under the theme of “Hangang: Art in the Flow,” the outdoor art installations reflect four keywords related to the river: lively, relaxed, inspiring and secretive. One of the exhibits has already attracted quite a bit of attention on the internet. “White Bear” by Ji Yong-

Arts & DesignSept. 10, 2018

Red Velvet kicks off ‘Red Mare’ world tour in Thailand

Red Velvet successfully kicked off its “Red Mare” world tour series in Thailand, drawing about 5,000 concertgoers. The sold-out concert titled “Red Velvet 2nd Concert [REDMARE] in BANGKOK,” which marked the act’s first performance in Thailand, was held on Saturday at Thunder Dome in Bangkok.  (S.M. Entertainment)In 2 1/2 hours, the group performed a total of 22 songs including “Happiness,” “Ice Cream Cake,” “Dumb Dumb,” “Russian Roulette,” “Rookie,” “Red Flavor,” “Bad Boy,” as well as its recent

PerformanceSept. 10, 2018

Roy Kim unveils title of new single

Roy Kim has unveiled that the title of his new single will be “Let’s Stop,” or “Uri Geuman Haja” in Korean.The singer broke the news through a video dubbed “Message from Roy” late Sunday on his Instagram, which shows a photo album on a phone screen before a video of him talking plays and the title “Let’s Stop” appears in a text message.The date on the phone screen indicates 6 p.m. on Sept. 18, which is the day his new single is slated for release. (Stone Music Entertainment)The singer-songwriter

PerformanceSept. 10, 2018

Big Bang attracts 10m YouTube subscribers

K-pop boy band Big Bang now has over 10 million subscribers on YouTube, qualifying for the Diamond Play Button.The group had 10.006 million subscribers as of early Monday, joining the likes of BTS and Black Pink, who preceded the quintet in reaching the milestone.The group will be given the Diamond Play Button trophy as the video platform congratulates those reaching 10 million subscribers with a Diamond Creator Award.(YouTube)The Silver Play Button is given to YouTubers with over 100,000 subscr

PerformanceSept. 10, 2018

Palais De Tokyo’s site-specific exhibition reinvents once-abandoned public space

One of the 2018 Gwangju Biennale’s Pavilion projects, “Today Will Happen” has reinvented a historical site -- the Gwangju Civic Center. The Gwangju Civic Center, completed in 1971, was used as a venue for cultural events. During the Gwangju Democratization Movement in 1980, the center served as citizen militias’ headquarters. The space has since remained largely unused, even after a renovation in 2014; only its office space was recently in use.  Young Korean twin brothers perform as part of a wo

Arts & DesignSept. 9, 2018

Gwangju Biennale explores ‘Imagined Borders’

The 12th edition of the Gwangju Biennale kicked off Friday, with 165 artists from 43 countries participating.A curatorial collective of 11 independent curators put together this year’s biennale. “The most important point was the process, the ways in which artists build up the biennale. The curators have tried to have conversations with each other as much as they could and also to make the exhibition relatable to the city and the local people here,” said Kim Sun-jung, Gwangju Biennale Foundation

Arts & DesignSept. 9, 2018

Ambassadors visit DMZ

Do Jong-hwan, the minister of culture, sports and tourism, led a group of Seoul-based foreign diplomats on a visit to the Demilitarized Zone on Friday.The visit, according to the Culture Ministry, was intended to promote DMZ tourism in light of thawing inter-Korea tensions. The ministry said the event would play a part in gaining the international community’s support for peace on the peninsula. Culture Minister Do Jong-hwan leads a group of Seoul-based foreign diplomats on a visit to the Demilit

CultureSept. 7, 2018

Ellie Goulding wows Seoul fans for 90 minutes

British singer Ellie Goulding wowed fans at her very first concert in Seoul on Thursday night, promising new music is on the way.The singer-songwriter powered through a hit-packed set of 17 songs, including “On My Mind,” “Lights” and “Burn,” filling Olympic Hall with her strong stage presence.During the 90-minute show, the singer also had some good news for her fans.Ellie Goulding during her first Seoul concert at Olympic Hall on Thursday night. (Live Nation)“I promise I’ll give you guys some ne

PerformanceSept. 7, 2018

Louis Vuitton trunk inspired by Korea’s traditional marriage culture

Stylist Seo Young-hee has designed a special edition trunk for Louis Vuitton, influenced by Korea’s traditional marriage culture.Seo, who worked as a stylist for Vogue Korea before switching to work as an artistic director of fashion on a project basis, is known combining Korean traditional crafts with modern fashion. She was inspired by the luxury brand’s “Volez Voguez Voyagez” exhibition in Seoul last year.At the exhibition, one of the brand’s signature trunks was decorated like a “hahm” using

Arts & DesignSept. 7, 2018

Photographer Yoo Byung-Chang to hold exhibition on Jeju Jusangjeolli

Former Herald Media CEO Yoo Byung-chang is holding his second exhibition as a professional photographer in Seoul next week, themed on the Jeju Island landmark Jusangjeolli.The exhibition, named “The Echo from A Distant Time,” will be held from Sept.12-17 at Gallery Nsart in Insa-dong, Seoul, formerly known as Insa Art Space. Jusangjeolli, a collection of cliffs on Jeju Island formed of hexagonal columns of rock, is a popular tourist sight.In words of the artist, the shots depict the peculiar-sha

CultureSept. 7, 2018

BTS releases video for ‘Idol’ featuring Nicki Minaj

K-pop boy band BTS has unveiled a music video with US rap star Nicki Minaj.The video of “Idol” was released via the group’s official YouTube channel on Friday. The version featuring Nicki Minaj is not on the group’s album but is available as a special digital track released online. (Youtube)The video for the new version of the song shows Minaj rapping while her lyrics appear on the background in Hangeul, the Korean alphabet. BTS’ label Big Hit Entertainment said, “It was Nicki Minaj’s idea to wr

PerformanceSept. 7, 2018

[Eye Plus] Petite France envelopes visitors in French culture

Following some 10 kilometers on the lakeside of Cheongpyeong Dam in Gyeonggi Province toward Nami Island, one is welcomed by a small French theme park with unique and colorful houses. Opened in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, a decade ago, French-style theme park Petite France offers visitors various experience programs, performances and exhibitions, steeping them in French and European culture.From centuries-old traditional French “Guignol” hand puppet performances and a doll play with traditional

TravelSept. 7, 2018

Jung Eun-young wins MMCA Korea Artist Prize

Artist Jung Eun-young was announced the winner of the Korea Artist Prize 2018 on Wednesday evening. The competition is organized by the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea. Jung was one of four finalists for the prize. The others were Gu Min-ja, Okin Collective and Jung Jae-ho.The artist won the prize for her exploration of “Yeoseong Gukgeuk,” an all-female theater genre that was once popular in the 1950s but is now mostly forgotten.  Artist Jung Eun-young, the winner of the Ko

Arts & DesignSept. 6, 2018

[Trending] Veteran actor Im put over W10b into children's park

A theme park run by veteran actor Im Chae-moo went viral on social media Thursday, the day after Im appeared on the MBC talk show “Radio Star” and recalled the park’s early days. The 69-year-old actor opened Doori Land in 1991 and decided a week after its launch to open it to the public for free. Im encountered a father who was hesitant to enter the park, he said on Wednesday’s show, because he couldn’t afford the admission fees for his family. (MBC)“I immediately gathered the executives and ask

TelevisionSept. 6, 2018

[Weekender] Noryangjin, a home turf of test-takers’ soul food

Noryangjin, a cluster of private cram institutes for various national exams, is home to some 40,000 Korean test-takers in their 20s and 30s. As most of its students tend to stay near their cram schools from early in the morning to late at night, the area’s dining culture has also evolved along the life patterns of the students. Portions are much cheaper and larger than in other Seoul neighborhoods, while the restaurants, vendors and cafes also tend to serve food quickly to save students’ time. 

FoodSept. 6, 2018

Orson Welles film, drama about NK defectors highlight BIFF

Netflix original films by master auteurs and a drama about a North Korean defector and the restoration of her broken family are some of the highlights of the upcoming Busan International Film Festival from Oct. 4-13.“The Other Side of the Wind” by Orson Welles, “Roma” by Alfonso Cuaron, and “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” by the Coen brothers will be screened at the upcoming festival.Welles’ mockumentary will be featured in the newly created Busan classic section of BIFF, which features 13 classi

FilmSept. 6, 2018