AOA sheds tears in first-ever standalone concert

South Korean girl group AOA has successfully finished its first standalone concert since its debut five years ago, its agency said Sunday.The group performed 27 songs for 150 minutes during the "Ace of Angles" concert at Seoul's Olympic Park on Saturday that followed the release of its first full-length album "Angel's Knock" in January, the FNC Entertainment said. (FNC Entertainment)The 27 songs included the album's title piece "Excuse Me," "Like a Cat," "Miniskirt," "Good Luck" and "Heart Attac

PerformanceMarch 12, 2017

Park Shin-hye to appear at preview of ‘Beauty and the Beast’

Actress Park Shin-hye will attend a special preview of the film “Beauty and the Beast” on Tuesday, ahead of the film’s opening here Thursday, according to Walt Disney Company Korea. Actress Park Shin-hye (The Korea Herald)The screening will be held Tuesday -- which is White Day, a follow-up to Valentine’s Day in Korea -- in collaboration with Swarovski, a fashion accessories brand. “Park Shin-hye will be there to celebrate the day together,” the company said.Park is the official model for the cr

March 12, 2017

TWICE proves unbeatable again with 'Knock Knock'

Always a hit and never a miss, the South Korean girl group Twice has proved again, as it bows out from publicity appearances on Sunday for its latest hit "Knock Knock" following a raving reception. "Knock Knock" is the lead track off TWICE's new album "TWICEcoaster: LANE 2," which came out on Feb. 20. Upon release, it immediately topped most streaming service charts, including Melon, Mnet and Naver Music. The team ends media promotion for the song through SBS TV's pop music program Inki Gayo.  (

PerformanceMarch 12, 2017

Comedy or politics? No need to pick in today's TV

The political scandal of former President Park Geun-hye, rooted in her decades-long relationship with her confidante Choi Soon-sil, is one of the biggest, if not strangest, in modern Korean history. It's also too good a topic for TV networks to just pass up.But it's one thing for network executives to order new shows that deal with the latest politics. It's another for showrunners to take the inside minutia of politics and actually make it interesting and engaging, not just for political junkies

CultureMarch 11, 2017

[Eye plus] Hobby collectors’ items show pieces of history

To most, yesterday’s newspapers, used stamps or emptied pay envelopes are trash. But they can become pieces of history when collected over a period time, even more so in the era of digitalization. Song Sang-cheon, Lim Il-tae and Lee Chong-chan -- three unrelated men in their 70s -- have one thing in common; they each have a hobby of collecting a certain type of item for more than 50 years. Song Sang-cheon, a newspaper and periodicals collector (Park Hyun-Koo/The Korea Herald)Song Sang-cheon has

PeopleMarch 10, 2017

Koo Hye-sun, Ahn Jae-hyun to leave ‘Newlyweds Diary’

Koo Hye-sun and her husband Ahn Jae-hyun will bid goodbye to tvN’s “Newlyweds Diary” in the program’s final episode. The show, on which the couple have been revealing their married life, will air its last episode Friday at 9:20 p.m. It first aired on Feb. 3.(Newlyweds Diary)Titled “Unfinished Stories,” the final episode will be made up of scenes that have not been aired yet, such as Koo and Ahn first entering their home in Inje County, Gangwon Province. The couple will also share each other’s ol

TelevisionMarch 10, 2017

[Around the Hotels] Spring promotion at Grand Hyatt Incheon

Spring promotion at Grand Hyatt IncheonThe Grand Hyatt Incheon is offering spring dishes at Grand Cafe throughout March. The dishes comprise of fresh and nutritious greens, including chamnamul, wild chives and shepherd’s purse. Other highlights include sea squirt bibimbap with lettuce; soybean paste soup with manila clams and shepherd’s purse; pine-scented grilled short-rib patties cooked with pine needle enzymes; and stir-fried spicy pork with wild chives. Sea mustard noodles and chamnamul are

FoodMarch 10, 2017

Herald Philharmonic rivets audiences with Western-Korean harmony

The Herald Philharmonic Orchestra held its fourth annual concert at the Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall in Seoul on Thursday, enthralling 2,000 guests with a harmony of classical Western and Korean music. Among the guests were 30 foreign diplomats, several company heads and 30 lawyers, as well as 280 freshman cadets and 20 professors from the Korea Military Academy in Seoul. Ambassadors of the European Union, Spain, South Africa, Turkey, Austria, Thailand and Malaysia were in attendance. Titled “

PerformanceMarch 10, 2017

[The Palate] Old world Chinese dumplings at Gubok Mandu

If you blink entering or exiting Sookmyung Station in Namyeong-dong, chances are you have passed the sliver of a shop, Gubok Mandu, non-descript among other tiny storefronts offering little to nothing to hurried commuters and army traffic. The name of the eatery may refer to the Korean word for dumplings, but what is being offered here are Chinese-style dumplings served the traditional way from a family recipe handed down generation to generation for the past 200 years.Luckily for those living a

FoodMarch 10, 2017

[Home Cooking] Hongeojjim (Steamed skate)

Hongeo (skate) is a popular fish in Korea. It’s eaten in many ways -- raw, fermented, steamed, pan-fried, spicy, mild, etc. Today, I’m showing you how to make hongeojjim (steamed skate). This delicate, firm fish has a mild, sweet taste and a unique texture. It has cartilage -- no bones. You can make this recipe with a whole wing or serving size pieces by cutting along the line of the cartilage. When cooked, the strands of flesh peel right off the cartilage, making it very easy to eat. Traditiona

FoodMarch 10, 2017

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Kong: Skull Island (US)Opened March 8Fantasy, science fiction. Directed by Jordan Vogt-RobertsIt is 1973. A secret organization called Monarch finds an island that is known to hold a new species of animals. An expedition team learns that a giant ape called Kong lives on the island, fighting predators called Skull Crawlers for dominance over the island. The expedition crew is concerned with its own survival on the dangerous island, but some members begin to see that Kong is also in need of rescui

FilmMarch 10, 2017

[Weekender] Travel bits

Yangpyeong Strawberry FestivalThe Yangpyeong Strawberry Festival is being held through the end of May. Visitors can pick their own strawberries at the strawberry farms and participate in a variety of activities and programs in the village. Reservations are required.Exclusive events for bloggers are on offer at blog.naver.com/yp_nadri. Up to 50 teams can participate. The festival is open to visitors of all ages. Visit www.yp21.net for information provided in Korean, English, Japanese and Mandarin

TravelMarch 10, 2017

[Eye interview] Pansori stars needed to popularize the genre

She was the inveterate backseat driver. From her seat at the back of the car, pansori master and Intangible Cultural Property title holder Ahn Sook-seon gave precise instructions to her manager who was driving us to a restaurant near the airport in Seongnam on Monday.She has a photographic memory when it comes to streets, but she can’t remember restaurant names, she confessed. “And all the lines I need to remember,” she said with a sigh, adding that with age it is getting increasingly difficult

PerformanceMarch 10, 2017

[Herald Review] Chick Corea Elektric Band jazzes up Korea

Considering the name, it was long overdue. Chick Corea Elektric Band‘s first concert in Korea took place at the LG Arts Center in Seoul on Wednesday, where Corea fans were treated to a wondrous two hours of music by original members of the legendary band.Chick Corea Elektric Band performs at the LG Arts Center in Seoul on Wednesday. (LG Arts Center)“I’m very happy to be here in my country again. ...This is Seoul Korea Elektric Band!” the band’s leader and pianist/keyboardist/composer Chick Corea

PerformanceMarch 10, 2017

[K-Talk] Brave Girls release ‘cleaner’ music video

K-pop group Brave Girls on Friday released a new music video of its latest single “Rollin’,” after the previous version had been accused of being oversexualized.The five-member group Tuesday released the single with an EP of the same name alongside a music video for it. The video was rated “19+” by the Korea Media Rating Board. Brave Girls (Brave Entertainment)The new version of the video was rated suitable for people aged 15 and above. “We were concerned that the new song would be underapprecia

PerformanceMarch 10, 2017

Korean content readily available on China’s black market

Since the joint Korea-US decision to deploy the THAAD battery in Korea last July, a de facto Hallyu ban has been in place in China. Following is the last article in a three-part series that examines the impact of the unofficial Hallyu ban on the Korean entertainment and tourism industries. --Ed.The Chinese government appears to be tightening its control of Korean content.　On Feb. 24, China’s media and online regulatory body issued orders restricting the streaming of the latest Korean dramas and 

TelevisionMarch 9, 2017

Culture Ministry pushes for ‘anti-blacklist’ bill

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Thursday vowed to push for legislation that would protect artists from discrimination, including political oppression, as part of its follow-up measure aimed at preventing the government from drawing up a blacklist of cultural figures.Investigation of the corruption and influence-peddling scandal involving President Park Geun-hye and her confidante Choi Soon-sil has revealed that the ministry kept a list of artists who were to be excluded from recei

CultureMarch 9, 2017

Roy Kim’s plagiarism trial resumes

The plagiarism trial involving K-pop singer Roy Kim resumed Thursday after a 17-month break.A local Christian music composer had sued Kim, accusing the singer of plagiarism in the hit song “Bom, Bom, Bom.” When he lost the case on Aug. 21, 2015, the unidentified singer took the case to the appellate court.The two sides met at the Seoul High Court to plead their cases. Roy Kim (CJ E&M)The lower court had ruled in favor of Kim on the basis that while the two songs share some similarities, most of

PerformanceMarch 9, 2017

Metallica, top rappers as Quebec festival turns 50

Metallica and leading rappers including Kendrick Lamar will play the Quebec City Summer Festival as one of North America‘s rare non-profit music festivals turns 50.Known in French as the Festival d’ete de Quebec, the event runs from July 6-16 with headliners playing at the Plains of Abraham battlefield, billed as the continent‘s largest stage with audience capacity of 100,000. Kirk Hammett, guitarist of the heavy metal rock band Metallica, performs in a concert in Mexico City, Sunday. (AP-Yonhap

PerformanceMarch 9, 2017

LVMH to reenlist Frank Gehry for applied arts center

LVMH will tap architect Frank Gehry once again to create a center for applied arts beside his Louis Vuitton Foundation, the luxury group and the City of Paris announced Wednesday.The celebrated Canadian-American architect, 88, will be tasked with renovating and transforming a disused museum located a stone’s throw from the futuristic Foundation he built on the western edge of Paris in the Bois de Boulogne.“The new center will be dedicated to artists, live performances and to the applied arts and

CultureMarch 9, 2017