AOA gives glimpse of choreography for ‘Excuse Me,’ ‘Bing Bing’

Girl group AOA (FNC Entertainment)K-pop girl group AOA released a video with the choreography for its new songs on Saturday evening.　The seven member group was featured dancing in a “motion poster” for the songs “Excuse Me” and “Bing Bing,” set to be the title tracks for AOA’s first LP “Angel’s Knock.” The album was released Monday at midnight.   　Snippets of the group’s on-stage choreography were revealed through the moving posters, released on AOA’s official social media accounts.　AOA is set t

Jan. 1, 2017

Future of hallyu beyond China?

The hallyu wave has made Korea one of Asia’s biggest entertainment powerhouses. Famous for K-pop and “Gangnam Style,” Korea’s entertainment industry is setting its sights on captivating new audiences, and new consumers.　Most recently riding the wave of success in China, the future expansion and growth of hallyu -- or Korean cultural content -- is seeking new export outlets.　The industry that was once all about penetrating the Japanese market has shifted its focus. While the exportation of Korean

Jan. 1, 2017

[Eye Interview] Salvation Army volunteer recounts lifetime of service on the streets

A regular sight during the Korean holiday season: Salvation Army volunteers stand next to their signature red kettles and ring handbells to raise donations.One such volunteer, Lee Sung-deok, 83, who has taken to the streets every winter starting 1954, rang his last bell this year, retiring after decades of charity work.Over 62 years, Lee witnessed the ups and downs of Korean history in the flurry of the streets, he told The Korea Herald in an interview at the Salvation Army’s Korean headquarters

PeopleDec. 30, 2016

Actors Gong Hyo-jin, Cho Jung-seok, Cho Jin-woong win top star award

Actors Gong Hyo-jin, Cho Jung-seok and Cho Jin-woong were crowned Korea‘s “top stars” Thursday at an award ceremony celebrating influential figures from various segments. The 2016 The Night of Stars-Korea Top Star Awards held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in central Seoul also honored film directors Na Hong-jin and Yeon Sang-ho for their hit films “The Wailing” and “Train to Busan,” respectively.Actor Cho Jung-seok attends the 2016 The Night of Stars-Korea Top Star Awards at Grand Hyatt Seoul on Thur

PeopleDec. 30, 2016

Carrie Fisher’s books become -ellers after her death

NEW YORK (AP) -- There’s been a run on Carrie Fisher’s books since the “Star Wars” actress and humorist died Tuesday.Fisher’s book, “The Princess Diarist,” was on top of Amazon’s list of best-selling books on Wednesday, just ahead of “Zero Sugar Diet.”“Wishful Drinking” and “Postcards From the Edge” were also in Amazon’s top 10, with “Shockaholic” ranked No. 57.Five of the top 10 books on Amazon’s “Movers and Shakers” list, which measures titles that show the greatest upward movement in sales ov

PeopleDec. 30, 2016

Iconic comedian Yoo Jae-suk wins top award, again

Comedian and TV host Yoo Jae-suk nabbed his 13th big accolade at the MBC Entertainment Awards on Thursday evening, further cementing his position as an icon of Korean onscreen entertainment. “The more prizes I receive, the more apologetic I feel,” Yoo, a 25-year comedy veteran, said in his acceptance speech upon receiving the Grand Prize at the awards ceremony held at the MBC Media Center in Sangam-dong, Seoul. “Thank you so much.”Yoo, known primarily for hosting popular MBC variety program “Inf

TelevisionDec. 30, 2016

Schwarzenegger: ‘Celebrity Apprentice’ his show, not Trump’s

 LOS ANGELES (AP) - In an epic mishmash of politics and celebrity, Donald Trump’s elevation from “Celebrity Apprentice” host to president-elect has created an opening for actor and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to become a reality TV star.To further complicate matters, Trump retains a producing stake in “The New Celebrity Apprentice.”But Schwarzenegger says viewers will find out who’s the boss when the revamped reality series debuts Monday on NBC with a two-hour episode.“The show

TelevisionDec. 30, 2016

[Around the hotels] This week’s promotions, packages

New Year countdown at Sheraton Seoul D Cube City Sheraton Seoul D Cube City Hotel is throwing a New Year’s countdown party at Lobby Lounge Bar on the 41st floor on Dec. 31. Guests will enjoy a performance by the Popera team from 8 p.m.-10 p.m., followed by various guest DJ performances from 10:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. The bar will offer a Moet Chandon Set featuring a bottle of champagne, Iberico pork, abalone, tuna, caviar, sea urchin roe and more. Guests can either reserve a table for dining or en

FoodDec. 30, 2016

[Recipe] Let’s eat: Cheese enchiladas with chili gravy

This time of year, things can get crazy. You might wonder who has time for a home-cooked dinner.These saucy, cheesy enchiladas are the answer to a busy person’s prayers. The gravy comes together quickly and uses everyday ingredients you most likely have on hand.I substituted scallions for the white onion and also spooned sour cream on top. Cheese enchiladas with chili gravy. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/TNS)Cheese enchiladas with chili gravyFor the chili gravy1/4 cup neutral oil, like canola or use

FoodDec. 29, 2016

Fermented foods open a gateway to good health, culinary adventures

SACRAMENTO, California -- The surge in popularity of fermented foods in recent years -- eating them, creating them at home, exploring different cultures and cuisines -- is based largely on the idea that this stuff can be really good for you.In today's filtered, purified, sanitized, antibacterial world, you might think avoiding bacteria of any kind is a good thing. Turns out, plenty of bacteria, invisible to the naked eye, are plastered all over our food and working on our behalf.Yes, that food y

FoodDec. 29, 2016

[Box Office] This week’s movie releases

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story(US)Opened Dec. 28Epic, sci-fi. Directed by Gareth EdwardsFormer scientist Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelsen) leads a peaceful existence on a farm with his wife and daughter Jyn (Felicity Jones). His world comes shattering down when evil weapons developer Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn) takes him from his family. Galen becomes the head engineer in developing a deadly weapon that will control the Death Star galaxy. Jyn, who has sided with the Rebel Alliance, sets out on a miss

FilmDec. 29, 2016

[Movie Review] Ben Affleck the director doesn’t do Affleck the star any favors in the period noir ‘Live by Night’

Ben Affleck is apparently at war with Ben Affleck. It is rare to come across someone with such gifts as both an actor and a director who struggles so much when it comes to directing himself as an actor. The new “Live by Night” finds him pulled in so many conflicting directions that what he ends up with is neither elegantly concise nor an epic sprawl, but rather something just awkwardly misshapen.“Live by Night” finds Affleck wearing the hats of director, star, screenwriter and producer, and in t

FilmDec. 29, 2016

Film on South, North Korean investigators’ bromance to open January

“Confidential Assignment,” an upcoming crime action flick starring Hyun Bin and Yoo Hae-jin, is slated to hit theaters on Jan. 18, its production companies CJ Entertainment and JK Film said Wednesday.　The film tells the story of the fictional first cooperative investigation between the South and North Korean police, to capture a North Korean criminal group that has defected and infiltrated South Korea. Hyun Bin (left) and Yoo Hae-jin star in “Confidential Assignment.” (CJ Entertainment)It center

FilmDec. 29, 2016

‘Universal appeal is integral to literature promotion’

“The Vegetarian,” a three-part novella by Korean author Han Kang, had all the key elements of success.Flush with literary subtlety, critique and insight, the novel, published in 2007, brought to light the culture of violence toward vegetarians and minorities through the perspective of Yeong-hye, a homemaker whose decision to become a non-meat eater entraps her in a cycle of vice and misery. The novel took nearly 10 years to catch the attention of readers worldwide, before it finally won the Man

CultureDec. 29, 2016

SS301’s Kim Hyung-jun to enter police force

Double S 301 member Kim Hyung-jun (CI ENT)SS301’s Kim Hyung-jun has passed the conscripted police exam and plans to enlist for his mandatory military service in April, according to his agency CI ENT. 　Kim had initially announced he would enlist in 2014, but his then-budding music and acting career led him to postpone the enlistment.  　Kim joins a number of other celebrities who plan to join the conscripted police force next year, including Big Bang’s T.O.P and JYJ’s Kim Jun-su. 　The artist made

PerformanceDec. 29, 2016

Year in pop: The 10 best albums of a year defined by loss

Has any pop album ever changed shape as quickly — and as thoroughly — as David Bowie’s “Blackstar”?On Jan. 8, the day it was released, Bowie’s collaboration with a group of adventurous New York jazz players represented a creative rebirth for this cultural icon. Two days later, Bowie died at age 69, and suddenly “Blackstar” became a document of finality, never to be heard again without being shadowed by his death.The speed and fullness of that transformation was extreme. But as we soon found out,

PerformanceDec. 29, 2016

[Movie review] Comedy and heartache make perfect bedfellows in the magnificent German comedy ‘Toni Erdmann’

Sandra Huller does the subtlest, loveliest double take you’ve ever seen. More a quick dart of the eyes, really, followed by a tensing of the shoulders, before her expression hardens and her mind leaps into damage-control mode.It’s a gift that this brilliant German actress keeps giving in “Toni Erdmann,” in which she stars as Ines Conradi, a tightly wound corporate consultant who has become so skilled at managing her clients’ moods and demands that she knows just how to react — or not react — whe

FilmDec. 28, 2016

Beloved bookstore opens after 14 years, but it isn’t the same

Standing six stories high at the center of downtown Seoul, Jongno Books was Korea’s first multilevel bookstore, established in 1907. It was a haven for writers and thinkers, offering not only Korean books of every kind but also English and Japanese publications, rare in Korea at the time. Stationery and music albums lined a corner of the fourth and fifth floors. It was also the first place to offer fixed prices for books.　Businessmen from nearby offices and students would browse for hours; frien

BooksDec. 28, 2016

AOA teams up with Brave Brothers again

AOA (FNC Entertainment)Girl group AOA will team up with mega K-pop producer Brave Brothers once again for its upcoming album, “Angels Knock.”　The album is slated for release on Jan. 2 and will mark AOA’s first full-length album since debuting in 2012. According to news reports, it will feature two lead singles, one of which was produced by Brave Brothers. 　Often referred to as a “hit maker,” Brave Brothers is one of the most sought after producers in the K-pop industry. It has worked alongside s

PerformanceDec. 28, 2016

K-pop groups gearing up for 2017 debut

New K-pop boy band Varsity (CSO Entertainment)As the year comes to a close, 2017 is revving up to welcome a new string of groups hoping to become the industry’s next big thing. 　From the minds of the famed choreography company Yama & Hotchicks, founded by Bae Yoon-jung, new girl group Seeart is set to make its official debut next year.　The first group ever to be debuted by Yama & Hotchicks, the new K-pop act is garnering much attention as its makers are behind some of the industry‘s most famed d

PerformanceDec. 28, 2016