JYP artists sweeping charts

JYP Entertainment is once again proving itself to be a K-pop powerhouse.The latest releases by the agency’s artists have been sweeping music charts in recent weeks. On Monday morning, girl group Twice -- best known for hit tracks such as “Like Ooh-Aah” and “Cheer Up” -- returned to the spotlight with its third mini album “TWICEcoaster: Lane 1.” The album’s title track “TT” dominated major local music charts, including Bugs, MelOn, Mnet, Genie, Soribada, Monkey3, Olleh Music and Naver Music. Its

PerformanceOct. 24, 2016

Asian World Film Festival to feature 5 Korean films

The second annual Asian World Film Festival is screening five films from Korea.The Los Angeles-based event kicked off Monday with the screening of British filmmaker Asif Kapadia’s “Ali and Nino,” which takes place in Azerbaijan during World War I.Five recent Korean films -- “The Age of Shadows,” “Asura,” “The Map Against the World,” “The World of Us” and “Operation Chromite” -- will be featured throughout the week as part of the newly designed Korean Film Days program in association with CJ Ente

FilmOct. 24, 2016

October 'Culture Day' to offer nationwide discounts, free performances

Since January 2014, the last Wednesday of every month has been designated a special “Culture Day” to boost support for the local culture and arts.During Culture Day, museums offer discounts for exhibitions. Cultural sites such as the royal palaces and Jongmyo Shrine offer free admission or discounted admission fees, while performances at national art organizations such as the National Theater of Korea, National Gugak Center, Korea National Opera, and Korean National Ballet are free of charge or

CultureOct. 24, 2016

Tibetan monk Rinpoche to visit Korea in November

Tibetan monk Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, widely known as “the happiest man in the world,” is scheduled to visit Korea next month after completing a four-year near-death retreat. Rinpoche, born in a small Nepalese village near Tibet, has gained worldwide reputation as a meditation teacher and best-selling author. He is holding several retreats in Seoul from Nov. 4 to Nov. 8 to shed light on how to find meaning in lives. On Nov. 11, Rinpoche plans to give a lecture in Busan to share his experiences i

PeopleOct. 24, 2016

Flemish ‘Mystic Lamb’ masterpiece restored after chaotic past

GHENT, Belgium (AFP) -- A painstaking restoration of a 15th-century Flemish masterpiece is revealing the long-lost detail and splendor that helped make the altarpiece one of the world’s most stolen artworks.“The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb” by the Van Eyck brothers was unveiled600 years ago at Saint Bavo’s Cathedral in Ghent, but since then its full glory has dimmed, after being split into pieces, seized by Napoleon, then the Nazis, and nabbed by thieves.“You could say it is like the rediscover

PerformanceOct. 24, 2016

Bill Murray accepts humor prize after gentle roast

WASHINGTON (AP) - In an evening filled with jokes about Bill Murray's elusiveness and quirky personality, it was David Letterman who provided the most touching moment as Murray was honored with the nation’s top prize for comedy.Murray, 66, received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor on Sunday night at the Kennedy Center, joining several other "Saturday Night Live" alumni to win the annual award. After he was presented with a bust of Mark Twain, Murray handed it to a man in the first row of

PeopleOct. 24, 2016

Bae Yong-joon, Park Soo-jin welcome first son

Actor Bae Yong-joon and his wife, singer-turned-actress Park Soo-jin, announced Monday they have welcomed a baby boy into their family.“Park gave birth to a baby boy at a maternity clinic in Gangnam,” Bae’s management agency Keyeast Co. said, referring to an uptown neighborhood in southern Seoul. “Both the mother and baby are healthy.”The two tied the knot in July last year and announced Park’s pregnancy in April. The 44-year-old Bae became one of the first and most successful Korean Wave stars

PeopleOct. 24, 2016

Korean Culture Week takes off at Kennedy Center

Jerome Ford, an antiques appraiser, left work an hour and a half earlier than usual Friday to put himself at the front of a long line of people at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington.After another hour and a half waiting, he got what he wanted: one of the seats in the front row for the South Korean nonverbal comedy and percussion show “Nanta,” the opening installment of the inaugural three-day “Korean Culture Week.”Ford, 68, from Alexandria, Virginia, was among about

CultureOct. 24, 2016

K-pop idols suffering from stress-related illnesses

This month alone the local entertainment industry has been hit with a number of K-pop idols suffering from fatigue and other stress-related mental health issues. With all these stars taking time out from their hectic schedules, one question needs to be answered -- where do we draw the line? In a span of three weeks, a member of mega hallyu boy band EXO fainted at Incheon airport, a Crayon Pop starlet suspended all her music activities due to anxiety, and a member of the newly debuted WINNER halt

PerformanceOct. 23, 2016

A true nomad at heart

LONDON -- In 2000, artist Koo Jeong-a was commissioned by a Swiss cultural foundation to write a book. Handpicked by renowned German art curator Beatrix Ruf, who is now director of the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, she felt thrilled to be the sole winner of the annual artist book project.But she didn’t feel confident about writing. Instead of expressing her thoughts in words, she chose to do what she did best -- draw. She created 1,001 line drawings as records of her daily life, named them “Civ

PerformanceOct. 23, 2016

‘Luck-Key’ continues to top box office

Comedy film “Luck-Key” is continuing to dominate the local box office. Over 600,000 local moviegoers flocked to theaters for the film on Saturday alone, according to data from the Korean Film Council on Sunday. It has attracted nearly 3.8 million people since its opening day on Oct. 13. A remake of the 2012 Japanese blockbuster “Key of Life” by Kenji Uchida, “Luck-Key” follows the series of events that unfold after a man loses his memory as a result of an accident at a public bathhouse. Directed

FilmOct. 23, 2016

NRG to mark 20th anniversary with album

Boy band NRG is joining Shinhwa, S.E.S and Sechs Kies in the growing list of first-generation K-pop groups making a comeback in recent months.To celebrate the group’s 19th debut anniversary, three of the remaining NRG members -- Chun Myung-hoon, Lee Sung-jin and Noh Yoo-min -- held a fan meeting at KT Olleh Square in Seoul on Saturday to announce their plans for a new album, scheduled to be released next year to commemorate the group’s 20 years. “This is our comeback, rather than a reunion, sinc

PerformanceOct. 23, 2016

Pop stars and fast cars: Taylor Swift plays Formula One

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- With their red, white and blue tutus and Taylor Swift t-shirts, Rachel Emling and Mikala Crews were everything Formula One wanted at the US Grand Prix: young fans who would travel across the country for a mix of pop stars and fast cars.Tens of thousands packed into the Circuit of the Americas on Saturday night for Swift's only concert of the year at Formula One’s only race on American soil. Formula One's goal in booking Swift was to hook a new generation of fans to their sp

PerformanceOct. 23, 2016

Prince Albert buys Philadelphia home of mom Grace Kelly

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- The Philadelphia home where Oscar-winning actress Grace Kelly grew up and accepted a marriage proposal from Prince Rainier III of Monaco in 1955 is now in the hands of the royal family.Her son, Prince Albert of Monaco, has confirmed to People Magazine that he was the recent purchaser of the six-bedroom, 2.5-story Colonial home in the city's East Falls section. He said in an interview on the magazine’s website posted Friday that the house is “very special to our family.” He s

CultureOct. 23, 2016

Nobel academy member calls Bob Dylan's silence 'arrogant'

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) -- A member of the Swedish Academy that awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize in literature to Bob Dylan says the American singer-songwriter's silence since receiving the honor is “impolite and arrogant.”Per Wastberg said Dylan’s lack of reaction to the honor the academy bestowed on him last week was predictable, but disrespectful nonetheless. “One can say that it is impolite and arrogant. He is who he is,” Wastberg was quoted as saying in Saturday's edition of the Swedish newspa

CultureOct. 23, 2016

Wonder Woman named a special UN ambassador, despite protests

UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- The United Nations celebrated Wonder Woman's 75th birthday on Friday by naming the comic book character as its new Honorary Ambassador for the Empowerment of Woman and Girls, despite frustration from both inside and outside the world organization that the spot should go to a real -- and less sexualized -- woman.The carefully choreographed ceremony was marred by some 50 UN staffers protesting by the visitors’ entrance to the UN, who then went inside the Economic and Social

CultureOct. 23, 2016

[Eye Interview] Architect sees cities as the answer to challenges of future

INCHEON -- Imagine two large windowless concrete buildings standing parallel to each other with a plaza between them. Stifling, mirthless, one might think. But not so for the two entertainment facilities being built as part of Paradise City, an integrated resort five minutes from Incheon Airport by monorail. Designed by Dutch architect Winy Maas of MVRVD, a firm co-founded in 1993 with Jacob Van Rijs and Nathalie de Vries, Paradise City’s Chromite and Sandbox, the club and entertainment building

Arts & DesignOct. 21, 2016