‘Sarong Party Girls’ takes an exciting plunge into the lives of modern Singaporean women

Pineapple tarts. The thought of those flaky butter cookies topped with pineapple jam made Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan’s stomach churn. She craved the taste of them. And she had a hunger for home.It was early 2009, a few weeks before New York Fashion Week. Tan, a fashion writer for The Wall Street Journal at the time, had plenty on her plate, except for her grandmother’s cookies.She didn’t know how to make any of her favorite food from her homeland. So she took a break, traveling to the kitchens of her gr

BooksJuly 27, 2016

Tim LaHaye, author of “Left Behind” end-times novels, dies

The Rev. Tim LaHaye, coauthor of the “Left Behind” series, a multimillion-selling literary juggernaut that brought end-times prophecy into mainstream bookstores, died Monday. He was 90.LaHaye died in a San Diego, California, hospital, days after having suffered a stroke, according to his publicist Johnnie Moore. Coauthored with Jerry B. Jenkins, the 16-volume “Left Behind” series of novels published by Tyndale House Publishers sold more than 80 million copies worldwide, Moore said, and populariz

BooksJuly 27, 2016

SHINee gears up for comeback

After a 16-month-long hiatus, K-pop group SHINee is ready to unveil new material. The five-member boy band is scheduled to release a new album in September, the official date depending on how the group’s currently scheduled events pan out, a local media outlet reported quoting an industry insider. To promote its fourth Japanese studio album “D×D×D,” SHINee performed 20 concerts throughout Japan from January to May, attracting a total of over a million fans.The group’s entertainment agency S.M. E

PerformanceJuly 27, 2016

Beyonce, Adele lead MTV Video Music Award nods

NEW YORK (AFP) -- Beyonce on Tuesday led nominations for the MTV Video Music Awards as she basked in acclaim for her film-album “Lemonade.”The pop diva was in the running for 11 awards at MTV‘s annual extravaganza, which will take place Aug. 28 in New York’s Madison Square Garden, a shift from the more common venue in Los Angeles.Adele came in second with eight nominations. All but seven were for the chart-topping English balladeer's “Hello,” which with more than 1.6 billion views is the fifth m

PerformanceJuly 27, 2016

‘Pokemon Go’ players stumble on hidden history

PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island (AP) -- Historical markers have long dotted the landscape, often barely noticed by passers-by -- until they became treasure-filled stops this month on the "Pokemon Go" trail.Players hunting for fictional creatures on their smartphones are now visiting real-life memorial plaques, statues, mosaics and landmarks, ranging from a Civil War battlefield in Chancellorsville, Virginia, to a Hells Angels clubhouse on New Zealand’s North Island.Some don't bother to linger at these

CultureJuly 27, 2016

Part Time Cooks heat up the Korean hip-hop scene

Part Time Cooks might not be a household name, but the hip-hop duo are making their mark on the Korean hip-hop scene with the release of their first studio album, “7:30,” and a tour of Japan to start this week.Hailing from North Carolina and Durban in South Africa, the 30-year-old rappers met through a mutual friend four years ago after moving to South Korea to teach English.“I decided to be his hype man and he decided to be mine until we started to make music together,” Moss told The Korea Hera

Expat LivingJuly 26, 2016

Thai teen artists visit Seoul for art project

Eight teenage artists from Thailand will be exhibiting their work in Seoul Wednesday as part of a two week project.Creative Matters, an art academy in Bangkok, teamed up with Jankura Artspace in Seoul for the project which will see the artists, aged 15-17, display their projects under the theme “Hidden Seoul”The artists have been taking classes at Jankura and using its studio space to work on their projects. Jankura founder Mike Stewart said the projects ranged from 3-D models to collage and wat

Expat LivingJuly 26, 2016

North Korean refugees to share their stories at joint panel event

North Korean refugees will share their stories at a panel event with scholars, activists and volunteers.The mini-conference, hosted by Teach North Korean Refugees and Seoul University of Foreign Studies, will feature two panels.The first panel, organized by the university, will feature academics while the second panel, organized by TNKR, will focus on three refugees and their plight.“We have three different aims: to raise awareness about North Korean issues, given an opportunity for refugees to

Expat LivingJuly 26, 2016

‘Babel 250’ aims to bridge cultures

The seaside village of Daraengi, located on the southern-most tip of the Korean Peninsula, is not where one would expect to find a lot of foreigners. However, tvN’s new reality show “Babel 250” which began airing July 11, has brought together seven people from across the globe -- from neighboring countries as close as China to the unfamiliar territory of Venezuela -- to this remote village. The only common ground they seemed to share initially is achieving the ultimate goal of the show -- to cre

TelevisionJuly 26, 2016

Treasures from Sinan shipwreck on view

In August 1975, a fisherman landed an unusual catch off the west coast of Korea. In his fishing net were six ceramic vessels including celadons -- or pottery made with celadon glaze -- that date back to the 14th century Yuan Dynasty China. This prompted people to say that there must be a shipwreck with more prized relics buried deep in the muddy seabed off the island of Jeungdo, Sinan in South Jeolla Province. A year later, archaeologists launched an underwater salvage operation which continued

CultureJuly 26, 2016

Actor Park Hae-jin to launch official fan club

Korean actor Park Hae-jin is scheduled to launch his official fan club at Yonsei University in Seoul on Sept. 25, according to his management agency Mountain Movement on Tuesday .Park, who made his debut in 2006, recently gained global popularity after starring in tvN’s hit drama series “Cheese in the Trap.”Since the registration for members began in June, Park’s first fan club “CLUB Jin’s” already has attracted members from 27 countries, including China, Japan, England, Turkey, Norway and more.

TelevisionJuly 26, 2016

Oh My Girl releases teaser image for new album

Oh My Girl is returning to the spotlight with a new album.The rookie K-pop girl group released a teaser image for its upcoming summer special album on the group’s official social media channels at midnight on Tuesday. The new album contains four remakes, including the 2000 hit song “Listen to Me” by one of the first generation K-pop girl groups, Papaya. Recorded in collaboration with the reggae duo Skull & Haha, the updated track still boasts the refreshing tunes found in the original version, a

PerformanceJuly 26, 2016

Wagner festival given rapturous reception on opening night

BAYREUTH, Germany (AFP) - Germany’s legendary Bayreuth opera festival, dedicated to the works of Richard Wagner, got off to a rapturous start on Monday with a brand new production of the composer's last opera, “Parsifal,” enthusiastically received by the first-night audience.While this year’s month-long proceedings have been overshadowed by a series of deadly attacks in the country, the performers were tumultuously applauded at the end of the six-hour performance.However, opera critics were less

PerformanceJuly 26, 2016

[Foreigners Who Loved Korea] Tang Jiyao, promoter of the Korean-Chinese International Alliance

Tang Jiyao was born in Huize County, Yunan province on Aug. 14, 1883. After completing his studies in traditional learning at a private school, he was selected to study abroad in Japan on a government scholarship in 1904 where he embraced modern learning at Tokyo Shimbu Gakko, or School for Promoting the Science of War. In August the following year, he registered with Sun Yat-sen’s Tongmenghui (Chinese United League) founded in Tokyo, and organized an Infantry Corps and Military Studies Society

CultureJuly 25, 2016