The Korea Herald

‘Love Story’ and beyond: A few classic romantic tearjerkers

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- When was the last time you had a good cry at the movies? Call it emotional blackmail or just good storytelling, but there’s nothing quite like a romantic tearjerker, whether it’s a forbidden love, a terminal illness or just bad timing that conspires to keep our on-screen lovers apart, and us sobbing.The filmmakers behind “Me Before You,” out Friday, hope that their film about a working-class girl and the wealthy quadriplegic she falls for might just be a worthy addition to th

FilmJune 2, 2016

Britain‘s oldest hand-dated document found in Roman trove

LONDON (AFP) -- The earliest dated handwritten document from Britain has been unearthed in the heart of London, archeologists announced Wednesday, among a trove of Roman writing tablets revealing the city’s commerce-driven beginnings.The wooden tablet, a notice of debt owed dated Jan. 8, 57 -- less than 14 years after the Roman invasion of 43 -- was found deep beneath what is now the City of London financial hub.The 405 tablets also contained the earliest surviving written reference to London.Th

CultureJune 2, 2016

Britain‘s oldest hand-dated document found in Roman trove

Dior takes Parisian style to Britain’s countryside

WOODSTOCK, England (AFP) -- Dior staged a catwalk show of its “Cruise collection” at the majestic Blenheim Palace in the Oxfordshire countryside Tuesday, in a lavish event reflecting the growing importance of between-seasons collections.The fashion event at the 18th-century stately home, the birthplace of Britain’s wartime prime minister Winston Churchill, was a nod to the past for the French design house, which held events there twice in the 1950s.The brand’s Swiss creative duo of designers, Lu

Arts & DesignJune 2, 2016

Many brands opt out of Milan men‘s runway shows this year

MILAN (AP) -- The Milan Fashion Week men’s calendar is full of holes. Zegna, Calvin Klein, Cavalli, Costume National, Ermanno Scervino and Bottega Veneta are among the fashion houses that have opted not to do runway shows in June. 　 Carlo Capasa, head of the National Chamber of Italian Fashion, said Tuesday that fashion brands are experimenting with their strategy and using menswear to do it. 　 Capasa said he expects the shifts to presentations instead of runway shows will “give energy to fashio

Arts & DesignJune 2, 2016

A guide to New York’s top bagels and schmear

NEW YORK (AP) -- At street carts and bodegas, diners and supermarkets, nowhere is the bagel more ubiquitous than New York City.So exactly what makes a New York City bagel good and, more importantly, where can an eager out-of-towner find the best?A few ideas:Black Seed BagelsThese 2-year-old entries are rolled by hand, boiled in honey water and baked in wood-fired ovens at three downtown Manhattan locations. They’re smaller and flatter than many of the humongous, puffy bagels around today. Black

FoodJune 2, 2016

A guide to New York’s top bagels and schmear

Korean vegetables to be grown in French royal garden

The Seoul Metropolitan Government and a French state school of landscape architecture have signed a memorandum of understanding to set aside space for Korean vegetables in a French royal kitchen garden, officials here said Thursday.The move is part of bilateral efforts to bolster environmentally friendly agricultural cooperation on the occasion of the 130th anniversary this year of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Korea and France, the officials said.Under the MOU, the Seoul mu

FoodJune 2, 2016

Live streaming of Park Hae-jin's Chinese show prep hits 1 mln views

More than a million people watched the behind-the-scenes footage of South Korean actor Park Hae-jin's appearance on a Chinese entertainment show, his publicist said Thursday.Park's every word and gesture was broadcast live on the Chinese social media website Weibo in the run-up to the pre-recorded session of "Jing's Talk Show" last Friday, HNS HQ said.The video racked up 1.34 million views as of Tuesday, with the episode to air on Chongqing TV on June 16.During the recording session, Park discus

June 2, 2016

KCON France to kick off amid diplomatic anticipation

The world's largest K-pop festival will kick off in Paris, its first European destination, on Thursday with South Korean President Park Geun-hye attending.The line-up for KCON France includes the likes of Bangtan Boys, Block B, SHINee, F.T. Island, f(x) and I.O.I, CJ E&M, a South Korean entertainment company, said. I.O.I is a girl group created from cult reality series "Produce 101," which narrowed 101 candidates down to 11 finalists who now comprise the act.Park, who is in France to celebrate t

CultureJune 2, 2016

Big Bang to release World Tour movie

At the end of June, Big Bang will release a movie tracing the world tour concerts the group held last year, YG Entertainment said Wednesday. The film, titled “Big Bang MADE,” will open June 30 exclusively at CGV theaters in Korea. The group’s agency YG released a poster for the film on its official blog and social media outlets Wednesday. “Big Bang MADE” recounts the group’s 66 concerts held across 32 cities throughout 13 countries in North and South America, Australia and Asia from last April t

PerformanceJune 1, 2016

Dream Concert boasts stellar lineup

The 2016 Dream Concert, one of the largest K-pop concerts in Asia, will be held Saturday at the Seoul World Cup Stadium in Mapo-gu, Seoul. This 22nd edition will feature a stellar lineup of 28 acts this year, ranging from established superstars EXO and Taemin of SHINee to recent fan favorites like Mamamoo and VIXX. Other acts include popular girl groups GFriend and Red Velvet, as well as rising newbies CLC, I.O.I and NCT U. Model and actor Hong Jong-hyun, actress Kim So-hyun and Super Junior mem

PerformanceJune 1, 2016

Bolshoi dancer jailed for acid attack released

MOSCOW (AFP) - The Bolshoi ballet dancer who masterminded an acid attack on the troupe’s artistic director has been released on parole, his lawyer told Russian media on Tuesday. Bolshoi soloist Pavel Dmitrichenko, who was sentenced to six years in prison in 2013 for orchestrating an acid attack on artistic director Sergei Filin, has been granted parole and is already “back at home in Moscow,” his lawyer Sergei Kadyrov told TASS news agency. Kadyrov did not specify when his client, who had been s

PeopleJune 1, 2016

Chungmu Arts Center’s new head talks future of Korean productions

Newly appointed Chungmu Arts Center CEO Kim Seung-up has unveiled his vision for the arts center, which includes a heavy emphasis on creating and exporting more original Korean productions. 　Kim officially became head of the Chungmu Arts Center, formerly the Chungmu Art Hall, on Jan. 18, following the retirement of the center’s former leader Lee Jong-deok. 　On Wednesday, Kim met with press to announce his plans to make the Chungmu Arts Center the new “mecca of original Korean productions” and t

PerformanceJune 1, 2016

Chungmu Arts Center’s new head talks future of Korean productions

Tokyo museum exhibits Issey Miyake‘s constant innovations

TOKYO (AP) -- Although he’s behind one of the biggest fashion brands to come out of Japan, Issey Miyake detests being called a fashion designer. Maybe a designer, even a sculptor, but not that frivolous, trend-watching, conspicuous consumption known as fashion. What he has pursued since he started in the 1970s is more timeless. His down-to-earth clothing is meant to celebrate the human body. And it’s anyone’s or everyone’s body -- any race, build, size or age.“The work of Miyake Issey,” at the N

Arts & DesignJune 1, 2016

Tokyo museum exhibits Issey Miyake‘s constant innovations

‘Little Prince’ picture fetches 130,000 euros

PARIS (AFP) -- An original watercolor from French classic “The Little Prince” was sold for 133,200 euros ($148,000) on Tuesday, Paris auction house Artcurial said.Six buyers battled it out for the painting, which reached more than double its list price.“The price obtained for this iconic image is a measure of the status of this universal work of art and its international fame,” said Guillaume Romaneix, a books and manuscripts specialist at Artcurial.The painting shows “Le Petit Prince” in the de

PerformanceJune 1, 2016

Leibovitz talks high-fliers and photo phobics at Hong Kong show

HONG KONG (AFP) -- From dancers to corporate executives and rights campaigners, the latest show by photographer Annie Leibovitz revolves around high-flying women she says are more confident than her previous subjects -- though some still hated having their picture taken. “Women: New Portraits” opened in Hong Kong on Tuesday, the fifth stop on a 10-city tour, displayed in a bare bones setting on a disused floor of an industrial building. The images were produced on an Epson printer in her office,

PerformanceJune 1, 2016

Leibovitz talks high-fliers and photo phobics at Hong Kong show

Anthropologist follows trail of century-old hobo graffiti

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Anthropologist Susan Phillips had spent a career examining the graffiti that covers urban walls, bridges and freeway overpasses. But when she came across an unrecognizable collection made not of spray paint but substances like grease pencil and apparently left there for a century, she was stunned. Phillips had uncovered a peculiar, almost extinct form of American hieroglyphics known as hobo graffiti, the treasure trove discovered under a nondescript, 103-year-old bridge spann

CultureJune 1, 2016

Anthropologist follows trail of century-old hobo graffiti

Christie's fined over elephant ivory sale

LONDON (AFP) - Christie's auction house has been fined 3,250 pounds ($4,770) for selling a piece of elephant ivory without the correct documentation, London police said Tuesday.The silver-mounted tusk, put up for auction last year, did not have the right documentation under wildlife protection laws, a police statement said.A representative for the auction house pleaded guilty in London to selling the ivory, in contravention of an article in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Spe

CultureJune 1, 2016

Jung Yong-hwa becomes new face of Chinese public campaign

Actor, songwriter and lead singer of K-pop rock band CNBLUE Jung Yong-hwa, is the new face of the Chinese public campaign “Power to Go,” the artist’s agency FNC Entertainment announced Wednesday.　The campaign, which was started by Chinese actor-singer Chen Kun in 2010, includes charity concerts and donations, as well as a silent parade with celebrities. Promotional image of Chinese public event “Power To Go” starring Jung Yong-hwa. (Power To Go)　It is the first time a non-Chinese star has become

June 1, 2016

Jung Yong-hwa becomes new face of Chinese public campaign

Rewind! Germany's top court nixes Kraftwerk sample verdicts

BERLIN (AP) -- German electronic music pioneers Kraftwerk have suffered a legal setback at Germany's highest court in a suit over a two-second sample.The verdict is a victory for German music producer Moses Pelham, who had used a beat from Kraftwerk’s 1977 work “Metall auf Metall” without permission or payment.Pelham had argued that restricting the use of even short sequences would limit his artistic freedom because rap and hip-hop rely heavily on sampling.Tuesday’s ruling by Germany’s Constitut

PerformanceJune 1, 2016

EXO to drop new album next month

Popular K-pop boy band EXO will release its third studio album next month, the group’s agency said Tuesday.It will be the first album by the act in six months, following “Sing for You,” a winter seasonal special album that came out in December. EXO (S.M. Entertainment)S.M. Entertainment said the album will come out on June 9, and the group will celebrate with a large-scale showcase at Olympic Park in southern Seoul upon the eve of its release.Debuting in 2012, EXO rose to fame in South Korea and

PerformanceJune 1, 2016