[Herald Interview] ‘English-language media is like face of Korea to world’

The first thing Paul Shin, a veteran English-language journalist, asked during an interview in Gwanghwamun, Seoul, Monday was, “What desk do you work at?” 　“The culture desk did not take up a big part of English-language newspapers back in my day,” he said upon hearing the response. “International audiences were more interested in the authoritarian regime,” said Shin, 76, referring to the period of the Park Chung-hee administration in the 1960s and ’70s. 　Now, stories on Korean culture, ranging

PeopleApril 27, 2016

Kim Yun-a to release solo album

Modern rock band Jaurim’s vocalist Kim Yun-a will release the solo digital single “Kyrie” on April 29, said the singer’s agency Interpark.　Jaurim, which means purple rainforest, had performed in the indie scene until its debut in 1997 with its first single, “Hey Hey Hey,” an original sound track of the movie “Man Holding Flowers.”  Singer-songwriter Kim Yun-a of modern rock band Jaurim (Interpark)　Kim’s fans have long been awaiting her comeback, as neither the band nor the singer have released a

PerformanceApril 27, 2016

Epik High to return to Japan

Hip-hop trio Epik High is due to release the Japanese version of “Don’t Hate Me” on April 27, ahead of its planned Japan tour, the group’s agency YG Entertainment announced Tuesday.　“Don’t Hate Me,” a pop punk tune with the catchy refrain “Everybody hates me, but you love me and I love you,” was released in 2012. The Japanese version of the song is a collaboration with Gashima, a Japanese rapper and songwriter from White Jam. Korean hip-hop trio Epik High (YG Entertainment)　The revised version o

PerformanceApril 27, 2016

Irish writer O’Connor and the strange music of unhappy families

TOULOUSE, France (AFP) - When the Irish novelist Joseph O’Connor reads his books aloud he almost sings them. Like his sister, the singer Sinead O’Connor, he is forever searching for “musicality.”　In the famously tumultuous O’Connor household, art was a family affair. 　Joseph, the eldest, began writing at 14 and published his first book at 27.　His youngest sister Sinead was a pop sensation at 21, while his other sister Eimear is a well-known painter and art historian.　But there was price to pay.

BooksApril 27, 2016

‘A seder goes hilariously wrong in author Brenda Janowitz’s novel

“The Dinner Party” 　By Brenda Janowitz　St. Martin’s Griffin (288 pages, $15.99 paper)　Sylvia Gold, an upwardly mobile doctor’s wife in Greenwich, Conn., is in a tizzy. Her overachiever med student daughter Becca finally has a boyfriend -- and he’s a Rothschild. Of the Rothschilds, the richest and most powerful Jewish family on earth. And he and his parents are coming for dinner. Not just any dinner, but Passover seder.　Quick, she has to redecorate the entire house, hire a chef, buy new table lin

BooksApril 27, 2016

Polish women prisoners of Nazi camp were no lilacs

“Lilac Girls” 　By Martha Hall Kelly 　Ballantine Books (496 pages, $26)　Martha Hall Kelly stumbled on the idea that would lead to her debut novel, “Lilac Girls,” when she decided to take a tour of the Bellamy-Ferriday house and garden in Bethlehem, Connecticut　The historic home got the Bellamy part of its name from a reverend who gained fame through his role in the Great Awakening, America’s religious revival of the mid-18th century.　About 150 years later, the 40.5-hectare farmstead was purchased

BooksApril 27, 2016

Miami author bakes her way through life

“Life without a Recipe” 　By Diana Abu-Jaber　Norton (272 pages, $26.95)　Diana Abu-Jaber has spent years carving out a life as a successful writer, struggling to reconcile the competing voices in her head, one from a tough-minded German grandmother and the other from her exuberant Arab father.　Through it all, she baked. Cookies and cakes, tarts and scones, a blizzard of confectioners’ sugar blanketing all difficulties, smoothing out rough edges, sweetening the bitter. In the kitchen and in life, s

BooksApril 27, 2016

[Hallyu Power] Song Joong-ki is more than good looks

Though many have come to know him as the dashing Army Capt. Yoo Shi-jin in the recent hit series “Descendants of the Sun,” actor Song Joong-ki has steadily built up a diverse filmography since his debut in 2008.　When it comes to his acting career, Song is not shy about his ambitions, he revealed in a group interview at the Grand Hyatt Seoul on April 15.   Song Joong-ki waves to the audience at a fan meeting in Seoul on April 18. (Blossom Entertainment)　“There are so many characters I want to pla

TelevisionApril 26, 2016

Lights celebrate Buddha’s birthday

The annual Yeondeunghoe, the lotus lantern festival, is set to light up Seoul streets to celebrate Buddha’s birthday falling on May 14 this year.　The festival, designated Korea’s Important Intangible Cultural Property No. 122, will take place at Jogyesa and Bongeunsa temples and along Jongno Street on May 6-8. 　The origin of the three-day festival dates back to the Unified Silla era over 1,300 years ago, when the festival was held on Daeboreum, a day celebrating the first full moon of the lunar

CultureApril 26, 2016

Calligrapher depicts energy of universe

Calligrapher Sakong Hong-joo is holding a solo exhibition from April 27 to May 3 at Namsan Gallery in Seoul.　His 14th solo exhibition presents 23 ink-and-wash paintings with bold calligraphic strokes through which the artist attempts to portray the “good energy” in the universe. In order to visualize the energy, the artist depicted 64 hexagrams from “I Ching,” or the ancient Chinese “Book of Change.”   “Ji Cheon Tae,” symbolizing harmony in family and work, by Sakong Hong-joo (Courtesy of the ar

PerformanceApril 26, 2016

Fascinating cultural experiences await at the center of Gangnam

The creative culture festival “C-Festival 2016” will be taking place at the Convention and Exhibition Center in Samseong-dong from May 4-8.　The annual festival, jointly launched by Coex and the World Trade Center Seoul in 2015, will present events and programs featuring K-pop, art, culture, and technology. It will also feature programs that cater to specific needs such as family time, romance, exhibitions and conventions and healing. More details can be viewed on its website www.c-festival.com.

CultureApril 26, 2016

AOA meets Japanese fans

Following the release of its Japanese single “Give Me the Love” on April 20, K-pop girl group AOA has been holding events to promote the new song.　The group visited Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka from April 21-24, attracting thousands of Japanese fans. The promotion included a mini live concert and events that allowed fans to get close to AOA. The group also performed its other hits “Heart Attack” and “Oh Boy,” along with “Give Me the Love.” K-pop girl group AOA poses at an event promoting their new Ja

PerformanceApril 26, 2016

SM’s EDM label to drop first track

ScreaM Records, entertainment giant SM Entertainment’s electronic dance music label, will release its first song “Wave” at midnight on May 5.　The label, one of the agency’s new projects announced at the presentation show “SMTOWN: New Culture Technology, 2016,” was launched to expand the K-pop experience from just appreciating music to actively participating, said the agency. 　It aims to present quality music by collaborating with world-famous EDM DJs and producers, as well as with various artist

PerformanceApril 26, 2016

7-11 launches ginseng kimbap

A ginseng variety of samgak kimbap was launched at 7-eleven convenience stores in Korea on Tuesday, in collaboration with Korea Ginseng Corporation. Samgak, or triangle, kimbap have long been a convenience store staple. Rice is formed into a triangle about the size of a baby‘s fist and wrapped in seaweed with any number of varying ingredients inside. Popular fillings are spicy bulgogi and tuna with mayonnaise.  (7-11 Korea)The newly launched product has rice cooked in Cheong Kwan Jang red ginsen

FoodApril 26, 2016

Prince’s lawyer: Singer led clean lifestyle

Prince’s longtime lawyer called the death of the superstar a complete shock and said Monday that the singer lived a clean and healthy lifestyle, disputing suggestions that he had a drug addiction.　Prince was found dead in Paisley Park, his home and vast recording studio in Chanhassen, Minnesota, on Thursday at the age of 57. An autopsy was conducted, but complete results won’t be in for weeks. Police have said there was no indication of suicide.　Lawyer L. Londell McMillan had known Prince for 25

PerformanceApril 26, 2016

Daily Wine offers affordable bottles

Affordable wine merchant Daily Wine opened its first shop in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, on Tuesday. The warehouse wholesaler trades more than 700 kinds of wine for discounted prices of between 5,000 won ($4) and 20,000 won. It is open to individual buyers. (Daily Wine)Daily Wine said it was able to offer low prices by cutting down on supply costs through direct transactions and bulk orders, as well as using a low-cost suburban location. The closest subway station to the Uiwang shop is the Indeog

Expat LivingApril 26, 2016