The Barberettes, the retro female trio composed of An Shin-ae, Gyeong Seon and Park So-hee, will kick off its nationwide tour in February, the group’s agency EggPlant said.　The group is referred to as a “time slip” girl group, traveling back to the days of barbershop music. The Barberettes (EggPlant)　The group’s nationwide tour “It’s Showtime!” will cover seven cities -- Seoul, Jeonju, Daejeon, Gwangju, Daegu, Busan and Chuncheon -- from Feb. 19 to April 2, the agency said. 　The group will unvei

PerformanceJan. 28, 2016

An attorney represents a man accused of committing multiple homicides and who also happens to be her ex-fiance in Alafair Burke’s latest page-turner, “The Ex.”　Olivia Randall, a criminal defense attorney in New York, receives an urgent phone call from a teenage girl who says she needs her help. She‘s the daughter of Olivia’s ex-fiance, Jack Harris.   "The Ex" By Alafair Burke (Harper)　Harris is an acclaimed writer who lost his wife in a public shooting three years earlier and is now raising his

BooksJan. 28, 2016

Gus Murphy was looking forward to retirement after a distinguished career as a Long Island policeman, but when his son dropped dead of an undiagnosed heart defect during a pickup basketball game, Gus’s life all but ended, too.　That‘s when Tommy Delcamino, a small-time crook Gus used to arrest, shows up looking for help. Tommy’s son is dead, too, gunned down in a mysterious murder the Suffolk County police show little interest in solving. "Where It Hurts" By Reed Farrel Coleman (G.P. Putnam‘s Son

BooksJan. 28, 2016

China is the world’s second largest economy. It has the potential to catch up and speed past the U.S., the world’s largest economy, in the near future.　China has world-class information technology brands such as Alibaba, Huawei and Xiaomi that have stung the nerves of Google and Samsung. But Kim Man-gi asks, “Do people really know China?” and gives an in-depth and comprehensive view of the country in his new book “Why I Study China.” "Why I Study China" By Kim Man-gi (Dasan Books)　Dubbed the “Ch

BooksJan. 28, 2016

NEW YORK (AP) - Marie Kondo is back.　Author of the international best-seller "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up" (Ten Speed Press, 2014), Kondo became famous for advising readers how to transform their lives by sifting through their belongings one by one, embracing those that "spark joy" and bidding a fond but hasty farewell to the rest.　Her new book, "Spark Joy: an Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up" (Ten Speed), provides illustrations and more detail. Marie Ko

BooksJan. 28, 2016

NEW YORK (AP) -- Dutch conductor Jaap van Zweden has been hired to succeed Alan Gilbert as music director of the New York Philharmonic.Gilbert, who began in 2008-09, said last February that he intended to leave after the 2016-17 season. The orchestra said Wednesday that van Zweden will be its music director designate in 2017-18 and will become music director starting in 2018-19.  The file picture dated Nov. 12, 2011 shows Dutch conductor Jaap van Zweden during a good-bye concert to the Radio Fil

PerformanceJan. 28, 2016

LONDON (AFP) - Britain‘s Frances Hardinge became the first children’s author since Philip Pullman 14 years ago to win the prestigious Costa Book of the Year award in London Tuesday.　Hardinge‘s “The Lie Tree” is a 19th century detective novel in which teenager Faith tries to uncover the truth about her father’s mysterious death. Frances Hardinge poses for photographs with her book ”The Lie Tree“ at the Costa Book Awards in London, Tuesday. (AP-Yonhap)　She saw off competition from rivals including

BooksJan. 28, 2016

Violinist Chung Kyung-wha and jazz vocalist Na Yoon-sun will come together in a performance next month at the 2016 PyeongChang Winter Music Festival in Daegwallyeong, Gangwon Province.　Joining the two international names are a number of well-known musicians in classical music and jazz, reflecting the festival’s goal of presenting diverse music styles.　Na and guitarist Ulf Wakenius will open the festival at Alpensia Concert Hall on Feb. 25. Joining the team on stage will be Chung, who will perfor

PerformanceJan. 28, 2016

Bookstores these days do not just sell books. To keep afloat in the digital age, they are boosting their offerings by including art galleries in their stores, organising activities such as workshops and even selling alcoholic beverages. 　Such efforts seem to be paying off, at least at some places. At about 40 minutes past noon, Kyobo Book Center in downtown Seoul is crowded with people wanting to browse through the latest books.Visitors sit down to read books at the Kyobo Book Center in Gwanghwa

BooksJan. 28, 2016

The fifth season of “Show Me the Money,” a Korean rap competition show, will hold auditions in the U.S., accepting international candidates for the first time, cable channel Mnet said Wednesday. Open call poster for “Show Me the Money” season 5 (CJ E&M)　Applications will be accepted until March 6 for a chance to appear on the season that will begin airing in May.　“So many rappers overseas have asked to be part of the show,” Mnet said in a statement. “We‘ve decided to expand this opportunity to r

PerformanceJan. 28, 2016

SM Entertainment, one of the country’s leading forces in the K-pop industry, is adopting localization as its main strategy going forward, announcing its plans to launch new boy band NCT (Neo Culture Technology), which will break away from convention. At a press conference at SMTOWN Coex Artium in Gangnam-gu, Seoul on Wednesday, SM founder Lee Soo-man presented the company’s new hallyu localization strategy as part of his “New Culture Technology” project. SM is looking to expand its footprint wor

PerformanceJan. 28, 2016

It has been more than a month since Christmas lights were stripped-down from buildings, reducing the city blocks once again to their default cold, bleak and gray. In Seoul, however, media art installations and exhibitions have replaced the sparkling Christmas decorations, illuminating the city’s bleak midwinter and offering people the opportunity to enjoy some contemporary art. At the grand front entrance of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Gwanghwamun, a huge screen has been set up

PerformanceJan. 27, 2016

The number of global hallyu fan club members surpassed 35 million across 86 countries last year, up from 21.8 million in 2014, according to new data from the Korea Foundation Tuesday. There were a total of 1,493 official hallyu fan clubs worldwide, a 21 percent increase from 2014 when there were 1,229 clubs. A total of 26.21 million fan club members were reported in Asia-Pacific -- a 48 percent increase from 2014. The Americas had 7.58 million fans, a staggering 182 percent rise from 2014 to 201

Jan. 27, 2016

The Korean art world has been engulfed in a scandal involving rumors and suspicions surrounding allegedly forged works of Lee U-fan, a leading Korean artist on the international art scene. A forged certificate for his famous “From Point” series painting -- sold for $415,600 at a local art auction in December -- has shaken the Korean art community, spreading mistrust and suspicion in a world where reputation matters a great deal. As the National Forensic Service hasn’t confirmed the authenticity

PerformanceJan. 27, 2016