Kang Se-hwang: A Renaissance man

The 18th century was a crucial moment for the people of the Joseon era (1392-1910). Cities started to form, trade was active and Western knowledge was introduced to the country by those who traveled to China, opening the eyes of the intellectuals who believed the traditional Confucianist way of life was the only one of merit. Kang Se-hwang (1713-1791) was a painter, calligrapher, poet and critic who captured the dynamic sceneries of the time. Drawing since the age of 10 and painting until his de

July 1, 2013

Beneath NYC’s ground zero, a museum takes shape

NEW YORK (AP) ― Gray dust blankets everything in the subterranean halls of the unfinished National September 11 Memorial & Museum. But while the powder may look ominously like the ash that covered lower Manhattan after the terrorist attacks, this time it is a product of rebirth, not destruction.After a yearlong construction shutdown because of a funding dispute, and additional months of cleanup following a shocking flood caused by Superstorm Sandy, work has been racing ahead again at the museum,

June 30, 2013

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Pop music“2013 Ansan Valley Rock Festival”: As Korea’s biggest rock festival, the Valley Rock Festival presents one of the best line-ups of big musicians from Korea and abroad such as this year’s headliners The Cure, NiN, Skrillex, the Foals, the XX, My Bloody Valentine, Idiotape, Peppertones and many others. This year’s festival has moved from Jisan Resort to the Daebu Sea Breeze Theme Park. The three-day festival will be held July 26-28. Ticket prices are 120,000 won for a one-day pass, 230,00

June 28, 2013

Gugak musical ‘Arirang’ sings of Korea’s bright future

The Korean traditional folk song “Arirang” reflects Koreans’ unique sentiment of “han,” representing the suppressed yet hopeful desire for justice. The UNESCO Cultural Heritage piece is also believed to have played a key role in creating solidarity among Korean people throughout historical hardships and in shaping the Korean identity. In commemoration of gugak, or Korean traditional music, song’s listing as a UNESCO Cultural Heritage item last December, the National Gugak Center is staging the o

June 26, 2013

Korean War sites considered for national cultural heritage status

The Cultural Heritage Administration on Monday said it would push to register five historical sites of the Korean War (1950-1953) as cultural heritage subject to state management. Those being considered are the Resistance Shrine at Mount Gamaksan in Paju; the Norwegian field hospital in Dongducheon; a military bunker in Pocheon; the joint cemetery of the Taegeukdan resistance in Goyang, all in Gyeonggi Province; and the joint cemetery of policemen who died during battle against North Korean mili

June 24, 2013

Ministry seeks to revive Joseon portraiture

Portraits in Korea are much more than simple artworks. Rather, they are signs of respect for ancestors that have been passed down through generations. Portraits of the Joseon era (1392-1910) are known for their realistic description and details. They are also called jeonsinhwa, a painting that passes down the spirits of ancestors. Unlike in neighboring countries, painters were devoted to portraying subjects as realistically as possible based on the belief that “if things as small as a strand of

June 24, 2013

Reality TV hypes plastic surgery craze

An overweight 20-year-old man with breasts and “unattractive facial features,” as well as a 30-year-old woman suffering from excessive hair growth due to a hormonal malfunction boasted that they have found a second life. They each went under the knife and were strongly driven to shed the weight. And when they walked out into the “world” with vulnerable hearts, hundreds of thousands of people gave them the “victory” sign and applauded them for looking “unbelievably great.” These were the lucky tw

June 23, 2013

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Theater“A Tale of Two Cities”: “A Tale of Two Cities,” a musical based on the novel of the same title by Charles Dickens, is being restaged in Seoul after its first run in the city last year. The piece is set against the conflicts between the rebels and aristocracy during the French revolution and its parallel world in 18th-century London. It tells the story of Sydney Carton, a shrewd young English lawyer who develops a strong, unrequited love for Lucie Manette, a young, loving French woman who

June 21, 2013

A community pulled apart by racism

Until She Comes HomeBy Lori Roy (Dutton)Lori Roy mixes lyrical prose, a noir approach and gothic undertones for an urban story set in 1958 about a community pulled apart by racism, fear and image in her second novel. As she did in her 2011 Edgar-winning debut “Bent Road,” Roy delivers a timeless story that gives shape to those secrets and tragedies from which some people never recover.Detroit’s Adler Avenue is the kind of neighborhood where a woman makes a roast beef dinner twice a month for the

June 20, 2013

A novel of family, conflict in Sri Lanka

On Sal Mal LaneBy Ru Freeman (Graywolf Press)In her rewarding new book, novelist Ru Freeman plunks readers “On Sal Mal Lane,” a tropical effusion of foliage and children growing up in Sri Lanka, the island off India’s southern tip. Colonialists once called the place Ceylon and prized its tea; Freeman, who grew up in the capital, Colombo, has something more pointed in mind.Her story moves chronologically toward July 1983, or “Black July,” when riots in Colombo ignited a civil war lasting nearly 2

June 20, 2013

New book examines Korean monochromatic painting

The first in-depth examination of Korean monochromatic painting is being published by an American art history professor in July, shedding new light on the Korean modern artistic movement that shaped what people view as today’s Korean abstract art. “Contemporary Korean Art: Tansaekhwa and the Urgency of Method,” written by Joan Kee, an art history professor at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, offers a fresh interpretation of the movement’s emergence and meaning that sheds new light on the hi

June 20, 2013

Site of Pocahontas rescue to be preserved

GLOUCESTER, Virginia (AP) ― A farm field overlooking the York River in Tidewater Virginia is believed to be where Pocahontas interceded with her powerful father Powhatan to rescue English Capt. John Smith from death.On loan to archaeologists for more than a decade, these 23 privately owned hectares will be preserved forever under an agreement years in the making and to be officially announced Friday. The deal is important for Native Americans because they believe their story has been overshadowe

June 20, 2013

Korea eyes cartoon renaissance

Comic books and cartoons have long been good friends to Koreans. From the early days of Lee Do-young, who satirized Japanese colonialists, to green dinosaur Dooly seeking his mother among mankind, and the latest webtoon by Yoon Tae-ho on the lives of office workers, cartoons have been a great source of fun, consolation and encouragement to many Koreans. According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, 1 in 3 people here enjoy cartoons or comics every week. Through Naver, the country’s l

June 20, 2013

Barrel-aged cocktails: A new trend?

The barrel-aged cocktail trend has yet to really take off in South Korea, but that did not deter bar B28 co-owner Mike Soldner from teaming up with major drinks business Diageo Korea to put them on the menu of B28’s new Seoul outlet.According to Soldner, the barrel-aged cocktails should be ready within several months.Essentially cocktails that are concocted and then put in small wooden barrels and aged for around six weeks, barrel-aged cocktails are, according to Soldner, “incredibly smooth.”“Ba

June 19, 2013

On-trend, over 50: Embrace fashion and your best features

Today’s fashion lines are blurry, and it’s not my old 60-plus-year-old eyes that are the problem. No, I see the confusion among many of my fellow baby boomers when it comes to what fashion look is right for our age.Is the line between what is “too young to wear” fading? Have the rules that our moms once held about how to dress for our age group vanished? Are we mystified about how to dress when the media typically only shows fashion ideas more appropriate for a 20-year-old? Yes to all.Blame it o

June 19, 2013

AAM translates softer side of Baroque music

Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons” is one of the most familiar classical music pieces here ― it is the default ringback tone for mobile phone users and one of the most frequently suggested pieces for novices. As such, it has lost freshness for many people due to its overexposure. But in Tuesday’s Academy of Ancient Music’s concert, the Italian composer’s 292-year-old piece was reincarnated into a more classical yet somehow softer, vibrant, light-hearted and romantic serenade to the changing seasons. T

June 19, 2013

Coexistence of time and space in painting

In paintings by artist Moon Ji-yeon, what you see on the surface of the canvas is not all there is. You will need an LED lighting to bring out the hidden image in the back ― a desolate urban landscape, characterized by a jumble of utility pole cables, transforms into a forest where a deer runs under the shining sun. That’s the complete image when two contrasting scenes merge with the lighting. Behind such exploration of blending painting with other mediums is Moon, 34, who is showcasing 20 of hi

June 19, 2013

[Newsmaker] UNESCO lists war diary, Saemaul archives

“Nanjung Ilgi,” or “War Diary,” by 16th-century naval hero Yi Sun-shin, and archives of Korea’s Saemaul Movement in the 1960s have been listed to the UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register, the Cultural Heritage Administration said Wednesday. Their inclusion brings the total number of South Korea’s heritage items on the UNESCO list to 11, the highest for an Asian country. The decision was made during the 11th session of the International Advisory Committee that opened in Gwangju on Tuesday when t

June 19, 2013