Most Popular
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Torrential rainfall forces 1,500 to evacuate, causes widespread damage to homes, roads
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Over 82,000 Korean young people unemployed, not searching for job long-term
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40% of Korea's workers who reported bullying faced retaliation: survey
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[KH Explains] Can smart chargers ease tensions over EV fires?
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600 evacuated as heavy rain floods roads, homes in southern regions
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1 in 5 households to have breadwinner over 80 in 30 years
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New Fifty Fifty off to strong start
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[Weekender] Young Koreans more open to Japanese cultural products
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Evicted guest burns down inn; 3 killed
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Jeju's solo traveler-friendly spots offer solitude as well as camaraderie
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A tribute to handwriting, solitude and silence
The job is simple – write pages of a novel on a piece of paper for an hour. Participants, one by one, walk into a small white room, sit down and pick up a pencil. They check at the page left open and begin to move their hand to transcribe it. This is an art project by artist Ahn Kyu-chul. At his solo exhibition currently at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, the 60-year-old artist invites the audience to engage in his creative process of completing conceptual installatio
Sept. 17, 2015
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Unstable emotions in dim landscapes
Award-winning artist Kong Sung-hun is presenting his new series in a solo exhibition at Arario Gallery in Seoul. Named artist of the year in 2013 by the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, Kong’s new painting series is in line with his previous works that won him the prestigious art prize.The “Dusky Landscape” consists of 16 large works that are as tall as 1.8 meters. The images in the series are familiar scenes: a white trail of an airplane in the sky, bare winter trees, stor
Sept. 15, 2015
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CNBLUE drops ‘2gether,’ defends status as rock band
CNBLUE lead vocalist Jung Yong-hwa and his bandmates perform at a showcase for their second album, “2gether,” at the AX-Korea stadium in Seoul on Monday. (Yonhap News)Coming six years after their debut and 19 months since their previous release, CNBLUE finally dropped their second full-length album, “2gether,” on Monday. “We’ve been together for six years, but this is only our second full-length album,” said CNBLUE front man Jung Yong-hwa, during a news conference at the AX-Korea Stadium in Seou
Sept. 15, 2015
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Art project traces tobacco from seed to cigarette
When the Korean government announced the biggest-ever hike in cigarette prices last year, smoker and artist Kim So-cheol and his friends decided to take action: They decided to make cigarettes on their own. They planted seeds of the two most popular tobacco plants ― Virginia and Burley ― on the rooftop of Kim’s small house in Mapo-gu, western Seoul. In four months, the plants grew as tall as Kim. “It started as a response to the government’s decision to raise tobacco prices,” Kim told The Korea
Sept. 14, 2015
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Cigarette making becomes art project
When the Korean government announced the biggest-ever hike in cigarette prices last year, smoker and artist Kim So-cheol and his friends decided to take action: They decided to make cigarettes on their own. They planted seeds of the two most popular tobacco plants -- Virginia and Burley -- on the rooftop of Kim’s small house in Mapo-gu, western Seoul. In four months, the plants grew as tall as Kim. “It started as a response to the government’s decision to raise tobacco prices,” Kim told The Kore
Sept. 14, 2015
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K-pop rising as key Asian identity, but still unfamiliar to many
While K-pop is quickly rising as a key cultural symbol in Asia, it remains much on the sidelines of the U.S. and European music industries, international experts said at a forum discussing the prospects of K-pop abroad. “The success of K-pop in the world is somewhat different from how it is perceived in Korea,” said Rob Schwartz, the Tokyo bureau chief of American music magazine Billboard, at the Seoul Music Forum, held from Sept. 11-12. A handful of industry insiders were present to discuss the
Sept. 13, 2015
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[Album Review] Seventeen gets catchy with ‘Boys Be’
Seventeen “Boys Be” (Loen Entertainment) Seventeen, the 13-member rookie group that debuted this year after going through a grueling training process broadcast on the air, has come out with a catchy second EP called “Boys Be.” Despite its name, Seventeen has 13 members, split up into three units -- the hip-hop unit, the vocal unit and the performance unit. Like its first EP “17 Carat,” “Boys Be” features one track from each of the three units. The lead track “Mansae” and the track “Rock” have a
Sept. 11, 2015
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[Album Review] G.Soul does deep house right on ‘Dirty’
G.Soul “Dirty” (KT Music) “Dirty” could probably pass for a DJ set at a house music lounge. With DJ and composer Frants (who also worked on the Wonder Girls’ ‘Reboot’ album), JYP’s G.Soul toned down the emotion of his first EP “Coming Home” from January, and turned up the beat to create a quality album combining jazz and soul with house music.Although the EP is called “Dirty” and the word repeats itself countlessly in the songs, the album exudes a romantic vibe thanks to G.Soul’s tone and his
Sept. 11, 2015
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[HERALD INTERVIEW] Making art ‘accessible’ to everyone
The Affordable Art Fair arrived in Seoul for the first time, kicking off its three-day showcase of contemporary art on Friday. The Seoul fair offers a wide range of artworks such as paintings, sculptures, installations and media works that suit “every tasteful taste bud,” said Will Ramsay, founder of the art fair.“There is plenty of good-quality art in an affordable price range. We are the venue for finding it,” he said in an interview at Dongdaemun Design Plaza, the fair venue, in Seoul on Thur
Sept. 11, 2015
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[Herald Interview] Family trio dropping a little opera to the club scene
Classical opera is getting a modern and chic revamp, leaving behind the fancy orchestra concert halls and heading out to the mecca of pop music culture and youth.After hitting it big in their native country of New Zealand with its 2013 self-titled debut album, up-and-coming opera crossover family trio Sol3 Mio will be performing its first concert in Korea in the most unlikely of venues -- Gangnam, Seoul nightclub Octagon. Contemporary classical opera trio Sol3 Mio (Universal Music)As part of the
Sept. 10, 2015
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Lin's ‘Rice’ pays visual homage to Asia’s staple grain
Bringing his visually breathtaking and poetically poignant contemporary dance piece “Rice” in front of Seoul audiences for the first time, renowned choreographer Lin Hwai-min will be introducing a whole new way for the audience to conceptualize the significance of even a simple grain of rice. Having been deemed by some critics as “Asia’s most important choreographer,” Lin is no stranger to intertwining the element of rice into his performances.Born and raised in Taiwan, Lin’s parents grew up in
Sept. 10, 2015
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Finding originality in Korean contemporary art
Following a series of unprecedented shows of support for art museums from last year, Hyundai Motor Co. is holding an art exhibition in Seoul that highlights the creativity of Korean contemporary artists and the traditional elements and aesthetics that inspired them. The “Dream Society” exhibition, now in its third year, brings together leading artists, architects and designers, who converge with innovative ideas of “Koreanness” in their installations, sculptures and paintings. Installation by
Sept. 8, 2015
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Korean fans prop up Maroon 5’s shaky Seoul concert
Maroon 5’s much-anticipated performance in Seoul was a letdown in terms of musical satisfaction. Lead singer Adam Levine’s voice remained unstable, with his trademark high-pitch tone often failing. It was the Korean fans who salvaged the strained performance with their over-the-top support for the band on Monday. Maroon 5’s “V tour“ in Seoul‘s Olympic Gymnastics Arena (Live Nation Korea)Signs of trouble were detected early on when the group abruptly postponed their concert in Daegu on Sunday,
Sept. 8, 2015
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Pianist Paik going nationwide with Russian classics
Considered one of the most influential pianists of his generation, 69-year-old Paik Kun-woo will be making his way back to the public eye with the launch of his upcoming “Kun-woo Paik Piano Recital” nationwide tour this month.After giving his first public performance at the tender age of 10 with the Korean National Orchestra. The child prodigy later went on to perform at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, in his orchestral debut, at the age of 15. Since then, Paik has performed on some of the wor
Sept. 7, 2015
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Monsta X returns with ‘Rush’
Rookie hip-hop boy group Monsta X of Starship Entertainment was blessed with a crew of the most in-demand names in hip-hop for their second EP “Rush.”The six-track EP includes songs worked on by Mad Clown, Crybaby and Rhymer, as well as the lead track “Rush” produced by Giriboy. Monsta X’s rapper Jooheon took part in writing the lyrics for five of the six tracks, with fellow rapper I.M joining him on four, including “Rush.”The lead track “Rush” is a pounding hip-hop track with cute, witty lyrics
Sept. 7, 2015
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Lee Bul showcases ‘micro versions’ of her signature, gigantic works
Lee Bul rose to fame in the Korean art scene with her radical performance art involving the subject of abortion in 1989. At an exhibition space in Seoul, the 25-year-old artist hung herself upside down while nude and spoke of her physical trauma to the audience. In 1990, she held another performance wearing a monstrous oversized costume that was reminiscent of disfigured human forms on the streets in Tokyo. The performances in her earlier art career were to express prejudice and oppression again
Sept. 6, 2015
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Fostering creativity while cultivating skill
A quick walk through the campus of Korea Animation High School (nicknamed Anigo among locals) makes it immediately apparent that it is not an ordinary Korean high school. The campus is big and brightly colored, and students roam freely with dyed hair and piercings, dressed in casual clothing. Each floor, and even the stairwells connecting the floors are decorated with the students’ artwork.“We try to give our students an environment that maximizes their creativity,” teacher Kim Young-mi told The
Sept. 4, 2015
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[Album Review] Giriboy becomes Everyman on ‘Lonely 4Songs’
Giriboy “Lonely 4Songs” (Loen Entertainment) In all of Giriboy’s songs, the common denominator is Giriboy’s ability to write lyrics that are highly relatable. He doesn’t disappoint on “Lonely 4Songs,” an EP devoted to expressing the process of coping with loneliness that most people go through after a breakup. Written entirely as a collaboration between Giriboy and Han Yo-han, a producer-guitarist who has worked with Block B’s Zico and most recently on Blacknut’s song “What I Can Do” for “Show
Sept. 4, 2015
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[Album Review] Beat Win lacking X factor on ‘Insatiable’
Beat Win “Insatiable” (Loen Entertainment) It has been reported that at the media showcase for the album “Insatiable,” Beat Win announced they would “break” the Korean pop music industry. Unfortunately, their first EP “Insatiable” -- which came out after the group regrouped into five members -- does not seem to take them quite there. “Insatiable” starts off with a bold intro called “Attention,” warning other artists about who they’re dealing with, but things spiral very fast. The lead track “S
Sept. 4, 2015
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[Album Review] Verbal Jint shows off on ‘Yeoja’
Verbal Jint & Sanchez “Yeoja” (Loen Entertainment) Sanchez was cast personally by Verbal Jint to put “Yeoja” together, and it’s easy to see why: Sanchez’s thin, high voice provides a nice contrast to Verbal Jint’s distinctive low voice and staccato rapping style. The lead track “Favorite!” is a new version of the 2007 track Verbal Jint released with Dynamic Duo, which turned the hip-hop track into a pop track with Sanchez’s vocal style reminiscent of Michael Jackson’s. “My Type 2.5” is also a
Sept. 4, 2015