Hip-hop duo gets lucky with ‘Luckynumbers’

South Korea’s hip-hop duo, Dynamic Duo, released their seventh album “Luckynumbers,” on Monday, quickly topping online charts. “Luckynumbers” contains 13 hip-hop tracks whose styles range from Detroit to trap sounds.In the lead track “Baaam,” Gaeko and Choi Ja belt out about a man’s unstable mental state when he falls for an attractive woman. The song incorporates UV member Muzie’s play of a vocoder in sync with a strong jaunty beat. The new album mastered by Stuart Hawkes, who has previously wo

July 1, 2013

Jewelry emerges as independent art genre

Many consider jewelry as merely an accessory, but a recently opened exhibition shows that it can also be art. Conceptual and experimental designs look very little like the everyday accessories worn by people today, but they have been recognized as works of art since the mid-20th century in the international art world. “Ornament and Illusion: Spectrum of Contemporary Jewelry” is the first jewelry exhibition organized by the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea. “As art, jewelry i

June 30, 2013

Stones play long-awaited Glastonbury festival gig

PILTON, England (AP) ― There’s a first time for everything, even if you’re the Rolling Stones.The rock rabble-rousers who formed half a century ago played Britain’s Glastonbury Festival on Saturday, their debut appearance at the country’s most prestigious rock music event.A majority of the 135,000 festival ticket-holders crammed into the fields in front of Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage for the gig, which opened with a rousing “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.”As on recent tour dates, the Stones gave fans a fis

June 30, 2013

Husband, wife duo bring the funk as Southway

The free-spirited musician Shaun Southway, a U.K. native and self-proclaimed “wandering, traveling troubadour,” first came to Korea on vacation visiting a friend in 2006. Enthralled upon his arrival, he immersed himself with the vibrant local music scene ― so much to the point where he decided that he had to return to the country.“I came here and the energy was just full on,” said Shaun. “I just got hooked. There’s so much going on here musically.”In 2008, while with some friends in a club in It

June 30, 2013

Life’s little luxuries at outdoor art event

Seoul’s Gwanghwamun area attracts many visitors throughout the year, as it is located near the beautiful Gyeongbokgung Palace and the charming Samcheong-dong, which boasts a tasteful mix of traditional hanok buildings, cozy cafes and contemporary art galleries. A major spot in the area is Sejong Center of the Performing Arts, which is just across the street from Kyobo Book Centre, one of the biggest bookstores in the country. Most people visit the venue for big-name operas, musicals and ballets,

June 28, 2013

Eyelike: Natalie Maines shines on 1st solo album

Natalie Maines shines on 1st solo albumNatalie Maines“Mother”(Columbia)Natalie Maines‘ first solo album continues her movement into a deeply considered, provocative form of polished adult rock heard on her last recording, the Dixie Chicks’ 2006 award-winning ``Take the Long Way Home.‘’ As with that album, Maines sets aside the cheeky playfulness that marked her success in country music. Instead, she carefully curates an album of covers and originals by other writers -- with one strong original,

June 28, 2013

Lee Seung-chul is back, tops K-pop Billboard

Best known as the former lead vocalist of the famed Korean rock band Boohwal and a judge on singing audition program “Superstar K,” singer Lee Seung-chul has topped the K-pop Billboard charts for the first time in his 27-year career with his new rock ballad single “My Love.” Lee released his latest 10-track album, also titled “My Love,” on June 18, making it his 11th studio album and his first full album release in almost four years. After debuting in 1989 as a member of the still-ongoing rock b

June 28, 2013

Auction sees two old Korean paintings make a return to the country

Two old Korean paintings, one given away as a gift, the other looted, finally returned to their home country and found new owners at an auction Wednesday in Seoul. A granddaughter of German businessman Carl Andreas Wolter, who established the first trading company in Korea in the early 1900s, brought back to Korea a painting that was presented to her grandfather by Emperor Gojong to be auctioned.On Wednesday the 10-panel folding screening was sold at 660 million won ($574,162) by Seoul Auction i

June 27, 2013

‘KCON All Things Hallyu’ returns to L.A.

After its launch last year, “KCON All Things Hallyu,” a large-scale K-pop and K-culture convention, is making its return to Los Angeles for a two-day star-studded second round of hallyu madness. KCON was first established to allow hallyu enthusiasts from around the world to experience the full extent of Korea’s culture. Unlike the previous year’s all-day event, this year’s KCON festival will be a two-day weekend K-culture experience, jam-packed with a wide range of activities related to Korean

June 27, 2013

Singer Baek Ji-young suffers miscarriage

South Korean singer Baek Ji-young suffered a miscarriage on Thursday. “Baek had a stomachache on Wednesday night, and visited the Seoul National University Hospital at around 10 a.m. this morning but it was too late,” Baek’s agency said. She was four months pregnant. Baek married actor Jung Suk-won on June 3. The couple had postponed their honeymoon due to her condition after their wedding. 　From news report　(knews@heraldcorp.com)　　

June 27, 2013

Roy Kim not dating Park Soo-jin: agency

Roy Kim’s agency on Thursday denied rumors that the singer is in a romantic relationship with actress Park Soo-jin.“They met several times in the past with mutual feelings toward each other, but they are not dating anymore,” Kim’s agency CJ E&M said via an official statement.Earlier in the day, local media reported that the 20-year-old singer was dating Park. It said Kim, who gained fame by winning popular TV talent show “Superstar K4,” has been dating the 28-year-old actress for four months.The

June 27, 2013

Not your typical traditional paintings

Animal prints have been in style for years, adding a chic and bold edge to modern women’s clothing. As much as today’s women enjoy wearing prints, Koreans of yore appreciated them as art. The leopard skin-patterned painting made in the 18th century amazes viewers with its sophisticated composition of black leopard prints that look more chic and slick than any other animal patterns featured on today’s fashion items. “Many people are surprised to find out the animal print was a feature in old pain

June 26, 2013

Metallica, Muse to perform at City Break concert

Rock fans will be treated to performances by world-famous acts Metallica, Muse, Iggy and The Stooges and Limp Bizkit, as well as popular local acts Jang Ki-ha and the Faces and Kwon Soon-kwan, at the upcoming Hyundai Card Super Concert 19 City Break. The two-day music festival will be held Aug. 17-18 at Jamsil Sports Complex with ticket prices ranging from 250,000 won for a two-day pass to 165,000 won for a one-day pass. Metallica, from Los Angeles, has been active for more than 30 years and is

June 26, 2013

‘Entertainment soldiers’ spotted at massage parlor

South Korean celebrities fulfilling their mandatory military service were recently spotted at a local massage parlor, sparking a backlash from the public over whether so-called “entertainment soldiers” enjoy too many privileges. According to “Hyeonjang 21 (On the spot 21), an investigative TV program by SBS, two celebrity soldiers were spotted last Saturday at a massage parlor in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province. Massage parlors in Korea are viewed as seedy, as many of them are known to offer sexual

June 26, 2013

Big Bang, 2PM win at MTV Video Music Awards Japan

The K-pop idols Big Bang and 2PM took home awards at the annual MTV Video Music Awards Japan, which was held on Saturday at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan. 2PM’s “LEGEND OF 2PM” took the crown for Best Album, beating out other international stars including Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Kiss,” Linkin Park’s “Living Things,” One Direction’s “Take Me Home” and Kana Nishino’s “Love Place.” Along with 2PM’s big win, Big Bang was awarded for their 2012 music video “Fantastic Baby,” which won Best Dance Video. T

June 25, 2013

Kara to embark on second arena tour of Japan

Kara recently performed for 24,000 fans at a two-day fan meeting in Yokohama, Japan, where they also announced their plans to hold their second arena tour in the country. The group’s upcoming arena tour titled “Kara 2nd Japan Tour 2013 ― Karasia,” will kick off in Yokohama on Oct. 8 and then make its way across the country to Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka, Fukui and Kobe. The tour is expected to attract a total of 140,000 fans.Kara performed its first Japan arena tour in April 2012, drawing arou

June 25, 2013