TOKYO ― A woman in her 20s who is not afraid ― or dares ― to wear a monstrous costume to perform in the middle of a jam-packed crossroad is sure to become famous. Or, better yet, infamous.Lee Bul, one of Korea’s most internationally recognized artists, is back in Tokyo after two decades. But this time, not to shock the spectators on the streets with her performance but to share her agony and her secrets in a large-scale exhibition at Mori Art Museum.  As the title “Lee Bul: From Me, Belongs to Y

Feb. 5, 2012

New director wants to see greater links between Korean, French cinemasThis is the first of the series introducing cultural centers of different countries in Seoul. ― Ed. Movie fans will be delighted to hear about the French Cultural Center’s latest ambitious project: to bring Cannes Film Festival to Seoul. “We are thinking about screening all of the award-winning films in Korea for a period of over a week. They have never done such a project outside of Cannes and there will be a lot of constrain

Feb. 5, 2012

NEW YORK (AP) ― Andrew Lloyd Webber’s much-awaited sequel to “The Phantom of the Opera’’ is called “Love Never Dies,’’ but the musical defied its title: after a short life in London, it died. Now he hopes it can be resurrected.Lloyd Webber has quietly helped rework the musical for a current stage production in Australia, and Americans unable to go Down Under will have a chance to see it when a filmed version hits movie theaters this month.It’s a vastly improved work, coherent and visually beauti

Feb. 5, 2012

SINGAPORE (AFP) ― Twelve-year-old Sabrina Kaur does not understand the lyrics of her favourite South Korean boy band Big Bang’s songs and, until recently, had never met Koreans in real life.But that did not stop her from joining more than a thousand other Singaporean girls at an audition in the city-state in January to discover a new pan-Asian Korean pop (K-pop) band to be promoted by a talent firm across the region.“I want to be the first Indian (Singaporean) girl to join a Korean girl group,”

Feb. 5, 2012

Theater“Seoul Note”: In memory of late actor Park Gwang-jeong, who died of lung cancer in 2008, a group of actors and actresses are staging another run of “Seoul Note,” which was the last play Park performed in before his death. A local adaptation of Japanese playwright Orija Hirata’s “Tokyo Note,” the small-scale, slow-paced play takes place in gloomy present-day Seoul, while an imaginary World War III is happening in Europe. Popular actor Kwon Hae-hyo and recent box-office hit “Unbowed” star P

Feb. 3, 2012

Love Fiction (Korea), Opening Feb. 29Comedy. Directed by Jeon Gye-soo. Thirty-one-year-old writer Joo-wol (Ha Jeong-woo) has never dated before ― the idealistic and picky man has been searching for the “perfect woman.” That perfect woman appears to be Hee-jin (Gong Hyo-jin), a successful, career-driven woman working in the film industry. He instantly falls for her the first day they meet, and desperately tries to win her heart. When he finally does, however, he begins to see Hee-jin’s hidden fla

Feb. 3, 2012

MADRID (AP) ― A “Mona Lisa’’ copy owned by Spain’s Prado Museum was almost certainly painted by one of Leonardo da Vinci’s apprentices alongside the master himself as he did the original, museum officials said Wednesday.The stunning find of what the Prado now says is probably the earliest known copy of La Gioconda will give art lovers and experts an idea of what the Mona Lisa looked like back in the 16th century, said Gabriele Finaldi, the museum’s deputy director collections.“It is as if we wer

Feb. 2, 2012

Former art history professor hopes to foster imagination of artists, visitorsMany thought it was an unexpected decision last year when the government appointed scholar Kim Young-na ― an art history professor at Seoul National University at the time ― as the new director of the National Museum of Korea to assume office last February. Most of it had to do with her inadequate experience in traditional Korean art and history. For one, she obtained her Ph.D. in art history from Ohio State University

Feb. 2, 2012

Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation, producer and distributer of hit TV program “I’m a Singer” announced on Wednesday that it would end the first season of the show next week. “We will run the last episode of ‘I’m a Singer’ season one on Feb. 12. We’ll introduce a reformatted show after taking a break,” MBC said in a statement. It didn’t elaborate on when the second season will start or who will take charge. The broadcaster is expected to replace the current producers and staff of the program.MBC is

Feb. 2, 2012

A “Mona Lisa” copy owned by Spain’s Prado Museum was almost certainly painted by one of Leonardo da Vinci’s apprentices alongside the master himself as he did the original, museum officials said Wednesday.  “Mona Lisa” painted by Leonardo da Vinci (left) and a authenticated contemporary copy of

Feb. 2, 2012

Big name K-pop artists are returning to their fans with new albums this year, breaking their silence on the stages. Boy band Big Bang is expected to release a full album this month and hold “2012 Big Bang Concert ― Big Show” on March 2 at the Olympic Park Gymnasium in Seoul. The group will also resume activity in Japan as well, according to reports. Its agency YG Entertainment hasn’t released the group’s full schedule yet. But it has already unveiled the list of six songs from the anticipated al

Feb. 1, 2012

Korean singer Se7en has surprised the country’s music scene on Wednesday as his new mini-album topped Apple’s iTunes online music charts.According to iTunes Chart operated by U.S. IT giant Apple, Se7en’s album was ranked at the top of its R&B/Soul chart in the United States and second place in the same category in Canada.“Se7en has not even made a comeback show yet, but his new album is drawing attention from in and out of the country,” his agency YG Entertainment said.His new album features the

Feb. 1, 2012

ST. PAUL, Minnesota ― Stradivarius violins are so prized that their name is synonymous with perfection. Three Minnesota men say they have come close to re-creating that ideal using a mix of modern technology and old-school artistry.Dr. Steve Sirr, a radiologist from Minnetonka, Minnesota, teamed with two St. Paul violinmakers, John Waddle and Steve Rossow, to make replicas of a 308-year-old violin known as the Betts Strad, owned by the Library of Congress. Sirr, who works at FirstLight Health Sy

Jan. 31, 2012