Over 5,000 artworks showing at Korea International Art Fair this week at COEXTo the delight of many art aficionados in South Korea, the nation’s biggest art fair will kick off on Thursday at COEX in Samseong-dong, southern Seoul. The 10th Korea International Art Fair is bigger than ever. It will off

Sept. 21, 2011

Indie bands Chang Kiha & the Faces, Romantic Punch and Eastern Side Kick will be given the first Olleh Music Indie Awards by KT Music on Sunday.The operator of online music portal Olleh Music said it conducted an online poll from Sept. 1-18 asking which bands should be awarded Best Album of the Mont

Sept. 21, 2011

With entertainment companies’ shares rising on the popularity of K-pop, the value of securities held by entertainers is soaring to new highs, data showed Wednesday.According to Chaebul.com, the value of SM Entertainment shares held by its chairman Lee Soo-man came in at 165.7 billion won ($144.6 mil

Sept. 21, 2011

Top conductors, soloists to provide powerful symphonic soundsKorean classical fans will agonize over the choice of big tickets in November and early December as several world-renowned maestros arrive with their orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orch

Sept. 20, 2011

Korean Culture Day celebrated at Asian Art Museum of San FranciscoSAN FRANCISCO -- Korean music, delicate traditional patchworks, exquisite Buncheong ceramics and hands-on artistic activities brought a wide range of people together in the Korean spirit in San Francisco on Saturday.The Korea Foundati

Sept. 19, 2011

YouTube, use of IT gadgets help quickly spread indie duo’s musical talentsWhile idol-centered K-pop has been heavily covered by the media, the Korean indie scene has received relatively little attention. This is the ninth installment of a series of interviews shedding light on the scene. ― Ed.They a

Sept. 19, 2011

Designer’s four menswear lines target both high-end and mass market with classic twistThis is the seventh in a series of articles on up-and-coming Korean designers. ― Ed.If the South Korean designer best recognized in Paris had to be named, it would be Jung Wook-jun. Since the 2007 F/W collection, J

Sept. 19, 2011

Pop diva still sings at nightclubs, after 30 years of career successEven after a very successful career of about 30 years, pop diva Insooni still fondly remembers her humble beginnings.“I still sing at nightclubs about six or seven times a year,” Insooni told The Korea Herald Thursday after a press

Sept. 18, 2011

U.S. singer-painter says he’s still learning and growing even moreLate singer Amy Winehouse once described Tony Bennett as follows: “He could sing the phone book and it would sound fantastic.” Her final recording was duet “Body and Soul” with Bennett, which is the third track on the 85-year-old’s ne

Sept. 18, 2011

Old tobacco factory hosts international craft biennale; soy sauce factory spruces upTwo of South Korea’s oldest and dullest-looking factories have been given a makeover. Although they may not be as dazzling as Willy Wonka’s magical factory in Roald Dahl’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” the old

Sept. 16, 2011

Classical Music“Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra”: The world-renowned Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, led by conductor Simon Rattle, will come to Seoul again for concerts for two days on Nov. 15 and Nov. 16. Sponsored by Samsung Electronics and organized by Kumho Asiana Cultural Foundation, the first ev

Sept. 16, 2011

U.K.’s Katy B is a girl ’On A Mission’Katy B,“On A Mission”(Rinse FM / Columbia Records) Katy B, the so-called “queen of dubstep,” recently was nominated for the 2011 Mercury Music Prize for her debut album, “On a Mission.” And her competition included more established U.K. artists such as Adel

Sept. 16, 2011

Korean pianist Sohn Jeung-beum last week won the second prize at the George Enescu International Competition in Bucharest, Romania, Kumho Asiana Cultural Foundation announced Wednesday.Known as one of the biggest classical music international competitions in Eastern Europe, the event is being held e

Sept. 15, 2011

A renowned South Korean conductor attended orchestra performances and met artists on a visit to Pyongyang aimed at promoting cultural exchanges and ease tensions, state media said Wednesday.Chung Myung-whun, who leads the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra and also serves as a UNICEF “goodwill ambassador,

Sept. 15, 2011

Its title and the location almost perfectly complement each other. But the plot? Not so much. “Prince Puzzle,” a musical which is being held at Gyeonghuigung ― one of the five grand palaces in Seoul built by the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) ― delivers a heart-wrenching story of young star-crossed love

Sept. 15, 2011

Sun Yuan and Peng Yu break boundaries, seek freedom at Arario Gallery SeoulSix wax figures, apparently a family, sit on sofas set in Arario Gallery Seoul in Samcheong, Seoul. They look freakishly human, all dressed up and accessorized, except for one strange thing: They have big stones where their h

Sept. 14, 2011

Exhibitions“Agony and Ecstasy”: 22 among business mogul and noted collector Franois Pinault’s impressive art collection is brought to Seoul. Exhibits include paintings, sculptures, installation works and photos by four renowned contemporary artists ― Jeff Koons, Damien Hirst, Cindy Sherman and Takas

Sept. 9, 2011