[Herald Interview] Artist tackles cultural confusion in modern time

When artist Cody Choi first arrived in the U.S. in the 1980s, he frequently suffered from stomach and bowel problems, stemming from having to adjust to a new culture.  Unable to afford a clinic visit, his go-to remedy was Pepto-Bismol, an over-the-counter stomach relief medicine. Looking back on his early days in the U.S., Choi made a sculpture in 1996 that has the shape of Rodin’s “The Thinker” but is made with pink liquid Pepto-Bismol and toilet paper -- the two objects that represent his earl

July 30, 2015

Ballet festival to bring Stuttgart, Bolshoi dancers to Seoul

  A scene from the Stuttgart Ballet company‘s performance of “Bite” (K-Ballet World)Inviting 32 dance teams from eight countries, this year’s K-Ballet World festival is gearing up to take center stage Aug. 15-28, highlighting both contemporary and classic dance movements. “The theme that we try to uphold every year with the K-Ballet World is to introduce Korean ballet to the world and world ballet to Korea,” said Kim In-sook, head of the Korea Ballet Association, during a press conference held i

July 30, 2015

Upcoming concert keeps Epik High on toes

Rap trio Epik High says their upcoming concert series will keep everyone -- both the audience and themselves -- on their toes. “Because none of us will know ahead of time what kind of show will be taking place that day, each one will keep us on edge until it goes up. That’s what makes it more fun,” said member Mithra Jin at a press conference Thursday.Titled “Now Playing,” the concert series will allow the audience to vote among six themes -- action, humanity, melodrama, horror, science fiction

July 30, 2015

K-pop stars brought to life at Grevin Museum Seoul

Leading K-pop stars, such as Psy, G-Dragon and Rain and dozens of other Korean celebrities, as well as historic and sports figures, have been brought to life in wax models at the Grevin Museum opening in Seoul on Thursday.  The French wax museum’s first Asian branch presents 80 life-size wax models of world-renowned figures and celebrities, including 30 Koreans. Life-size wax figures of K-pop stars and Hollywood movie stars are on display at Grevin Museum Seoul, which opens Thursday in Seoul. (G

July 29, 2015

Naver to launch global streaming app for K-pop

Naver, South Korea’s biggest search portal, will launch a real-time mobile broadcasting app featuring the country’s hottest and newest K-pop singers and idol bands for the global audience and fans next month.In partnerships with Korea’s major entertainment and talent agencies including SM and YG, the global V app will stream the stars’ live concerts and their daily activities behind the scenes with real-time English subtitles.Also, the video streaming app will have communication features enablin

July 29, 2015

Entertaining tricks in media art

GYEONGJU, North Gyeongsang Province -- A man painted from head to toe stands against a painted wall as if he walked straight from a portrait painting. His moving hands seem so unreal that it looks like he could only exist in a painting.When it is taken as a photograph, the scene actually turns into a two-dimensional painting.  “A Man Turned Into Painting” by Yoo Hyun-mi (Wooyang Museum of Contemporary Art)In this opening performance for a joint Korean and Russian media art exhibition, artist Yoo

July 28, 2015

[Herald Review] Closing Ansan rock fest, Foo Fighters bring us back to ‘These Days’

A scene from this year‘s Ansan M Valley Rock Festival, held from July 24 - 26 at the Daebu Sea Breeze Theme Park in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province. (CJ E&M)Despite hordes of unrelenting mosquitoes descending on a crowd sweating bullets in the steaming humidity and losing shoes traipsing through the damp mud, this year’s Ansan M Rock Festival concluded its festivities on a high note, inviting American rock gods, the Foo Fighters. With more than two decades as rock and roll music icons, the Foo Fighters

July 27, 2015

[Album Review] Sonamoo leaves more to be desired on 'Cushion' EP

Sonamoo“Cushion”LOEN EntertainmentSonamoo splashed into the K-pop scene proclaiming that they would be different. With tall, pretty members each with 3 to 4 years of training experience, they seemed ready to bring something fresh to the market. Their first EP “Déjà vu” was favorably received by the public.Unfortunately, Sonamoo’s second album “Cushion” fails to build on that steady first step. The first few lines of the title track “Cushion” are interesting and exciting, but the song quickly dis

July 24, 2015

[Album Review] Hellovenus 5th EP full of ‘Brave Sound’

Hellovenus“I’m Ill”Neowiz InternetGirl group Hellovenus joined forces once again with hit-making composer Brave Brothers for its fifth EP “I’m Ill.” He composed all but one of the tracks (“Whatcha Talk About”) on the EP, which was composed by Brave Entertainment’s producing team Galactika* and ChaKun of Brave’s hip-hop group Electroboyz.So it’s no surprise that the EP is one big party album. It starts with a club-style EDM punch on the album’s title track “I’m Ill,” where the girls sing about “s

July 24, 2015

[Album Review] No surprises from Gfriend’s 2nd EP

Gfriend“Flower Bud”(KT Music)Gfriend played it safe for their second EP “Flower Bud,” opting to nestle comfortably into the bubble-gum pop niche in a market saturated by EDM and hip-hop beats. The group, which debuted in January with “Glass Bead,” was often referred to as the next Apink during their last promotions. That sweet, innocent vibe -- complete with matching white dresses and schoolgirl outfits -- continues into this second EP. Excluding the intro and instrumental track, there are four

July 24, 2015

Mystic, Afreeca TV team up for new venture

Music label Mystic Entertainment, home to artists such as Lim Kim, Eddy Kim and Jane Jang, and peer-to-peer content streaming site Afreeca TV have joined to create a new content company, the companies announced Thursday. Afreeca TV Seo Soo-kiel (left) and Mystic Entertainment CEO Yoon Jong-shin pose for press at CGV Apgujeong Thursday. (Mystic Entertainment)The joint venture, called Freec, will be used to create and share content in a way that integrates and maximizes the advantages of new and o

July 23, 2015

[Herald Review] Musical ‘Arirang’ gives raw reflection of Japan’s harsh colonial rule

A scene from the new musical “Arirang,” an adaptation of Korean novelist Jo Jung-rae’s eponymous 12-volume novel, which is at the LG Arts Center in Seoul until Sept. 5. (Seensee Company)Beyond the tale of budding young love and the painstaking struggles of a village and its people, the musical “Arirang” is an emotional roller-coaster of artistic beauty, unrelenting sorrow and the glimmering of hope. From the painful-to-watch scenes depicting the rape of women by Japanese soldiers, to the brutal

July 23, 2015

Building the world’s edgiest art collection

Among the thousands of stamps that Dutch philatelist Wim van der Bijl has gathered from all over the world, the image on a small North Korean stamp left on him a strong impression. The stamp collector soon found out that similar images in bigger sizes were on North Korean propaganda posters. He decided to buy more of them. His colleague Ronald de Groen, who is also an avid stamp and painting collector, joined him in the building of a dangerous, yet thrilling collection of North Korean art. From

July 22, 2015

Art project to create conversations with North Koreans via postcards

Postcards offer a taste of the foreign and exotic, giving the recipient a chance to share in the scenery experienced by the sender. Some of them, however, are about more than eye candy.　This is the case with Uri Tours’ upcoming art project, “Conversations with North Korea,” which will involve sending postcards from North Korea to people across the world.　Uri Tours is a U.S.-based North Korea tourism company. CEO Andrea Lee was inspired to host the project after witnessing tour participants’ reac

July 21, 2015

TVXQ's Yunho begins military service

Yunho, a member of K-pop duo TVXQ, enlisted for his mandatory military service on Tuesday. The 29-year-old singer arrived at the training camp located in Yangju, Gyeonggi province around 2 p.m. to begin his term. He was accompanied by his family, friends and his manager, his label SM Entertainment said. 　Earlier, he had withheld the exact time and place of the enrollment from the public with the intention of having a low-key enlistment, but many fans still gathered outside the camp to see the si

July 21, 2015

Super Junior's new album 'Devil' is hyper-trendy

Super Junior is all style and sophistication in its new album “Devil,” a special release celebrating 10 years since the group’s debut. Featuring bouncy, stylized beats and collaborating with an eclectic bunch of musicians, the new album sees the band branching out musically and appealing to a wider audience.In more than a few ways, Super Junior has arguably been a group atypical to SM Entertainment. At a label known for producing ultramodern pop beats and veiling its artists in a pristine public

July 20, 2015

[Herald Interview] Magical world underneath water

A girl in a white feather dress has her eyes closed and floats aimlessly with her dress and hair moving naturally to reveal their velvety layers. The weightless calm captivates the viewer, wondering where this place with such a calm state could be. “Angel 1,” Swan Song by Zena Holloway (Courtesy of the artist)This mystical photo is in fact taken underwater by photographer Zena Holloway, a British photographer who specializes in underwater photography. She is holding her first exhibition in Seoul

July 20, 2015

[Herald Review] ‘Chicago’ induces unapologetic laughter at lust, greed and murder

A scene from the original cast production of “Chicago,” on run at the National Theater of Korea until Aug. 8. (Seensee Company)One of the longest-running musicals in Broadway history, “Chicago” has made its way back to Seoul with an American cast who brilliantly recreate the good ol’ days of scandalous jazz tunes.  Sprinkled with a wicked murderous twist, the show weaves one of musical theater’s more shamefully alluring tales of lies and human greed. “You’re about to hear a story of murder, gree

July 19, 2015

‘The Last Empress’ gets an overhaul for its 20th anniversary

Known as the godfather of Korean musicals, Yun Ho-jin occupies a special place in the Korean musical scene 20 years after he burst upon the scene with “The Last Empress,” a large-scale original musical, the likes of which had never before been seen in Korea.An adaptation of a novel by Yi Min-yol based on the assassination of Queen Min, also known as Empress Myeongseong, by Japanese killers in 1895, the grand opera-like musical took the nascent local musical scene by storm when it premiered at th

July 17, 2015