Hallyu star group Super Junior has returned with their sixth full-length album “Sexy, Free & Single” with member Kangin rejoining the group after serving his military service.Known to many as Asia’s “Emperor Gwanggaeto,” Super Junior said they sought a new music style in their latest album, escaping from the repeated acid funky style in their previous work and trying out European house. “We have been singing similar songs from our third to fifth album. We wanted to do something new and change ou

July 4, 2012

UBC’s principal dancer Ahn Ji-eun to star in Kenneth MacMillan’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’She’s done “Swan Lake,” “Sleeping Beauty” and “Nutcracker.”But many local ballet fans will remember ballerina Ahn Ji-eun as Shim Chung, the girl who pays off her blind father’s debts by selling herself to sailors and later plunges into the sea.The Korean folktale ballet, which is also the signature repertoire of Korea’s Universal Ballet Company, also remains the 36-year-old dancer’s favorite for its rich theatrica

July 3, 2012

Kang In rejoins the group after three-year hiatusHallyu star group Super Junior has returned with their sixth full-length album “Sexy, Free & Single” and also with member Kang In rejoining the group after serving his military service.Known to many as “Emperor Gwanggaeto” in Asia, Super Junior said they sought a new music style in their latest album, escaping from the repeated acid funky style in their previous work and trying out European house. “We have been singing similar songs from our third

July 3, 2012

  A set of postage stamps featuring Girls` Generation (Korea Post)The leading K-pop girl group Girls' Generation will be honored with postage stamps, the group's entertainment agency said Tuesday.Korea Post will issue a set of postage stamps featuring the group early next month to mark its 5th anniversary, S.M. Entertainment said. The group will be the first celebrities to be on stamps issued by K

July 3, 2012

The Berlin Philharmonic Brass Ensemble, consisting of 12 brass virtuosos, held a master class with a group of visually impaired students in Incheon on Sunday, as part of efforts to encourage disabled people through the power of music.“This was my first experience sharing musical inspiration with disabled children and it meant a lot to me. I realized once again that music is a communication tool that goes beyond language barriers,” said Sarah Willis, a French horn player in the ensemble.Willis an

July 2, 2012

The Korean alphabet, Hangeul, was in use about 3,000 years ago, long before being invented by King Sejong of the Joseon Dynasty in the 15th century, a South Korean scholar claimed Monday.Lee Chan-gu, who studies a Chinese classic book on divination, claimed in his new book titled “Money” that he found two Korean letters, including “don” meaning money in Korean, on stone inscriptions of a knife-shaped ancient Chinese metal money. Known as a “pointed tip knife,” the money circulated in China in th

July 2, 2012

New generation finds own ways to channel social messagesAn exhibition is putting young Chinese artists under the spotlight this month, offering insight into today’s Chinese art and society. The exhibition held at Hakgojae Gallery in Seoul hosts eight contemporary artworks by emerging Chinese young artists ― Lu Zhengyuan, Ma Quisha, Ye Linghan, Zang Kunkun, Tu Hongtao, Pan Jian, Hao Liang and Huang Jingyuan ― all in their late 20s to 30s. “The exhibition shows the current state of Chinese contemp

July 2, 2012

Over 100 works by up-and-coming and veteran artists on auctionArtday, a subsidiary of the Herald Media group, opened its fifth auction last week. It featured 110 paintings, photographs and prints by acclaimed Korean artists, ranging from up-and-comers such as Park Hyung-jin, Kim Jun and Lee Ho-ryon, to established figures Kim Jong-hak, Kim Chang-ryul and Jang Uk-jin. With its fifth auction, Artday has demonstrated that online auctions can present high-priced artworks by established artists. Prev

July 1, 2012

Filmmaker and theater director recounts making of his 1995 noir play ‘Heotang’For those familiar with filmmaker and theater director Jang Jin and his sense of humor, his 1995 play “Heotang,” currently on its third run in Seoul, could come as a surprise.The show, which Jang wrote at the age of 21 while serving his military duty, is anything but a comedy: filled with violence and surveillance, the disturbing play evokes the horrors of materialistic modern life. “I wrote the play more than 20 years

July 1, 2012

The first week of July will be a busy one for the music industry as major groups such as Super Junior, 2NE1, Wooyoung of 2PM and ZE:A release their latest work. Known to many as Asia’s “Emperor Gwanggaeto,” Super Junior released its sixth album on July 1 and will perform on “Mcountdown” for its comeback show on July 5.“It is a new performance with modern house-style music. It will be a ‘war of stars’ with all the major groups making comebacks, but we will do our best to comply with fans’ love an

July 1, 2012

Pop Music“Audi Live 2012 ― Jamiroquai Korea Concert”: Jamiroquai, one of the world’s most famous acid jazz bands, is returning to dazzle Korean fans. For the first time in four years, the band will hold a concert on Aug. 22 at the Jamsil Gymnasium in Seoul. For its Korean stopover, the “Audi Live 2012 ― Jamiroquai Korea Concert,” the band will perform with brass, percussion and keyboard instruments to create a perfect dance floor during the hot summer, which would entice the fans, the band’s pro

June 29, 2012

Maroon 5 plays it safe on ‘Overexposed’Maroon 5 "Overexposed" (A&M/Octone Records)The title of Maroon 5’s new album, "Overexposed," pokes fun at the band’s ubiquity, which is mainly due to the massive (and at times annoying) hit "Moves Like Jagger," as well as frontman Adam Levine’s popularity as a judge on NBC’s "The Voice."While the band is to be congratulated on all that exposure, it seems as if they’ve lost sight of how to make a good album in the process.Their fourth release has some highli

June 29, 2012

American jazz pianist Brad Mehldau will hold a concert in Seoul next month as part of his world tour for a trio album released earlier this year. The acclaimed jazz pianist will perform at Yonsei University on July 25 with two other artists, bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jeff Ballard, both of whom worked with Mehldau on the album “Ode.” Mehldau has been hailed as one of the greatest jazz pianists with his unique combination of jazz, classical and spontaneous improvisation. Mehldau is also

June 28, 2012

Overseas visitors putting entertainment companies’ rest-and-shop spaces on itineraryInfluencing overseas artists and attracting a burgeoning fan base that knows no borders, it should come as no surprise that Korean pop is one of the reasons why tourists visit South Korea. What might baffle some is how overseas K-pop fans tour South Korea once they arrive, since music, by definition, is intangible. K-pop, however, is proving to be more than just an audio-visual experience. When music goliath SM E

June 27, 2012

Prima ballerina with Korean National Ballet leaves the troupe to challenge herselfIt is much easier to settle for the present. But for prima ballerina of Korean National Ballet Kim Joo-won, the title given to her more than a decade ago is something that she has to lay down now ― for a new beginning.“I was Kim Joo-won of Korean National Ballet for the last 15 years. That was the only name for me. But I just wanted to do something creative, challenging and something that shows more of Kim Joo-won,

June 27, 2012