Expat artists will be looking to make the most of Seoul showcase festival Zandari Festa, which returns Oct. 2-4 with 259 acts.Similar to SXSW in the U.S., the festival takes over a raft of venues across the Hongdae area, for a multi-stage music festival, giving established acts and up-and-coming bands the chance to win new fans.Among those playing is Max Reynolds, who performed at Zandari twice before taking the plunge and moving to Seoul this year.Reynolds was playing in a small-town punk band

Expat Living Sept. 23, 2015

At Jil’hal Bros, one of the latest Seoul-based eateries to go viral, CEO Kim Woo-sik breaks down the components behind the fusion Middle Eastern-by-way-of-New York-style grub drawing lines of foodies to his new spot. In his small kitchen he ladles fluffy rice -- infused with turmeric, cumin and three other spices -- in a takeout container, tops it with that quintessential white sauce, layers it with piping hot morsels of seasoned lamb and beef and piles on more white sauce before topping it off

Food Sept. 18, 2015

Experience Finland’s polar nightFinnair, the flag carrier of Finland, is looking for explorers to participate in its program to experience the country in the winter.In partnership with Finland Tourism, the 100 Days of Polar Night Magic program will take participants on a ride on Alaskan huskies dogsleds to see the aurora, go on a camping, and ice climbing and diving in Lapland.Pasi Ikonen, Finnish orienteering competitor and winner of the 2001 World Orienteering Championships, will be joining wi

Travel Sept. 18, 2015

Autumn picnic package at Imperial Palace SeoulImperial Palace Seoul is presenting from Sept. 14 through Nov. 29 the Autumn Picnic Package for those seeking a picnic in the heart of the city and a cozy getaway in a hotel room, available for local guests in Korea and foreigners with resident cards. The package includes an overnight stay in a guest room along with a taxi voucher for 10,000 won; a takeout picnic box, which consists of Deli Amador’s club sandwiches and two bottles of Perrier sparklin

Food Sept. 18, 2015

Eggplant rolls (gaji mari). (Korean Bapsang)These gorgeous eggplant rolls are healthy and easy to make. They are called gaji mari in Korean. Gaji is eggplant, and mari refers to rolled up dishes. The thinly sliced eggplants are briefly cooked in a skillet, rolled up with other vegetables, and served with a sauce. Eggplants cook down significantly, so make sure they are not too slender when you buy them.I used colorful fresh bell peppers and enoki mushrooms in this recipe. Play around with differ

Food Sept. 18, 2015

CNBLUE lead vocalist Jung Yong-hwa and his bandmates perform at a showcase for their second album, “2gether,” at the AX-Korea stadium in Seoul on Monday. (Yonhap News)Coming six years after their debut and 19 months since their previous release, CNBLUE finally dropped their second full-length album, “2gether,” on Monday. “We’ve been together for six years, but this is only our second full-length album,” said CNBLUE front man Jung Yong-hwa, during a news conference at the AX-Korea Stadium in Seou

Performance Sept. 15, 2015

Faced with fluctuating oil prices that have led to a renewed drop in refining margins, South Korean oil refiners are geared for a major downturn in profits in the third quarter.An oversupply of oil coupled with slowing demands from key consumers like China have been driving down the world’s oil prices to record-lows, with the U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude hitting a six-year-low, closing below $40 a barrel on Aug. 21, amid an expected hike in stockpiles from the U.S. and the Middle

Industry Sept. 10, 2015

Classical opera is getting a modern and chic revamp, leaving behind the fancy orchestra concert halls and heading out to the mecca of pop music culture and youth.After hitting it big in their native country of New Zealand with its 2013 self-titled debut album, up-and-coming opera crossover family trio Sol3 Mio will be performing its first concert in Korea in the most unlikely of venues -- Gangnam, Seoul nightclub Octagon. Contemporary classical opera trio Sol3 Mio (Universal Music)As part of the

Performance Sept. 10, 2015

Bringing his visually breathtaking and poetically poignant contemporary dance piece “Rice” in front of Seoul audiences for the first time, renowned choreographer Lin Hwai-min will be introducing a whole new way for the audience to conceptualize the significance of even a simple grain of rice. Having been deemed by some critics as “Asia’s most important choreographer,” Lin is no stranger to intertwining the element of rice into his performances.Born and raised in Taiwan, Lin’s parents grew up in

Performance Sept. 10, 2015

The state-run Korea Productivity Center has joined hands with U.K.-based education and media giant Pearson to implement a new English language proficiency exam in Korea in a bid to boost the global competitiveness of local companies.KPC signed an official partnership deal with Pearson last Friday to introduce the EPro Exam, or the English for Professionals Exam -- a business English language proficiency test developed by Pearson -- to the Korean business community. KPC chairman and CEO Hong Soon

Industry Sept. 7, 2015

Merck, the world’s leading chemical and pharmaceuticals giant, is ready to do its part in driving forward Korea’s advancing display business as well as the fast-developing biopharmaceuticals industry -- areas forecast for rapid growth in the future.Michael Grund, managing director of Merck Korea, said the German firm is prepared to become a reliable partner to its major clients like Samsung and LG which are seeking to remain ahead of the game in the highly-competitive display business and pave n

Industry Sept. 7, 2015

Considered one of the most influential pianists of his generation, 69-year-old Paik Kun-woo will be making his way back to the public eye with the launch of his upcoming “Kun-woo Paik Piano Recital” nationwide tour this month.After giving his first public performance at the tender age of 10 with the Korean National Orchestra. The child prodigy later went on to perform at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, in his orchestral debut, at the age of 15. Since then, Paik has performed on some of the wor

Performance Sept. 7, 2015

"Inside Out” (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)The colorful world of 2-D and 3-D characters is no longer an area exclusive to the little ones, it seems. In recent years, large-scale animations that succeeded globally catered to both children and adults, with mature and layered plotlines. Such projects’ success speaks volumes on the tweaks that can be made in the Korean animation industry to achieve a wider global reach, says Kim Won-gyu, director at the Korean Animation Producers’ Association

Film Sept. 4, 2015

Scene from the popular animated comedy television series “Larva.” (Tuba Entertainment)Up until the turn of the 21st century, many Korean youngsters who plopped in front of their television sets found themselves regaled with delightfully innocent tales of popular international cartoon series such as “Dragon Ball Z,” “Sailor Moon” or “Tom and Jerry” with their rambunctious games of cat and mouse.A couple of decades ago -- in the pre-“Pororo” era of Korean animation -- TV cartoon options for Korean

Culture Sept. 4, 2015