Kim Bok-hee, the current director of the Dance Association of Korea, has been reelected to the same position, the organization announced Sunday. After earning a master’s degree in dance from Ewha Womans University, Kim studied philosophy at Wonkwang University and received a doctor of science degree from Kyonggi University.Since founding her own dance troupe, Kim Bok-hee Dance Company, in 1971, Kim has served a number of positions in the local dance scene, including director of the Korean Societ

Performance Jan. 28, 2013

What makes “Shear Madness” ― one of the longest-running plays in the world ― interesting is arguably its ending with almost-limitless possibilities. The crime drama’s ending is spontaneous, requires the audience’s participation, and always turns out to be different for each and every show. The German play, which deals with a mysterious murder case, is back for its second run in Seoul. It was first premiered back in 1963.The play takes place in a hair salon, which is owned by a gay hairdresser na

Performance Jan. 27, 2013

A film about the 1948 Jeju Massacre has won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance Film Festival on Saturday, being the first Korean movie to win the prestigious award.An artistic, black and white work by Jeju-based director O Muel, “Jiseul” tells the story of a group of some 120 villagers who hid from soldiers in a cave during the massacre. The real-life incident resulted in the death of some 30,000 islanders as the government sought to quell an uprising led by a small group of communist insurgents.“

Film Jan. 27, 2013

The Literature Translation Institute of Korea on Friday received the Order of Culture Merit from the Czech Republic for its contribution to cultural exchanges between the two countries. The medal was presented to Kim Seong-kon, the director of the state-run organization, by the Czech Culture Minister Alena Hanakova. The Czech minister, who visited LTI Korea’s office in southern Seoul to attend the special occasion, said she appreciated the group’s effort to promote Korean literature in her count

Books Jan. 27, 2013

Cafes have been a favorite place for many writers and artists.Some of them actually have become historical spots, including La Closerie des Lilas in Paris, where Hemingway was asked by F. Scott Fitzgerald to read the manuscript of “The Great Gatsby.” In St. Petersburg, there is the Literary Cafe, where Russia’s top writers ― including Dostoevsky and Pushkin ― were among its regulars.In Seoul, cafes that provide books to read reflect the ever-changing trend and culture of the publishing industry

Books Jan. 25, 2013

Around the world, ask movie-lovers where they saw their first movie witch and the answer’s the same.“I was, like everyone, frightened by the witch in ‘The Wizard of Oz,’’” says English actress Gemma Arterton. “That’s who we all grew up with, right?”Jeremy “Hurt Locker” Renner agrees. And he can top that.“‘Wizard of Oz’ was the very first job I ever had. On stage. I played the Scarecrow. So for me, there was always just one witch. That first witch. The Wicked Witch of the West.” But, Renner adds,

Film Jan. 25, 2013

Brad Meltzer’s thrillers gravitate to best sellers’ lists. His contemporary novels, which include “The Inner Circle” and “The Book of Lies,” are steeped in historical facts.But wait, there’s more. Meltzer has written five comic books, including the Eisner Award-winning “Justice League of America,” has two nonfiction books to his credit and is the host of “Brad Meltzer’s Decoded” on the History Channel. His newest thriller is “The Fifth Assassin.”Q: In “The Fifth Assassin,” a killer re-creates th

Books Jan. 24, 2013

The Third BulletBy Stephen Hunter(Simon & Schuster)Someone should have asked a sniper.That’s what Stephen Hunter ― a best-selling novelist who created Bob Lee Swagger, the best shooter there ever was, the Gun Whisperer ― believes.The gaping hole in the middle of most Kennedy assassination theories, Hunter says, is that the theorists, even those attached to the original Warren Commission, don’t know the first thing about shooting, ballistics or angles.“Looking at the body of assassination materia

Books Jan. 24, 2013

Just like the way we talk and act, how we dress tells a lot about us. It reflects our personal history, status, taste and desire. “We must put up with our clothes as they are ― they have their reason for existing,” Mark Twain once said. “They are on us to expose us ― to advertise what we wear them to conceal. They are a sign; a sign of insincerity; a sign of suppressed vanity; we put them on to propagate that lie and back it up.”American psychologist Jennifer Baumgartner’s book “You Are What You

Books Jan. 24, 2013

Filmmaker Lee Jun-ik is returning to movie-making two years after he announced his withdrawal from the local industry.Lee is currently working on a new project titled “Wish,” which stars heavyweight actor Sol Kyung-gu, according to the film’s production company Lotte Entertainment. Lee, whose notable previous works include “King and the Clown” (2005) and “Radio Star” (2006), announced his withdrawal from the business in 2011 after his period drama “Battlefield Heroes” failed to achieve commercia

Film Jan. 23, 2013

A Japanese-born director’s award-winning film is being released in Korea in March, according to the film’s promoters.Director Yang Yong-hi, who was born and grew up in Osaka and obtained South Korean citizenship in 2002, has been making documentaries based on her family history of ethnic Koreans living in Japan. “Our Homeland,” which is Yang’s feature debut, premiered in Korea at last year’s Busan International Film Festival and received positive reviews from the local press. The film is based o

Film Jan. 23, 2013

Film producer Choi Yong-bae, who was in charge of last year’s highly political film “26 Years,” is receiving a special honor from the Korea Film Reporters Association (KOFRA).Choi has been selected as the “Person of the Year 2012” in the local film industry, for his film “26 Years,” whose production cost was paid by online crowdfunding. The film tells the story about five ordinary people who get together to draw up a plan to assassinate the former president Chun Doo-hwan, for the massacre of inn

People Jan. 21, 2013

Losing weight and getting facials were what it took the three men to play the leading role of “Rebecca,” one of the most anticipated musicals in the first half of the year.“This is a role that requires wearing suits all the time,” said actor Yoo Jun-sang, who is sharing the role of an English aristocratic widower with actors Oh Man-seok and Ryu Jung-han. “And you have to look good in them. So I can’t eat too much. Otherwise I wouldn’t look so good.”It’s been more than a week since the opening of

Performance Jan. 20, 2013

It isn’t hard, the first time Mark Wahlberg and Russell Crowe square off in “Broken City,” to see that the two stars are enjoying themselves mightily. Wahlberg is a New York cop asked to resign in the wake of a controversial shooting, and Crowe is the mayor asking for his badge. They meet in the mayor’s City Hall office ― it’s a tense, tough exchange, with Jeffrey Wright, another formidable actor, off to one side. But there’s clearly an amiable vibe mixed in with the brinkmanship, too.“Russell d

Film Jan. 18, 2013

Adam Mansbach is a novelist best known for a parody. But don’t think that he bears any ill will toward “Go the F**k to Sleep,” his hilarious, bestselling ode to toddler-whipped parents.“It’s a funny thing; I think people expect that I’m somehow embittered by being known for that book, and I’m definitely not,” says Mansbach. “It’s opened some doors for me. I’m grateful for all of the attention. People who know me are tickled by what happened because it was an honest manifestation of my humor, and

Books Jan. 17, 2013