Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has the chance to become to his country what South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva were to theirs: a man of the left who moves toward fiscal responsibility and freer markets. Like Tsipras, both were elected in the midst of an economic crisis. Both immediately confronted the international financial constraints that opposition politicians can afford to ignore.On assuming power, Kim and Lula were able to adjust, pol

Viewpoints July 20, 2015

The accord struck in Vienna to rein in Iran’s nuclear activities has warmongers fulminating. Citizens worldwide should support U.S. President Barack Obama’s brave effort to outmaneuver them, taking heart from the fact that the signatories include not just the United States, but all five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany.Many of the warmongers are to be found in Obama’s own government agencies. Most Americans struggle to recognize or understand their country’s permanent

Viewpoints July 20, 2015

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

Performance July 20, 2015

The Ascott Limited is gearing up to open the Citadines Haeundae Busan next month, marking not only the first Citadines in Korea, but also the largest Citadines-branded “apart’ hotel” in its vast stable of global properties.The soon-to-be opened 468-room, fully serviced residence Citadines Haeundae Busan will officially open its doors on Aug. 15 and will become the property of its kind in the port city. “We will be the first international serviced residence brand in Busan,” said Max Phillips, are

Culture July 20, 2015

South Korea’s leading chemical and materials firm LG Chem has called on all executives and employees to brace for “uncertainties” in the global economy, despite the marked improvement in its business.“LG Chem has made improvements in businesses during the first half compared to the same period last year as executives and employees have made concerted efforts to achieve our goals,” CEO Park Jin-soo said at a meeting with them at the firm’s plant in Naju, South Jeolla Province, on Monday.“Let’s pr

Technology July 20, 2015

Asia is currently the world’s fastest-growing region, and foreigners are beginning to spot opportunities to found their start-ups in Asian countries.“What I’m seeing is a real increase in entrepreneurship and a real increase in mobility, especially among younger entrepreneurs,” said Peter Wall, cofounder of Hubud, a coworking space in Bali, Indonesia.However, it is not easy to set up a foreign start-up across the region. While some hubs, like Singapore, are keener to globalize and attract foreig

Technology July 20, 2015

Sistar (Starship Entertainment)The K-pop charts have been a tough battleground for Korea’s top pop groups in July, but the competition has been particularly fierce among girl groups.While big-name boy bands have generally timed their album releases to avoid head-on clashes, girl groups rolled the dice, with established names returning to the stage at the same time.Here’s a wrap-up of the summer girl group face-off in the K-pop scene so far, who’s come out on top and what’s to come in the coming

July 19, 2015

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

Performance July 19, 2015

The internationally dubbed “boy who loved Batman” and the force behind producing the “Batman” and “Dark Knight” movie series, Michael E. Uslan, has come to Seoul to share the tremendous tales behind how he turned his childhood obsession to one of the world’s most unforeseen game-changing film franchises.The man responsible for reimagining Batman as a noncomical, dark creature of the night who hunts criminals from the shadows said that he would stop at nothing to rid the perception of Batman as a

Film July 15, 2015

Hollywood TV and movie director T.J. Scott -- best known for his popular on-screen works “Spartacus,” “Gotham” and “Orphan Black” -- has made his way to Seoul to lend his expertise on the current and future state of the film and TV industries in the U.S.Invited as part of the Korea Creative Content Agency’s “Content Insight” lecture series for the month of July, Scott, who is credited with taking part in more than 50 TV shows and movies over the past two decades, discussed his take on television

Television July 13, 2015