A miniature garden themed around Korea’s easternmost islet of Dokdo will go on a global exhibition tour after being showcased in London last week.The downscaled garden created by Korean designer Hwang Ji-hae features imitations of plants that grow naturally only on Dokdo and its nearest island of Ulleungdo in the East Sea. The artwork of indigenous Korean flora was presented to emphasize Korean sovereignty over the islet, which Japan also claims as Takeshima, according to the designer.  Entitled

Arts & Design March 10, 2014

Key works of Korean-born media art pioneer Nam June Paik have been included in the permanent art collection of Britain’s Tate galleries with the sponsorship of Hyundai Motor Co. The prestigious Tate Modern museum of art will hold an exhibition of Paik’s works in the latter half of the year. As part of the 11-year partnership deal with Hyundai Motor, Tate purchased nine important works by the renowned media artist, including his video and painting works and installations. The artworks spanning Pa

Performance March 9, 2014

The 1990s were a culturally vibrant decade that saw the birth of the legendary boy band Seo Taiji and Boys and first-generation idols like H.O.T. and Sechs Kies. It was the beginning of what we now call K-pop, and a period when Korean popular culture, especially movies and TV dramas, made great strides both in style and content. The decade is often hailed as Korea’s cultural heyday and continues to inspire popular culture. The culture of the ’90s first re-entered the Korean mainstream with the m

Television March 7, 2014

Classical musicLondon Symphony Orchestra: For the ninth time, the London Symphony Orchestra will be playing in Korea, this time with conductor Daniel Harding. It will hold two concerts at Seoul Arts Center, on March 10 and 11. The first concert will feature works by Mussorgsky, Stravinsky and Schubert. For the second one, the orchestra will play Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2, with soloist Kim Sun-wook, and Mahler’s Symphony No. 1, “Titan.” Ticket prices range from 60,000 won to 300,000 won. F

Culture March 7, 2014

Artist Kim In-bai is presenting faceless, abstract sculptures in his solo exhibition celebrating the reopening of Arario Gallery Seoul.Titled “Eliminate Points, Lines and Planes,” the exhibition seeks to break stereotypes of human figures. Instead of faces or heads for his human forms, the artist used geometrical forms.His latest works, shown seven years after his first exhibition at Arario in 2007, look edgier than his previous sculptures, which had round faces. They are a combination of geomet

Performance March 6, 2014

Oakwood Premier Incheon appointed veteran hotelier Kim Sung-hyun its new general manager, the hotel said on Thursday. Kim entered the hospitality industry as a full-time worker at Millennium Seoul Hilton in 1992 and held diverse positions in the Hilton Group over 11 years. He was a member of the task force to prepare for the opening of the Hyatt Regency Incheon in 2003 and served as general manager at Seokyo Hotel and Jeju KAL Hotel. “I’m happy to work in the fast-changing Songdo International B

People March 6, 2014

Korea’s southern resort island of Jejudo faces an oversupply of hotel rooms, according to local officials and industry insiders. As more and more tourists complained about the difficulty of booking rooms due to a shortage of hotels, the Jeju government eased regulations and stepped up efforts to attract builders and investments. However, their efforts seem to have gone too far.“Hotel rooms have outnumbered tourists. Unless the number of tourists increases remarkably, we will have a problem,” sai

Travel March 5, 2014

With about 90 percent of former President Chun Doo-hwan’s confiscated art collection sold, the remaining 97 artworks will come under the hammer at K Auction on March 12. K Auction is the second biggest art auction house in Korea and was commissioned by the government to sell the former leader’s seized artworks to collect his unpaid fines.  Some 600 artworks owned by Chun were confiscated by prosecutors last year as he had long refused to pay a fine imposed in 1997 for a number of crimes includin

Performance March 3, 2014

JW Marriott Seoul has named veteran hotelier Matthew Cooper as its new general manager, the hotel said on Monday. Starting as a banquet waiter in Australia, Cooper has built a professional career in hospitality of 16 years with Marriott International. He previously served as the general manager in India at Bengaluru Marriott Hotel Whitefield and at Courtyard by Marriott, Gurgaon. He has been involved in the preopening stages of several hotels and was awarded the Marriott International “Prestigio

Travel March 3, 2014

ExhibitionsThe Korea Galleries Art Fair: This art fair, hosted by the Galleries Association of Korea, will be held from March 6 to 9 at Coex, presenting artworks of both emerging and established artists of each participating gallery. The art fair will be showcasing more artists than last year as each gallery may introduce its top five artists. Last year’s art fair allowed galleries to present three artists each. A total of 470 artists will participate in the 32nd art fair, displaying diverse sty

Culture Feb. 28, 2014

Former news anchor and reporter Chung Sung-keun, 59, has been named CEO of Arirang TV, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Friday. Chung will take over the chief post at the nation’s biggest English-language TV network from Sohn Ji-ae, a former CNN reporter. His three-year term starts March 1. He has served as a reporter, an anchor and an editor at the nation’s two largest radio and television networks, KBS and SBS. Arirang TV operates three channels ― Arirang World, Arirang Korea a

Television Feb. 28, 2014

Paintings by French American artist Jean-Marie Haessle are often compared to those by abstract expressionists Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning. Haessle’s all-over paintings, which spread colors over the whole canvas without emphasizing a certain point, exude spontaneity, rapidness and primitive energy that his contemporaries strive to express. “I am me. I have both French and American side in me. I try to be both. Certainly my central color is French,” said Haessle during an interview with

Performance Feb. 27, 2014

With spring just around the corner, the Korean art market is welcoming the new season with the opening of art fairs, offering both novice and seasoned collectors a chance to discover latest emerging artists or add to their existing collections. The Korea Galleries Art Fair, hosted by the Galleries Association of Korea, which was founded in 1976, will be held from March 6-9 at Coex, presenting artworks of both emerging and established artists that each gallery represents. The art fair showcases m

Performance Feb. 26, 2014