Summer set menu at Park Hyatt SeoulPark Hyatt Seoul’s The Lounge is presenting a summer set menu until August. The set menu includes a bowl of bingsu, (ice flakes with various toppings), two smoked martinis and a snack dish. Guests can choose from four types of bingsus: Pat Bingsu, made with red beans and rice cake; Berry Bingsu, made with fresh berries, chocolate and nuts; Honey Bee-ingsu made with honeycomb, vanilla ice cream, apple puree and pecans; or Spicy Melon Bingsu, made with cantaloupe

CultureJuly 11, 2014

Gochujang saewu gui (spicy grilled shrimp skewers) (Korean Bapsang)Sometimes it only takes one special ingredient to give a dish a total makeover. In this recipe, that one ingredient is gochujang (Korean red chili pepper paste). Simply add a couple spoonfuls of it to your usual marinade for grilling shrimp. It turns what would have been ordinary grilled shrimp into something totally different and delicious. How can you go wrong with gochujang? This grilled shrimp is savory, peppery, slightly swe

FoodJuly 11, 2014

At Eclair by Garuharu, a dessert shop that opened late this June on Seoul’s Gyeongnidan Street, there are eclairs and macarons, and then there is the macaron eclair. Owner and pastry chef Yun Eun-young explained that she put this hybrid dessert on the menu because she wanted to give a nod to the eclair, the titular dessert of her new store. Also, one of her leading specialties as a pastry chef is the macaron. Those who have tasted a macaron cake or macaron eclair will already understand the basi

FoodJuly 11, 2014

South Korean actress Hwang Bo-ra, actor Cha Hyun-woo. (Fantasio)South Korean actor Cha Hyun-woo, the younger brother of actor Ha Jung-woo, and actress Hwang Bo-ra have been dating for a year, their agency Fantasio confirmed Thursday.The confirmation came shortly after a local daily reported that the two have been in a romantic relationship for a year now. “They first met through an acquaintance at church. As they share the same religion, they have been on good terms just like other normal couple

July 11, 2014

Rising K-pop boy group, GOT7, revealed they attend sex ed once a month during SBS radio program “K.Will’s Young Street” on Wednesday.JYP Entertainment is the management agency for GOT7 and has many other groups and K-pop singers such as 2PM, Miss A, 2AM and 15&. According to its policy, trainees receive education on various topics including sex.“Don’t (trainees) of JYP Entertainment have sex education?” the emcee of the show asked GOT7.The group of young singers confirmed their agency’s policy a

July 11, 2014

Singer Kim Hyun-joong released his fourth EP “Timing” on Friday.The mini album features tracks of various genres, ranging from up-tempo dance song “Beauty Beauty,” to acoustic ballad “Nothing on You,” and modern British pop in “Things I Want to Say.” All four songs were released at noon through Korean online music portals. In addition to the EP, Kim’s agency released a still photo of the K-pop singer. (KeyEast Entertainment)(khnews@heraldcorp.com)

July 11, 2014

Actor Kang Ji-hwan came under fire on Friday when a Filipina posted several pictures of Kang and herself in bed, on her Facebook. The woman posted selfies with Kang, 37, who seems asleep. She also uploaded pictures of Kang’s sleeping face. With the photos, she wrote “…Together sleep with Korean actor Mr. Kang Jihwan,” stirring up a myriad of fiery responses online. Kang’s agency denied all the rumors regarding the bed-selfie fiasco. The agency spokesperson told reporters, “The pictures were take

July 11, 2014

 Donghae of K-pop idol group Super Junior revealed a photo on his Instagram Friday taken with his label mate, U-Know Yunho of TVXQ, late at night. The photo, titled “Quick date in the moonlight. SJ & TVXQ,” shows the close relationship of the two idols. Meanwhile, Super Junior-M, a subunit of Super Junior that Donghae belongs, took part in this year’s Hong Kong Dome Festival on July 1.(laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)(Photo credit: Instagram)

July 11, 2014

K-pop idol group EXO‘s Chanyeol posted a photo on his Instagram on Thursday that he took with Seo Kang-joon. (Instagram)“Kangyeol (a combination of the two’s names Kang-joon and Chanyeol) tour company, which puts customers first, is coming soon. Stay tuned for the upcoming episode of ‘Roommate.’ Kang-joon, you are so handsome,” the 21-year-old idol wrote in the caption alongside the photo.In the photo, they are smiling with their arms crossed. The heartthrobs are currently starring together in t

July 11, 2014

The KBS board of directors on Thursday recommended former vice president Cho Dae-hyun as its new CEO, who will be appointed by President Park Geun-hye. The board selected Cho out of six candidates in a vote held Wednesday evening. The nominee won by an absolute majority, the board said. Cho, if appointed, will lead the nation’s largest public broadcaster until November 2015, filling the top post vacated by Gil Hwan-young.  Cho Dae-hyunGil was dismissed last month by the board after a high-profil

TelevisionJuly 10, 2014

To know China, you must know “guanxi.” Lexically, it is a relationship or connection, but it means more than that. It contains important cultural implications that no single English word can explain.In China, guanxi is the key to success, be it in business, politics or any field that requires people-to-people relationships. The Chinese understand guanxi as the art of networking in their own fashion. To them, guanxi is exchanging favors for a common interest. “If you scratch my back, maybe I will

BooksJuly 10, 2014

Fourth of July CreekBy Smith Henderson (Ecco)Reading the first pages of Smith Henderson’s astonishing new novel, you can sense the trouble rising like thunderheads over the plains. A cop waits outside a ramshackle house. You know the place: “Peeling paint, a porch swing dangling from one rusting chain, a missing windowpane taped over with torn cardboard.” A social worker arrives. A mother and son sit handcuffed behind the screen door, subdued.These two, says the cop, “are full idiots.” The socia

BooksJuly 10, 2014

Midway through her thoughtful, entertaining history of obsessed music collectors and their quest for rare early 78 rpm records, writer Amanda Petrusich has a revelation. Focusing on one particular seeker and his knack for finding obscure titles others have missed, she describes him strategizing his search by “pursuing his prey with the kind of vehemence typically employed by a PI stalking a client’s ex-wife, or a cop chasing a kingpin. It felt calculated and thorough.”The difference? Unlike thos

BooksJuly 10, 2014

SAN DIEGO (AP) ― Four U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration employees saw or heard a handcuffed San Diego student locked in a cell for five days without food or water, but did nothing because they assumed someone else was responsible, investigators said Tuesday.The U.S. Justice Department’s inspector general faulted several DEA employees for their handling of the April 2012 incident that left Daniel Chong in grave physical health, cost the agency a $4.1 million settlement and led to nationwide ch

PeopleJuly 10, 2014

Chae Yoon-seok is an office worker with a 5- and 2-year-old. When Disney’s animated film “Frozen” hit local theaters in January, his daughters became part of the craze, wanting to watch it over and over again. Instead of taking them to the cinema every time, he decided to pay 9,000 won to buy the Internet protocol television (IPTV) version of the movie. Since May, his girls have watched it well over 20 times. “The perk is that the kids can watch it whenever and as many times as they wish at home

FilmJuly 10, 2014

Inspired to create a dance festival under the premise of showcasing “ballet for all to enjoy,” the Korea Ballet Association is returning with the annual “K-Ballet World” two-week-long ballet extravaganza. The upcoming festival will be held on select days from Aug. 22 to Sept. 5 and will showcase various short dance programs performed by both renowned principal dancers and young, novices. It will also include productions from Korea’s top ballet companies ― Universal Ballet and the Korean National

PerformanceJuly 10, 2014