Cork: It’s not just for wine and bulletin boards

NEW YORK (AP) ― Cork. It’s not just for wine stoppers and bulletin boards anymore. Embraced by some progressive furniture makers decades ago and a staple in housewares, cork has found a larger place among shoes, handbags, jewelry and other fashion accessories. Designer Elaine Turner is a proponent of cork, which is renewable, feather light and water-resistant. So is Ingrid Heinkel, who imports cork accessories ranging from men’s wallets to a woman’s backpack in a tiger stripe design.  Tiger Beng

Arts & DesignJuly 10, 2014

Crashing through stereotypes

This is the eighth in a series highlighting women and their accomplishments in the various facets of the Korean entertainment industry. ― Ed.Velvet Geena was never a trained musician. In fact, before she started rockabilly band the RockTigers in 2001, she was a writer for a music cable channel and event organizer. The only experience she had was a short stint as a vocalist in a punk band as a student.She said she had just simply wondered what it would be like to be on stage.“Some people have the

PerformanceJuly 10, 2014

Super Sonic 2014 reduced to 1-day music festival

This year’s edition of the Super Sonic music festival, slated to bring legendary English rock band Queen and other renowned acts to South Korea next month, has been reduced to a one-day event, according to organizers. Super Sonic 2014 will now take place on Aug. 14 at the Auxiliary Stadium at Jamsil Sports Complex. The festival had originally been scheduled to take place from Aug. 14-15 at Olympic Park.“We moved the festival’s location to Jamsil Sports Complex to acquire a larger stage and space

PerformanceJuly 10, 2014

2PM’s Junho tops Oricon charts with new EP ‘Feel’

Junho, a member of K-pop boy group 2PM, topped Japan’s equivalent of the Billboard charts, Oricon charts, with his second EP “Feel,” released on Wednesday.According to the music charts, “Feel” saw sales of 27,939 on the day it was released, safely sitting on top of the daily charts.The singer’s second solo EP shows his talents as a true musician. His self-produced album consists of five tracks including the lead track “Feel,” “Dangerous” and “Next To You.”In addition, Junho is to hold a tour aro

July 10, 2014

Korea’s top emcee donates W10m for comfort women

(House of Sharing)Yoo Jae-suk, a member of variety show program “Infinite Challenge” and famous comedian, made a donation of 10 million won ($9,873) on Wednesday to the House of Sharing, the organization said on Thursday.House of Sharing is a shelter where comfort women, victims of Japan’s sexual enslavement of Asian women during World War II, live together. (MBC)“Yoo Jae-suk promised to show continued interest in victims of Japan’s sexual enslavement and support the comfort women,” an official

July 10, 2014

Rapper Jang Woo-hyuk dating Japanese actress Fueki Yuko: report

South Korean rapper Jang Woo-hyuk and Japanese actress Fueki Yuko, also known as Yoo Min, have been dating for years, a local news outlet reported Thursday. The news broke after a source close to Jang revealed that the couple had long been an item and met up on a regular basis. They recently went on a trip together to Guam, the largest resort island in Micronesia, according to the source.  (Instagram)To back up the claims, the news outlet unveiled photos seemingly taken on holiday that Jang and

July 10, 2014

Rainbow member reveals top secret for perfect skin

Most women spend a tremendous amount of time and money on their skin. They all wish to keep their face young and moisturized. According to Jeakyung, a member of Korean girl group Rainbow, keeping perfect skin actually does not have to cost much. It just needs a little bit of diligence and time. (OSEN)Jaekyung, who is famous for her knowledge of cosmetics and skincare, revealed her secret for perfect skin: Make your own natural cosmetics. She makes her own aloe moisturizer, which helps control fa

July 10, 2014

Seo In-guk’s 12 face expressions revealed

Pictures of actor Seo In-guk making various facial expressions were released on Thursday.In the tvN drama “High School King of Savvy,” Seo plays Lee Min-suk, a high school student who pretends to be a manager of a big firm for his brother.The pictures showed Seo looking cute, energetic, serious and charismatic. Seo is gaining attention from viewers for his acting, being a corporate manager and a high school student at the same time. His romance in the drama with Lee Hanna is also attracting many

July 10, 2014

Nichkhun becomes ‘invincible’ in China

Nichkhun of popular idol group 2PM has becom a star in China with his drama “One and a Half Summer.”In the drama, Nichkhun portrays a Chinese-American man who visits China to find his first love, whom he met while traveling.Nichkhun’s drama was broadcasted on Dragon TV from June 23 to July 2, and has 27 episodes. It was also released in China’s main online video sites, gaining more than 400 million viewers.The drama has proven to be immensely popular, topping the entertainment section of China’s

July 10, 2014

Miss A’s Suzy reveals photos with bunny girl

Suzy of Miss A revealed two pictures on her Twitter account on Wednesday, cheerfully posing with two foreign women in costumes.The Korean girl group member added the comment “Chu” with the photos.  Suzy of Miss A (Suzy’s Twitter)(khnews@heraldcorp.com)

July 10, 2014

Choi Yeo-jin calls Han Hye-jin ‘ugly'

Actress and model Choi Yeo-jin boasted a beautiful face on MBC variety show “Radio Star” on Wednesday, and then jokingly called actress Han Hye-jin “ugly.”The actress complained that her face has never been camera-friendly, appearing less attractive than her actual self. “Some people would recognize me on the street, get all surprised and ask me why I look the way I look on the television screen,” she said. Then the show emcee Kim Gu-ra provoked the actress by saying, “I think you are prettier (

July 10, 2014

Cho Hye-ryeon marries businessman

Comedienne Cho Hye-ryeon said on Thursday that she married a businessman in late June. Cho, 44, tied the knot with her 42-year-old boyfriend in a restaurant. The exact date and location of the marriage was not disclosed. The wedding ceremony was kept simple, with only family members invited.The couple had been dating for about 11 months before walking down the aisle. This is the second marriage for the comedienne. She divorced her first husband in 2012, ending an 11-year marriage.  Comedienne Ch

July 10, 2014

EXO D.O. beams in ’It‘s Okay, That’s Love' poster

SBS revealed four more official posters for its new rom-com series “It’s Okay, That’s love” on Thursday.Two posters feature the drama’s main stars, actor Jo In-sung and actress Gong Hyo-jin. The other two show Jo and Gong along with actors Sung Dong-il, Lee Kwang-soo and D.O. of boy band EXO. The drama is a love story between handsome detective novelist Jang Jae-yeol, played by Jo, and seemingly chic but soft-hearted Ji Hae-su, played by Gong. The rom-com will air on Wednesdays and Thursdays sta

July 10, 2014

Lee Min-ho calls fans ‘a reason to be’

Actor Lee Min-ho thanked his Korean fans, calling them his “reason to be.”The actor met with fans on Tuesday at “Twosome Pairing,” a promotional event for coffeehouse Twosome at CGV Cheongdam Cinecity in Seoul. “Fans are my reason to be. I thank all of my fans, and I will see you again through ‘Gangnam Blues,’” the actor said. “Gangnam Blues” is a noir film starring Lee and heartthrob Kim Rae-won. Lee closed the event by singing a part of his self-composed song “Say Yes.” Actor Lee Min-ho. (OSEN

July 10, 2014

Actress Kim Yoo-jung sports various looks in magazine

Kim Yoo-jung has modeled for fashion magazine bnt. The young actress poses in a casual combination of jeans and a striped shirt, while wearing her hair down. In other shots she poses in a pink beanie and a leather skirt and looks flawless in a classic sleeveless white dress. By Cho Han-na, Intern reporter (hnncho@heraldcorp.com)(Photo credit: bnt)

July 10, 2014

AOA celebrates 700th day since debut

K-pop girl group AOA revealed a photo to mark the 700th day since their debut on Thursday.   (Twitter)“Hello, I am Yuna. Do you know what day is it today? It is the 700th day since we debuted. Thanks to our fans who have been always there for us,” Yuna, a member of the 8-girl group, wrote on Twitter alongside the photo. In the photo, AOA members pose holding a cake with candles. Debuted in 2012, AOA recently made a comeback with their first EP “Short Hair.” (laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)

July 10, 2014

Summer escape to the museum

White balloons sway in the breeze, creating shade where urbanites can take shelter from the blazing summer sun. A mist of water from sprinklers cools off the hot summer air in a forest of high-rise buildings. Even dragonflies fly around the mist as they do over a river fog. The space is in the front garden of the Seoul Museum of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea. It is, in fact, an architectural installation that won the prestigious Young Architects Program run by the Mus

PerformanceJuly 9, 2014

Pharrell Williams seduces Montreux

MONTREUX, Switzerland (AFP) ― “Clap along if you know what happiness is to you,” Pharrell Williams sings and the room pulsates with clapping hands and joyous dance moves.Williams, whose ubiquitous hit “Happy” has taken the world by storm and spawned copycat dance videos around the globe, worked his magic on the audience at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland late Monday.When Williams, wearing jeans, a white T-shirt hidden behind a mass of gold chains and of course his signatory hat, wrappe

PerformanceJuly 9, 2014

Big companies continue to shape Korea’s image

Big companies like Samsung, LG and Hyundai continue to be the main image of Korea abroad, according to a survey released Wednesday. Asked to name the first thing that comes to mind when Korea is mentioned, 40 percent of the 280 foreign nationals who responded to the poll cited conglomerates, while 21.8 percent cited food. “A divided country” placed third at 8.9 percent. The survey, conducted annually by the privately run Corea Image Communication Institute, was administered online from June 24 t

CultureJuly 9, 2014