The art collection confiscated from the family of former President Chun Doo-hwan will be put on the auction block in December at two major auction houses in Korea. K Auction and Seoul Auction, designated as the official auction houses by the Korean government to sell the seized artworks, will present a total of 235 pieces at their regular winter auctions next month. The artworks are estimated to be worth more than 3.7 billion won ($3 million) and include masterpieces of Korean art ― from old lan

PerformanceNov. 27, 2013

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― South Korean officials say a 16th century royal seal in the collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art may have been stolen out of a shrine in Seoul during the Korean War.An official at the state-run Cultural Heritage Administration told the Associated Press that South Korea in May asked the United States to investigate how the gilt bronze seal ended up at LACMA in 2000.The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, says U.S. officials have confiscated the seal.The

CultureNov. 27, 2013

In honor of the 450th anniversary of the birth of William Shakespeare (1564-1616) in 2014, the Korea National Opera will stage two operas based on the English playwright’s works next year. “Romeo et Juliette” by French composer Charles Gounod will be staged on Oct. 2-5 at the Seoul Arts Center Opera Hall. The tragic story of teenage lovers Romeo and Juliet has been one of the most loved romantic tales around the world, made into several film and uncountable TV adaptations, love songs and others.

PerformanceNov. 27, 2013

NEW YORK (AFP) ― The first book printed in what is today the United States of America sold for more than $14 million at auction in New York Tuesday, Sotheby’s said, becoming the world’s most expensive book.The translation of Biblical psalms “The Bay Psalm Book” was printed by Puritan settlers in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1640 and was sold at a one-lot auction by Sotheby’s.Bidding opened at $6 million and closed just minutes later at a premium price of $14.165 million, a Sotheby’s spokesman sai

BooksNov. 27, 2013

Nobody ever accused Spike Lee of an overabundance of subtlety. He’s an unapologetically bold filmmaker, one who hasn’t shied away from using a tattered American flag or a “Dead End” sign as hard-to-miss metaphors. But this also works to his benefit: Lee’s films rarely fail to leave an impression. So that Lee would take on a remake ― or “reinterpretation,” as he calls it ― of Park Chan-wook’s grotesque revenge melodrama “Oldboy” is perhaps fitting. He’s one of few filmmakers who would take the or

FilmNov. 27, 2013

Cable channel tvN’s newest reality program, “Sisters over Flowers,” part of the series “Backpacking Project, Part 2,” is slated to air for the first time on Friday night at 10 p.m. The program will have a much different vibe from “Grandpas over Flowers,” which followed the antics of four veteran actors backpacking throughout Europe and Taiwan. “‘Sisters over Flowers’ is going to be completely different from ‘Grandpas over Flowers,’” head producer of the series Nah Young-suk said at a press confe

TelevisionNov. 27, 2013

 Try inviting a friend over for a tipple at Hopscotch, and you may end up waiting as said pal gets lost. Tucked away on a small backstreet with no written sign or obvious door, this retro gastropub is more than hard to find, it is deliberately incognito. “We didn’t want the public to know about it,” said Hopscotch chef and co-owner David Cho. The whole set-up might read anti-social to the extreme not to mention bad for business, yet, as Cho so charmingly puts it, “People want to find the small h

FoodNov. 27, 2013

The year was 1973. Claus Riedel ― the late, former head of Riedel Glas Austria ― saw his dreams for glasses custom-tailored for specific wine styles reach full, global fruition with the launch of the brand’s Sommelier series.Many have since etched that moment as pivotal in how oenophiles perceived the vessel’s role in the proper enjoyment of wine. From that moment on, Riedel’s Austrian crystal glasses have spawned an ongoing debate about the true effectiveness of such wares, designed solely for

FoodNov. 27, 2013

The Rural Development Administration of Korea opened an agricultural research center of the Korea Project on International Agriculture in Lima, Peru, Tuesday.The state-run agricultural research institute said the center would provide technical cooperation for a range of activities, from agricultural development projects to the training of Peruvian researchers. The opening of the center also commemorates the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries.The administration has set

PeopleNov. 27, 2013

Korea introduced its toughest-ever legislation against corruption involving public officials to an international conference Tuesday. Lee Sung-bo, chairman of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, also pledged that Korea would play an active role in promoting global cooperation to build a more transparent society. He is currently leading the Korean delegation to the fifth conference of the United Nations Convention against Corruption in Panama City, which runs from Monday to Friday.“Co

PeopleNov. 27, 2013

Yeongdo Bridge in Busan has returned to its original form as a drawbridge, 47 years after its deck stopped moving. The Busan Metropolitan City Government on Wednesday held a ceremony to mark the restoration of the bascule bridge.The bridge was built in 1934 to connect the mainland and Yeongdo Island, the first such bridge in the city’s history. It was also Korea’s first bascule bridge with a single moveable section. The bridge is said to have been built by Japanese colonial occupiers to transpor

PeopleNov. 27, 2013

PeopleNov. 27, 2013

A Korean adoptee looking for her birth parents has turned to flyers in Seoul after poor record-keeping and language issues have limited her search.Sarah Ishida, 29, returned to Korea in 2012, but after several visits to the places where she was found and looked after, and to Korean organizations that help with birth family searches, she has been unable to discover much in her search.Ishida has been told that an 18-year-old woman surnamed Ham found her in Changsin-dong, Seoul, shortly after she w

Expat LivingNov. 26, 2013

Running a successful small business is never easy. But as a foreigner navigating the complex web of immigration law, that challenge can seem all the more daunting. Some foreign businesspeople complain of unclear visa rules and requirements and seemingly arbitrary decision-making.A decision by the local immigration office last month signaled the end of the 3-year-old clothing business of one French citizen.“They asked me to sign this approval thing and I said no. I refused. I said, ‘Can I have a

Expat LivingNov. 26, 2013