Photos from Gong Hyo-jin’s car accident revealed

(Captured from KBS)Pictures of actress Gong Hyo-jin’s car accident were aired Saturday on KBS show “Entertainment Weekly,” revealing the severity of the accident. The photos, provided by firefighters, showed Gong’s van with the rear and side crushed. At the time of the accident, three people, including Gong, were in the van, returning home from filming SBS drama series “It’s Ok, That’s Love.”Gong was rushed to hospital and had surgery for a fractured left arm.  Gong’s agency said the actress wou

June 22, 2014

EXO’s Luhan sends warning message to obsessive fans

EXO’s Luhan sent out an anguished message towards the boy band’s overly obsessive fans, often referred to as “sasaeng fans.”“Can you please stop following? Aren’t you being too shameless? I won’t go over what you said,” the angered K-pop singer wrote on his Weibo on Sunday morning.This is the first time an EXO member directly warned an extreme fan. The group has only made broad comments about sasaeng fans in previous interviews.EXO has been suffering because of sasaeng fans since its debut three

June 22, 2014

Kim and Jun seek to revoke contract for controversial Chinese ad

The two stars from the hit Korea drama “My Love from the Star” Kim Soo-hyun and Jun Ji-hyun are seeking to revoke their contracts for a controversial Chinese advertisement, a move that could potentially result in tens of millions of won in penalties for them.  Actor Kim Soo-hyun (left) and actress Jun Ji-hyun in SBS television series “My Love from the Star." (SBS)“We have asked (the Chinese bottled water maker Hengda) to revoke the advertisement contract,” said Kim’s agency Keyeast. Jun’s agency

June 22, 2014

Chinese fans of Kim Soo-hyun and Lee Min-ho fight, over what?

The Chinese fans of the two world-class Korean actors, Kim Soo-hyun and Lee Min-ho, waged a fierce debate online, arguing over the actors’ facial size and height.Lee Min-ho(left) and Kim Soo-hyun (right) (OSEN)The photo of Kim and Lee in the printed advertisement for a Chinese clothing brand ignited the online war, a Hong Kong news outlet reported. In the poster, the two appeared to be of similar height and “facial size.” The fans of Lee posted disturbed comments over the fact that Kim, official

June 22, 2014

Nichkhun kisses Yu Wenwen on the beach

Photos of 2PM member Nichkhun and Chinese actress Yu Wenwen were published recently, showing the two stars kissing on the beach.In the still cuts from the upcoming Korea-China collaborative drama series “One and a Half Summer” the two will play a couple that falls in love on the romantic island of Santorini, Greece.Several photos were posted on the drama’s official Weibo account, unveiling the throbbing moments of the actors, stirring up excitement among fans.During the recent press conference f

June 22, 2014

Baekhyun makes first appearance on Inkigayo after admitting relationship

 Baekhyun of EXO appeared on the official TV program for the first time after confirming his relationship with Taeyeon of Girls’ Generation.As one of the emcees for SBS music program Inkigayo, Baekhyun appeared wearing a soccer uniform to celebrate the 2014 Brazil World Cup. Despite his first appearance after confirming that he is dating Taeyeon, the singer-emcee did not mention his new relationship status during the opening of the show.The romantic relationship between the two celebrities was c

June 22, 2014

2014 Incheon Asian Games music album released

An anniversary album to celebrate the upcoming “2014 Incheon Asian Games” was released on Friday, Universal Music Korea said on Sunday.The album is the first of its kind to commemorate the global sports event, the Korean leg of the multinational music publisher said. The album aims at bringing the Asian Games’ message “Diversity shines here“ to the world through multiple channels. The album comes in two volumes and a DVD. The first volume contains songs by world-class popular Western musicians,

June 22, 2014

Park Shin-hye wows Asian fans in Myeongdong

Actress Park Shin-hye wowed her fans at a fan meeting that was held in cosmetics shop “Mamonde” in Myeongdong, central Seoul, on Saturday.The promotional event was held to celebrate one million sales of “First Energy Serum,“ which is one of the company’s bestselling products.As a spokesmodel of the brand, Park met about 100 fans from Korea, China and Japan.The actress, 24, has recently debuted as a singer, releasing the single album, “My Dear.”By Kim Min-jin, Intern reporter (minjin103@heraldcor

June 22, 2014

[Weekender] Haenyeo up close and personal

Larger-than-life photographs of Jejudo Island’s iconic female divers in wetsuits hang on the walls of the second and basement floor spaces of POSCO Art Museum on Tehran-ro in southern Seoul, the women’s weathered faces bearing witness to a lifetime of struggles with the sea. The photographs are part of “Mother in the Sea, Haenyeo,” an exhibition of 165 works by celebrated photographer Joon Choi, running through July 3.Choi captures the faraway look in the eyes of an aged diver just out of the wa

CultureJune 20, 2014

[Weekender] Calendar

Dance“Don Quixote”: Following the Korean National Ballet’s staging of Swan Lake this past April, the company is gearing up to present it latest production, a resurrection of Marius Petipa’s classical tale of humor, “Don Quixote.” Based on the eponymous novel by Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes, the ballet version first made its premiere more than 260 years ago in the 18th century and has since become one of the ballet world’s most beloved comical productions. “Don Quixote” will run from June 2

PerformanceJune 20, 2014

Eyelike: Lena Park fuses fresh sounds on new EP

Lena Park fuses fresh sounds on new EPLena Park“Syncrofusion”(Loen Entertainment)Female vocalist Lena Park, best known for her powerful and moving ballads, has returned with the upbeat three-track EP “Syncrofusion,” featuring a fresh style and sounds that fuse electronic and pop-rock melodies with Park’s distinctive vocals.The lead single “Double Kiss,” an energetic and exuberant dance track, deviates drastically from Park’s usual musical style. Decorated by funky guitar riffs played by Paul Jac

PerformanceJune 20, 2014

‘Think Like a Man Too’ stars Good and Ealy open up

Meagan Good stopped having sex, and all of a sudden it was all anyone wanted to talk about with her. “People are fascinated by it!” she said, adding she doesn’t mind talking about her sex life (or lack thereof).Good and her “Think Like a Man Too” co-star Michael Ealy were in town last week to talk about the movie, the sequel to the surprise 2012 blockbuster “Think Like a Man,” based on Steve Harvey’s book, Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man. “Too” follows the group of friends navigating relations

FilmJune 20, 2014

Box office

Transformers: Age of Extinction (U.S.)Opening June 25Action, SF. Directed by Michael BayThis fourth installment of the “Transformers” film series takes place four years after the invasion of Chicago that left the city torn apart in “Transformers: Dark of Side of the Moon.” An old mechanic (Mark Wahlberg) discovers that his old semi-truck is a deactivated robot, Optimus Prime. Once the robot’s survival is known, a shadowy group reveals itself in an attempt to take advantage of the robots to contr

FilmJune 20, 2014

[Herald Interview] Venture beyond modern wonders in Dubai

Modern architecture and luxurious hotels are the images often associated with Dubai. But behind this modern image are traditional Arabic charms, says Saleh Mohamed Al Geziry, director of overseas offices within the Dubai Corporation of Tourism and Commerce Marketing. “Dubai has catered to luxury travelers, but there is also a lot to discover behind the modern and luxurious side of the city,” Al Geziry told The Korea Herald on Thursday.  Saleh Mohamed Al Geziry. (Lee Sang-sub/The Korea Herald)Al

TravelJune 20, 2014

New Harry Potter park: 5 first impressions

ORLANDO, Florida (AP) ― Universal Orlando Resort opened its new, richly detailed Harry Potter-themed area to media and other travel industry insiders on Wednesday night. The new park zone, called The Wizarding World of Harry Potter-Diagon Alley, will delight fans of the hit book and movie series with a marquee ride, Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts. But Diagon Alley is also heavy on experiential retail, with stores so entertaining and visually stimulating that you almost forget you’re

TravelJune 20, 2014

Cold-brewed iced lattes in Hannam-dong

Cold-brewed coffee, when done right, offers aficionados a potent moment of relief from that perpetual blanket of heat that is summer. Essentially made by combining ground coffee with cold to room temperature water for numerous hours, a cold-brew differentiates itself from other iced caffeine by starting off at room temperature or lower, while a standard iced Americano or latte usually begins with hot espresso. Cold-brew fans assert this results in a brew with lower acidity that tastes naturally

FoodJune 20, 2014

[Weekender] Around the Hotels

Skin refining program at Sheraton Seoul D Cube City HotelSheraton Seoul D Cube City Hotel’s Aequalis Spa is offering the “Ultimate Skin Refinery” treatment program for guests looking to perfect their skin before the summer season. The program includes Intraceutical’s “Opulence Facial Treatment,” which delivers pressurized, therapeutic-grade oxygen to the skin by using hyaluronic acid technology to inject concentrated vitamin C and natural extracts into the skin. The treatment brightens up skin t

TravelJune 20, 2014