Most Popular
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Same day, different holiday: Mid-autumn festivals across East Asia
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N.Korea could use nuclear weapons at any stage of conflict: Pentagon
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Yoon hosts luncheon meeting with Korean atomic bomb victims in Hiroshima on Chuseok
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Swimmer, gamers celebrate Chuseok with gold medals
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Memorials commemorating Itaewon crowd crush to be erected at accident site
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The many regional flavors of songpyeon, a Korean holiday dessert
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Opposition leader proposes meeting with Yoon amid growing party feud
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NewJeans hits 1 bln streams mark on Spotify with debut album
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Expressway traffic congestion persists on 2nd day of extended Chuseok holiday
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Whisky imports surge 40% through August, suggesting record-breaking year
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Arts school works to give students a fighting chance
This is the sixth in a series on producers, MCs, DJs and artists working in the Korean underground hip-hop scene. ― Ed.Most entertainers, musicians and actors will agree that an academic degree is not always necessary for a career in entertainment. But nowadays, just like most of the working world, it’s harder to get jobs based on talent alone. Young job seekers need a set of skills and techniques along with talent.That is what Korea Conservatory, an arts school based in Apgujeong-dong, is hopin
PerformanceSept. 15, 2013
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New album of Beatles rarities set for release
LONDON (AFP) ― A box set of previously unreleased recordings and studio chat by The Beatles including early hits and cover versions is to be released later this year, their record company said Friday.The tracks from radio broadcasts at the British Broadcasting Corporation in 1963 and 1964 include 37 performances which have never been issued before now and 23 tracks of conversations featuring the Fab Four.The album, “On Air ― Live At The BBC Volume 2,” is a follow-up to a similar box set released
PerformanceSept. 15, 2013
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Can Rottini become Korea’s Il Divo?
Korea’s music market already has a wealth of “popera” singers, but Ensemble Rottini are aiming to take the genre to the next level.In the past several years, men with charms and sweet voices have been drawing not only classical music lovers but also pop fans seeking something different. Rottini, which released its first mini album “Vita Mia” on Sept. 10 is the latest product from Credia, an influential classical music artists’ agency, who joined the growing throng of hopefuls looking to become t
PerformanceSept. 15, 2013
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Staying in the city for big break
Chuseok surely is a huge deal in Korea, filled with family joys and the signature holiday food.Yet for Seoulites who choose not to visit their family in the countryside, or expats who don’t plan to travel, the holiday leaves them with little to do.Seoul, however, offers a number of options for those who choose to stay in the city for the holiday, from an expat-oriented film festival to English-language musicals. This year’s Chuseok break ― Wednesday to Friday ― is unusually and luckily long, as
CultureSept. 13, 2013
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Calendar
Dance“SIDance”: The annual Seoul International Dance Festival (SIDance) is returning in October, featuring a total of 51 dance companies from 16 countries. The opener this year is a performance by Canadian troupe Cas Public, with its stylish variation of Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring.” Other invited troupes include France’s Cie Heddy Maalem, Finland’s Dance Theatre Auraco, and Italy’s Ambra Senatore. This year’s SIDance runs from Oct. 7 to 27 at Gangdong Arts Center, Seoul Art Center and Goyang A
CultureSept. 13, 2013
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Box Office: The Face Reader, The Spy, Elysium
The Face ReaderOpened Sept. 11Drama. Directed by Han Jae-rim. Nae-gyeong (Song Kang-ho) is the son of a disgraced noble family living in the Joseon era with a talent for physiognomy. With one glance of a person’s face, he is able to assess their personality, mental state, and habits. He is approached by officials in the royal court to use his skills to help solve a murder case. Nae-gyeong’s talents become recognized by the royal court and he is asked to not only solve crimes but also assist the
FilmSept. 13, 2013
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Eyelike: ‘Coup D’etat’ no revolution
‘Coup D’etat’ no revolutionG-Dragon “Coup D’etat”(KT Music)G-Dragon’s second studio album “Coup D’etat” is chock-full of colorful songs and features big-name artists, but are the songs really “revolutionary?”Title track “Coup D-etat,” is actually one of the weakest songs on the album. Featuring Diplo and Baauer, the same beat and melody plays throughout the whole song, making it repetitious and boring. “Niliria,” featuring Missy Elliot, has a unique sound consisting of an interesting mix of trad
PerformanceSept. 13, 2013
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‘Insidious: Chapter 2’ shuns scares for laughs
More silly than its sinister predecessor, “Insidious: Chapter 2” is entertaining for the contortions the script makes to incorporate both a brief prequel and highlights from the first film into a new 105-minute package.This is a Mobius strip of a movie, looping in on itself with ghosts from “The Further” and parallel existences interwoven into the lives of the lost Lamberts of sunny Somewhere, Calif.Those “Saw” / “Insidious” guys James Wan (director) and Leigh Whannell (co-writer, co-star) throw
FilmSept. 13, 2013
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BENIKEA offers extra night for three-night stays
The Korean hotel chain brand BENIKEA has launched an online promotion “Visit Korea 3+1” that offers a free one-night stay for foreign guests who stay three consecutive nights. The BENIKEA hotel chain whose services are certified by the Korea Tourism Organization, the state tourism agency, has more than 60 hotels nationwide, including major tourist destinations such as Seoul, Busan, Gyeongju and Jeju. The hotels are popular among both locals and foreign visitors for their reasonable prices and qu
TravelSept. 13, 2013
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Australia holds festivals for arts lovers
For the upcoming autumn season, Australia is offering a variety of fun festivals. Melbourne Festival is an international arts festival that will run from Oct. 11-27. The festival is known for providing programs and events in dance, theater, music, visual arts and multimedia at a very low cost or, in most cases, free. For more information, visit www.melbournefestival.com.au. Those interested in the thrill of the race can go to the Tissot Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix, which will run from Oct.
TravelSept. 13, 2013
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Rising hotel prices show recovering travel market
The average prices of hotel rooms around the world rose by 2 percent during the first six months of 2013, according to Hotels.com’s latest Hotel Price Index (HPI), which tracks prices hotel guests paid for their accommodations around the world. Although the rise is relatively small, the average prices are now approaching the same level as 2006, before the world financial crisis. Reports showed Latin America experienced the biggest change with a 7 percent increase in hotel prices, while the slugg
TravelSept. 13, 2013
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Hollywood studio teaches dogs how to fly
LOS ANGELES (AP) ― For $349, your dog can learn to fly.One Hollywood film studio now prepares dogs for a safe and calm flight.The Air Hollywood class includes a real fuselage on a sound stage with a simulator that mimics takeoff, turbulence and landing. Hollywood extras create crowds and the chaos that come with airport terminals.Talaat Captan, president and CEO of Air Hollywood, the world’s largest aviation-themed film studio, had the idea after noticing a dog owner having a rough time getting
TravelSept. 13, 2013
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Pyramids quiet on visit to crisis-hit Egypt
CAIRO (AP) ― The lone tourist bus curved through the desert past the limestone-topped Pyramid of Khafre, leaving the camel handlers and postcard sellers trudging through its dust. It rounded one last turn, then settled atop a plateau overlooking the pyramid and its two mammoth siblings.The bus door flapped open, unleashing a dozen Chinese tourists into the empty parking lot. They strolled toward the plateau’s edge, cameras and parasols in hand, just ahead of the vendors scrambling at the prospec
TravelSept. 13, 2013
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Songpyeon (half-moon shaped rice cakes)
Chuseok is right around the corner. A must-have Chuseok delicacy is songpyeon ― small half-moon shaped rice cakes (tteok) that are stuffed with sweet fillings and steamed on a bed of pine needles. The name songpyeon stems from the use of pine needles (“song” in “songpyeon” means pine tree).Traditionally, short grain rice was soaked overnight and drained before being ground into a fine powder in a gristmill. These days, you can easily find bags of wet rice powder that is specifically made for mak
FoodSept. 13, 2013
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Around the Hotels
Experience the ‘Taste of Walkerhill’Celebrating the hotel’s 50th anniversary, Sheraton Grande Walkerhill and W Seoul Walkerhill have planned special gourmet menus and events to appeal to food lovers. At restaurant CLOCK16, Michelin-star Italian chef Igor Macchia will organize an Italian menu prepared with locally grown ingredients paired with Luce & Frescobaldi wine for 200,000 won. A more affordable option available from Sept. 28 to Oct. 1 will allow guests to enjoy fusion dishes of Korean and
FoodSept. 13, 2013
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Gourmet sandwiches in Bukchon
Sandwiches are the oft-unsung heroes of lunch-on-the-go. Two slices of bread slapped around a filling to be downed in transit, in front of the computer or on a park bench; convenient, simple and tasty, the hand-held meal can be found most anywhere and so can be just as easily taken for granted.One bakery-cafe, however, knows that a great sandwich can be much more than that.The Barn ― which first opened as a bake studio-cafe in Sinsa-dong before launching its second spot, a cafe-bakery in Seoul’s
FoodSept. 13, 2013
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Stevie Nicks, Lady Antebellum team on ‘Crossroads’
NASHVILLE, Tennessee (AP) ― Lady Antebellum may be on hiatus, but fans are still getting a chance to see something new from the Nashville trio.Lady A will join Stevie Nicks on Friday night’s episode of “CMT Crossroads,” the show that matches country stars with partners from different musical genres.“Performing with Stevie Nicks is by far the coolest thing we have ever done in our career,” Lady A’s Charles Kelley said. “I mean, it really was. We are actually going to have a little viewing party a
PerformanceSept. 13, 2013
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SMTOWN heads to Beijing for Oct. gig
S.M. Entertainment-affiliated K-pop artists are set to perform for the “SMTOWN Live World Tour III in Beijing” on Oct. 19 at Beijing National Stadium.The Korean artists will be the first to use the exclusive location that has not been opened to any foreign artist since the 2008 Olympics. The stadium, also known as the Bird’s Nest because of its unique design, is capable of holding up to 90,000 people at a time. “Only top Chinese stars like Jackie Chan, Leehom Wang and Andy Lau have been able to
Sept. 13, 2013
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J.K. Rowling to pen new magic movie for Warner Bros
LONDON (AP) ― J.K. Rowling’s world of wizardry is coming back to the big screen ―but without Harry Potter.Film studio Warner Bros. announced Thursday that Rowling will write the screenplay for a movie based on “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” her textbook to the magical universe she created in the boy wizard’s stories.The story will focus on the book’s fictitious author, Newt Scamander, and is anticipated to be the first in a series.Rowling said in a statement the movie “is neither a p
FilmSept. 13, 2013
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‘Project Cheonan Ship’ sold out at Incheon theater
The controversial documentary film “Project Cheonan Ship,” whose screening was suspended by a major multiplex chain, recorded a first-day sellout at a theater in Incheon on Thursday. The film challenges the government’s claim that North Korea sunk the Cheonan warship near Baengnyeongdo Island, killing 46 South Korean sailors.Cinema chain Megabox removed the movie from its lineup only two days after the film hit theaters on Sept. 5. over security concerns for moviegoers, claiming it received thre
FilmSept. 13, 2013