In traditional Korean culture, people bow once when greeting the living, twice when paying respect to the dead and three times when venerating a Buddhist shrine or a senior monk or nun. “So why do we bow three times to a monk?” an instructor asked in a bowing tutorial session during a three-day templestay program at Magoksa Temple in Gongju, South Chungcheong Province. “Because they are more than human,” one Chinese exchange student hesitantly replied, unsure whether her answer was correct. “Goo

TravelApril 25, 2014

Gallina Daisy, a new Italian restaurant that opened in Seoul’s Tongin-dong near Gyeongbokgung Palace, is a subtle charmer of a spot. Low on flamboyance and high on quality, owner-chef Daisy Park’s 30-seat establishment serves up carefully executed fare that slowly unfurls its layers of flavors and textures one bite at a time. There is no big pop of flavor or fancy plating, just tasty, earnest food that treads lightly on the palate, leaving behind a delicate medley of aromas, a feat made possible

FoodApril 25, 2014

Jangjorim is a soy-braised beef dish. It’s a slightly sweet, salty side dish that’s meant to be eaten in small amounts. So, a little bit of meat goes a long way. Back in the day, when beef was scarce, jangjorim was an economical way to put some beef on the table for the whole family. It’s also a popular side dish for lunch boxes. Growing up, it was the most exciting thing to see in my lunch box.Beef eye round is commonly used, but I prefer brisket (yangjimeori) or shank (satae) because they are

FoodApril 25, 2014

Mongolian BBQ at Grand Hilton SeoulGrand Hilton Seoul’s buffet restaurant is kicking off the spring season with an outdoor Mongolian BBQ promotion at the restaurant‘s terrace. Guests will be able to select from a range of quality meat including beef, pork, chicken and lamb, as well as seafood such as shrimp, scallops and squid. The chefs will be barbequing the meat selected by the guests in Mongolian style on the spot. The restaurant’s ingredients are all purchased from Agrosuper, one of the fir

FoodApril 25, 2014

YG Entertainment CEO Yang Hyun-suk will donate 500 million won ($480,000) to help the families of those killed in the ferry sinking last week.The donation will be made through YG’s charity project WITH, which has long used some of YG’s annual profits to help those in need in Korea, according to YG Entertainment.“As a parent myself, it was heart-wrenching to follow the Sewol accident. I know that there are no words that could console the parents who lost their children in this tragedy,” Yang was

April 25, 2014

In the wake of disasters, people, whether directly involved or not, are affected in one way or another. For Sendai-based Japanese artist Aono Fumiaki, the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami was an unforgettable disaster. The tsunami washed away parts of his studio and his wife’s family home, leaving only linoleum flooring and some bathroom tiles. The artist started to collect debris and destroyed objects from tsunami-hit areas. He restored them, not to their original forms, but as repu

PerformanceApril 24, 2014

After its season-opening gala “Thank You!” in February, Korea’s Universal Ballet Company is premiering a new piece choreographed by Spanish artist Nacho Duato. Titled “Multiplicity, Forms of Silence and Emptiness,” the dance features well-known Baroque compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach and aims to deliver the emotional essence of his music and important moments of the legendary composer’s life. Universal Ballet is the fifth troupe to perform the piece choreographed by Duato, following the Na

PerformanceApril 24, 2014

Two books written by Korean author Bok Geo-il have been published in English, the Literature Translation Institute of Korea said.One is Bok’s sci-fi novel “The Jovian Sayings,” which the author first penned in Korean in 2002. Bok translated the novel into English himself. The story is set in the 29th century, where robots and human beings live on a satellite near Jupiter called Ganymede.The other book, “The Unforgotten War,” is a play depicting the Battle of Jangjin Lake, also known as the Battl

BooksApril 24, 2014

Baek-hyun of EXO. ( SM Entertainment)Baekhyun, a member of K-pop boy band EXO, is venturing into a new genre ― musicals.He will take the lead role in “Singin’ in the Rain,” to be produced by SM Culture & Contents Co., a subsidiary of SM Entertainment.Baekhyun will play Don Lockwood, the male protagonist, in the stage production based on the 1952 namesake musical movie directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen.Fellow SM stars including Super Junior’s Kyuhyun and SHINee’s Onew will also be in the c

April 24, 2014

NEW YORK (AP) ― Summer is the season of Michael Bay. As much as anyone else, Bay ― in movies like “Armageddon,” “Pearl Harbor” and “Transformers” ― has shaped what the summer movie is: its quick-cutting bombast, its visual-effects flourish, its capacity for mass destruction. This summer, he’ll release “Transformers: Age of Extinction” (June 27), the fourth film in the franchise, with a revamped cast led by Mark Wahlberg. The 49-year-old Bay, who also produces “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (Aug.

FilmApril 24, 2014

Kim Soo-hyun, one of Korea’s hottest TV stars, will donate 300 million won ($289,000) for the young victims and survivors of the Sewol ferry sinking, joining a slew of celebrities in offering aid, donations and condolences in the wake of one of the country’s worst maritime calamities ever. “Kim Soo-hyun will be donating the money directly to Danwon High School in Ansan. All decisions, including the amount and recipients, are his own,” the actor’s agency said Thursday. Over 300 students and teach

April 24, 2014

American Saint: The Life of Elizabeth SetonBy Joan Barthel (Thomas Dunne)Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton was an American original. Born into New York’s upper crust in 1774, she was the daughter of a prominent doctor, raised a devout Episcopalian, married a well-to-do businessman, William Seton, had five children and worked with others from her parish, Trinity Church, to assist needy widows and children. When the Napoleonic Wars took several of his ships, William Seton suffered bankruptcy, and Elizabe

BooksApril 24, 2014

The Secret Life of William ShakespeareBy Jude Morgan (St. Martin’s)We know so much about William Shakespeare, and yet we know so little.Through documents public and private, we know that indeed Shakespeare did exist; we know about his family (his father, for instance, was a once-prominent leather worker in Stratford); we know he married a woman, Anne Hathaway, who was eight years older and who gave birth six months after their marriage; we know they had three children and their only son died at

BooksApril 24, 2014

When John Updike died in 2009 at the age of 76, followers of American literature could not quite comprehend it. Novels, criticism and poetry (60 books) had flowed like a river from Updike’s pen since his years as a Harvard undergraduate. It was as if the writer vanished midsentence.One of Updike’s last public appearances before his lung-cancer diagnosis was in 2008 at Seattle Arts & Lectures ― at the time Updike thought he had “walking pneumonia.”He appeared with Seattle novelist David Guterson,

BooksApril 24, 2014

Robert Wagner is in a reflective mood.“Movies last forever,” noted the veteran actor (“Broken Lance,” “The Pink Panther,” the “Austin Powers” series), but the Hollywood he once knew has all but disappeared.“I turned around, and it was all gone,” Wagner, 84, said recently in Beverly Hills.Known as R.J. to his friends and colleagues, he’s dapper, charming, handsome and very much cut from the same cloth as the suave characters he played in the TV series “It Takes a Thief” and “Hart to Hart,” in whi

FilmApril 24, 2014

Ewha Womans University announced Thursday that Choi Kyung-hee, a professor in the department of science education, was named its new president.The university board held a meeting early in the day and confirmed the 51-year-old educator as the school’s head. She was selected out of three female candidates, all of whom are currently members of the university staff.She will begin her four-year term on Aug. 1, succeeding Kim Sun-uk.Choi received her doctoral degree in the same field in 1994, and has

PeopleApril 24, 2014