American actor and practicing Tibetan Buddhist Richard Gere spoke out on the sufferings of Tibetans under Chinese occupation in Seoul, Wednesday.“I think it’s impossible to look at these photographs and not realize the extraordinary suffering of the Tibetan people,” Gere told reporters at a press conference promoting his Tibet-themed photo exhibition at Seoul Arts Center. “I think when you see the

Grammy Award-winning Parker Quartet to join ensemble Ditto in SeoulNow in its fifth season, the 2011 Ditto Festival’s theme will be French classical music including Debussy, Ravel and Faure. The audience will be able to enjoy a special duo recital by ensemble Ditto and another ensemble Parker Quartet, the festival’s artistic director said on Wednesday.All-male chamber ensemble Ditto, led by violis

Indie band hopes to start working on third album after summer concertsWhile idol group-centered K-pop has been heavily covered by the media, the Korean indie music scene has received relatively little attention. Seeking diversity of Korean music, The Korea Herald is running a series of interview articles shedding light on the Korean indie music scene. This is the second installment of the series.

WACCABUC, New York (AP) ― “Try it. Go ahead, stick your finger in!”The dollop of spicy hot-pepper paste is hard to turn down, coming as it does from the blender of Jean-Georges Vongerichten, one of the best-known chefs in the world, not to mention the owner of 31 restaurants and the man known for basically revolutionizing fine dining in New York.And we’re in his own home kitchen, yet. So the pinky

NEW YORK (AP) ― The resort season is not a time for fashion to take a vacation. Resort collections, which hit stores during the all-important Christmas holiday shopping season, are a growing part of designer businesses as consumers move toward styles they can wear year-round.The idea that people fully switch their closets between seasons is outdated, agrees Ken Downing, senior vice president and f

Diageo Korea, the local unit of the global drinks group, announced Wednesday that Mickey Lee of W Hotel’s Woobar has won the regional final of its international bartending competition.Lee reserved a ticket as a Korean representative to the annual World Class 2011 contest scheduled for July 11-14 in New Delhi, India, the host said. “Having tried out for the contest three years in a row, I’m unbelie

Chief Designer of Johnny Hates Jazz hopes to expand market to Asia and U.S.This is the first of a series of articles on up-and-coming South Korean designers. ― Ed.It has been a while since the fashion savvy girls in South Korea first started to recognize Johnny Hates Jazz. The brand’s hip but classy collections are attracting not only so-called fashionistas like actress Gong Hyo-jin but also many

The management company for Korean swimmer Park Tae-hwan said Wednesday it will be satisfied with a finals place in the men’s 100-meter freestyle at next month’s world championships.Park will add the event to his usual 200m and 400m freestyle events at the championships in Shanghai.Park Tae-hwan“Park has been training continuously to increase his speed and he recently suggested he should add the 10

PGA master professional tells his golf philosophyGolf fans were stunned this week by young Northern Irish golfer Rory Mcllroy when he won the U.S. Open title by eight strokes on Sunday for his first win in a major.The stunning victory of the 22-year-old is welcome news for golf lovers who have long been anticipating a new star, said PGA professional Jay Kyungwoo Na.“Our golf has been lacking star

Lee Eun-mi, member of the girl group "Iris"A member of the K-pop group Iris was stabbed to death by her boyfriend on Sunday. Lee Eun-mi, 24, was stabbed multiple times by her boyfriend, surnamed Cho, who got angry after she broke up with him. She was attacked on a street at around 2 a.m. as she was going home.The police arrested Cho at a highway service station the next day. Cho later confessed to