Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is a rat, Michael Jackson was a dog. His little sister Janet is a horse and Beyonce is a rooster, as is her husband Jay-Z.No, the “King of Pop” was not literally man’s best friend, but he is represented by the cuddly animal in “sibiji,” the 12 Chinese zodiac animals thought to represent worldly elements.“Sibiji” -- or just jiji -- refers to the units allocated to various elements in the world, such as the year, lunar month, each day divided into 12 and 12 separate porti

The Lotte Foundation for Arts has appointed Kim Sun-kwang as its new head, according to the foundation on Wednesday.Kim, 60, formerly managed the retail business of Mario Outlet before being appointed at the foundation. Kim Sun-kwang (Lotte Foundation for Arts)Kim has been working for Lotte Group since 1986, when he first joined Lotte Shopping. Since then, he has mainly worked for Lotte Department Store’s retail business. He reportedly does not have professional experience in the culture industr

Yellowtail feast at Park Hyatt SeoulPark Hyatt Seoul’s vinyl music bar The Timber House hosts Winter Yellowtail promotion.During weekday happy hour from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. guests can enjoy a 4-course meal featuring yellowtail. The set-course menu starts with salad, followed by a sushi platter, tempura and udon. The meal will be completed with an unlimited flow of white wine, house sake and Japanese draft beer.The promotion deal costs 69,000 won per person. For more information or reservation, call

An actress and producers of a TV show that accused filmmaker Kim Ki-duk of sexual assault have been cleared on charges of false accusations, which had been filed by Kim himself.Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said Thursday that it has decided not to indict on charges of false accusations the actress who publicly claimed that Kim had coerced her into a sex scene and slapped her, or the producers of MBC’s investigative journalism show “PD Notebook” that aired her claims. Kim had admitte

Ulsan Grand Park Light Festival This year’s Ulsan Grand Park Light Festival features five different themes under “Draw the Light Dream” until Jan. 27.The highlight of the festival is the 11-meter star structure in front of the Rose Garden Fountain, where a multimedia light show will be displayed. Admission fees are 2,000 won for adults, 1,000 won for teenagers and 500 won for children. Senior citizens 65 years old and above can enter for free, though ID is required. It is open to visitors of all

Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Do Jong-hwan on Wednesday said one of the biggest goals for this year is to boost the number of foreigners visiting Korea to 18 million, the highest-ever total.“It may be a burden (to attract 18 million foreigners), but we will take the responsibility of pursuing this,” Do said in his New Year’s address. “Officials have said that such goals have been set under the premise that inter-Korea relations will continue to improve and more group tourists will visi

Are culture complexes more than just cafes, restaurants and design shops?

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Monday issued another apology for the blacklisting of cultural figures under past administrations, but the press conference was mired by complaints from participating artists that the ministry lacked the resolve to prevent a repeat.Culture Minister Do Jong-hwan, speaking at a press conference in Seoul on the topic of its year-end report, confirmed that penalties would be imposed against 131 officials involved in the blacklisting scandal -- 68 from t

The traditional alcoholic beverage "makgeolli" has contributed to the increased consumption of alcoholic beverages by older women, a report showed Monday.According to the report conducted by a team of researchers at Seoul National University College of Medicine, a daily average of alcoholic beverages consumed by women aged between 40 and 69 increased from 4.6 grams in 2003 to 5.8 grams in 2009.Also, the percentage of makgeolli consumption among alcoholic beverages jumped from 4.2 percent to 7.4

Ryu Kwon-ha, the Korea JoongAng daily executive editor and current chairman of the Foreign Language Newspapers Association of Korea, has been reappointed as the FNA chief.The association announced that Ryu was elected for a second term during a board meeting of the FNA held Wednesday.Ryu has been the leader of Korea Joongang Daily since 2013, prior to which he was the paper’s German correspondent between 2003 and 2007. Ryu Kwon-haThe association was founded in July 2015 for the cooperation and d

Ulsan Grand Park Light Festival This year’s Ulsan Grand Park Light Festival features five different themes under “draw the light dream” until Jan. 27.The highlight of the festival is the 11-meter star structure in front of the Rose Garden Fountain, where a multimedia light show will be displayed. Admission fees are 2,000 won for adults, 1,000 won for teenagers and 500 won for children. Senior citizens 65 years old and above can enter for free, though ID is required. It is open to visitors of all

After hours of strenuous waiting, standing against the wicked winter winds, those who have flocked to scenic viewpoints stare in awe at the sea’s horizon.On South Korea’s west coast, the gleaming yellow sun in the ruddy sky inches closer to the horizon. Hues spread along the horizon get overwhelmingly richer, creating more dazzling reflections off the waters of the Yellow Sea. Soon, the blinding glare gives way to red-tinged dusk, as the sun goes out of sight, down the horizon.It was worth the h

With the year almost at its end, local hotels are rushing out parties, packages and promotion deals to attract excited guests willing to spend some extra money. As the same old countdown events can be mind-numbing, hotels have prepared their own luxurious events. While staying warm and cozy amid the hospitality of hotels, guests can fully feel the excitement of greeting 2019. Grand Ambassador Seoul Associated with Pullman’s entertainment pub Gran·A hosts Adieu 2018! Bubbly Midnight party. The pa

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art has opened its fourth branch in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, following the Gwacheon branch that opened in 1986, the Deoksugung branch in 1998 and the Seoul branch in 2013. The Cheongju branch is housed in a five-story building that was a tobacco factory built in 1946. The factory produced an annual average of some 10 billion cigarettes until it ceased operations in 2004. The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art’s fourth branch

Riding the staycation holiday wave, Le Meridien Seoul leads the luxury hospitality market here.For some 20 years the property housed the historic Ritz Carlton Seoul. After extensive renovations, the iconic Seoul landmark reopened in September 2017, rebranded as Le Meridien.(Le Meridien Seoul)Originally founded in Paris by the nation’s largest air carrier, Air France, Le Meridien is now part of global hotel chain Marriott International. As a luxury hotel brand, its motto is “Destination Unlocked.