Cho Seong-jin, the winner of the Chopin piano competition, is a new classical music icon in Korea, setting recording history even before the release of his first solo album. 　The 21-year-old pianist’s upcoming album – a live recording of his performances at the 17th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition in Poland – was the top seller across all music genres at Kyobo Bookstore, the country’s largest book seller, as of 3 p.m. Tuesday -- a feat that no other classical musician has come ev

Sales of the Korean-language edition of “The Great Escape,” written by Angus Deaton, this year’s winner of the Nobel Prize in economics, have been halted due to “changes that are not approved by the author.” Princeton University Press, the book’s original publisher in the U.S., requested the Korean publisher Hankyung BP discontinue sales, citing “changes (in the Korean edition) that do not accurately reflect the original work.”A new edition -- which will be “independently reviewed, to accurately

Missionary leaves big footprints in education, church,

Yeongwol International Museum Forum, one of the biggest academic events in the field of museum, will be held in the scenic county of Yeongwol, Gangwon Province. The third edition of the forum invites leaders of public museums in 34 countries, including Japan, Vietnam, Australia, China, Ethiopia and Uganda, to share their insights on this year’s theme “National Policy and Role of Museum in Society” from Oct. 28-30. The biennial forum, which began in 2011, is expected to be held annually with incr

Since the early 2000s, South Korea welcomed a new group of writers who delved into their unique experiences as Korean millennials, as well as the horrors and joys of modern Korean life.Among them, one of the most prominent writers is Kim Ae-ran, who rose to instant literary stardom in 2003 when her short story, “No Knocking in this House,” won the Daesan Literary Award.Kim Ae-ran (Yes 24)It depicted the life of five young women who live in separate rooms at a boarding house but have minimal cont

Library-style cafes rarely spur reading, but provide new cultural hub

How homegrown novels have become a rare find on best-seller lists

Hanyang University’s Sunwoo Myoungho set to develop control system for future generation vehicles, including self-driving cars

Online literature works captivate readers for a quick entertainment fix

When R-rated flick “Fifty Shades of Grey” opened in theaters here in February, the box-office score was a big disappointment with only 364,410 tickets sold. However, the story was different in the e-book market. The eponymous title, written by E.L. James, nabbed No. 1 in March for several consecutive weeks on major e-book charts, including Yes24, Kyobo Bookstore and Interpark, while the paper copy didn’t even reach the top 10 list. The book’s latest sequel “The Grey” also ranked high on e-book c

Rice festival in IcheonThe 17th Icheon Rice Cultural Festival will be held in the country’s rice production hub of Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, until Sunday.Under the theme of “Joyful Union, Sharing Happiness,” the five day festival, which kicked off Wednesday, will feature a variety of programs and competitions.Visitors will get a chance to learn how to cook rice and rice cakes in a traditional style using conventional cooking utensils, and participate in rice-cooking contests.There will also be

Autumn is a good time to start eating more root vegetables. Ueong (burdock root) is very popular in Korea and other Asian countries. It’s full of nutrients and an excellent source of fiber. The root has a sweet, earthy flavor and crisp, chewy texture. Ueong jorim is a simple dish to make by lightly braising in a sweet, soy sauce.Gently scrape off the skin with a knife or the back of a knife. Since the root is pretty fibrous, I like to cut it into match sticks. Once it’s cut, the root will turn b

Driving through U.S. West Coast promises unforgettable landscapes, priceless memories