South Korean rapper Psy’s new hit “Gentleman” jumped 34 notches to No. 17 in the formal British music chart Sunday, apparently thanks to his recent promotional activities in the country.Released in April, “Gentleman” made it all the way to the No. 10 spot on the chart a week after entering the Official Singles Chart Top 100 at 61st, but its ranking went on a rapid decent until the recent rebound. The song has stayed in the Top 100 chart for its 10th straight week, proving that Psy is no “one-hit

The Internet has linked the world to a new level, enabling exchanges and trade of nearly everything with just few clicks. But it has become a headache for governments as online auction sites have become a loophole in cultural heritage smuggling. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on Friday said that five people have been apprehended for illegal trade of a total of 187 non-designated cultural heritage artifacts using eBay, the world’s largest auctioning site. The authorities have managed to rec

Accor Hotel Group, operator of 10 Accor Ambassador hotels in Korea, on Monday starts to receive bookings for the Accor Super Sale event which offers up to 50 percent discount for rooms at 2,000 Accor hotels worldwide between July 6 and Sept. 1. The discount program is available at Grand Ambassador Seoul; Pullman Ambassador Changwon; Novotel Ambassador Gangnam, Doksan and Daegu; Mercure Ambassador Gangnam; and the ibis Ambassador Seoul, Myeong-dong, Suwon and Busan. Rates start at $23 per room pe

The government on Sunday said it would build a polycarbonate “dam” inside Sayeon Dam in Ulsan to protect the rock faces of Bangudae, located on Daegokcheon Stream Cliff, from erosion. According to the Prime Minister’s Office, a memorandum of understanding was signed by Prime Minister Chung Hong-won, Cultural Heritage Administration chief Byun Young-sup, Culture Minister Yoo Jin-ryong and Ulsan Mayor Park Maeng-woo, which allows the installment of a “kinetic dam,” a portable, transparent protecti

LOS ANGELES ― “Yeezus,” the highly anticipated new album from Kanye West, leaked online on Friday morning, resulting in immediate Twitter trending and sending less-ethical fans all over the world to various illegal download and mirror sites to get a free copy.The back cover of the CD has also leaked, which shows the many samples and songwriters involved in West’s newest construction. Among those sampled include Nina Simone, whose version of “Strange Fruit” gets center stage on “Blood on the Leav

Producing perfect tea a matter of timing,care and fine-tuned conditions

Korean tea ceremony values balance of colors and taste with touch of style and grace

Luxury rail journeys offer an unforgettable way to experience the tastes, stunning landscape of South Africa

Exhibitions“Gauguin and After: Voyage into the Myth”: Masterpieces of the French post-Impressionist artist Paul Gauguin are on exhibition in Seoul. The exhibition, which runs from Friday to Sept. 29 at the Seoul Museum of Art, is the first-ever comprehensive survey of Gauguin’s artistic career presented to a Korean audience. It showcases about 60 artworks on loan from 30 major museums around the world, created during the two major periods of the artist ― Brittany, Paris (1873-1891) and Polynesia

MAZATLAN, Mexico ― The atmosphere in the Plaza de Toros, hot in the afternoon sun, crackled like popcorn, leaving visitors wondering just how long the crowd, growing larger by the minute, would sit patiently and wait. But as late arrivals searched for the last free seats, their concerns melted away.Suntanned cowboys in big-brimmed hats spotted distant friends and waved. Vendors selling beer worked the aisles and ladies spread sunscreen on their children. Clean-shaven men, eyes hidden behind blac

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) ― It’s cruise season in Alaska, with more than 1 million cruise passengers expected between April and September in port towns from Ketchikan to Seward.Cruise passengers who sign up for shore excursions can spend hundreds of dollars, if not more in the case of families, in each port they visit. Taking a helicopter to see Juneau-area ice fields can easily run $1,000 for a family of four for a one-hour trip. A nature tour near the tiny town of Ketchikan can run $89 for adults an

Unlimited draft beer and barbecue at Sheraton Seoul D Cube City HotelThe hotel’s lobby lounge bar presents two special promotions, “Golden Beer Time” and “L41 Barbecue Snacks.” The barbecue menus include sausages, nachos, chicken, chicken wings and drumsticks, grilled beef, and chicken and octopus skewers. “Golden Beer Time” runs until June 30, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. for 29,700 won per person. The price for “L41 Barbecue Snacks” ranges from 22,000 won to 27,500 won, available from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m