A local book club is hosting two famous authors on May 25.Novelist Kim Young-ha, whose internationally-acclaimed works “I Have the Right to Destroy Myself” and “Your Republic is Calling You” have earned him fans at home and abroad, is the invited speaker for the 10 Magazine Book Club meeting organized by Sookmyung Women’s University professor Barry Welsh.Krys Lee, the Korean-American author of “Drifting House,” will moderate the meeting.Internationally recognized as a master of storytelling ― hi

HOUSTON (AP) ― A man accused of vandalizing a 1929 Pablo Picasso painting in a Texas museum ― an act that was caught on cellphone video ― agreed Tuesday to a two-year prison term as part of a plea deal with prosecutors. His lawyer called his act “an artistic statement.’’Uriel Landeros had faced felony graffiti and criminal mischief charges accusing him of spray-painting “Woman in a Red Armchair’’ with an image of a bullfighter, a bull and the word “conquista,’’ the Spanish word for conquest.Land

MANCHESTER (AFP) ― Manchester United and England footballer Wayne Rooney’s wife Coleen has given birth to a second son, to be named Klay Anthony, the couple said on Tuesday. She gave birth to the 7 pound 11-and-a-half ounce boy at 2:11 a.m. after reportedly going into labor over the weekend. Klay is younger brother to the Rooneys’ first son, Kai Wayne, three, born on Nov. 2, 2009. One Tuesday morning Coleen Rooney tweeted to her one million Twitter followers: “At 2.11am our Beautiful Son... Klay

Seoul Metropolitan Government has launched “My Seoul,” a mobile phone application to make everyday life simpler for the city’s expats. Officials said that it was the nation’s first app of this kind, and offers free services in five languages ― Korean, Chinese, Japanese, English and Vietnamese. Launched Monday, the app is available for Android phones only, but from early July, it will available on iPhone as well. The number of languages will also increase to eight. My Seoul provides information o

Twice-yearly event HBC Fest will return to Haebangchon in Seoul’s Itaewon-dong this weekend for two days of music.Beginning 9 p.m. Friday, venues on the main road of Haebangchon will provide stages for a variety of acts.Venues on the first night are the Orange Tree pub, the VFW, and Phillies, which will have stages upstairs and downstairs. The last acts begin at midnight at Orange Tree and Phillies.The same venues will open the following afternoon, joined by FIX Pub, Bonny’s Pizza Pub and Camara

Yeoksam Global Village Center is giving expats the opportunity to learn “pansori” for free on May 29. Pansori is a traditional form of Korean music performed by a vocalist called a “sorikkun,” and a percussionist. The pieces are often narratives that tell stories such as folk tales. The program is geared toward beginners and conducted in Korean and English by professional performers at the National Gugak Center.The class runs from 2-4 p.m., and the group will meet at Bangbae Station at 1:30 p.m.

Gwangju International Center is running a silent auction as part of its fundraising drive to pay for its relocation.Items on offer include photo and portrait packages by local expat photographers, language tutoring, and drum and piano lessons. Professional Ping Pong lessons are also up for grabs.Bids can be made at the center itself or by emailing the GIC with your name, contact number, the item bid for and amount offered. Minimum amounts apply to the bids. Only the highest bidder will receive t

Spoken word event Wordz Only is running on May 25 at Cafe Radio in Busan.Wordz Only is a monthly open mic event for creativity based on the written and spoken word, from poetry and fiction to rap. It runs from 8:30-11 p.m. To share your work, arrive by 8:30 p.m. and enter your name. Performers are drawn out one at a time until the end of the night. Performers are asked to keep their reading time to between 7 and 10 minutes. Cafe Radio is in the Kyungsung district of Busan. To get there, leave Ex

MEXICO CITY (AFP) ― Villagers installing a water pipe in southwestern Mexico stumbled onto an ancient granite statue depicting a player from a pre-Hispanic ball game, the national anthropology institute said Monday.The stone had been sliced at the neck, like a decapitation, and buried in a ritual that was common at the time, the National Anthropology and History Institute said in a statement.There are indications that the 1.65-meter-tall statue, which depicts a bow-legged ballplayer with his arm