The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has awarded artist Lee U-fan the Geumgwan Order of Culture Merit for his contributions to contemporary art. Lee is known for his minimalist paintings and sculptures and has contributed to the development of Korean monochrome painting, which has gained worldwide recognition. He is one of the founders and leaders of the avant garde Mono-ha group, which rejects Western notions of representation in art and instead relies on the Eastern method of focusing o

Young Venezuelan and Korean musicians work for change in society

BUSAN (AP) ― The South Korean Christians kidnapped by the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2007 returned home to not just relief but outrage, rapped for engaging in zealous missionary activity in the Islamic country in defiance of government warnings and forcing South Korea to negotiate for their release. A new drama by director Lee Jang-ho, well-known in South Korea for his commercial movies in the 1970s and the 1980s, borrows from those true events to examine religious conviction in a country that se

Super Junior’s upcoming concert in Mexico had fans chartering buses to Mexico City and some even camping outside for days to purchase tickets for the group’s first performance in the country since their debut in 2005. The concert is slated for Nov. 7 at the Arena Ciudad de Mexico. Although the arena can accommodate 22,000 concert goers, the first round of ticket sales were limited to 14,000 seats. The ticket prices ranged from 90,000 won to 295,000 won and were sold out in just four hours, with

WASHINGTON (AP) ― Vincent van Gogh’s various versions of some of his well-known paintings are featured in the first major exhibit of his artwork in Washington in 15 years at The Phillips Collection.“Van Gogh Repetitions” opens Saturday to examine some of the artist’s familiar paintings, looking at how he repeated certain compositions during his 10-year career. It was organized with the Cleveland Museum of Art, which will host the exhibit in March.The new exhibit is a bright spot for museum visit

Idols and designers team up to compete for title of ‘Fashion King’

BUSAN (AFP) ― A new format that gives moviegoers a panoramic 270 degree view will be rolled out by Korea’s biggest cinema chain this month, using the walls of theaters as additional screens. Screen X, developed by cinema chain CJ CGV, was on show at the Busan International Film Festival last week in the premiere of a 30-minute spy thriller “The X,” directed by Kim Jee-woon, a film commissioned to showcase the expanded three-screen format. Kim, who directed this year’s Arnold Schwarzenegger actio

Exhibition at Kukje Gallery brings wooden utility pole installation to Seoul

Spanish choreographer Marcos Morau’s works offer abstract, imaginative images of Iceland, Moscow and Siena