The Korea Herald

Passports for ‘endangered’ musical instruments

MusicMar 13, 2013

BANGKOK (AFP) ― From pianos with ivory keys to violin bows crafted with tortoise shell, musical instruments made from protected species will soon be able to roam the globe more easily ― with their own passports.The 178-member Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) agreed on Wednesday to create a system of certificates for such instruments, which currently need a new permit each time they travel.The multi-entry passports, available for instruments made before internationa
Love is in the air

TheaterMar 13, 2013

The warm spring breeze and flowers put people in a good mood and perhaps evoke thoughts of spring romance. Fittingly, a love-themed art exhibition is opening at Seoul Museum on March 14, or White Day, a romantic day celebrated in Japan, Taiwan and South Korea where men give presents to women in return for what they received on Valentine’s Day. Love has always been a major theme for movies, art and music. The museum, which opened last year in the northern part of Seoul, has combined romantic movi
Bob Dylan voted into elite arts academy

MusicMar 13, 2013

If he lived in England, he’d surely be Sir Bob Dylan.The most influential songwriter of his time has become the first rock star voted into the elite, century-old American Academy of Arts and Letters, where artists range from Philip Roth to Jasper Johns and categories include music, literature and visual arts. According to executive director Virginia Dajani, officials couldn’t decide whether he belonged for his words or for his music, so they settled on making him an honorary member, joining such
Graphic examination of suffering and dignity

TheaterMar 13, 2013

Avant-garde Italian play ‘On the Concept of the Face, Regarding the Son of God’ to be featured at this year’s Festival Bo:m
Period piece overload?

TelevisionMar 13, 2013

Spring drama lineup goes heavy on historical settings
Kraftwerk to bring 3-D electronic visual performance to Seoul

MusicMar 13, 2013

The German-based group Kraftwerk, widely considered pioneers in electronic music, is holding its first concert in Korea with a special 3-D performance at the Jamsil Sports Complex on April 27. Kraftwerk is a unique veteran electronic group that combines techno instrumentation, synthesizers and computer-speech software along with projected video imagery. The four-member band typically projects various visual elements and moving images onto a screen, while adding in the beats and sounds during a l
Kim Hyun-joong’s Japanese fans donate $11,000 to charity

Mar 13, 2013

Japanese fans of pop idol singer Kim Hyun-joong, from K-pop group SS501, donated approximately $11,000 to the “Kim Hyun-joong Scholarship Fund” through the Beautiful Foundation.The Kim Hyun-joong Scholarship Fund was first created by the members of his local Korean fan club who go by the name of “Kim Hyun-joong Powerful S” in February 2010. In the past three years, the scholarship fund has received nearly $200,000 in donations. The scholarship fund was established to help support university stud
Pop idol booked over allegations of selling marijuana

MusicMar 13, 2013

A member of pop idol group DMTN was booked Tuesday for investigation over allegations that he sold marijuana, police said.Choi Daniel, the group's 21-year-old lead vocal, was accused of selling the drug to his acquaintances on numerous occasions between last September and December, police said.Police said they plan to ask prosecutors to indict Choi, who admitted to the allegations during questioning on Monday.Choi's management agency 2works said in a press release that the singer actively cooper
Head of MBC’s largest stakeholder offers resignation

TelevisionMar 12, 2013

The head of MBC’s biggest shareholder announced his intent to resign under pressure over allegations that he plagiarized his doctoral thesis, the organization said Tuesday.“Kim Jay-woo, chairman of the Foundation for Broadcast Culture (FBC), will convene an extraordinary board meeting at 8 a.m. Wednesday to officially announce his intent to resign before all board members and submit a letter of resignation to the Korea Communications Commission (KCC), through the foundation,” said Choi Chang-yeo
Online museum project unearths Van Dyck masterpiece

TheaterMar 12, 2013

LONDON (AFP) ― A filthy oil painting locked away in a museum in the northeast of England was on Saturday revealed to be an original masterpiece by Van Dyck.The portrait was spotted when it was photographed for an ambitious project to catalogue every single one of Britain’s oil paintings in public ownership in an online museum.Depicting Olivia Boteler Porter, lady-in-waiting to Henrietta Maria, the wife of English king Charles I, the 17th century painting had been listed as “a copy after Sir Anth
Stories behind prized art collections

TheaterMar 12, 2013

Artworks owned by Korea’s most seasoned collectors on display at Gana Art Gallery
Becoming ‘Storm Shadow’ in Hollywood

FilmMar 12, 2013

Actor Lee Byung-hun talks about making of his second Hollywood film ‘G.I. Joe 2’
Psy to release new single to Korean fans first

Mar 12, 2013

Psy fans in Korea will be the first ones to hear the follow-up to the rapper’s 2012 smash hit “Gangnam Style.”The singer announced that he would be releasing his new single on April 13 at his solo concert in Seoul, “Happening,” adding that fans in Korea would get the chance to hear the new song first before anyone else. According to YG Entertainment, Psy will be releasing his new single on April 12 in Korea. “Psy expressed his wish to reveal the song first to Korean fans, who have supported him
Nancy Lang’s bikini picture goes viral

TelevisionMar 12, 2013

Korean pop artist Nancy Lang’s composite photograph of Shin Saimdang, a famous female artist of the Joseon era, on a Korean banknote is going viral. The performance artist uploaded a photo of a 50,000-won bill, on which she changed Shin’s clothes into Lang’s body in a bikini. The original picture on the bill has Shin wearing hanbok, the traditional Korean costume. Some media speculated that she might be attempting to criticize the government’s moves to regulate people’s dress. In a recent Cabine
Korean drama sued over title

TelevisionMar 12, 2013

A student organization named DN has filed an injunction request for KBS drama “You’re the best, Lee Sun-shin” for allegedly undercutting the public image of Admiral Yi Sun-shin.The organization, made up of some 30 Korean students studying abroad, filed a complaint with the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office against KBS for distorting the image of the famous Joseon-era general. The drama’s title contains the name of the heroic Korean figure, but the actual main character is a struggling f