A Hangeul-themed artwork by the famous Korean installation artist Kang Ik-joong will go on permanent display at the Kyoto University of Art and Design.The piece was made as part of a joint project of Kang and independent publicist Seo Kyoung-duk to promote the Korean writing system to the world. “I created the piece to promote Hangeul through art at a time when people started to take interest in the Korean alphabet along with the hallyu boom,” Kang told a local news outlet.  The artwork “Yoon Do

U.S. pop star Britney Spears said via Twitter she is working on her eighth album, her first since 2011‘s “Femme Fatale.”The Grammy Award-winning singer tweeted during the weekend she is “working hard” on the new CD and “collaborating with some new inspiring producers.”She did not disclose the names of the producers, or a possible title or release date for the album.Asked by a fan online if she will return for a second season as a judge on TV’s “The X Factor,” she tweeted, “Really focused on my m

K-pop star Rain will face disciplinary action for dating a top TV actress while on official military duty, the defense ministry said Thursday, in the wake of an outpouring of criticism over the special treatment of celebrities while they fulfill their mandatory military service. The latest move comes after local media reported the 30-year-old singer, whose real name is Jung Ji-hoon, went on dates with actress Kim Tae-hee on several occasions while he was on leave last month.The top singer well-k

Exhibition focuses on unique culture and way of life in exploration of human survival

The announcement of Sistar19’s comeback in January has sparked news of other spin-off groups who wish to make a name for themselves this year. Girl group 4minute and the new boys of Infinite have both confirmed that they will be launching sub-groups of their own.Early last year, one of the leading girl groups in the K-pop world, Girls’ Generation, found success with their own spin-off group, Girls’ Generation-TTS, also known as TaeTiSeo, with members Taeyeon, Tiffany and Seohyun. Now, with the a

Girls’ Generation released their fourth album “I Got a Boy” on Jan. 1, but some fans who had eagerly awaited the girl group’s return were disappointed with the title track “I Got a Boy” and its music video. A number of Twitter users sent out a flurry of tweets that the new album does not strongly appeal to listeners. They said that “I Got a Boy” seems to be partly inspired by other girl group songs with similar chord progression and dance moves. Some online users even said the new album lacked t

Police say a paparazzo was hit by a car and killed after taking photos of Justin Bieber’s white Ferrari on a Los Angeles street.Los Angeles police Officer James Stoughton says the photographer, who was not identified, died at a hospital shortly after the crash Tuesday evening. Stoughton says Bieber was not in the Ferrari at the time.The sports car was parked on the side of Sepulveda Boulevard near Getty Center Drive after a traffic stop. The photographer was struck as he walked across the boulev

Oscar-winning sound editor Michael Hopkins, a frequent collaborator of filmmaker Peter Jackson, was killed in a rafting accident in New Zealand, police said.Hopkins, 53, drowned Sunday in the Waiohine River on New Zealand‘s North Island, the BBC reported. Two people with him survived after all three were ejected from the raft in a fast-flowing eddy, the report said. Hopkins won Academy Awards for his work on “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” in 2003 and “King Kong” in 2006. Both were big-s

“Gangnam Style” video stars perform in Times SquareKorean singer Psy performed “Gangnam Style” with actors Yoo Jae-suk and Noh Hong-chul, who were featured in the video, at “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” on Dec. 31 in New York Times Square. “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin Eve” is one of America’s biggest shows with millions of people gathering at New York Times Square on the last day of every year to see spectacular performances. And Psy invited Yoo and Noh to perform with him at the even

Piano prodigy, now grown up, ready to tell his story through music