The Korea Herald

Busan film festival invites N. Korean director, actors

FilmSept 25, 2012

Organizers of South Korea‘s Busan film festival said Tuesday they have asked the director and cast of a North Korean romantic comedy to attend a screening of their movie, the first ever invitation made to the communist nation.Director Kim Gwang-hun and the cast of “Comrade Kim Goes Flying” have been invited to Asia’s top film festival to be held from Oct. 4 to 13, a festival spokeswoman told AFP.The comedy, which was co-directed by Nicholas Bonner of Britain and Anja Daelemans of Belgium and fil
Two genres mix in unique fortuneteller tale

FilmSept 25, 2012

Director Shin Jeong-won returns with comic-horror movie ‘Ghost Sweepers’One of the most anticipated local films this year was finally unveiled on Monday, mixing two seemingly irreconcilable genres for a unique fortuneteller tale featuring malicious ghosts and crime.“Ghost Sweepers” is director Shin Jeong-won’s ambitious project to create another film that belongs to his own, distinctive style, which he calls as the genre of “comic-horror.” The film, a fortuneteller tale taking place in Korea’s r
Minors to be banned from revealing too much on air

Sept 25, 2012

Minors will soon be subject to costume regulations when they go on air, said the Korea Communications Standards Commission Tuesday.The commission stated on its website that it will push for a new rule to regulate revealing clothing for teen and child performers in order to control exposure.“Broadcasters must pay attention to and refrain from excessively exposing female minors during program recordings. Overly suggestive screen shots of girl groups composed of a large number of minors must also b
TV quiz contestant in Peru killed by boyfriend after confession

TelevisionSept 25, 2012

A Peruvian woman was drugged and killed by her boyfriend after revealing on a live TV show that she had been a nightclub dancer and prostitute, local media reported. The victim, 19-year-old Ruth Thalia Sayas, was murdered by her boyfriend Bryan Romero Leiva, who was outraged to learn the stunning truth that she made public on TV show “El Valor De La Verdad” (The value of the truth) in July.Leiva was arrested last weekend while attempting to flee to Ecuador, and has confessed to the killing.The c
Psy: Call me international star, not world star

MusicSept 25, 2012

Korean rapper-singer to release new single in the U.S., hold solo concert at Madison Square Garden in New York and cities around the worldPsy, the Korean rapper-singer who instantly became a global star with his mega hit single “Gangnam Style” said on Tuesday in Seoul that he still feels like he is dreaming.“I feel like I am dreaming and I am still at a loss for words. This wasn’t something that I planned for but it just happened,” Psy told reporters at a press conference held at a hotel located
Global-star Psy returns home in glory

MusicSept 25, 2012

Singer Psy, who became the talk of the town thanks to his megahit song “Gangnam Style” throughout the globe, came back to Korea on Tuesday morning.More than a hundred reporters from home and abroad gathered at Incheon International Airport to cover Psy’s entrance, demonstrating that he is now truly a global star.At the airport, Psy told reporters that he was not certain at first whether he could succeed in the U.S., but he said he feels very grateful to get more than he had anticipated.During hi
Riding the ‘Korean Wave’

Sept 24, 2012

Korea needs strategies for sustaining and expanding cultural phenomenonOver the past few years, Korean popular culture, often abbreviated as “K-pop,” has gained immense popularity in many countries. Following the initial surge of interest in Korean television dramas and popular music, nowadays all things Korean ― from food, movies and dances to fashion and language ― are quite the rage. The cultural wave, or hallyu, is establishing itself as a global phenomenon that has already washed over East
Amid cultural clash, Louvre honors Islamic art

TheaterSept 24, 2012

PARIS (AP) ― In its boldest development in a generation, the Louvre Museum has a new wing dedicated to Islamic art, a nearly 100 million $130 million project that comes at a tense time between the West and the Muslim world. Louvre curators tout their new Islamic Art department, which took 11 years to build and opens to the public on Saturday, as a way to help bridge cultural divides. They say it offers a highbrow and respectful counterpart to the recent unflattering depictions of the Prophet Muh
The world we perceive is in mirrors

TheaterSept 24, 2012

Lee Bul starts second phase of her artistic career three months after a retrospective exhibition in JapanLee Bul, one of Korea’s most internationally recognized artists, embarked on a new phase in her artistic career presenting new sculptures three months after a retrospective exhibition in Japan. Lee recalled the three-month project to create the four brand new pieces “reckless,” but admitted she found a light at the end of the long tunnel that might lead her to a new phase of her art world. “
Son Dam-bi to return to music business

TelevisionSept 24, 2012

Singer Son Dam-bi will return to the music scene after taking a break from singing to engage in acting.“We could not postpone Son’s comeback any longer as fans have been waiting for her, and decided to have her comeback on Oct. 8,” said Son’s management agency, Pledis Entertainment, in a phone interview with The Korea Herald on Monday.It has been almost two years since she released her last album. The 28-year-old singer debuted with single “Cry Eye” in 2007 and acquired a huge fandom through hit
CNBLUE mesmerizes London

TelevisionSept 24, 2012

CNBLUE successfully had its debut concert in London on Saturday. “The band held its first U.K. concert CNBLUE Live in London and met 4,000 fans in indigO2,” the group’s management agency FNC Entertainment said.The group performed 21 hit songs including “Love girl,” “One time,” “Tattoo,” “In My Head” and “Still I Love You.” The four-member boy band also had an encore where it celebrated its member Lee Jung-shin’s birthday, which was on Sept. 15. “We are happy that we could perform in London, home
G-Dragon launches collaboration brand

TelevisionSept 24, 2012

Idol group Big Bang’s leader, G-Dragon, participated in “My BOON, AMBUSH X G-Dragon Collaboration Launching Celebration Party” at the store opening of My BOON, Cheongdam-dong in Seoul, on Thursday.The brand is a collaborative work by accessory brand AMBUSH’s owners and designers ― famous Japanese hip-hop artist M-flo and member Verbal’s wife ― and G-Dragon. G-Dragon and hip-hop group m-flo built their relationship while producing G-Dragon’s new album “One of a Kind” released on Sept. 15. The 24-
‘Modern Family’ and ‘Homeland’ win big at Emmys

TelevisionSept 24, 2012

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― The terrorism thriller “Homeland’’ and “Modern Family’’ were the top winners at Sunday’s Emmy Awards in a ceremony that veered between daring and predictability in honors and Jimmy Kimmel’s turn as host. The four awards for “Modern Family’’ included a three-peat as best comedy series, although there was a minor backlash online as some Emmy watchers questioned whether the show had a deserving season. “Mad Men’’ walked away without a single statuette.“Homeland,’’ whose four trop
Kim Ki-duk to close screening of ‘Pieta’ as audience tops 500,000

FilmSept 24, 2012

South Korean director Kim Ki-duk said on Monday he will finish screening his internationally acclaimed film “Pieta” in South Korea by early next month to give more opportunities to other low-budget films as it has already drawn a large audience.“My infinitely dismal film ‘Pieta’ topped the 500,000 mark in audience members last weekend,” Kim said in an open letter sent through the film‘s local promotion company to his fans. “For me, the movie is as successful as a movie that obtained more than 5
Homer Simpson votes for Mitt Romney

TelevisionSept 24, 2012

Homer Simpson, the animated star of Matt Groening's "The Simpsons," voted for Mitt Romney in an online promotional clip for the show's new season.The ad for the new season, set to air Sept. 30, shows Simpson weighing his options at a polling station, Politico reported Friday.When considering President Barack Obama and Republican nominee Romney, Simpson says, "Barack Obama, I don't know. I already