Jamiroquai, one of the world’s most famous acid jazz bands, is returning to dazzle Korean fans. For the first time in four years, the band will hold a concert on Aug. 22 at the Jamsil Gymnasium in Seoul, its Korean promoter said in a press release.The band had tremendous success in the previous concert in Seoul with tickets sold out in just five minutes.With the release of its seventh album “Rock Dust Light Star” in 2010, Jamiroquai began its world tour holding 83 concerts around the world. For

 Ko Hyun-jung’s first commercial film lacks laughs, focusIt all seemed promising in the beginning. After all, the movie was going to be actress Ko Hyun-jung’s first commercial flick. The popular actress, who has been dominating the local TV drama scene by playing nothing but powerful women, was going to be a social recluse in this highly anticipated comedy. She had heavyweight actors including Yoo Hae-jin and Park Shin-yang as her co-stars.But “Miss GO,” or “Miss Conspirator,” turned out to be a

5 billion won project features opera singer Angela Gheorghiu and conductor Chung Myung-whun of Seoul Philharmonic OrchestraAlmost ten years ago, Korean agencies started to bring in foreign opera productions, staging them at big venues in Seoul and selling tickets at record-high prices. There was “Turandot” staged in May 2003 at the Sangam World Cup Stadium and four months later, “Aida” at Jamsil Stadium. The two outdoor opera productions drew huge media attention at the time thanks to the grande

Popular girl group 2NE1 is kicking off the first world tour for a Korean girl group, according to their agency YG Entertainment.The four-member group is starting the tour with Seoul concerts on July 28 and 29 at the Gymnastics Stadium, Olympic Park. They are slated to tour a total of 10 cities in seven different countries in Asia, Americas and Europe.  Since their debut in 2009, 2NE1 has enjoyed popularity at home and abroad, and are best known for their hip-hop sound, powerful choreography and

The Seoul Central District Court on Tuesday ruled in favor of former TV presenter Han Sung-ju in a libel lawsuit against two news outlets that reported that she had assaulted her ex-boyfriend.The court ordered them to pay 5 million won ($4,300) each in damages. The media reported in last December that Han, a former Miss Korea, and her brother had physically assaulted her ex-boyfriend Christopher Hsu after he threatened to disclose details about their relationship. Han denied the allegations and

Jeonju International Film Festival programmer Yoo Un-seong’s sudden dismissal from his position has been branded by cinema devotees as unjust and political.Yoo, who had worked as JIFF’s programmer for eight years, claimed in a tweet that he was “unjustly” dismissed by the festival committee on June 5. The film critic, who started working as JIFF programmer in 2004, argues he was fired for remarks he made during a JIFF press conference last month which apparently enraged many Jeonju-based reporte

Over 7,000 Japanese K-pop fans will visit South Korea late June to attend an event held by boy-band JYJ, its agency said Wednesday.Cjes Entertainment said the 2012 JYJ Membership Week will host 15,000 Korean fans along with 7,024 Japanese fans that will visit Korea to attend the large-scale fan event.“No other Hallyu star has been able to gather such a huge flock of fans in a single event,” claimed the agency. It alleged the influx of Japanese fans were “the largest in scale since the foundation

  British pop star Adele made news this week admitting to have worn four pairs of Spanx under the dress she wore at the 2012 Grammys.“I had three or four pairs of Spanx on that night but I loved it,” said the iconic winner of six Grammys.She had to take off two layers before bedazzling the audience with her smash hit, “Rolling in the Deep,” for her Grammy performance.The singer also talked about how she had passed out in her first dress, which had a built-in corset that was much too tight. Altho

AKB48 is not exactly a band. It’s an army of girls-next-door, ranked by its fans, and after taking Japan by storm it’s getting ready to go global.More than 60 girls and young women, split into four teams, make up what is arguably Japan’s most popular pop group. It performs almost every day, has spawned affiliates across the country and has given rise to sister mega-groups in China, Taiwan and Indo

The restoration team of Seoul’s historic gateway Sungnyemun has begun the process of roof-tiling, the Cultural Heritage Administration announced Tuesday.The roof-tiling takes place after the Board of Audit and Inspection of Korea pointed out last month that the cultural administration is not following the traditional architectural technique, and that therefore the gateway’s restoration may not be completed properly.  During a press meeting on Tuesday, the cultural administration said that the re

Korean dancer with Germany’s Stuttgart Ballet to perform ‘The Lady of the Camellias’ in its entirety for the last time in Korea this weekend Ever since the news came out that Kang Sue-jin, the country’s star ballerina with Germany’s Stuttgart Ballet, will be performing the entire piece of “The Lady of the Camellias” for the last time in Seoul, many have raised the big question: Is she retiring?The 44-year-old prima ballerina, still active on stage and who has already passed the average retiremen