SYDNEY (AFP) ― Japanese-born artist Masami Teraoka remembers the bombing of Hiroshima as the day when he saw two suns rising ― one in the east as usual, the other an orb burning eerily in the west.“Two suns, that’s for sure. That’s my memory,” he explained from a Sydney gallery where his confrontational images of geishas ripping condom packets open with their teeth and naked women frolicking with priests are being exhibited.“I’m not looking at the mushroom cloud at all, but from a distance it l

National Museum exhibition’s 86 items are mostly from Joseon period, many of them gifts by the royal courtIn 19th century Joseon, a number of foreign envoys enjoyed the privilege of receiving gifts from the royal court. Most of them received some exquisite celadon pieces from Korea’s Goryeo Kingdom ― known for their distinctive bluish-green color ― as gifts from the Joseon royals. One of the fortunate foreigners who enjoyed such a privilege was Horace G. Underwood (1851-1921), the founder of Jos

KBS CEO and president Kim In-kyu will receive the 2012 International Emmy Directorate Award, in recognition of his 40 years of service at the state-run broadcaster and his leading role in Asia’s broadcasting industry. Kim is the first Korean to win the award.“KBS is one of the great television services in the world, and Kim one of the leading media figures in Asia.” said Bruce L. Paisner, President & CEO of The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. “We are looking forward to prese

LONDON (AFP) ― Paul McCartney rounded off a fireworks-filled concert outside Buckingham Palace on Monday, where hundreds of thousands of people partied to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s diamond jubilee.The Beatles star closed the show in style with a blazing rendition of “Live And Let Die” and a mass singalong of “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” as revellers turned the heart of London into a sea of Union Jack flags.Prince Charles then gave a touching tribute to his “mummy” and led the giant crowd in sending

Wonder Girls and Big Bang go head-to-head with new albumsTop K-pop groups to dominate summer soundtracksWonder Girls and Big Bang dominated the music charts after the release of their new albums on Sunday, proving their firm hold on the K-pop music scene. Wonder Girls returned with “Wonder Party,” filled with playful and cheerful songs including “Like This” and five other new songs. Big Bang unvei

(SBS)Singer Hyun Jin-young said he has squandered away about 20 million won in playing an arcade game through which the user can insert coins, draw out an item inside a glass box by using a moving claw.While filming for a TV show program on SBS, Hyun said he is addicted to the game.Thanks to his “expensive hobby,” Hyun said he can snatch items inside the machine better than anyone.Meanwhile, about

Comedian Baek Jae-hyeon said he lost 40 kilograms through nearly a year of rigorous exercise.Baek used to weigh 118 kg and went to a hospital for a general medical checkup in February last year.The doctor said Baek had six years left due to high risks for diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure.Once he lost 40 kilos, he went on to have plastic surgery on his mouth, eyes and nose. His story

Award-winning actor Kim Myeong-min, whose previous works include MBC’s “Beethoven Virus” (2008) and period thriller “Detective K” (2011), is returning to the screen as a desperate father in the upcoming disaster thriller “Deranged” (Yeongasi).In the blockbuster flick which portrays the outbreak of virus-infected parasites in Seoul, Kim plays an ordinary man in his 40s named Jae-hyuk who works for a medical supplies company. The film begins as a number of dead bodies are found floating in the Han

Korean artists offer diverse musical genres such as Brazilian bossa nova, Irish folk and Jamaican reggaeBreaking the cultural barrier and giving up on potential fame, some indie bands and soloists here are bringing diverse musical genres from different parts of the world to Korea where K-pop culture predominates. For singer songwriter Na Hee-kyung, one of the Korean artists pursing world music, Brazilian bossa nova was something that made her heart beat. “I first learned about the word ‘world mu

Top K-pop groups to dominate summer soundtracksWonder Girls and Big Bang dominated the music charts after the release of their new albums on Sunday, proving their firm hold on the K-pop music scene. Wonder Girls returned with “Wonder Party,” filled with playful and cheerful songs including “Like This” and five other new songs. Big Bang unveiled a special edition album with five new songs, including powerful title track “Monster” and four other songs released previously and made into different ve

Australian production receives standing ovation for the first Seoul show Some 1,700 people, many dressed in “witch-like” green and black, packed Seoul’s major musical theater venue on Thursday night. The huge crowd was in attendance of the opening night of “Wicked” in Seoul, one of the most highly anticipated musicals this year. The show is another ambitious project by musical production house Seol & Company, who has brought other foreign masterpieces to Korea, including “The Phantom of the Oper