More than 140,000 Korean cultural artifacts are currently in overseas countries, the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage announced on Tuesday.Last January the research institution drew up a list of Korea’s missing cultural assets that have been located in foreign countries. At the time, the list had concluded that there are a total of 116,896 Korean items located overseas. The newly r

French composer Charles Goudnod’s opera “Faust,” which premiered in the mid-19th century in Paris, is one of the most frequently performed operas in the world. The Metropolitan Opera in New York City alone has staged it more than 750 times since 1883.The Korea National Opera is to stage “Faust” from March 16-20 at the Seoul Arts Center’s Opera Theater. It is the second of the opera company’s four-

Leeum presents 80 artworks looking back on Korea’s history from 1876 to presentKorea’s restless modern history will unfold at Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art in Hannam-dong, central Seoul, in the form of paintings, photographs, installations and media works. The exhibition “Korean Rhapsody: A Montage of History and Memory,” which opens on Thursday, displays 80 historical documents and artworks that r

Im Kwon-taek’s ‘Hanji’ features ‘moon-like’ beauty of traditional Korean mulberry paperAfter making a series of films that were “replicas of Hollywood films” in the 1960s, director Im Kwon-taek set one solid goal in his mind.“The films I made in the 1960s were solely created for box-office profits and audience appeal,” Im told The Korea Herald on Monday. “But I wanted to get away from that America

NEW YORK (AP) ― New Orleans piano maestro Dr. John wore a bright purple suit for his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Monday, leading a class with Neil Diamond, Alice Cooper and Tom Waits.Fellow pianist Leon Russell and “Wall of Sound” singer Darlene Love also were to be inducted at a black-tie dinner at The Waldorf-Astoria hotel in Manhattan. A tape of the ceremony is to air March

Commemorative performance ‘Hakchon Repertoire’ turns fans nostalgicVeteran actor Kim Yun-seok, who mesmerized cinephiles with his impressive role as a fraudulent gambler in the movie “Tazza,” was at the entrance of Hakchon Blue Theater in Daehangno, central Seoul, on Friday evening, checking names and handing out tickets. A PR official standing next to him handed a ticket and wanted to confirm if

LONDON (AP) ― Frothy, film-inspired funfest “Legally Blonde: The Musical” won three big prizes at London’s Laurence Olivier theater awards, while Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Love Never Dies’’ went home empty-handed despite seven nominations.“Legally Blonde” was named best new musical at Britain’s equivalent of Broadway’s Tonys on Sunday. Star Sheridan Smith was crowned best actress in a musical, and Ji

Kim Hyun-joong, a member of the popular South Korean boy band SS501, has donated 100 million won (US$88,700) for earthquake relief efforts in Japan, his agency said Monday.Keyeast, Kim's management agency, said the singer/actor sent the money to his Japan-based agency, DA, earlier in the day.To mark the Japanese premier of his South Korean television show, Kim was scheduled to meet with fans in To

Mexican artist melds media, time, fantasy and reality at solo show in SeoulThe ancient Egyptians were not the only ones who liked to put animal heads on human bodies. Mexican artist Carlos Amorales also enjoys creating “manimals,” his own term for the half-human, half-animal creatures, through different media such as photograms. Photograms are photographic images made without using a camera. When

CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) ― Fractions of seconds, captured by Vivian Maier a half-century ago or more ― fleeting moments of life on the streets at a time when men wore fedoras and dragged on Lucky Strike cigarettes, when women favored babushkas, when families piled in Studebakers and Packards for Sunday drives.She and her photos seemed destined for obscurity until a young man with an eye for bargains

Jaume Plensa, a Spanish installation artist renowned for his witty installation works, is looking for orean faces for his work “State Tower-Gwanghwamun,”which will be built in Cheongjin-dong, central Seoul, in July next year. Plensa’s public installation works are found across the world, with some of his famous work including “As One” in Toronto International Airport and “Breathing” on the BBC bui

Two stars in “ATHENA: Goddess of War” were apparently spotted on a date in Paris, domestic news reports said Friday. The local Kyunghyang Shinmun revealed three photos of Jung Woo-sung and Lee Ji-ah, walking on a street in the French capital looking like a couple.“Lee Ji-ah was with Jung Woo-sung with her hand inside of Jung’s coat pocket. They walked a street while looking around to check if anyo