The Korea Herald

Deceased singer's wife files complaint against hospital for negligence

Oct 31, 2014

The wife of deceased singer Shin Hae-chul reported a Seoul hospital that performed surgery on the singer to the police Friday, accusing it of causing his death through negligence.The 37-year-old widow, only identified by her surname Yoo, submitted the complaint with Songpa Police Station, claiming medical negligence was to blame for her husband's death after he received an operation for intestinal adhesions. The hospital has strongly denied the allegation."Please investigate into possibility of
[Herald Interview] Minzy’s sister debuts with ‘Rebirth’

Oct 30, 2014

Looking to continue her family’s musical background, Gong Min-young, the older sister of popular K-pop idol Minzy of 2NE1, made her official debut as a contemporary Christian music singer on Friday with the release of her first album, “Rebirth.” However, unlike her younger sister, who chose the mainstream pop music route, Gong says it was always her dream to pursue gospel music. “We grew up in a very religious household so gospel music is always something that has been a big part of our family,”
Hip-hop trio Young Fathers surprise Mercury winners

Oct 30, 2014

LONDON (AFP) ― Young Fathers, an underground hip-hop trio from Scotland with roots in Liberia and Nigeria, won the prestigious Mercury Prize Wednesday, beating out far better-selling British artists.Young Fathers’ first studio album “Dead” topped a field that included Blur frontman Damon Albarn, as well as increasingly popular artists such as poet-turned-rapper Kate Tempest and R&B-influenced trip-hopper FKA twigs.Young Fathers took home the 20,000-pound ($32,000) award, given each year for the
National Gugak Center bets on ‘Gongmudoha’

Oct 29, 2014

Masters of Korea’s traditional music and dance have joined forces with a famed stage director to present a new theatrical production that could redefine tradition. “Gongmudoha (Don’t Cross that River),” to be staged at the National Gugak Center in Seoul from Nov. 21-30, is the culmination of the state-run center’s efforts to transform gugak from a neglected genre to the face of contemporary Korean culture. A poster of “Gongmudoha” (National Gugak Center)“I thought that the only way to truly ans
[Herald Interview] Mr. Big bringing ‘stories to tell’ to Sunday concert

Oct 29, 2014

More than 25 years since debuting as Mr. Big, bandmates Eric Martin, Paul Gilbert, Billy Sheehan and Pat Torpey have managed to overcome their past conflicts ― leading the group to part ways for seven years ― and continue to perform and make new music.The ’90s American rock band is currently on a world tour and is scheduled to return to Korea for the first time in three years for a concert on Sunday. “It has been three years now and I may forget a few of their names, but I never forget a face,”
[Newsmaker] Legendary rock star Shin Hae-chul dies

Oct 28, 2014

Iconic ’90s rock musician Shin Hae-chul, 46, was pronounced dead at 8.19 p.m. Monday at the Asan Medical Center in southern Seoul following a massive heart attack on Oct. 22, which left the singer in a comatose state for five days. Although it was previously reported that doctors were unsure of what caused the singer’s heart to suddenly fail, according to a statement from Shin’s agency, KCA Entertainment, the cause has now been determined to be the result of widespread infection in the intestine
Singer begs U.S. for forgiveness after flubbing anthem

Oct 28, 2014

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) ― Hard rocker Aaron Lewis, who has harshly criticized other stars for mangling the national anthem, apologized and declared his love for the United States after doing the same at baseball’s World Series.The frontman of the band Staind, selected to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” as is customary before sporting events in the United States, conflated the second and fourth lines of the anthem at Sunday’s fifth game of the World Series in San Francisco.“Oh, say can you see by the
Taylor Swift: Growing up and going pop

Oct 28, 2014

NEW YORK (AP) ― When Taylor Swift released the Grammy-winning, banjo-tinged “Mean” in 2010, haters fired shots at the then-20-year-old.Four years later, Swift says she’s grown and was able to write her new single “Shake It Off” about others dissing her from a new perspective.“We are all getting our hearts broken, being built up, being let down, feeling disappointed, feeling joy, feeling all these emotions, but what I’ve noticed is that even when it’s the same kind of emotion that I’m feeling, I
Shin Hae-chul dies after heart attack

Oct 27, 2014

Rock star Shin Hae-chul died Monday after a massive heart attack, hospital officials said. He was 46. The singer died at around 8:19 p.m. in Asan Medical Center in Seoul. Soon after the news was announced, Shin’s fans flocked to the Internet to pay homage to Shin and extend words of condolences to his family. Shin Hae-chul. (KCA Entertainment)Shin had been in critical condition at the hospital since suffering a heart attack on Oct. 22. Although he had emergency surgery after being hospitalized,
Music bridges East and West

Oct 27, 2014

Yo-Yo Ma and his Silk Road Ensemble return to Korea
Eyelike: Opera‘s Kaufmann turns to lighter fare

Oct 24, 2014

Opera‘s Kaufmann turns to lighter fareJonas Kaufmann“You Mean the World to Me”(Sony)Is there anything Jonas Kaufmann can’t do? The great German tenor has long since conquered the worlds of grand opera and classical recital. Now he turns his talents with equal success to lighter fare, on an album of German operetta and film songs from 1925-35.Those years marked a period of tremendous cultural creativity until it was brought to a screeching halt by the ascension of the Nazis, who forced many of th
Shin Hae-chul still in coma

Oct 24, 2014

After collapsing from a sudden cardiac arrest on Wednesday, rock star Shin Hae-chul remains in critical condition at the Seoul Asan Hospital’s intensive care unit after undergoing surgery. According to representatives from the singer’s agency, KCA Entertainment, Shin’s three-hour operation to resuscitate his heart went well. However, it remains to be seen whether he can pull through. “His blood pressure has returned to a safe level, but his pupils are unresponsive and he still remains unconsciou
Annie Lennox embraces jazzy ‘Nostalgia’

Oct 23, 2014

LONDON (AP) ― How do you follow in the footsteps of Frank Sinatra and Ray Charles without sinking in the footsteps of Frank Sinatra and Ray Charles? The answer, for Annie Lennox at least, is to throw out, to the greatest degree possible, the work of these giants and tackle some of their classics anew: no use of their phrasing, their arrangements, their orchestral sheets allowed.The former Eurythmics star sat down ― slowly and deliberately ― with songs like “Mood Indigo” and “Georgia on My Mind”
Love, discipline fuel new Neil Diamond album

Oct 22, 2014

BEVERLY HILLS, California (AP) ― Neil Diamond wrote and recorded his first studio album of new material in six years floating in the heady glow of new love.The 73-year-old entertainer, who married for the third time in 2012, says happiness with his new bride fueled his work on “Melody Road,” out Tuesday.“There’s no better inspiration or motivation for work than being in love. It’s what you dream of as a creative person,” Diamond said in a recent interview. “I was able to complete this album ― st
Stamps featuring BigBang to be issued in Korea, China, Japan

Oct 22, 2014

Leading K-pop boy band BigBang will be honored with postage stamps to mark the eighth anniversary of its debut, the state postal service and the group’s management agency said Wednesday.Three different versions of postage stamps with images of the band members will be released simultaneously in South Korea, China and Japan on Oct. 31, the Korea Post and YG Entertainment said.The three versions will all have different designs, with the South Korean version including one gold stamp and five postca