A maintenance worker planted an electricity pole in Woljeong-ri, Jeju Island in 2005. The next day, the pole was gone. Upon close inspection, he discovered that the pole had sunk into a deep hole with seemingly no bottom.That is how Yongcheon Cave was accidently revealed to the world, after lava from the volcanic eruption on Jeju Island made a series of lava caves, called “Geomun Oreum Lava Tube S

Lotte Hotel Seoul said Thursday it had reopened its buffet restaurant La Seine at a new location on the first floor. The biggest change at the restaurant is that chefs take fresh ingredients on a moving cart, come to your table and cook in front of you while explaining about the cuisine in detail. The service is available for the “menu of the day” such as bone-in-rib eye steak and sushi. The upsca

Gu Ha-ra, a member of five-member girl group KARA, said she will remain with her agency DSP Media, withdrawing from the earlier announcement that the group will terminate their exclusive contract with the agency.Four members of KARA, excluding the band’s leader, earlier on Wednesday made the announcement through a legal firm. Girl group KARA receives a commendation from the Culture Ministry for pr

French choreographer Patrice Bart said Tuesday he would help the Korea National Ballet Company reproduce the 19th century French classical ballet “Giselle” next month in Seoul.“There have been different versions of ‘Giselle’ performed in the U.K. and Russia since late 19th century. But I think it is important to stage the original version of the 19th century French classical ballet,” Bart, first b

At a practice hall nestled at the foot of Mount Nam in Seoul, Tony Award-winning Broadway stage designer David Gallo quietly looks on, envisioning how the Korean actors and his long-time friend Gabriel Barre, the musical director, will fine-tune each act and line for the upcoming blockbuster musical “Tears of Heaven.”Although there is almost nothing but duct tape to mark the positions of the actor

JEJU ISLAND ― South Korea has launched a campaign to encourage people to vote for Jeju Island in an initiative to list seven natural wonders of the world. The island is one of the final 28 global candidates for “New7Wonders of Nature.”Lead by the Swiss-based, non-profit New7Wonders Foundation, the New7Wonders of Nature initiative started in 2007.With 300 days left before the final voting date on N

CJ Media said Wednesday it has invested in the production of a Japanese drama in which five-member Korean girl group KARA is featured as the main cast.The operator of local cable and satellite TV channels such as Mnet and tvN said it has invested in the production of the 12-episode drama “URAKARA” (Inner side of KARA), which will be aired on major Japanese broadcaster TV Tokyo every Friday from Ja

Major dance and ballet companies are expected to showcase a broad spectrum of dances and ballets in 2011, ranging from Korean classical ballet to French classical romantic ballet to Korean contemporary dance and original Spanish flamenco.The first to kick-start the local dance scene in January is “The Song of Mermaid,” created and showcased by veteran choreographer Kim Sun-hee 10 years ago.Kim, pr

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said it would aggressively promote the use of Korea Pass Cards during the “Korea Grand Sale,” which kicked off Monday at major department stores and shopping malls and runs through Feb. 28.Korea Pass Cards, consisting of pre-paid cards and check cards for non-Koreans and credit cards and check cards for Korean nationals, can be used on subways, buses and

InterContinental Hotel Group has partnered with AMJ Developments to open the first fully managed international hotel Holiday Inn Gwangju. The 205-room hotel started operations in December.Gwangju, the capital city of South Jeolla Province, attracts many visitors through its cultural events, 26 golf courses and the Korean Formula One track. Holiday Inn Gwangju is ideally placed to provide accommoda

The Mahler craze started in 2010 when Korean classical concert-goers scrambled to get tickets to Gustav Mahler’s symphonies at the Seoul Arts Center. Last year, the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Chung Myung-whun began staging the Austrian composer’s all-symphonic works to mark the 150th anniversary of his birth.Coming into 2011, Mahler fever is sweeping the nation even faster than las

PGA golfer signs 3-year contract with SK TelecomFinally fit and healthy, South Korean professional golfer Choi Kyoung-ju declared himself ready on Thursday for the 2011 PGA Tour season.At a press conference in Seoul, Choi, known as K.J. Choi on the PGA Tour, said he has high expectations for himself.“This year, more than any other season, I expect myself to take big strides,” Choi said. “Two years

English version of popular application to be released by the end of FebruaryThe mobile art application artday is increasingly popular among both Android and Apple smartphone users, on the back of its provision of extensive information about local art exhibitions, discount coupons for art cafes and products, and objective user reviews.A screen shot of exhibition information from “artday” app on an

MINNEAPOLIS ― Is the time-honored, much-scribbled-upon kitchen wall calendar an endangered species? Are datebooks as dated as land lines?Many baby boomers still rely primarily on paper for both professional and personal task managing, but you would have to scour an office park for a while to find someone under age 35 who carries a paper planner everywhere ― if they ever did. For them, keeping trac