A beautiful garden, Geoje Sanbangsan Biwon, can be found after a 10-minute drive to the right of Geoje Bridge, in Dundeok-myeon, Geoje City, where the legacy of Emperor Uijong of Goryeo Dynasty still vividly remains. Seating in the Mount Sanbang foothill over 24-acres of land, Sanbangsan Biwon looks like it came from another planet. The garden boasts more than 1,000 kinds of wild flowers, trees, s

MOUSSET (AFP) ― Construction cranes are as ubiquitous as wine critics in Bordeaux’s prized vineyards as leading chateaux brand their estates by transforming their cellars into architectural show pieces.In the case of Chateau Clerc Milon, located across the road from the illustrious vineyards of Chateau Mouton Rothschild and Chateau Lafite Rothschild, the wine scored with critics but it sorely need

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― The house party is over for Lindsay Lohan, at least while she’s on house arrest.Superior Court Judge Stephanie Sautner chided Lohan for having rooftop parties at her home while serving house arrest on a probation violation but said the actress hadn’t violated any other rules.“If you are guilty of some violation of your probation, I don’t see it,” Sautner said. “What you are guil

Non-verbal performance Dulsori to stage three-day celebration in SeoulWild ancient revelry moves to the resounding beat of Korea’s past in “Dulsori,” roughly translated as “heartbeat of the land,” which since 1984 has brought the rhythm of Korean festivals to audiences in 50 countries. To mark this journey, which has taken the show’s performers to destinations as diverse as Belgium, Cambodia and P

The South Korean government said it will nurture diversity in Korean pop, which is heavily idol-group centered, as part of its strategy to boost the global competitiveness of Korean pop culture.The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced a package of plans to promote Korea’s pop culture as a new growth industry overseas, along with the celebration of the re-opening of the Olympic Hall as

Grammy Award-winning Parker Quartet to join ensemble Ditto in SeoulNow in its fifth season, the 2011 Ditto Festival’s theme will be French classical music including Debussy, Ravel and Faure. The audience will be able to enjoy a special duo recital by ensemble Ditto and another ensemble Parker Quartet, the festival’s artistic director said on Wednesday.All-male chamber ensemble Ditto, led by violis

Indie band hopes to start working on third album after summer concertsWhile idol group-centered K-pop has been heavily covered by the media, the Korean indie music scene has received relatively little attention. Seeking diversity of Korean music, The Korea Herald is running a series of interview articles shedding light on the Korean indie music scene. This is the second installment of the series.

Entertainers may voice opinions on social issues, but some lack focusKorean entertainers who voice their opinions on political and social issues have been making headlines in recent weeks. The controversy ― whether entertainers should take advantage of their fame to draw fans to join their causes ― was sparked anew after singer Kim Heung-guk was forced to quit as a DJ. He was pushed out of his MBC

Franz Liszt, a Hungarian gipsy, Catholic and true virtuoso open to improvisation, came to life at the fingertips of veteran pianist Paik Kun-woo in Seoul on Sunday evening. The 64-year-old’s program on Sunday was the first part of the “Paik Kun-woo, and Liszt” recital celebrating the 200th year of the composer’s birth, covering almost all of Liszt’s pieces in two concert programs at the Seoul Arts

It has been only 10 days since Korean pop stars attracted 14,000 European fans in two K-pop concerts in Paris. On Sunday, more than 800 European fans gathered in front of Abbey Road Studios in London to catch a glimpse of Korean boyband SHINee.The five-member group performed at Abbey Road Studios in a closed reception where local media and European music industry experts were invited, SM Entertain

80-year-old American wishes to finish translation on history of folk arts festivalIt was an early morning at around 2-3 a.m. in 1953 during the Korean War. An American medic at a hospital in Gangwon Province heard loud drums, gongs and unknown musical instruments coming from the communist North Korean and Chinese guerillas who wanted to keep the American army awake.While other soldiers hated the s

Classical Music“Madame Butterfly”: For the first time in 21 years, the Korea Opera Group will present “Madame Butterfly,” one of the three best-known Puccini operas, from June 24-26 at the Grand Theater of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, after it showcased the popular piece there in October 1990. Premiered at the Teatro alla Scala in 1904, the opera is a staple in the operatic repertoir

Nino Machaidze“Romantic Arias”Sony MusicHollywood-style opera singer Nino Machaidze released her first solo album “Romantic Arias” on June 14, collecting famous opera repertoires by Manon, Gounod, Rossini, Donizetti and Bellini. Born in Georgia in 1983, Machaidze graduated from the Accademia del Teatro alla Scala in Milan. In the summer of 2008 when she was 25, she made a sensational debut by subs

When it comes to Jeonju travel, the most popular tourist site is Jeonju Hanok Village, located in Pungnam-dong and Gyo-dong. About 700 traditional Korean houses are clustered together with the eaves of their roofs beautifully curved. The history of the hanok village originates back to the 1910s during the Japanese colonial era. As Japanese merchants took over the business district of Jungang-dong,

The Olympic Hall at the Olympic Park in eastern Seoul has been renovated as a K-pop concert hall to reopen on June 22, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said. The ministry and the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation have been remodeling the hall for the past year to expand the size of the stage.The renovated concert hall will have an exhibition room to showcase the history of Korean pop fr

Pianist Lim, violinist Shin to play Saraste, Brahms and Ravel togetherPianist Lim Dong-hyek and violinist Shin Hyun-su, the only two Koreans to have topped the prestigious Long-Thibaud International Competition, will stage a flamboyant duo recital as part of the upcoming classical chamber music summer event, Ditto Festival.The triennial competition aims to discover talents in piano and violin and

Donga TV held a charity classical music concert for multicultural families at the Center for Gangnam-gu Residents in southern Seoul on Monday. The second “Classical Music Night with Love and Sharing” concert aimed at promoting the School of Global Sarang, a new international elementary school established in March in Oryu-dong for multilingual and multicultural education. It is open to children fro

Indie pop duo to play Olympic Hall on July 16While idol group-centered K-pop has been heavily covered by the media, the Korean indie music scene has received relatively little attention. Seeking diversity of Korean music, The Korea Herald is starting a series of interview articles shedding light on the Korean indie music scene. ― Ed.The 1990s is often called “golden age of Korean pop” because ther

Lone Star Funds is ineligible as Korea Exchange Bank's major shareholder since the U.S. private buyout fund's 2003 acquisition of the South Korean lender may be illegal, a lawmaker said Tuesday.The remarks come as Lone Star Funds is in talks with Hana Financial Group Inc., the country's No. 4 banking group, to settle the sale of its 51.02 percent stake in KEB for 4.69 trillion won ($4.3 billion).I

SHANGHAI (AFP) -- North Korea's carrier said Tuesday it would offer twice-weekly flights between Shanghai and Pyongyang starting next month, in a sign the secretive state is looking to attract more Chinese tourists.Shanghai joins Beijing and Shenyang in the northeast as the third city in China to have regular flights to North Korea, the state-owned Air Koryo said in a statement to AFP.The Shanghai