Two prints by artist Choi Young-wook will be sold through “social shopping” for the first time in Korea, a mobile art application provider said Thursday.Culture media company artday, which runs the mobile application “artday” on both Android and Apple smartphones, said two versions of his internationally-popular print work “Karma” will be sold both on the application and the company’s website at w

Minister Choung says hotels without should not be granted ‘five-star’ gradeCulture Minister Choung Byoung-gug said on Tuesday local hotels should not be granted a “five-star” rank if they do not have a restaurant specializing in Korean cuisine. Korean hotels are rated differently from those in the West, being rated by the number of mugunghwa, or Rose of Sharon they are awarded. Top hotels in Korea

Les Petits Chanteurs de Saint-Marc, or the Little Singers of Saint Marc, is set to start a tour hoping to give Korean audiences a flavor of the 2004 French hit film “The Chorus”. Founded in 1986, the choir recorded the entire soundtrack of “The Chorus,” nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Foreign Language Film category in 2005, with the song “Look to Your Path” earning a nomination for Best

Culture Minister Choung Byoung-gug said on Tuesday local hotels should not be granted a “five-star” rank if they do not have a restaurant specializing in Korean cuisine. Korean hotels are rated differently from western ones, being rated by the number of mugunghwa, or Rose of Sharon they are awarded. Top hotels in Korea have five mugunghwa. Choung’s comments came several weeks after he vowed to tak

The National Museum of Contemporary Art, Korea said on Tuesday it will tighten security on its collections by doubling the checks at the door to the storage room and digitizing its collections database.The announcement came after the Culture Ministry’s audit last week revealed that the museum had loopholes in managing artworks in storage.“We will enhance the storage room’s security system by setti

Korean 24-year-old pianist to hold debut recital at Lincoln Center in N.Y.NEW YORK ― When pianist Joyce Yang was asked last minute to replace a sick Lang Lang three months ago, she had to decide whether she could stay up for more than two days ― the time needed for a flight to Buffalo, a rehearsal and the concert.She said yes.“I knew how difficult it would be. And the scariest part was that I hadn

Flowers on easy, quiet walking paths in Seoul lead you to spring scentsSeoul is one of the busiest and largest cities in the world, with famous tourist spots almost always packed with people and cars. But it is not impossible to enjoy budding leaves, blooming flowers, a gentle breeze and the warm sun on quiet and not-so-steep walking paths in Seoul, away from the city bustle. As spring quickly pas

The Korea National Opera Company is to perform opera “Les Dialogues des Carmelites” by 20th-century French composer Francis Poulenc in Seoul in May, the first performance of the opera in Asia.First premiered in Paris and Milan in 1957, the opera is based on historical events which took place at a monastery of Carmelite nuns in Compiegne during the French Revolution.“This piece takes us to the ulti

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) -- A powerful earthquake struck in waters off the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific on Saturday, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage, and no tsunami was expected.The magnitude-6.9 quake struck about 100 miles (160 kilometers) southeast of the Solomon Islands' capital, Honiara, at a depth of 50 miles (80 kilometers), the U.S. Geological Survey s

News reports said a subway car running from Bojeong Station to Jukjeon Station on Bundang Line derailed at Jukjeon Station at around 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, forcing more than 40 passengers to get off on the rail and walk to the platform of Jukjeon Station to get on another subway car.There was no injury on passengers, multiple reports said.As of 3:30 p.m., the Bundang Line was in operation only be

PAJU, South Korea, April 23 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and Commonwealth nations on Saturday marked the 60th anniversary of a pivotal battle during the 1950-53 Korean War, in a stirring tribute to the sacrifices of their soldiers.The Battle of the Imjin River took place in April 1951 when Chinese troops attacked U.N.-led forces on the river, north of Seoul, in an attempt to recapture the capital. Brit

Four people were killed and one was injured in a highway traffic accident on Saturday, police said.The accident took place around 7 a.m. when a truck ran into the rear of a cab on a highway in Daegu, some 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, police officials said.The taxi's driver was severely injured and moved to a nearby hospital, but four passengers in the cab were killed instantly, they said.Pol

State inspectors called for the defense ministry to sack the head of a state-run defense research institute over allegations of taking bribes, according to the Board of Audit and Inspection on Saturday.Kim Koo-sub, the head of the Korea Institute for Defense Analysis, is accused of receiving 2 million won ($1,850) from an Army colonel, who is identified only by his surname Cho,for promoting him in

Chief of SK Group, a South Korean conglomerate, has suffered a loss of over 100 billion won ($92.5 million) from futures investment, sources said Saturday.The National Tax Service, the country's tax agency, found that Chey Tae-won had invested in the futures, but lost most of his money, according to the sources.The tax agency launched tax probes into the group's key affiliates, such as SK Telecom

President Lee Myung-bak on Saturday urged officials to maintain the balance in budget spending policies, warning against populist welfare policies ahead of next year's parliamentary and presidential elections."There are two main tasks of achieving sustainable growth and stabilizing consumer prices while maintaining fiscal soundness," Lee told officials at a meeting on fiscal strategy."I think that

WASHINGTON, April 21, 2011 (AFP) - U.S. lawmakers are seeking an explanation from Apple following claims that iPhones and iPads constantly log the location of the devices and store the information in a hidden file.Senator Al Franken, a Democrat from Minnesota, sent a letter to Apple chief executive Steve Jobs on Wednesday, while Democratic Representative Edward Markey of Massachusetts sent Jobs a

U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke will lead a bipartisan congressional delegation to Seoul next week to build support for the ratification of the pending free trade deal with South Korea, the Commerce Department said Friday.During the three-day visit from Wednesday, the delegation will meet with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan and other officials to "discuss t

A 42-year-old judge resigned after being accused of harassing a woman on the subway, officials at the Supreme Court said Friday.The incumbent judge at the Seoul High Court, surnamed Hwang, was investigated by police on charges of harassing a woman in her 20s on a crowded subway during Thursday morning rush hour, according to police.Hwang was caught in the very act by a patrol police officer who fo

Koreans in their 30s used to automatically associate the name “Seo Tai-ji” with “the President of Culture” in the 1990s.His songs such as “Class Idea,” (1994) “Dreaming Balhae” (1994) and “Come Back Home” (1995) contained controversial yet influential messages to make teenagers rebel against the cramming system of Korean education, hope for reunification of the two Koreas and to urge runaway frien

W Seoul-WalkerhillThe hotel’s WooBar is to offer new cocktails and martinis, presented by Diageo Korea’s cocktail specialist JJ in May. The “W Mix Night” event is to be held every Thursday in May from 8-12 p.m. and each drink will be priced at 20,000 won. The menus include Woman’s Energy Tea Caviar, Fresh Lemon Juice Foam Passion Sage, Herb Royal White Sugar Powder and Yogi Mojito Bacardi Superior