While political elites enjoy chef-made Italian pizza in the only pizza restaurant in North Korea, citizens of Pyongyang are learning through a DVD how to make pizza with tofu instead of cheese.London-based designer Kim Hwang is the man behind the tofu pizza DVD. He decided to teach North Koreans how to make pizza when he found out about the hypocrisy of the pizzeria that opened in Pyongyang during

Universal Music Group International, which has prestigious label Deutsche Grammophon, expects that the Korean demand for classical music to grow faster in the coming years on the back of the country’s growing wealth and interest in the genre.“The first thing you need to invest in classical music is a market that is confident of growth. The second thing is an extremely accelerating level of wealth

PyeongChang, a South Korean alpine town bidding for the 2018 Winter Olympics, made a presentation Thursday in front of members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and world sports leaders at an international sports meeting in London.PyeongChang, some 180 kilometers east of Seoul, held its presentation after its rivals ― Germany’s Munich and France’s Annecy ― at the ongoing SportAccord Con

(Author Shin Kyung-sook at a press conference in New York on Tuesday. Yonhap News)(The cover of Shin Kyung-sook’s “Please Look After Mom,” published by Alfred A. Knopf in the U.S. Yonhap News)Korean novel “Please Look After Mom,” written by Shin Kyung-sook and translated into English by Kim Chi-young, is making an impact internationally, entering the top 40 bestselling books on Amazon.com.The book

JW Marriott SeoulOn April 22 and 23, DJ e_qnx will throw a “Shaky Night” party at Bar Rouge in the hotel from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. His live DJing will mix trance, progressive house and synthesized 70s and 80s retro from 9 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. A b-boy team performance and lucky draw for restaurant certificates will lead into midnight, and a hip-hop and electronic DJ mix will power the dance floor from 12

PARIS (AFP) ― South Korean director Bong Joon-ho will chair the jury that picks the winner of the Camera d’Or prize for best first film at this year’s Cannes film festival, organizers said on Thursday.Bong, 41, whose films include “Barking Dog,” “Memories of Murder” and “The Host,” is no stranger to Cannes, having premiered his most recent feature “Mother” in its Un Certain Regard section in 2009.

Seoul Philharmonic signs long-term license agreement with Deutsche GrammophonSeoul Philharmonic Orchestra’s music director Chung Myung-whun said on Thursday the orchestra had inked a long-term license contract with Deutsche Grammophon.“It’s been six years since I took the helm of the SPO. Signing a contract with the world’s top classical music record label Deutsche Grammophon is a big step,” Chung

German violinist to hold recital on May 3 in SeoulGerman violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter is coming to Seoul for the first time in three years to hold a recital on May 3 at the Seoul Arts Center’s Concert Hall. The Grammy Award winner’s upcoming concert is part of her Asia 2011 tour, taking place from April to May, to celebrate the 35th anniversary of her debut as a soloist in 1976 at the Lucerne Fest

SYDNEY ― Funding for the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism takes up about 1 percent of the Korea’s total budget this year, but spending should be doubled, Culture Minister Choung Byoung-gug said.“The cultural content industry is a new growth engine for the Korean economy and about 1 percent of the national budget should go to investment for cultural content development,” Choung told The Kore

SYDNEY ― Korean Culture and Information Service’s Korean culture centers promoting Korean studies, culture and arts around the world need to know exactly what kind of information and content local visitors want, Culture Minister Choung Byoung-gug said in a meeting with Korean cultural center heads in Sydney, Australia.His comments came as directors of Korean cultural centers and culture & press co

IP Boutique HotelThe hotel’s Café Amiga offers various new menus prepared with strawberries through May 31. The menus include flower and sprout bibimbap, strawberry juice, strawberries with cream and strawberry banana juice. Prices range from 9,000 won to 15,000 won. Other course menus and buffet bars for breakfast, lunch, and dinner are available at 18,000 won, 22,000 won and 29,000 won, respecti

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― A brand marketing company that brokered a deal for Britney Spears’ fragrance line sued the singer and her father Wednesday, claiming the pair secured a new deal that stinks to the tune of more than $10 million.Brand Sense Partners LLC’s lawsuit claims the pair renegotiated a royalties deal with cosmetics company Elizabeth Arden last year that cut them out of their 35 percent com

First Korean Culture Center in Oceania to openSouth Korea and Australia plan to hold cultural events in Sydney next week to celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties.The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said a delegation of Korean government officials including Culture Minister Choung Byoung-guk and Australian leaders in politics, culture and media will attend the cultural performan

E-Land Group, a leading South Korean fashion retailer, said Wednesday that six potential buyers have submitted their bid proposals for Kim's Club Mart Co., the group's supermarket chain operator.   E-Land, however, did not reveal the names of the potential buyers, citing a confidentiality agreement with them.    According to industrial sources familiar with the sale of Kim's Club, Lotte Shopping C

North Korea on Wednesday proposed holding inter-Korean Red Cross talks to discuss the repatriation of four North Korean defectors, officials said.The four were among 31 North Koreans who strayed across the inter-Korean border in the Yellow Sea on a wooden boat last month.The remaining 27 were repatriated to the North by sea earlier this week, in accordance with their wishes.North Korea agreed to a

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Wednesday opened a practice hall at the Seoul Arts Center to help five state-run arts companies practice their performances.The five are the Korea National Opera Company, the Korea National Ballet Company, the National Chorus of Korea, the Korea National Contemporary Dance Company and the Korean Symphony Orchestra.The practice hall is located at the o

“Hwangap” is a Korean traditional way of celebrating one’s 60th birthday, a special occasion that marks living a full circle of 60 years and wishing for a longer, prosperous life. The National Gugak Center, which turns 60 this year, said it plans to hold a variety of events, including performances, exhibitions and forums from April to June at the center in southern Seoul. “Gugak” refers to Korean

The Korea Furniture Museum, which hosted luncheon for spouses of G20 leaders during the G20 Seoul Summit in November, launched an academic program on Tuesday for spouses of foreign ambassadors to Korea and expat CEOs to help them discover traditional Korean heritage.While spouses of foreign ambassadors normally spend about three years in Korea, their exposure to Korean culture is relatively limite

Late composer Yun I-sang’s birthplace holds concerts, master classes, lecturesTONGYEONG ― When the Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra abruptly canceled its opening concert for the Tongyeong International Music Festival due to fear of radiation from Japan spreading to Korea, TIMF artistic director Alexander Liebreich said he was quite surprised and could not understand the decision.Despite the short noti

W Seoul-WalkerhillThe hotel offers the “W Hot Spring” package until May 31. The package includes a one night stay in a Wonderful room, breakfast for two, and two tickets to either sauna facility, Hot Spring or Water Zone. The package is priced at 295,000 won, excluding service fees and VAT. Package users can use indoor swimming pool Wet and fitness club Sweat for free and get a 10 percent discount