No matter how successful he may be, it is the inevitable destiny of every Korean male K-pop star to halt his career and join the mandatory military service.Megastar group Big Bang is no exception. The group has reaped worldwide success since its debut 10 years ago. Reported to have raked in $44 million this year, the five-member band ranked No. 54 on Forbes’ list of celebrity earnings, becoming the first Korean act to make the list. “It still doesn’t feel real,” said Big Bang’s rapper T.O.P. on

In a nod to a form of street art that has gained traction in the contemporary art scene, graffiti, once regarded as little more than delinquent scribbles found on the walls of derelict neighborhoods, has now been brought inside the gallery.Following in the steps of pop art, graffiti has become a leading genre recording the phenomena and emotions of contemporary times, according to 53-year-old graffiti legend JonOne. “I think it represents our generation,” he said last Thursday during a press pre

Korean celebrities are actively joining in the protest against President Park Geun-hye, who is currently embroiled in a scandal for allegedly leaking state documents and funneling funds from businesses. Some have taken to the streets to attend mass rallies, while others are voicing their support on social media. Among these are entertainers who have long been outspoken against the conservative administration. But stars who have previously remained politically neutral -- such as actress Kim Yoo-j

 Chung Kyung-wha (PRM)Classical music“Hyungi Kim Brahms Violin Sonata Recital”: Herald Philharmonic Orchestra violinist Hyungi Kim will tackle the works of Brahms in her upcoming solo recital. A graduate of Seoul National University’s College of Music and a member of the Korean Chamber Orchestra, Kim is slated to perform sonatas for violin and piano “No. 1 in G Major, “Regen”, Op. 78,” “Thun”, Op. 100” and “No. 3 in d minor, Op. 108.” The concert will be held at the Seoul Arts Center’s Recital H

Jane Siberry“Angels Bend Closer” (Sheeba Music)Jane Siberry twists genres and conventions on “Angels Bend Closer,” a haunting, uplifting album befitting her eclectic style.On the Canadian’s first major release in five years, Siberry’s lyrics arrive like emotional gushes barely contained by their musical frames, mostly lavish ballads with a bounty of details.Nearly seven minutes long, “Morag” encapsulates several aspects of the album and Siberry’s intense diversity -- nearly stream-of-consciousne

Sting“57th and 9th” (A&M/Interscope)Sting’s new album, his first in more than a decade, sounds a lot like the old stuff, but that’s not a bad thing.The first single “I Can’t Stop Thinking About You” sounds like the love child of Police classics “Every Breath You Take” and “Can’t Stand Losing You.”There are the achy lyrics of the former, which holds up well but has more of a stalker vibe than it seemed to the first time around. And there’s the driving bass line of the latter, the style of playing

Pink Martini“Je dis oui!”(Heinz Records)Pink Martini brings its progressive commitment to “Je dis oui! (I say yes),” an entertaining global jaunt in eight languages and a whirling variety of styles.With no airs and graces but plenty of splendor, Thomas Lauderdale’s big band/little orchestra explores songs from Armenia to Portugal, a few originals and American standards like “Love for Sale” on its ninth studio album.NPR’s Ari Shapiro helps out on “Ov Sirun Sirun,” said to be most famous folk song

A magnitude 3.5 earthquake has hit an area four kilometers to the north-northeast of Boryeong, South Chungcheong Province around 9:52 p.m. Sunday evening, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration.  (khnews@heraldcorp.com)

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand, Nov  13, 2016 (AFP) - A powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked New Zealand early Monday, the US Geological Survey said, prompting a tsunami warning and knocking out power and phone services in many parts of the country. The shallow tremor hit some 90 kilometres (57 miles) north of the South Island city of Christchurch which was devastated five years ago by a 6.3 tremor which killed 185 people in one of New Zealand’s deadliest disasters. Monday’s quake, initially put

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) -- A powerful earthquake has struck New Zealand near the city of Christchurch, with strong jolts felt over 200 kilometers (120 miles) away in the capital, Wellington. There were no immediate reports of major damage or injuries. There was no immediate danger of a tsunami, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.  The magnitude-7.4 quake struck just after midnight Sunday and was centered 93 kilometers (57 miles) northeast of Christchurch, according to the U.S.

WILLIAMSPORT, Pennsylvania (AP) -- Strong storms hit pockets of western and central Pennsylvania early Friday, bringing up to 7 inches of rain, turning roads into rivers, damaging homes in communities as far as 150 miles apart and killing one person. Gov. Tom Wolf ordered the state’s National Guard to help in the recovery efforts after the storms left a path of destruction, downing power lines, destroying vehicles, damaging railroad beds and triggering mudslides.The (Lock Haven) Express reported

BEIJING (AP) -- Typhoon Haima forced the evacuations of more than 50,000 people in southern China after hammering the northern Philippines with ferocious wind and rain, triggering flooding, landslides and power outages and killing at least 13 people.No deaths were immediately reported Saturday in China from the typhoon. Residents in the cities of Shanwei and Shantou, in China’s Guangdong province, were forced to move to safer ground as the storm hit, local authorities and state media reported. S

KUALA LUMPUR, (Yonhap) -- A North Korean delegation led by its deputy foreign minister held talks with former government officials of the United States here for a second day on Saturday to discuss pending issues such as the North’s nuclear and missile tests.The US-North Korea contact, although it is informal or unofficial, came after North Korea conducted its fifth and most powerful nuclear test in September, just eight months after its previous nuke test.“I came here through Beijing,” the North

HWASEONG, (Yonhap) -- Two statues of a Korean and Chinese girl were unveiled in China on Saturday, the first monument in China to honor the victims of Japan’s wartime sexual slavery, officials said Saturday.The statues were erected inside Shanghai Normal University in the Chinese city with the help of donations from citizens of Hwaseong, a city located south of Seoul, according to the Hwaseong municipal authorities.It is the fifth monument to be built outside of South Korea in honor of the hundr

WASHINGTON, (AFP) -- Successive cyber attacks took large portions of the internet off line on Friday, rendering major companies including Twitter and Netflix inaccessible to millions of users in the United States and elsewhere.Multiple times in a single day, the attacks incapacitated a crucial piece of internet infrastructure, frustrating or outright blocking access to websites and exposing vulnerabilities in the overall internet network.It also commanded the attention of top US security agencie

One third of United Nations member states have submitted their implementation reports on the latest set of international sanctions adopted against North Korea, a news report said Saturday.The Voice of America report said 66 countries have submitted their own implementation reports since the U.N. Security Council adopted Resolution 2270 in March to punish the North for its nuclear and ballistic missile tests early this year. It cited an e-mail from the Spanish mission to the U.N., which currently

Bilateral trade between Russia and North Korea plunged 22 percent in the first eight months of the year from a year earlier due to toughened international sanctions levied on the communist state following a series of its nuclear and missile tests, a report said Saturday.The trade volume between the two countries reached US$43 million in the January-August period, compared with $56 million a year earlier, the Voice of America reported, citing data from Russia’s customs agency.Russia shipped miner

NEW YORK (Yonhap) -- U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Friday he will think about what he can do for the future of South Korea after stepping down as U.N. chief, as speculation is high he’s considering a run for president.“I understand that there are naturally some expectations from many people in Korea that I should make myself available for a better future of Korea that I am conscious of,” Ban was quoted as saying in an interview with Reuters.After returning to Korea in mid-January, Ban

WASHINGTON, (Yonhap) -- North Korea will be a huge problem for the next U.S. president as it is perfecting capabilities to fly nuclear-armed missiles to the continental US, a former top intelligence official has warned.Jami Miscik, a former deputy director for intelligence at CIA, made the remark in an interview with the Fortune magazine, noting that the US is not paying enough attention to the issue of North Korea, according to the report.“The president-elect is going to face a problem with Nor

MANILA (AFP) - Suspected Islamist militants kidnapped the captain and a Filipino crew member on a South Korean cargo ship in the southern Philippines, the military said Friday.Ten people, who reportedly identified themselves as militants from the extremist Abu Sayyaf group, boarded a South Korean-flagged cargo ship on Thursday and abducted its captain, described by the Philippine military as “Korean”, as well as a local crewman.“They identified themselves as Abu Sayyaf Group members.... We’re lo