In the zombie apocalypse film “Train to Busan,” which opened in theaters Wednesday, actor Gong Yoo plays the role of a father who is too busy with his demanding job as a fund manager to spend quality time with his daughter.　　“I’m still single, so I had to use my imagination for that,” Gong told reporters at a group interview on Monday in a cafe in Seoul. Casually dressed and waering a baseball cap, the actor discussed his thoughts on parenthood, social media and his own horrors.　 Actor Gong Yoo

Memebox is a relatively new face in the South Korean beauty industry which is largely dominated by cosmetics giants such as Amorepacific, Estee Lauder and MAC. 　Entering a market occupied by such established corporations poses challenges for any newcomer. But Memebox saw an opportunity in what seemed an already crowded market. It jumped into the sector as a cosmetics subscription and delivery service in 2012. 　“Other cosmetic companies are good at making products. What we do better is to try to

LONDON (AFP) - Harry Potter makes his stage debut on Tuesday in a new London play that imagines the fictional boy wizard as a father of three, in the latest offshoot of the globally successful franchise.　“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” is set 19 years after the seventh and final book in the series by J.K. Rowling, which have sold more than 450 million copies since 1997 and been adapted into eight films.　Like many of his fans, Potter has now grown up and has three children with his wife Ginny

MILAN (AP) -- Riccardo Muti received two standing ovations upon his return to La Scala’s stage Sunday after an 11-year absence, not to conduct this time but to discuss his nearly two decades as music director at the fabled opera house. 　“Welcome home,” someone shouted from the upper tiers.　Muti’s last appearance in 2005 was to conduct the Vienna Philharmonic in a benefit concert just weeks after abruptly stepping down after 19 years as music director amid backstage turmoil. 　“What I can say is t

The Korean War was no obstacle for the legendary artist Lee Jung-seob (1916-1956) in his pursuit of art. 　While fleeing from the plight of war, he sketched and painted optimistic images of children playing with chickens and crabs. He and other contemporary artists pledged to create art and hold exhibitions in the devastation of the three-year war that has technically not ended, with an armistice agreement having brought a temporary truce on the peninsula. 　“Such life is hard to imagine when you

Sydney Film Festival, which kicks off Wednesday, will this year host a new program spotlighting “off-mainstream” contemporary Korean cinema, the festival organizers announced Monday.　Titled “Korea on the Verge: Social Faultlines in Korean Cinema,” the program will screen five films by Korean directors. 　“Alice in Earnestland,” director Ahn Gooc-jin’s first feature and winner of the best Korean feature prize at last year’s Jeonju International Film Festival, is a political satire portraying a wom

JEONJU, North Jeolla Province -- The lesbian theme in his upcoming movie “The Handmaiden” may bring about another storm of controversy in Korea, according to director Park Chan-wook.　“It’s not a theme that’s been dealt with in Korea’s commercial film industry, so it could be called unique,” said Park during a talk with the audience that followed the screening of “Old Days,” a documentary film highlighting the making of director Park’s internationally renowned 2003 film “Oldboy,” at the Megabox t

JEONJU, North Jeolla Province -- After kicking off to a lively start with a fireworks-filled opening ceremony and an outdoor screening of this year’s opening film “Born to be Blue” Thursday night, a number of interactive sessions are underway at the Jeonju International Film Festival. 　In addition to screening some 200 movies at cinemas dotted along the city’s Cinema Street, Korea’s largest indie film festival is hosting programs such as Talk Class -- a small group meeting of filmmakers and audi

Tackling the highly-anticipated role of the world’s most notorious female spies, Ok Joo-hyun is simply unforgettable as leading lady in the new musical, “Mata Hari at the Moulin Rouge.”　　In a world premiere production brought to us by the collective the minds of Tony Award-winning Broadway megastars – director-choreographer Jeff Calhoun, with music by Frank Wildhorn, lyrics by Jack Murphy and writer Ivan Menchell – all eyes were on the former K-pop star-turned-musical actress as the sinfully all

Korean director Bong Joon-ho’s upcoming monster-fantasy flick began shooting in Seoul last Friday, according to Netflix Korea, while another actor member -- Korean-American Steven Yeun -- has joined the film’s eclectic cast, reports say.　The film, set to be released by Netflix in 2017, is the most recent project of director Bong, whose previous feature “Snowpiercer” achieved worldwide critical acclaim.　“I wanted to tell a story about the beautiful friendship between humans and animals and the fe

Time Renegades　(Korea)　Opened April 13　　Thriller. Directed by Kwak Jae-yong　　The year is 1983. High school teacher Ji-hwan (Jo Jung-suk) is stabbed and loses consciousness. In 2015, police officer Geon-woo (Lee Jin-wook) is shot. After the incidents, the two gain the ability to see into each other’s lives, some 30 years apart in time. 　　Love, Lies　(Korea)　Opened April 13　　Drama. Directed by Park Heung-sik　　A beautiful female entertainer in 1930s Korea, So-yul (Han Hyo-joo) is enamored of compose

Sam Kim　“I Am Sam”　(Antenna Music)　　In Sam Kim’s debut album “I Am Sam” there is an unmistakable undercurrent of American country influence, which comes through especially strong in songs like “Mama Don’t Worry” and “Your Song.” The tracks, backed mainly by acoustic guitar tunes, wouldn’t be out of place on the whitewashed porch of a quintessentially American farm.　Acoustic tracks abound in K-pop almost as much as dance tracks, but there is something distinct about Kim’s compositions, which feel

Dean　"130 Mood: TRBL"　(Joombas and Universal Music)　Dean is receiving the coveted attention of international artists such as Anderson Paak and Jeff Bernat and local hip-hop big names including Dynamic Duo, Zico and Crush, and there seems to be a legitimate reason behind the singer-songwriter’s emergence. Though his sound represents the height of trendiness, it is still deliciously brooding, full of soul. The largely electronic R&B sounds featured on this first LP are sleek and sophisticatedly la

LONDON (AP) -- Adele had the world’s best-selling album last year, a global smash that helped music revenues record their first significant growth since the dawn of the digital age two decades ago.　Figures released Tuesday by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry show that the British singer’s chart-topping “25” sold 17.4 million copies -- five times more than runners-up Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift, whose albums “X” and “1989” both sold 3.5 million copies. 　The year’s best-se

PARIS (AFP) -- Steven Spielberg, George Clooney and Jodie Foster are tipped to be among those who will walk the red carpet at Cannes next month when the lineup for the world’s top film festival is revealed Thursday.　While movies in the running for the main Palme d’Or prize are still under tight wraps, it appears that Spielberg will almost certainly show his adaptation of Roald Dahl’s children’s classic “The BFG” (The Big Friendly Giant) out of competition.　It will most likely be joined by Jodie

LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Ben Affleck will direct a stand-alone “Batman” movie, says Warner Bros. chairman and CEO Kevin Tsujihara. 　 Affleck portrayed the caped crusader in this year’s “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” and had been rumored to be the studio’s top choice. Tsujihara confirmed the studio was moving forward with him in the director’s seat Tuesday at CinemaCon, an annual gathering of theater owners in Las Vegas. 　 Actor Ben Affleck, cast as Batman, waves as he arrives for the red carpet e

Hailed as one of the first Korean ballerinas to achieve widespread international fame, Julia Moon is seeking to expand the global network of Universal Ballet and make it more “universal.” 　One of the founding members of the Universal Ballet -- among the top ballet companies in the country, rivaling the Korean National Ballet -- Moon has been its general director for the past decade, since retiring as principal dancer. 　Now in its 32nd year, the director says the company is ready to branch out mo

　　PARIS (AP) -- A 400-year-old picture that might have been painted by Italian master Caravaggio has been found in an attic in southern France.　 　Eric Turquin, the French expert who retrieved the painting two years ago, said it is in an exceptional state of conservation and estimated its value at 120 million euros (about $135 million), even though he acknowledged experts disagree about its authenticity.　 　Called “Judith Beheading Holofernes,” it depicts the biblical heroine Judith beheading an A

　　BOSTON (AP) -- Ernest Hemingway penned 47 possible endings to “A Farewell to Arms,” eight of which are on display at a new exhibition on the famed American writer at the John F. Kennedy presidential library -- along with the one that actually concluded the classic World War I novel.　 　“If a person wants to make their mark as a writer they have to work very hard, and this exhibit really shows how hard he worked,” said Patrick Hemingway, the author’s only surviving child who on Tuesday toured th

　　　JERUSALEM (AP) -- Israeli mathematicians and archaeologists say they have found evidence to suggest that key biblical texts may have been composed earlier than what some scholars think.　 　Using handwriting analysis technology similar to that employed by intelligence agencies and banks to analyze signatures, a Tel Aviv University team determined that a famous hoard of ancient Hebrew inscriptions, dated to around B.C. 600, were written by at least six different authors. Although the inscription