A strong lineup of art shows are being offered this fall, more so than other seasons. With two big biennale events -- the Gwangju Biennale and Busan Biennale -- kicking off last week, major Korean museums and galleries have opened a plethora of exhibitions to attract the influx of international art professionals and local art lovers. Some of the more notable exhibitions are taking place in the tranquil art district of Samcheong-dong near Gyeongbokgung and the National Museum of Modern and Contem

Busan Biennale, one of the largest celebrations of contemporary art in Korea, opened on Saturday, bringing together more than 100 artists from 22 countries in the port city of Busan.　This year’s exhibition, themed with “Hybridizing Earth, Discussing Multitude,” highlights East Asian experimental art trends and their historical significance. The show is curated and presented by the curatorial team that consists of Korean, Chinese and Japanese curators.  Visitors view the Busan Biennale exhibition

AMMAN, Jordan (AP) – The U.S. will reach its target this week of taking in 10,000 Syrian war refugees in a year-old resettlement program, the U.S. ambassador to Jordan said Sunday, after meeting families headed to California and Virginia.The resettlement program has emerged as an issue in the U.S. presidential campaign, with Republican nominee Donald Trump alleging displaced Syrians pose a potential security threat.Alice Wells, the U.S. ambassador to Jordan, said Sunday that keeping Americans sa

SINGAPORE (AP) – More than 40 people have been infected by the Zika virus in Singapore, but most have fully recovered, officials said Sunday.Singapore announced its first Zika infection in May, with the virus imported by a 48-year-old man who had traveled to Brazil. On Sunday, the Ministry of Health confirmed 41 locally transmitted cases of the virus.The ministry said in a statement that the patients were ``not known to have traveled to Zika-affected areas recently, and are thus likely to have b

PARIS (AP) – The national identity crisis exposed by France's burkini controversy is threatening to set the tone for the country's presidential campaign.A top court ruling Friday against banning the head-to-ankle swimwear didn't put an end to the debate.Along with the economy, the relationship between France's Muslims and non-Muslims has been a recurring theme as presidential hopefuls kick off campaigning for the April-May elections.Former President Nicolas Sarkozy told a campaign rally he wants

Chinese actress Tang Wei gave birth to a healthy and beautiful baby girl, the actress revealed on her Instagram on Saturday. 　Tang, wife of Korean filmmaker Kim Tae-yong, uploaded a photo of herself with the Chinese caption, “To everyone, today I gave birth to a 3.41kg baby girl. She is very healthy.” 　According to local media reports, Tang gave birth at a hospital in Hong Kong.　Tang and Kim married in 2014 on the remote Swedish island of Faro. The two first met while filming “Late Autumn” in 20

“Tunnel,” depicting a man’s struggle to survive in a collapsed tunnel, has topped the local box office chart for 18 days since its release, attracting more than 6 million cinemagoers, according to the Korea Film Council on Sunday. 　The film, which was released on Aug. 10, sold 6,026,910 tickets Sunday. It attracted 1 million viewers within the first three days of its release and 3 million within six days.  A scene from “Tunnel” (Showbox)　The film, directed by Kim Sung-hoon of the 2014 hit “Hard

　Upon hearing about the choir’s careless preparation for the world premiere of his Eighth Symphony, Austrian composer Gustav Mahler, known for his drive for perfection, threatened to cancel the entire performance. 　　　Presenting the same vast work at the Lotte Concert Hall last Thursday, conductor Lim Hun-joung proved himself a worthy heir of Mahler’s demand for excellence.　　　Bringing together eight soloists, the 141-member Korean Symphony Orchestra, and 850 choral members under his baton, Lim in

Mediterranean promotion at Courtyard by Marriott Seoul Pangyo 　　Courtyard by Marriott Seoul Pangyo will be presenting the Mediterranean promotion at the hotel buffet MoMo Cafe from Sept. 1-Oct. 31. 　The promotion will offer guests a wide variety of classic Mediterranean dishes, including fresh Greek salad, grilled lamb chops, chicken and lentil stew, seafood paella, and more. 　The package starts at 37,000 won for lunch, and 49,000 won for dinner on Monday and Tuesday, and 69,000 won from Wednesd

Water splash parade at Everland　 Everland is paying tribute to the days of summer this year as the amusement park and resort play host to the Summer Splash and Fantastic Summer Night festival. The festival is jam-packed with various programs like splash parades, fireworks and a 3-D mapping show held every night. 　During the day, guests can enjoy Jack’s Splash Parade, which sprays 84 tons of water from 40 water cannons and six floats, three times a day. Then later at night when the heat dies down

In the midst of this unusual heatwave, most locals tend to rely on the usual “go-to” summer foods in an attempt to cool off during these record-breaking temperatures. But, how many chilled noodle soups and chicken based dishes can one eat before the appetite starts craving something new?　　Abroad, salad is the summer “it” food and takes on many creative forms as a refreshing and cooling meal. A dish that requires little effort and zero heat to prepare, enjoying fresh raw greens and vegetables is

Seoul Station　(Korea)　Opened Aug. 17　Animation, zombie. Directed by Yeon Sang-ho　The prequel to the box office hit “Train to Busan,” released last month and also directed by Yeon. This movie shows how the zombie apocalypse first started. A young runaway woman struggles to survive in a world where zombies may not be the most dangerous beings.　　　Star Trek Beyond　(US)　Opened Aug. 17　Sci-fi. Directed by Justin Lin　The USS Enterprise ship, carrying Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) and members of his crew, i

Theater"Kinky Boots": The mega hit Broadway musical Kinky Boots is making is way back to Seoul once again. Based on the book by Tony-winner Harvey Fierstein and with music and lyrics by Tony, Emmy and Grammy-winner Cyndi Lauper, the musical tells the true story Charlie Price who goes to oddly extreme lengths to save his father’s shoe factory. The local production will star Lee Ji-hoon, Kim Ho-young, Jung Seong-hwa and Kang Jong-seok. “Kinky Boots” will be staged from Sept. 02 to Nov. 13 at the B

MIRYANG, South Gyeongsang Province -- A rebel in his own right, Lee Yoon-taek is truly one of the country’s few remaining renaissance men -- he is a veteran South Korean playwright, theater director, poet, dramatist and producer. 　Born in Busan in 1952, Lee has been a pioneering figure in the local theater arts movement. For the past 20 years, he has created 16 plays and adapted 15 works.　Widely dubbed by the media as the “Cultural Guerrilla,” Lee has the undisputed reputation of having been a k

A new period drama series “Love in the Moonlight” staring Park Bo-gum and Kim Yoo-jung will kick off next week. 　The series follows the unlikely romance between a crown prince, played by Park, and an 18-year-old girl masquerading as a eunuch, played by Kim.  Actor Park Bo-gum and actress Kim Yoo-jung pose for a photo at a press conference on Thursday in eastern Seoul. (Yonhap)　“As soon as I read the script, I really wanted to get on board,” Park said at a press conference for the show Thursday i

　An international cultural forum will bring together the world’s creative opinion leaders to experience Korean culture and discuss cultural strengths in September. 　The Culture Communication Forum, organized by the Corea Image Communications Institute, will be held from Sept. 4-6 in Seoul. It will invite 18 cultural figures from around the world, including Russian publisher Irina Prokhorova of “New Literary Observer,” New Zealand musician Tama Waipara, Spanish writer and anthropologist Javier Mo

South Korea's brokerages on Sunday forecast Samsung Electronics Co. will post an operating profit of more than 30 trillion won (US$27 billion) for this year on strong demand for new smartphones. For the world's largest smartphone marker by shipments, it will be the second time profits will top the 30 trillion-won mark. In 2013, the corresponding number was 36.785 trillion won, according to market research firm FnGuide.The market consensus for the company's operating income this year continued to

RIO DE JANEIRO (AFP) – Michael Phelps brought down the curtain on his glittering Olympic career when he helped the USA win 4x100m medley relay gold at the Rio Games on Saturday, taking his personal tally to 23.Phelps took the lead in the third leg, the butterfly, before Nathan Adrian brought it home as the United States won ahead of Britain and Australia. United States` Michael Phelps reacts after the men`s 100-meter butterfly final during the swimming competitions at the 2016 Summer Olympics, F

BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil (Yonhap) – South Korea were eliminated from the Rio de Janeiro Olympic men's football competition Saturday, but coach Shin Tae-yong said there's a promising road ahead for his players.South Korea lost to Honduras 1-0 in the quarterfinals at Mineirao Stadium in Belo Horizonte, some 340 kilometers north of Rio. Shin, however, said there can be a bright future for South Korean football with this generation of young players."I'm proud of our players for showing great performan

South Korea's ability to counter North Korea's long-range multiple launch rocket threat will get a boost after its guided bombs get "jam-proof" U.S. technology, the military said Sunday.According to sources, the recent decision by Washington to allow its military global positioning system (GPS) technology to be used by Seoul will greatly enhance the capabilities of its Korea GPS guided bomb (KGGB) arsenal that will be tasked with taking out North Korean rocket launchers.The first KGGBs that can