Seoul is developing into a charming destination for foreign visitors, from scenic Bukchon Hanok Village to vibrant Hongdae and Myeong-dong. For those who live in Seoul, however, spending time in the city can be a different experience. A lot of Seoul professionals spend nearly all of their time in offices and apartment complexes. Not many manage to take the time to visit Gyeongbok Palace or experience the joy of trying on hanbok in a hanok. It’s like how many New Yorkers never visit the Statue of

Celebrated director Chung Ji-young is making a lot of political remarks with his films lately, after breaking the 13-year hiatus in January with the highly controversial, real-life based courtroom drama “Unbowed.”Last month, he returned with “National Security,” another socially conscious, politically themed drama inspired by the true story of late politician and democracy activist Kim Geun-tae. The film was premiered during this year’s BIFF, and Chung received much attention from the press by s

The Salvation Army Korea is kicking off this year’s charity work by hosting a special ceremony at Seoul Square on Nov. 30.This year, the Christian charity organization aims to raise 5 billion won ($4.6 million). Its signature collection pots ― red kettles ― will be set up in about 300 different locations across the country. Participants can also donate money online or by phone. The Salvation Army is also introducing “digital red kettles” on streets ― the device scans a donor’s credit card and au

Korean films are set to break the 100 million mark in attendance by Wednesday, according to the state-run Korean Film Council.As of Tuesday morning, some 99.8 million viewers had watched Korean films since the beginning of January. The milestone means Koreans saw at least two local films on average this year. Korean films enjoyed much success this year, at both the box office and film festivals. Two local films ― Choi Dong-hun’s star-studded heist film “The Thieves” and Choo Chang-min’s period d

American contemporary dance troupe Parsons Dance is back in Seoul this week, this time to perform two pieces of their signature repertoire ― “Remember Me” and “Caught.”Founded in 1985, the New York-based troupe tours internationally in addition to its annual season in New York. They had a highly successful Seoul performance in May of last year.“Caught” features more than 100 leaps in six minutes by a solo dancer who is repeatedly captured in mid-motion by the strobe lights, to create an illusion

Four Cannes-winning films, including “Amour” and “Beyond the Hills,” are opening in theaters in Korea, about six months after the movies won their awards.Austrian filmmaker Michael Haneke’s French-language film “Amour,” which won the highest prize at the Cannes Film Festival in May, is a heart-breaking story about the dying weeks in the relationship of an old French couple. The film, which has also been selected as the Austrian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 85th Academy Awards,

Veteran actor Ahn Sung-ki is starring in a movie with Hollywood actor Morgan Freeman and English actor Clive Owen, according to Sovik Global Contents Investment Fund.Ahn is starring in a joint Korean-American production film “The Last Knights.” Popular actress Park Si-yeon, who recently starred in KBS’ TV drama series “The Innocent Man,” is also joining the cast. The script has been penned by Canadian screenwriter Michael Konyves, whose previous works include the Genie Award-nominated screenpla

The famous story of Nongae, the 16th-century “gisaeng,” or female entertainer, is still largely considered a patriotic tale, about a low-caste woman sacrificing her life to help her country in crisis.The gisaeng lived in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, during the Japanese invasion of Korea (1592-1598), and is said to have purposely seduced Japanese general Keyamura Rokusuke. She led him to a cliff, embraced him and jumped ― killing the general as well as herself.The National Dance Company of K

Even after all this time, author Stephenie Meyer, the Mormon mother of three who became an overnight literary sensation with the 2005 publication of her young-adult novel “Twilight,” can’t explain the phenomenon that surrounds the grand romance between vampire Edward Cullen and human teenager Bella Swan, characters played on-screen by Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart.“I don’t know what makes people love it, I don’t know what makes people hate it,” said Meyer, seated comfortably in a suite of

Among the more startling revelations in William J. Mann’s engrossing chronicle of Barbra Streisand’s ascent to superstardom emerges in one of the book’s photos. It’s a childhood picture showing Streisand, as its caption notes, “with friends outside their Brooklyn tenements.” It doesn’t say how old she is, but it doesn’t matter. She’s already carrying the face that millions would soon recognize as belonging to no one but her. And her expression, as she leans on a bicycle, is a mesmerizing blend o

Not many would be aware that filmmaker Lee Jun-ik, best known for his 2005 period drama “The King and the Clown,” used to be a copywriter and made movie posters, before making his foray into filmmaking.From the 80s to the 90s, Lee created some 1,000 promotional posters for films. One of them was for director Jeong Ji-young’s 1990 drama “North Korean Partisan in South Korea.” Making posters used to be a lot more complicated than it is now; it required cutting and gluing using scissors and paper.

Pvt. John Bartle, the narrator of Kevin Powers’ sorrowful war novel “The Yellow Birds,” is a man of reason caught between the uncontrolled emotions of two men.The first is his sergeant, a severe gunslinger and molder of warriors named Sterling. Sgt. Sterling’s discipline and his rage against the enemy are keeping his squad of men alive as they patrol an eerie, death-filled Iraqi landscape. Pvt. Bartle loves and hates him for this.“I hated the way he excelled in death and brutality and domination

Theater director and artist Keith Batten knows what it means to work overseas, especially when it comes to staging some of the most popular musicals in the world. He has directed over 60 productions, including Elton John and Tim Rice’s musical “Aida,” and the Broadway production of “Spiderman,” in 12 countries around the world. His last visit to Seoul took place back in 2005, when he was in charge of directing the local production of “Aida.” The musical, which tells the story of Aida, Nubia’s pr

Korean director Yi Seung-jun’s documentary “Planet of Snail” won the top prize at the 6th International Disability Film Festival in Moscow on Monday. The everyday portrayal of a hearing and visually impaired poet and his wife also won the top prize last year at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, the world’s largest documentary film festival. Russian actor and filmmaker Vladimir Menshov, who serves as the head of the jury of the film fest, reportedly praised the film for its a

A total of seven Korean musicals will be performed in Tokyo’s affluent Roppongi district, according to local entertainment company CJ E&M.The Korean company is collaborating with Amuse, a prominent Japanese entertainment agency, for a project to stage Korea’s homegrown musicals with all-Korean cast starting next April. The shows are: CJ E&M’s “Cafe-in,” “Poongwoljoo,” “Finding Mr. Destiny” and “While You Are Asleep,”; PMC Production’s “Music in My Heart” and “Brothers Were Brave”; and Aga Compan

What would it be like to watch a pansori performance that’s very much like a horror film?The National Changgeuk Theater of Korea is presenting “Janghwa Hongryeon” this month in an attempt to create a “changgeuk,” traditional Korean opera, that’s more accessible to today’s public. The piece combines Korea’s traditional vocal and percussion music, pansori, and the folktale’s engaging plot. The traditional tale of two sisters, who become vengeful ghosts after being killed by their evil stepmother a

Internationally acclaimed ballet company Mariinsky Ballet kicked off its much-anticipated Seoul run of Tchaikovsky classic “Swan Lake” on Sunday at Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. The famous ballet tells the story of Odette, a princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer’s curse. She tries to break the curse with her love interest Pince Siegfried, but fails when he is tricked by the cruel magician.The renowned Russian troupe was founded in the 18th century and is now considered one of

Actress-turned-director Koo Hye-sun’s second feature film “The Peach Tree” has been invited to the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival, according to Koo’s agency.The film, which tells the story of two young brothers who were born as conjoined twins with two heads sharing one body, will be featured at the festival in Belgium in April.The Belgium-based film festival was founded in 1983 and has been featuring thriller, horror and science fiction films. Koo’s “The Peach Tree” was previous

Pop singer Psy’s single “Gangnam Style,” which has more than 2 million digital single sales, and has been certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America Inc. (RIAA) of the U.S. on Saturday.The music video, a mock tribute to Seoul’s affluent Gangnam district, broke a number of world records since the single’s local release in July.It last month broke the Guinness World Record for “Most Likes on YouTube” with 2,141,758, beating the previous record of LMFAO’s “Party Rock

Five soldiers dressed in camouflage and carrying machine guns took cover behind a stack of wooden pallets.One yelled “incoming” and a few seconds later a large explosion ignited behind them, setting off a ball of flame rising 30 feet high. The soldiers fell to the ground from the force of the blast, a concoction of black powder and gasoline.The scene was one of many pyrotechnic stunts performed last week at the Burbank Fire Department Training Center for a crowd of Southern California firefighte