Yeondeunghoe, the lotus lantern festival that accompanie Buddha’s Birthday, has been designated as an intangible cultural heritage by the Cultural Heritage Administration said Monday.The first form of the festival dates back to Korea’s Silla Kingdom (57 B.C.-935 A.D.), and has been held on the day of Daeboreum ― a Korean holiday that celebrates the first full moon of the lunar calendar. The religious ceremony now takes place annually in Seoul on the nearest Sunday to Buddha’s Birthday.“Though Ye

Ten Korean films have been invited to Italy’s Far East Film Festival, according to the event’s official website. The upcoming event, which is slated to be held in Udine from April 20-28, is considered the biggest European festival featuring popular East Asian cinema. The invited films include director Chung Ji-young’s courtroom drama “Unbowed,” Koo Ja-hong’s band-drama “Dangerously Excited,” Kang Hyung-chul’s retro flick “Sunny” and Ahn Sang-hoon’s serial-killer thriller “Blind.”Director Hwang D

Russia’s legendary choreographer calls KNB professional, its members enthusiasticHe is back in Seoul to showcase one of his most famous productions, the heroic tale of a Roman slave who sparked a rebellion during the Third Servile War (73-71 B.C.)Russia’s legendary ballet choreographer Yury Grigorovich is to present his 1968 work “Spartacus” with Korea National Ballet this week. “The piece requires high level of techniques and energy from the dancers,” said the choreographer during a press meeti

Eungyo (Korea), Opening April 26Drama. Directed by Jung Ji-woo. Lee Jeok-yo (Park Hae-il) is a celebrated poet in his 70s, considered one of the most respected literary figures in the country. He one day receives a visit from a 17-year-old girl named Eun-gyo (Kim Go-eun). He finds himself falling for the teenager, while his young student Seo Ji-woo (Kim Moo-yeol) is evidently attracted to the young woman as well. Upon realizing his love for Eungyo, the old poet goes through emotional turmoil and

Jamaa Fanaka, who emerged as a dynamic black filmmaker with his gritty independent 1979 film “Penitentiary” and later made headlines with his legal battles alleging widespread discrimination against women and ethnic minorities in the film and television industry, has died. He was 69.Fanaka was found dead in his apartment in South Los Angeles on Sunday, said his daughter Tracey L. Gordon. The cause of death has not been determined, but she said it probably was the result of complications of diabe

There is a hierarchy of personal catastrophe, an informal but definitive ranking of all the terrible things that can happen, moving through categories that might be labeled “Worst Thing” to “Next-Worst Thing” to “Next-to-Next Worst Thing” and on down the line.At the upper end of that list, most people would probably agree, is losing a child. The world’s normal order ― parents predeceasing children ― is upended.But what happens if the child is indeed lost, but not gone? When the child, that is, t

Nonkilling Korea: Six Culture ExplorationEdited by Glenn D. Paige and Ahn Chung-siSeoul National University PressTo those used to studying the turbulent modern Korean history, which consists of war, division and an ongoing ideological dispute, the term “non-killing Korea” may not ring a bell at first.But the latest book published by the Seoul National University, “Nonkilling Korea: Six Culture Exploration” is what the unfamiliar term is all about: It seeks to discover “nonkilling” or non-violent

  Local community calls for cancellation of redevelopment plan near Joseon royal tomb JeongneungIn Jeongneung-dong, northern Seoul, there is a residential area made of some 80 low-rise houses ― a rare sight in the city where apartment complexes dominate the landscape.The residential community, formed in the late 1960s by university professors, is located near one of Seoul’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites ― Jeongneung. The royal tomb, where Joseon founder Taejo’s second consort Queen Sindeok (?-1396

Upcoming romantic comedy “Everything about My Wife,” starring stars Im Soo-jung and Lee Sun-kyun, was belatedly found to be a remake of an Argentinean movie released in 2008. The production house has never mentioned the flick being an adaptation of “Un novio para mi mujer” (A Boyfriend for My Wife) by director Juan Taratuto. Some websites have even credited director Min Kyu-dong as the screenwriter. Zip Cinema, the producer of the film, confirmed the fact Wednesday only when asked by The Korea H

Upcoming romantic comedy “Everything about My Wife,”featuring stars Im Soo-jung and Lee Sun-kyun, was belatedly found to be a remake of an Argentinean movie released in 2008. Its maker has never mentioned the flick being an adaptation of “Un novio para mi mujer” (A Boyfriend for My Wife) by director Juan Taratuto. Some websites have even credited director Min Kyu-dong as the screenwriter. Zip Cinema, the producer of the film, confirmed the fact Wednesday only when asked by The Korea Herald.“We t

Three movies in different genres aim to attract local viewersThree Bollywood films are opening in local theaters this month, only about a month after the Indian Film Festival in Seoul, expanding Indian films’ presence in Korea’s movie market. The release of the three films -- “Stanley’s Tiffin Box,” “God’s Own Child,” and “The Robot” -- comes after a surprisingly successful year for Bollywood pictures in Korea.  Ever since the 2009 box office success of British romantic drama “Slumdog Millionair

Seok Tong-youn, former international advisory ambassador of Gyeonggi Province, has been appointed the new secretary general of the Northeast Asian History Foundation, the state-run history research institute announced last week.Considered one of the leading experts on Korea-China relations, Seok served as the spokesperson of Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade from 2002 to 2003, deputy chief of mission at the Korean Embassy in China from 2003 to 2006, and consulate general in Hong Kong

NEW YORK (AP) ― NBC’s “Today” show is bringing Sarah Palin on board as a co-host ― for one morning, this Tuesday.The announcement was posted Sunday on NBC’s website. It says the former Alaska governor and GOP vice presidential candidate will “reveal a different side” than viewers have seen before.The booking is clearly an attempt to blunt the impact of “Today” alumna Katie Couric’s weeklong return to morning TV as a guest host on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” Couric joined ABC last year and was

Lloyd Suh’s drama ‘American Hwangap’ gets its first Seoul runThe concept of home and belonging has been repeatedly discussed in migration studies and art, yet many local viewers may find Korean-American playwright Lloyd Suh’s play quite equivocal and even unusual.As its title, “American Hwangap” suggests, the play deals with the clash between two different worlds: Korea and America, parents and children, and the past and the future. It deals with an uneasy reunion of an immigrant family, as well

Eungyo (Korea) Opening April 26.Drama. Directed by Jung Ji-woo. Lee Jeok-yo (Park Hae-il) is a celebrated poet in his 70s, considered one of the most respected literary figure in the country. He one day receives a visit from a 17-year-old girl named Eun-gyo (Kim Go-eun). He finds himself falling for the teenager, while his young student Seo Ji-woo (Kim Moo-yeol) is evidently attracted to the young woman as well. Upon realizing his love for Eungyo, the old poet goes through emotional turmoil and

Poor Vito Vincent, who came to Hollywood chasing a dream.He’s been in L.A. for nearly a year without landing a single acting gig.Once he was homeless in New York. But before he came West last May, Vito was living a Cinderella story there.His career was taking off. He’d appeared in print and TV ads. He’d been on a pilot, guest-starred on “The Colbert Report” and scored a small spot on “30 Rock.”Even now, emails arrive with offers on the other coast. But here, nothing ― and not for lack of trying.

Most children want to be recognized as someone special. In “The False Prince,” Jennifer A. Nielsen takes that desire to an extreme with a romp of a medieval-themed, middle-grade novel. This kickoff to her new “Ascendance Trilogy” is a swashbuckling origin story about orphans forced to compete with one another for a chance to take the crown.The book opens with a boy running through the streets being chased by a cleaver-wielding butcher hoping to retrieve a stolen roast. The thief is Sage, a misch

“Lately I have been overcome by an urge to put my affairs in order,” Peter Freund read, and within moments another world began to materialize in Sandmeyer’s Bookstore.It was postwar Europe, a place of deception and danger for a Romanian Jewish couple masquerading as Catholics in the German town of Dachau.In this and in Freund’s other stories, people try to glue together the shards of shattered worlds and lives. They fight for lost fortunes, outwit Swiss bankers, encounter spies and betrayers, ar

American pop singer Lady Gaga's upcoming Seoul concert has been restricted to over-18s by the Korea Media Rating Board, as the Gender Ministry considers one of her songs to be performed at the show as “inappropriate” for minors.The rating board's decision came after a series of complaints filed by conservative NGOs and Christian groups, who demanded Hyundai Card to cancel the show on grounds that Lady Gaga promotes “inappropriate behavior” for youngsters, including homosexuality and mocking of r

Korea plans to apply for UNESCO’s “Memory of the World” designation for a vast amount of documents related to the “New Community (Saemaul) Movement,” the political initiative launched by the late President Park Chung-hee to modernize Korea’s rural economy, according to the Cultural Heritage Administration.The state institution, which has been working on the application since last year, is submitting the application to UNESCO on Friday, Yi Kyung-hoon, director of the international division of the