Though South Korean designers have been making a splash in the global fashion scene for some time now, an extra splash of “playful elegance” was added this season.During the recent Paris Fashion Week, fashion label Kimhekim presented the “Me” collection. From the brand name, readers might guess that a Korean designer is behind the label. The designer calls himself Kiminte Kimhekim. His legal name, Kim In-te, is the first name he uses and his last name reflects his fa

Albanian novelist Ismail Kadare is the winner of the 2019 Pak Kyong-ni Prize, in recognition of a lifetime of socially relevant writing that delves into the historical experiences of the Albanian people.The writer, 83, has been one of the most influential literary figures in Europe since his debut in the 1960s. In 2005 he became the first winner of the Man Booker International Prize for the full body of his work. He is also an often-mentioned nominee for the Nobel literature prize.  The Par

A living legend of Korean baseball, Sun Dong-yeol released his autobiography Tuesday, sharing 48 years of life on the diamond. Sun, 56, is a former baseball player and manager, who made his professional debut in 1985 as a pitcher for the Korean Baseball Organization’s Kia Tigers in Gwangju. Later, he signed with the Chunichi Dragons of Japan on a four-year loan. He retired in Japan in 2000. He then returned to Korea and became the manager for the Kia Tigers and then the Samsung Lions. He l

The 13th Grand Mint Festival took place at Olympic Park, eastern Seoul, over the weekend, with a heavier emphasis on band music than ever before.The all-genre music festival featuring K-pop artists, rock bands, hip-hop artists and more had a total of 50 acts in this year’s lineup. According to the festival, this year the main focus was band music. As with previous editions, “space hero” Minty was the festival mascot, appearing on all the festival posters as well as its mer

The spring-summer 2020 Seoul Fashion Week shows were filled with fun and fresh offerings.The event took place at the Zaha Hadid-designed Dongdaemun Design Plaza in central Seoul from Monday to Saturday.This edition was the first to be run by the new director Jeon Mi-kyeong, a former editor-in-chief of Harper’s Bazaar Korea. For the past four years, veteran fashion designer Jung Ku-ho had led the biannual fashion event.As in the previous editions, this season saw 34 Seoul Collection shows a

Trick or treat at Millennium Hilton Seoul Millennium Hilton Seoul’s all-day buffet dining restaurant Cafe 395 will feature a special Halloween-inspired dessert buffet station in addition to its usual buffet spread, from Saturday to Oct. 31. Creepy fingers cake, eyeball gelatin, witch cupcakes and much more will be prepared at the station, alongside jack-o’-lanterns and other Halloween decorations. Children who come dressed in a Halloween costume will receive a special gift.Cafe 395&r

Backed by the rising popularity of lamb here, Conrad Seoul’s Italian dining restaurant Atrio presents its Italian Lamb Trio promotion, with Australian cuts of the featured meat. Seeing a 300 percent increase in its lamb rack sales from January to September on-year, the restaurant has teamed with Meat & Livestock Australia’s Korean unit to present promotional lamb dishes using Australian lamb, dubbed the True Aussie Lamb. The trio dishes are a rack of grilled lamb rack, lamb

With the 2020 Spring-Summer Seoul Fashion Week currently underway, the organizers hosted a forum to discuss sustainable fashion on Wednesday and Thursday The Seoul Design Foundation hosted Sustainable Fashion Summit Seoul at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza in central Seoul invited fashion designers who are currently participating in sustainable fashion projects from here and abroad.The event was divided into four sessions: fashion and community development; harmony of human and technology; sustainab

The Korea National Opera’s newly appointed Artistic Director Park Hyung-sik, 66, announced four areas he intended to focus on during his term, at a press event held Tuesday at the Seoul Arts Center. They are balance and harmony; fairness and solidarity; expansion of the company; and social responsibility.Park, a former singer with more than 20 years of experience, previously led the Jeongdong Theater and the Uijeongbu Arts Center. He will be heading the state opera company for three years.

Accompanied by Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries,” an aerialist in red trousers flew high above the conductor, the orchestra and the audience. He danced in the air -- suspended midair as he held onto a piece of red silk fabric -- looking like an incarnation of a true Valkyrie.Circus troupe Cirque de la Symphonie took the stage at the Lotte Concert Hall over the weekend, giving three performances. The Georgia-based production company, founded in 2005, presents circus movements cho

Singer and actress Sulli, also known as Choi Jin-ri, was found dead Monday at her home outside Seoul. She was 25. 　Sulli entered the entertainment industry at just 10 years old, making her debut in 2004 in SBS drama “Ballad of Seodong.” In 2009, Sulli joined the highly competitive K-pop scene as a member of five-piece girl group f(x). She was 15 at the time. While she was the youngest of the act, she was also the tallest, leading fans to affectionately call her “Giant Baby

Singer-actor Sulli, 25, was found dead Monday at a house in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Provice, police said.　Her manager found her dead on the second floor of the house at around 3:21 p.m. He visited the house as he had been unable to reach Sulli after their last phone call, which ended at 6:30 p.m. Sunday. 　Police are investigating the case, but suspect suicide. A suicide note had not been found as of late Monday afternoon.　“It seems that Choi was living alone at the house,”

Ku Hye-sun said Friday she would stop writing posts about Ahn Jae-hyun on social media amid a monthslong online feud between the high-profile couple, who are in the middle of a divorce. Ku has been revealing their marital problems on social media, highlighting Ahn's faults. “It is really strange. He was not committed to our marriage, there were situations that made me doubt his fidelity, and he became violent when drunk ... yet people still think I am the one who made him go

Children pose for pictures with a contraption used for punishment in the Joseon era during the Haemieupseong Fortress Festival in Seosan, South Chungcheong Province, on Friday.  The “juri” punishment, often featured in period dramas set in the era, involves breaking a person’s legs by tightening two pieces of wood.  Running through Sunday, the festival introduces folk culture and the history of the fortress through performances and hands-on activities.The old Army pos

Grand opening at Nine Tree Premier Hotel InsadongNine Tree Premier Hotel Insadong, a business hotel property under Parnas Hotel, opened to the public Wednesday.Located in Insadong, central Seoul, the newly-minted hotel offers 301 rooms from the fifth to the 14th floors, restaurants for all-day dining, a rooftop bar, a rooftop garden and conference rooms. Its room portfolio is diverse, ranging from bunk beds to three-person rooms for family guests. The hotel is equipped with self-service locker r

Plastic can be a valuable material if effectively upcycled, argued Dutch designer Dave Hakkens in his speech, “The Power of an Open Source” at the Herald Design Forum 2019 held at Grand Hyatt Seoul in Yongsan-gu, central Seoul on Thursday. “Less than 10 percent of the plastics (used around the world) get recycled. For companies, it’s just easier to buy new plastic. The plastic waste is burned, sent to landfills or to the ocean,” he said. Hakkens said, he started to

While the construction of a building or a house may be a familiar concept, establishment of a neighborhood or a community is a relatively new notion. Assemble is a London-based multidisciplinary collective that builds neighborhoods, responding to the actual needs of the community. More than just renovating a building, it rejuvenates the whole area, working across the realms of architecture, design and art.Maria Lisogorskaya, one of the founding members of Assemble, took the podium at the 2019 He

Dutch designer Daan Roosegaarde believes that it may be possible to turn space waste into light in the near future. The artist leads projects that use technology to raise awareness on environmental issues while maintaining esthetics. Based in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, the artist is the leader of Studio Roosegaarde, a social design lab comprising 20 engineers, designers and artists.Taking the podium at the Herald Design Forum 2019 on Thursday at Grand Hyatt Seoul, Roosegaarde delivered a lectur

Chamber music ensemble Trio Owon is celebrating its 10th anniversary with the recent release of a new album of Russian elegies. Trio Owon, consisting of cellist Yang Sung-won, pianist Emmanuel Strosser and violinist Olivier Charlier, released its latest album on Oct. 1, including Tchaikovsky’s Piano Trio in A minor, Op. 50, Shostakovich’s Piano Trio No. 2 in E minor, Op. 67 and Weinberg’s Piano Trio, Op. 24. Philip Bullock, a professor of Russian literature and music at the Uni

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will hold a wide range of events Wednesday to celebrate the 573rd Hangeul Day in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul.Hangeul is the writing system for the Korean language, consisting of 24 letters. King Sejong the Great (1397-1450) led the invention with a team of scholars and Hangeul was promulgated in 1446.  This year’s event, “Hangeul Opens the World” (unofficial translation), is expected to attract more than 10,000 attendees -- studen