Fans of ’70s pop music will soon have a chance to indulge their nostalgia as stars Olivia Newton-John and Tom Jones are set to hold concerts in Korea at Seoul Olympic Park in May and April, respectively.It has taken a long time for both musicians to return to Korea -- 16 and 33 years, respectively, for Newton-John and Jones.Olivia Newton-John (Official Facebook)Newton-John, a four-time Grammy award-winner recording five No. 1 and ten other Top 10 Billboard Hot 100 singles, will perform old favor

Adding fuel to the thriving electronica music craze in Korea, international electronic dance music phenom Zedd kick-started this year’s Hyundai Card “5 Nights” concert series with his solo performance at the AX-Korea stadium Friday night. Dance music fan or not, it would be hard to come across a music lover who has never once listened to a Zedd collaboration. Since his U.S. debut in 2012, the young artist has become one of the music world’s most popular mainstream DJs.A visual concert if there e

Near the shopping district of Myeong-dong, cultural street of Insa-dong and Gwanghwamun in downtown Seoul, Lotte City Hotel Myeongdong seeks to “kill two birds with one stone.”Launched as Lotte Hotels & Resorts’ biggest Lotte City Hotel brand hotel in Myeong-dong Jan. 6, the “premium business hotel” aims to attract both business travelers and foreign tourists to Seoul’s well-known travel sites.With 430 rooms, including 140 Superior Double-Bed rooms and 70 Standard Double-Bed rooms, the hotel is

Director of the World Jewelry Museum Lee Kang-won remembers vividly an Ethiopian woman she saw 37 years ago in the corner of a local market in Addis Ababa. The woman, dressed in a white cotton dress, was wearing a meticulously detailed, “ultramodern looking” silver necklace. Her necklace captivated Lee, who had just arrived in the country. “Her necklace was breathtaking,” said Lee, in an interview last month at the museum in Hwa-dong near Samcheong-dong.Lee Kang-won, director of the World Jewelr

Malcolm "Gomer" Lloyd, the South Korean national bobsleigh team coach, has died days before he was to join his South Korean team in the U.S. for an international competition. He was 68.Lloyd died at his Canadian home on Sunday, and investigations showed he had been suffering from cancer, according to BBC and the International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation (IBSF).He had been scheduled to join the South Korean team on Saturday for the 2015-2016 IBSF World Cup in Lake Placid, New York."We receive

A group of elderly Filipino women raped by Japanese troops during World War II called for compensation from Japan on Wednesday, following Tokyo's pledge of $8.3 million for South Korean women forced into Japanese military-run brothels during the war. The women's lawyers said they were also exploring the possibility of filing cases with United Nations bodies and holding Philippine President Benigno Aquino III liable for allegedly failing to support the case of the women against Japan. Isabelita V

Turkish police have seized over 1,200 unsafe life jackets destined for use by migrants trying to reach Greece by sea, in a raid on an underground workshop that used Syrian underage labour, a report said Wednesday.The authorities seized 1,263 life jackets that failed to correspond to safety standards in the raid on the workshop in the centre of Izmir, a city on the Aegean Sea, the Dogan news agency said.Izmir is a major hub for refugees and migrants seeking to make the risky crossing in flimsy bo

South Korea's top nuclear envoy began full-fledged consultations Wednesday with his American and Japanese counterparts on ways to deal with North Korea's claimed nuclear test.Hwang Joon-kook, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, had phone talks with his U.S. counterpart Sung Kim, according to the Foreign Ministry.They compared notes on the initial assessment of the current situation and discussed future steps through the U.N. Security Council, it said.The 15-me

Museums and galleries in Seoul are getting ready to excite art audiences with an impressive lineup of artists this year. Some of the most anticipated names include Korean art masters Lee Jung-seob, Yoo Young-guk, Chung Chang-sub and Nam June Paik, while international artists to be featured include Anish Kapoor and Olafur Eliasson.   “Work” by Yoo Young-guk. (MMCA)This year marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of two giants of Korean art -- Lee Jung-seob and Yoo Young-guk. The National Museum

British tenor Paul Potts is making his way back to Korea, performing an exclusive concert in front of exactly 99 select fans on Jan. 14 at the Stradeum concert hall in Seoul. In keeping with the concert theme of “99,” based on the idea that 99 fans plus Potts equals 100, tickets to the tenor’s upcoming performance will be sold in an auction. The bidding war for the concert tickets opened at m.allwin.co.kr Wednesday morning, with prices capped at 199,000 won ($166).According to concert promoter A

With the new year comes new beginnings, and with new beginnings comes a new season of ballet productions.From all-time classics to Korean originals and contemporary pieces, the 2016 season offers an array of revamped choreographies for local dance enthusiasts. Below are this year’s lineups from the country’s two biggest ballet companies. Korean National BalletThe Korean National Ballet company will be kicking off its 2016 season with Marius Petipa’s exotic tale of “La Bayadere,” which will be he

Vienna Boys Choir (Lukas Beck)The Vienna Boys Choir is holding auditions in Korea in search of local talents wishing to join the prestigious and historical ensemble, according to Credia, the choir’s local concert promoter.The announcement comes just a few weeks before the choir’s upcoming concert recitals in Korea, which are slated to be held later this month. Starting Wednesday, the Vienna Boys Choir will be accepting the first round of applications for boys aged 9 and older. Successful applica

To some, a night of musical theater could conjure up thoughts of kitsch song and dance numbers and enchanting fairy-tale love stories. Composer Tom Kitt and author Brian Yorkey’s “Next to Normal” has none of that.Brought to life by leading ladies Kolleen Park and Jung Young-ju, who alternately play the role of the struggling mother Diana, “Next to Normal” stretches the scope of musical boundaries by addressing often socially taboo topics such as suicide, substance abuse and questionable moral di

After 10 years at its helm, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra’s maestro Chung Myung-whun has decided to lay down his baton. Citing the ongoing public disputes plaguing the controversy-filled SPO and the continued legal battles regarding the alleged mistreatment of employees by its former CEO Park Hyun-jung, conductor Chung officially resigned as the music director of the country’s most prestigious orchestra.  In a letter sent to the SPO members on Tuesday, the conductor -- who has arguably establishe

Upheaval at the controversy-plagued Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra continued as its board of directors decided to postpone its decision on renewing maestro Chung Myung-whun’s contract as the city orchestra’s music director.Members of the orchestra’s board of directors met Monday morning to discuss whether to keep Chung, who has promised to fulfill next season’s conducting commitments with the SPO regardless of his contract status.  Conductor Chung Myung-whun (Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra)Earlier i

WONJU, Gangwon Province -- Very much overshadowed by the neighboring snow-filled scenes of bliss in PyeongChang, the site of the upcoming 2018 Winter Olympics, Gangwon Province’s Wonju seeks to attract the attention of travelers. The small-time city of Wonju, less than a two-hour drive from central Seoul, has always flown under the radar in terms of its tourism pull. While it does not have a reputation as one of the peninsula’s “must-see” destinations, it beckons a second look as an unlikely hav

Psy performs at his "All Night Stand" concert at the Seoul Olympic Park's Gymnastics Arena. (Yonhap)“Music, action! Lights, action! Your screams, action!”The first night of Psy‘s annual year-end concert “All Night Stand” began with a cue for the audience, and it was clear throughout the night that the fans would be an integral part to bringing the show together.Psy, who kicked off the show with the dance track “Right Now,” walked around the specially extended stage urging people to scream louder

President Barack Obama's administration is planning a vast operation to round up and expel from the United States migrant families who fled drought and violence in Central America, reports said Thursday.Any such crackdown would be hugely controversial, with immigration one of the hottest topics in the 2016 presidential campaign, and rights groups expressed grave concern at the deportations.The flow of families and unaccompanied children crossing into the United States from Mexico slowed this yea

A former school headteacher, who reportedly paid for sex with 12,000 women in the Philippines, has been convicted in Japan for taking photos of naked Filipino girls.The Yokohama District Court sentenced Yuhei Takashima, 65, to two years in prison with the term suspended for four years, a spokesman told AFP.Takashima, who reportedly had sex with girls as young as 14, escaped prison with a promise not to offend again.Quoting the verdict, Japan's Jiji Press said the girls pictured were "aged betwee

A luxury apartment in Hong Kong sold for a record HK$594.7 million ($76.7 million), days before Christmas, making it the most expensive flat in the city and possibly in Asia, reports said Friday.An unidentified buyer paid more than HK$103,700 per-square-foot for the 5,732 square-foot (532 square-metre) unit at the luxury 39 Conduit Road apartment tower in the southern Chinese city's upmarket Mid-Levels residential area, The Apple Daily and The Standard reported.The condominium, on the 46th floor