The lawsuit between Seo Tai-ji and actress E Ji-ah ended as E withdrew the suit on Saturday. E’s law firm, Barun, announced on Saturday that she has decided not to go ahead with the lawsuit because of the psychological pain the actress and her families and friends had to go through after her private life went public. She had initiated a suit in January requesting 5 billion won in a property settle

Open spaces host city dance events to celebrate World Dance DayThis is the official occasion for dancing all night long. International Dance Council, International Theater Institute and UNESCO designated April 29 as International Dance Day in 1982 in honor of Jean-Georges Noverre, the founder of Ballet d’Action, or narrative ballet. April 29 was his birthday. Following the goal of the day ― to inc

Korea University’s research institute to digitalize 2,200 rare Korean documents held at UC BerkeleyMore than 2,000 old documents taken from Korea to the U.S. during the Japanese colonial period will return home in digital form. Korea University’s Research Institute of Korean Studies announced Thursday that its Center for Rare Materials Abroad finished digitalizing 738 of the 2,200 old Korean docum

Top pizza, liquor and snack houses turn to art marketingYour eyes might be dazzled before your mouth starts to water the next time you go to a pizza place.The seven-story Mr. Pizza building which opened in Bangbae-dong, southern Seoul, last week is part art gallery, packed with eye-catching artworks. Mr. Pizza, which currently tops the local pizza market, renovated the building into a kind of art

Fashion photographers Juergen Teller and Paolo Roversi showcase portraits of cut-throat fashion industryWhat Anna Wintour’s assistants have to go through is only a fraction of the merciless battles in the uber-competitive world of fashion. Two fashion photographers who managed to survive and even receive praise for their successful campaigns are to reveal the inside of the most glamorous and compe

Actress takes role as almost-perfect ‘Gold Miss’ in ‘Midsummer’There was definitely something “Gold Missy” about her, just like her usual image on TV. Her elaborate dress ― yellow leather jacket, long, chocolate-colored skirt with floral print, with matching fedora and long pearl necklaces ― along with her high-toned singing voice and confident manner all fit the typical image of a Gold Miss, the

South Korean actress Yun Jung-hee will be honored with a “Chevalier dans l’ordre des Arts et Lettres” by the French government on Tuesday, according to the French Ministry of Culture and Communication on Saturday. Established in 1957, the order of France is given to cultural figures who have made significant contributions to the arts or literature or the propagation of these fields. Actress Yun Ju

South Korean artist Lee Kye-song, known as the “painter of light,” is showcasing around 50 oil paintings at his solo exhibition at Insa Art Center in Gwanhun-dong, central Seoul. Lee uses “obangsaek,” or the five traditional Korean colors of white, black, red, blue and yellow, in a very modern way which resembles splashes of LED light. “The paintings on show are very bright, like LED lights. As LE

Korea National Ballet, Universal Ballet fuse ballet with other dances, and plan world toursBallet is hot in Korea right now, and ballet companies are eager to make it even hotter. The graceful dance, which used to enjoyed by only by a small portion of the population because of its seemingly “loftiness,” is gaining popularity among the public both on and off stage. “Giselle,” which in February beca

Opera director Achim Freyer leads The National Changgeuk Company’s ‘Mr. Rabbit and the Dragon King’The National Changgeuk Company of Korea has joined hands with Achim Freyer, the world famous German opera director, to introduce “pansori,” or Korean traditional narrative singing, to the world. Freyer, known as one of the best stage directors today, is in charge of the directing and stage/costume/li

Hong Ra-hee, wife of Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Kun-hee, recently returned to her post as director of Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art. Hong resumed to the post on March 16 and attended the opening ceremony of “Korean Rhapsody,” an ongoing exhibition at the museum, on the same day. “She planned to return in time for the Korean Rhapsody exhibition. But then the earthquake hit Japan and the overal

Photographer Koo talks about finding beauty in bric-a-brac as he opens exhibition of his collection of miscellaneous objectsAs a boy, Koo Bohnchang liked to explore his father’s front yard alone rather than playing ball with his friends, a constant cause of concern for his parents. Little did they know that their boy would grow up to be a famous photographer. Koo, who is now 58 and a professor at

Shorter, more focused event includes new program that concentrates on inking deals abroadIt is finally spring, but for the fashion-savvy it is already fall. 2011 F/W Seoul Fashion Week kicked off its six-day run Monday at SETEC in Daechi-dong, southern Seoul. Started a decade ago, Seoul Fashion Week is now one of Asia’s biggest fashion fairs, having showcased about 900 designers and promoted over

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Friday announced plans to set up an “Entertainer Supporting Center” as early as next month.The plans were unveiled at a forum involving about 20 influential figures in South Korea’s show biz industry at the SM Entertainment building in Cheongdam-dong, southern Seoul. The forum, hosted by the Culture Ministry, sought to solve problems clouding over the

Presented by Universal Ballet, the nation’s oldest private ballet company, the humorous ballet “Don Quixote,” opens Friday at the Opera Theater in Seoul Arts Center in Seocho-dong, southern Seoul. Based on Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes’s novel of the same title, its ballet version premiered in the 1750s. Since then, it has been the world’s most-loved comical ballet. While the original novel r

Late actress Choi Jin-sil and her younger brother Choi Jin-young’s graves may have to be moved because the cemetery where they were buried was illegally built. Kapsan Park Cemetery in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi Province, where the Chois are buried, has illegally destroyed a 7,550 square meter area of a nearby forest to create 188 graves since 2008, Yangpyeong-gun said Tuesday. The cemetery was authorize

Like the woman of the same name who was known to have been one of the four beauties of ancient China, the “Yang Guifei,” or “poppy flower,” was so mesmerizingly beautiful that he stopped short and stared for a long time. Artist Kwon In-su, who had never really been into flowers before, was totally captivated by the flower and ended up opening a solo exhibition entirely dedicated to it. “It was a t

Shin Jeong-ah speaks during a press conference at Lotte Hotel in Sogong-dong, central Seoul, on Tuesday. (Yonhap News)The woman at the center of one of South Korea’s biggest scandals has returned with an autobiography. Shin Jeong-ah, who shook the nation in 2007 with fabrication of her academic record, embezzlement and an affair with a high-level government official, appeared in public for the fir

Super trendy K-pop group Big Bang is showcasing its first-ever fashion line. The boy band designed T-shirts and jackets, as well as smartphone and laptop accessories in collaboration with 10 CORSO COMO SEOUL, a lifestyle concept store which sells fashion items by various, usually foreign, designers. “We hope to become Asia’s fashion mecca and Seoul’s landmark by collaborating with Big Bang, who ar

Easy-to-follow story, timely changes and wit are keys to success for small-stage performancesNo matter how much blockbuster musicals boast of their leading stars, or how low and lewd some small theater shows become in a quest for custom, there remain several decent small-stage musicals that are long-running successes. South Korean original musicals such as: “Finding Kim Jong-wook;” “Sarangun Birul