• Reality programs focus on singles

    ‘Share House,’ ‘Roommate’ start this week One of the reasons that Korean “reality” programs are enjoying a heyday is that they reflect what’s in demand or what’s lacking in Korean society today. In graying Korea, the television audience is highly attuned to celebrities traveling with their children as in “Where…

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  • Obama will return royal seals to Korea

    U.S. President Barack Obama is expected to return nine stolen Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) seals to Korea during his Asian trip next week, a source familiar with the situation said Tuesday. They are three state seals, which kings used on diplomatic and other significant documents, and six ceremonial ones, which royal…

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  • Who are most charitable stars?

    Some celebrities become social inspirations beyond popularity Hollywood star Angelina Jolie, known as one of the most philanthropic celebrities, once said that she “opened her eyes” when she saw people from the war-ravaged region while filming “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider” in Cambodia in 2001. Since then, she has turned into…

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  • Enjoying traditional and modern Incheon

    A friend who has been to Incheon told me that it was a fascinating city. She said we could travel through time along the Gwandong modern architecture street or experience “Little China” in China Town. She talked about Shinpo Dakgangjeong, a restaurant that serves “dakgangjeong,” a sweet and spicy fried…

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  • East Asia

    Girls’ Generation in crisis

    Scandals reveal management loophole, cracks in unity Is Girls’ Generation in crisis? Will it disband in the near future? Eight years have passed since the nine-member K-pop girl group burst onto the domestic music scene. During that time, it has grown up as undisputed K-pop kingpin adored by scores of…

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  • Guidebook gives tips for going abroad

    ‘Students, parents should be careful not to make mistake’ More than 200,000 students who left Korea to study abroad at a young age have come back, but many have had difficulties, especially due to a lack of preparation. Jeon Yong-hoon, 31, a professional counselor working at a counseling center in…

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  • Boys to take charge of K-pop in second quarter

    While the first few months of the year in K-pop may have been dominated by girl groups, the boys appear poised to capture the lion’s share of the headlines in the months ahead with new albums and singles scheduled for release. One of the most anticipated will come from EXO,…

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  • Designing hangeul

    Calligrapher promotes beauty of hangeul Few may readily identify Kang Byung-in, but his calligraphic writings have donned popular items such as soju labels and TV drama titles. Calligrapher Kang, 52, has written titles for popular dramas the “Woman Who Marries Thrice” (2014), “Faith” (2012) starring hallyu star Lee Min-ho, “The…

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  • Streak interrupted

    Hollywood blockbusters halt Korean films’ local dominance After dominating the local box office for most of 2012 and 2013, Korean films are off to a slower start this year with moviegoers showing more love for Hollywood films. According to the Korean Film Council, Korean movies combined for a 48 percent…

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  • Korean authors arrive for London Book Fair

    The “Korea Market Focus” of the London Book Fair, a major publishing trade event, opened Tuesday with the attendance of several major Korean literary figures. The Korea-centric event, which aims to highlight the Korean publishing industry, is being held under the theme, “Books opening the mind, doors opening the future.”…

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